WINDSWEPT
(FUKINAGASHI)
THE NAME SAYS IT ALL. THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST DIFFICULT STYLE TO CREATE SUCCESSFULLY. THE TREE MUST LOOK AS IF IT LIVES ON A WIND-BLASTED, EXPOSED HILL-SIDE AND NOT AS IF IT IS JUST FALLING OVER. IT MAY BE USED FOR ANY SPECIES.
LITE RATI
(BUNJINGI)
NAMED AFTER A GROUP OF CHINESE SCHOLARS WHO ESTABLISHED IT, THIS STYLE INVOLVES A SINGLE CONIFER WITH A SLENDER TRUNK AND MINIMAL FOLIAGE. IT REPRESENTS A TREE THAT ONCE STOOD ON THE EDGE OF A FOREST BUT IS NOW THE ONLY ONE LEFT STANDING. APPROPRIATE FOR CONIFERS; USUALLY PINES.
EXPOSED ROOT
(NEAGARI)
SIMILAR TO ROOT-OVER-ROCK, BUT WITHOUT A ROCK. THIS DRAMATIC STYLE IS RARE, AS IT IS DIFFICULT TO CREATE, AND IS CONSEQUENTLY HIGHLY PRIZED.
DRIFTWOOD
(SHARIM IKI, SABAM IKI)
AN ABSTRACT STYLE, BASED ON MOUNTAIN TREES THAT HAVE HAD AREAS OF BARK STRIPPED AWAY BY THE ELEMENTS OR BY DISEASE. DRIFTWOOD AREAS, (SHARI) BLEACHED WITH LIME SULPHUR, MIMIC SUN-DAMAGE AND CONTRAST NICELY WITH THE FOLI-AGE. CONIFERS ARE SUITABLE SPECIES.
PLANTE D-IN-ROCK
(ISHITSUKI)
THIS IS LIKE A MINIATURE LANDSCAPE. A LARGE ROCK HAS CAVITIES, NATURAL OR MAN-MADE, INTO WHICH THE TREES ARE PLANTED. TREES ARE SHAPED ACCORDING TO THEIR RELATIVE POSITIONS ON THE MOCK MOUNTAIN. FOR REASONS OF SCALE, THIS WORKS WELL WITH CONIFERS.
SPIRAL TRUNK
(BANKAN)
AN UNNATURAL STYLE THAT INVOLVES AN ARTIFICIALLY SPIRALLED OR TWISTED TRUNK. ONCE COMMON IN CHINA, IT IS NOW ALMOST EXTINCT. ANY SPECIES CAN BE RUINED BY HAVING THIS STYLE APPLIED TO IT!
FORE ST
(YOSE-UE)
ANY NUMBER OF TREES CAN BE USED, PROVIDED THEY HAVE SYMPATHETIC LINES AND DIFFERENT TRUNK THICKNESSES. UNEVEN NUMBERS WORK BEST UP TO AROUND A DOZEN – AFTER WHICH IT DOES NOT MATTER MUCH. HOWEVER, SPECIES WITH SMALL LEAVES GIVE THE BEST RESULTS.
ROOT-OVE R-ROCK
(SEKIJÔJU)
IMITATES A TREE GROWING ON THE ROCKY BANK OF A STREAM, WHERE PASSING FLOOD WATERS HAVE ERODED THE SOIL AND EXPOSED ROOTS THAT ARE TIGHTLY CLASPED TO THE ROCK. BROADLEAVED OR CONIFEROUS SPECIES WITH STURDY, THICK ROOTS ARE BEST.
RAFT
(NETSUNAGARI, IKADABUKI)
FALLEN TREES MAY SURVIVE BY THRUSTING NEW ROOTS INTO THE SOIL FROM THE TRUNK. FORMER BRANCHES GROW UPWARDS TO FORM NEW TRUNKS. THIS FORM SHOULD FOLLOW THE CRITERIA FOR FOREST STYLES. BROAD LEAVED TREES OR CONIFERS CAN BE UTILIZED.
DOUBLE-TRUNK
(SÔJU)
THIS STYLE INVOLVES A LARGER AND A SMALLER TRUNK JOINED AT THE BASE. IF THE TRUNKS ARE SEP ARATED, THE STYLE BECOMES THE ONE KNOWN AS THE ‘MOTHER AND CHILD’. THE JAPANESE TERM REMAINS THE SAME FOR BOTH PAIRED-TRUNK STYLES.
CLUM P
(KABUDACHI)
THIS IMITATES THE NATURAL PHE NOMENON WHICH SOMETIMES OCCURS WHEN A TREE DIES, OR IS FELLED. NEW STEMS SHOOT UP FROM THE STUMP AND, IN TIME, GROW TOGETHER AT THE BASE. BROADLEAVED TREES ARE USED BECAUSE NOT MANY CONIFERS WILL RE-GROW FROM OLD STUMPS.
An impressive specimen of a bonsai tree in the Sabamiki (or Driftwood) Style. This small but sturdy Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) was collected in Wyoming, USA, and is believed to be well over 300 years old.
Displaying bonsai
When you display trees, follow these guidelines to ensure they are in pristine condition:
○ Clean containers thoroughly (don’t overlook their feet!). Unglazed pots can be burnished using a little vegetable oil and a lint-free cloth.
○ Clear any debris from the soil and plant new moss if the old is not in mint condition.
○ Remove training wires that are no longer in use. Any wire that must remain in place should be as unobtrusive as possible.
○ Clean the bark on both the trunk and branches with a toothbrush and water.
○ Trim the tree carefully. In summer, trees should be trimmed a week or two before display, so that new leaves emerge to freshen up the colours so the plant looks at its best.
○ Snip off any dead or discoloured foliage as well as any faded or overblown flowers.
Display
Bonsai trees spend most of their time on growing benches in the garden, or in a position inside the house which suits them best. However, occasionally they are displayed in order to provide a focal point in a room, for example when an important guest is expected. Serious collectors with many established bonsai choose always to have at least one on show. But no tree should be displayed for more than a few days at a time, because the conditions will be less than perfect for its health. In fact, if a deciduous tree is brought into the house in winter, it may start to break dormancy before it goes out into the cold again. This always retards the tree’s spring growth and may prove fatal.
In Japan, bonsai are usually displayed in custom-made alcoves called tokonoma. The tokonoma is a low platform covered with plain matting and flanked by enclosing walls Traditionally, one side has a window-like opening, edged with natural wood. The tree is always placed just off centre on a stand or table, never