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History of Bonsai

The history of bonsai (pronounced bon-sigh) is cloaked in the mist of the past but it is now widely accepted that it was the Chinese who first created the miniature landscapes and trees that we now know as bonsai. In Japanese, bonsai can be literally translated as “tray planting”, but since originating in Asia so many centuries ago – it has developed into a whole new form. Called penjing by the Chinese, bonsai was believed to have had its start in the Han Dynasty. In this essay I will discuss some of the legends and facts surrounding the beginning of bonsai.

One of the earliest Chinese legends contends that it was in the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – 220 A.D.) that an emperor created a landscape in his courtyard complete with hills, valleys, rivers, lakes and trees that represented his entire empire. He created the landscape so that he could gaze upon his entire empire from his palace window. This landscape form of art was also his alone to posess. It was said that anyone else found in possession of even a miniature landscape was seen as a threat to his empire and put to death.

Another Chinese legend relating to the beginnings of bonsai points to a fourth century A.D. Chinese poet and civil servant named Guen-ming. It’s believed that after his retirement he began growing chrysanthemums in pots. Some historians believe this was a step towards the beginning of bonsai in the Tang dynasty some 200 years later.

The earliest documented proof of bonsai was discovered in 1972 in the tomb of Prince Zhang Huai, of the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 A.D.) who died in 706 A.D. Two wall paintings discovered in the tomb show servants carrying plants resemblingbonsai. In one of the paintings a servant is seen carrying a miniature landscape and in the other painting a servant is shown carrying a pot containing a tree.

Bonsai in Hawaii BONSAI IN HAWAII A PAPERBACK BY ELAINE OKIMOTO AND ILLUSTRATED BY PAUL IMADA. INCLUDES BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES AND INDEX. 98 p. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY SERVICE PRINTERS. COPYRIGHT 1990. NO ISBN NUMBER….

The Bonsai Workshop (Our Garden Variety) $7.67 “For the beginning to intermediate bonsai enthusiast, outlining in straightforward fashion the essentials of the care, creation, and display of these lovely miniature trees…this book should be the only one you need.”—Booklist….

Bonsai: Its Art, Science, History and Philosophy $14.98 After leaving University, Deborah Koreshoff spent three years in a full-time capacity writing and illustrating “Bonsai”, a book about her birth into the world of bonsai and her parents’ Bonsai Nursery authorized of Nippon Bonsai-Saikei Art Institute….

Pruning the Bodhi Tree: The Storm Over Critical Buddhism (Nanzan Library of Asian Religion and Culture) $22.50 …