The History of Bonsai
The history of bonsai (pronounced bone-sigh) is cloaked in the mist of the past but it is currently accepted that it really was the Chinese that first created the miniature landscapes and trees which we now know as bonsai. Called penjing by the Chinese, bonsai was believed to have had its first start in the Han Dynasty. In this column I will discuss the some of facts and legends surrounding the beginnings of bonsai.
An early Chinese legend asserts it was in the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – 220 A.D.) that an eccentric emperor made a scene in his courtyard complete with rivers, hills, valleys, lakes and lakes (the landscape represented his whole empire). The landscape was created by him he can look upon his whole empire. This variety of landscape artwork was his alone to possess. He decreed that anyone found in possession of a landscape was seen as threat to his empire and put to death.
Another legend about the beginnings of bonsai points to a fourth century AD poet and civil servant . Many historians feel that this was a step to the beginning of bonsai in the Tang dynasty some 200 years later.
Servants carrying several plants resembling bonsai are shown by two wall paintings. In one of those paintings that a person is seen carrying a landscape and in the painting there is that a slave shown carrying a small pot containing a shrub.
Bonsai comes to Japan
Although it’s the Japanese which get most of the charge for bonsai, it wasn’t until the Heian period (794-1191) which Buddhist monks brought bonsai to the Japan. For several years after the advent of bonsai, only the wealthy practiced the art and thus came to be called a nobleman’s privilege.
Because of the simple fact that the art of bonsai was restricted to the noble class almost led to the art to die out completely in Japan. It was using the Chinese invasion of Japan in century the art of bonsai began to be practiced by men and women of all social classes. It started to increase in popularity once bonsai began to be practiced with classes.
The influence on the early masters is apparent because the Japanese use bonsai to be represented by the characters since the Chinese. Following bonsai was set in Japan, the musicians went to refine the artwork and a lot of credit must go to these ancient masters. The refinements that they helped develop has made.
The most early bonsai to create its way came largely from Japan and China. The showing of bonsai in the exhibitions in 1889 and 1900 and in the 3rd Universal Exhibition in Paris 1878 improved interest and opened up the door for the very first major bonsai exhibit to be held in 1909. In these early years, many westerners believed that the trees seemed tortured and many publicly criticized the way the trees were being treated with masters. It was that western opinions changed and bonsai was classified as a bon fide art in the west.
From World War II’s end, bonsai had started to gain in popularity in the west. Soldiers coming from Japan sparked interest from the art. They survived just long enough to create an interest in learning more about the appropriate care of the bonsai, Even though most of the trees brought home by the soldiers died a brief time after their birth. The population that is Japanese-American that is expanding was valuable to Americans in this respect. Their vast knowledge of bonsai was of fantastic interest.
Nowadays trees can be found in many other places, department stores, nurseries and garden centers. The majority of these do not represent the authentic bonsai and however are begins or cuttings. Most trees that are purchased today are known as pre-bonsai. They are utilized only for producing a genuine bonsai tree.
In order to create a genuine bonsai work of art you want to find out as much as possible about the artwork and the trees it is possible to utilize. Quality information is the trick to success and it is very important to read as much as you can. So you can examine the artwork and methods with bonsai 23, Additionally, it is very beneficial to combine a local bonsai club. Creating your our bonsai trees will get simpler as your knowledge and confidence develops and your pleasure of bonsai will grow. We love Bonsai trees at Chasing The Sun Landscaping.