- AN EVOLUTION TO
- TRUE INDOOR BONSAI
Bonsai
could have developed spontaneously in different parts of the world reflecting two
universal human traits.
COLLECTED NATURE'S BONSAI. Nature creates beauty in harsh
environments. At the "timber-line" at high elevations, trees grow
stunted and assume extraordinary shapes. During favorable weather cycles, the
trees grow well. But much of the tree may die back due to drought, lightning storms,
fires, high winds, or other natural events and only portions of the tree near the
root base may survive. As a favorable climate returns, new growth is produced
from the living portion and the tree flourishes until the next disaster. The dead
portions begin to resemble driftwood or rots away.
This growth and die-back cycle may be repeated many times and each time, the base of
the tree thickens and additional character develops. Over many years the tree
develops into a unique natural living sculpture. Anyone having the opportunity to
experience such trees would want to collect them, take them home, and grow
them! Planted in the ground, it could be the dominant feature in a garden
landscape. If planted and trained in a container, it could become a bonsai
masterpiece!
BONSAI MINIATURE LANDSCAPES. Memorable landscapes inspire miniature
landscapes. In England shortly after the Industrial Revolution porcelain coated iron
sinks became popular. The old carved stone sinks with its sloping bottom and drain
hole evolved into detailed miniature replicas of formal geometric English gardens.
Although these sink gardens are totally different from Japanese bonsai landscapes,
they both are miniature tray landscapes reflecting the orientations of their
creators.
The karst Kwelin cliffs of China can be compared to the ridges found on the windward
sides of all of the islands of Hawaii where the sheer cliffs drop into the sea. Such
scenes inspired the Chinese rockery gardens, Japanese "saikei" and tray
landscapes and Hawaiian efforts named "Creating a Bonsai World!" and
"Smallwoods & Napali Cliffs."
BONSAI IN EVOLUTION. The concept of international artistic pot plants
continues to expand. "Creating a Bonsai World!" is on a thin concrete disk
with a turn-table device so all sides can be viewed. Perhaps a mechanical device
will be added in the future to turn the arrangement slowly. Beautifully planted tray
landscapes incorporating recirculating water have been created by Jiro Tanaka of Kamuela,
Hawaii. In China, selected naturally shaped rocks and ornaments arranged on
marble display trays have some water but have no plants. The Japanese treasure
beautifully shaped "suiseki" or water stones and mount them on carved wooden
bases or display them with sand in a shallow water tray. Bonsai can have unlimited
applications.
In China prior to the revolution that created the People's Republic of China and the
Cultural Revolution, "penjing" was one of many cultural pleasures of the
aristocratic elite. There were no rules and no commercial activities. Penjing
simply brought personal pleasure and was enjoyed with visiting friends. Aristocratic
penjing is "art" and each is different. Bonsai was introduced into Japan
about 1,500 years ago; but until American Commodore Perry ended Japan's isolation in
1853, Chinese penjing and Japanese bonsai were very similar.
Since
then, in Japan, there's been a tendency to codify all aspects of bonsai and
create accepted style names, terminology, and guidelines to effectively teach
bonsai. They specialized on the "single apex-tier branched pine tree
shape." To provide the large quantities needed for the popular classes, former
rice farmers switched to producing bonsai stock as a crop. But while much of basic
"traditional" Japanese bonsai reflects "craft," the top
celebrated masterpieces are often collected and refined natural sculpture or the result of
extraordinary creativity by those who have developed discipline and exacting skills and
have gone beyond the rules.
HAWAIIAN TROPICAL BONSAI & TRUE INDOOR BONSAI. Bonsai was brought to Hawaii mainly by
Japanese immigrants over 100 years ago. Here in the tropics, trees grow into
different structural shapes and most of our trees grow into "multiple apex-arched
branched" structures. Hawaiian lava rock are beautiful, ideal, and
commonly utilized. Hawaii has become a horticultural paradise with beautiful plants
introduced from all parts of the world. It is possible to grow several times as many
different plant varieties in the tropics compared to temperate climates.
Most durable and common house plants are tropical plants that grow within a natural
temperature range of 55°F to 90°F; the same temperature range maintained indoors
throughout the world. The best house plants for bonsai are those that are shade
tolerant and only the most durable are grown as Fuku-Bonsai's TRUE INDOOR
BONSAI™! True Indoor Bonsai are proven durable house plants trained into the
"multiple apex-arched branched" structures of Hawaiian tropical bonsai.
Here in Hawaii the most impressive tropical bonsai are giant banyans with luxuriant lofty
crowns, an abundance of aerial roots with huge buttressing roots. They remind
us of our youthful days when such a giant tree was our playground. In adapting
Japanese bonsai and Chinese penjing to the tropics, we've become recognized
international leaders of bonsai technology and applications. Hawaii has the longest
bonsai history in the English speaking word and serves as an international bonsai liaison
between East and West. As Americans, we tend to be very independent and would
have difficulty conforming to the rigid discipline associated with the Japanese cultural
arts. We know what we like and don't like. We will not accept rules.
After all, for us, bonsai is a hobby! Increasingly, bonsai
is an art, a craft, and a hobby!
THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF BONSAI. We're teaching our fifth generation of
Hawaiian bonsai enthusiasts and the principles of bonsai are becoming better
understood. We've gone past bonsai being an exotic "bag of tricks" and
have identified generic principles applicable to all forms of bonsai. By dissecting
every known bonsai rule or guideline, we've come to categorize them into 1)
horticultural rules reflecting the needs of specific plant varieties, 2)
training techniques applicable to any form of bonsai, and 3) design
guidelines.
With this as a foundation, becoming successful in bonsai is relatively
simple. If horticultural rules are based upon the needs of your plant,
the basic plant care information should be obtained from the person selling you that plant
or from others in your area that have knowledge on how to grow the plant as bonsai.
It is not possible for a person in Hawaii to provide knowledgeable advice on how to grow a
specific outdoor plant in your climate.
The exception is FUKU-BONSAI'S TRUE INDOOR BONSAI because these plants are grown
indoors throughout the world as house plants! Our extensive research and
customer feedback allows providing predictable guidelines for the full range of indoor
environments! Training techniques are the same or applicable whether you're training
Chinese penjing, Japanese bonsai, tropical outdoor bonsai, or TRUE INDOOR
BONSAI. The challenge of bonsai is to acquire suitable bonsai stock material with
exciting potential that will grow well for you, to develop a mental image of a
future shape, and utilize training techniques over time to create that design!
The various forms of International Bonsai are separate to allow readers to get a good
general feel of various forms of artistic pot plants. No effort has been made to
explain all of the endless variations. Rather the form of bonsai that we favor is
presented in more detail.
There are a huge number of forms of Chinese penjing that reflect regional variations and
styles. While much of the contemporary Chinese penjing are being produced in communes for
export to Japan, Europe, and the United States, much of these are commercial products
being mass marketed. For those with the resources to locate them and purchase,
extraordinary Chinese penjing and Japanese bonsai are available.
There are many bonsai experts who claim proficiency and knowledge. Some are very
skilled and practice an exacting form of bonsai and who have a very limited tolerance for
anyone not as disciplined or committed. These elitists can be intimidating and have
great influence over bonsai groups.
But increasingly, Fuku-Bonsai's populist orientation grows with no
competitions, a belief that owner-trainers are in charge of their own trees, and
that bonsai is to be shared within the family, amongst friends, with the community and the
world! This is part of the beauty and spirit of True Indoor Bonsai!
