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BONSAI—IT’S NOT AS HARD AS YOU THINK!
Bonsai, miniaturized trees, always
grabs attention and soothes the soul when viewed. The first reaction is
an emotional calming similar to the reaction that occurs whenever one
enters the cathedrals of nature. They provide a connectedness to the
natural world that is missing from our tension filled, industrialized,
technological life style of today. They provide an expression of harmony
between heaven and earth, man and nature.
Bonsai,
‘pun-sai’ later also known as ‘pun-ching’ (tree planted in a container),
originated in China during the Ch’in dynasty (221-296 BC). Buddhist
monks took ‘pun-sai’ with them to Japan during the 10th and
11th centuries. Later during the Ch’ing dynasty 1280-1368 AD,
Japanese government officials and merchants brought specimens home with
them. In 1644, a Chinese master brought his entire collection of
literature with him to Japan while fleeing the Manchus. At first, only
the Samurai practiced this art but after the fall of the Shogun in 1868,
all began enjoying this hobby.
The
Japanese introduced the art of bonsai to the West during the Paris
World’s Fair of 1878 and later at the London World’s Fair of 1909. This
brought new ideas to the West not only of bonsai but also of eastern
philosophy of man’s link to nature. This led to the Art Nouveau
movement, French Impressionism and Frank Lloyd Wright’s “modern”
architecture.
After
experiencing the aesthetics of bonsai comes the intellectual reaction of
how did they do that! A person can start with easy plant material either
tropical for inside or hardy for outside. There are many styles
including one’s own unique slant to this ancient art. He can master one
species or try out many and find the ones that suit him best. Besides
having to water daily, which can be done with a timer, training can be
as simple or as sophisticated as he chooses. Bonsai can be enjoyed daily
or left alone and worked on as time permits. Through them, he
experiences a new heightened awareness of the rhythm of the seasons and
of life itself. He learns to slow down and learns patience.
As we
watch our trees develop we realize that we too develop with time. That
development depends on how we nurture and train ourselves to interact
with others and our environment gaining wisdom through this interaction.
The art
and hobby of bonsai has now spread worldwide. International, national
and local societies share information, plant and potting material as
well as sharing their cherished specimens for viewing. These societies
consist of the expert and the novice alike. The meetings provide
interaction with others who share the love of the art and bring local,
national and international experts in for workshops and lectures.
Our local
society, The Virginia Bonsai Society, meets the first Thursday of the
month at 7:30 PM at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. We publicly display
our best works at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens each year during the
Azalea Festival. All are welcome to attend and join if the bug bites.
Call Bob Owens current president 877-3515 for further information.
Abbot Lee
Granoff
12/2005
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