According to Chinese legend, during the Han dynasty (206-221 AD) there was a magician who could collect, within an urn, mountains, trees, buildings, and living creatures (could he have been the first cultivator of miniature trees?). As early as the 2nd century, Chinese literature made reference to potted trees, and paintings from the period showed potted trees in honored positions in homes of the nobility. Dramatically shaped trees and stones were used to create scenes in a pot or tray; thus the Chinese term of penjing, meaning “potted scene.”

For over a thousand years, China was the major cultural and artistic influence in Asia. The practice of growing miniature potted trees spread, along with many other aspects of Chinese culture, into Korea and Japan some time between the 8th and 13th centuries, as travel between the countries became more common. The Chinese continue the tradition of penjing to this day, yet it was the Japanese who adopted and refined the art of bonsai, and in the 20th century brought the art to the attention of the world.

In the beginning, the potted trees in Japan were grotesque and unnatural. Little by little the art evolved, and bonsai as we know them today came into being. Because the Japanese used only dwarfed, artistically shaped trees in their pots, they were described by the term bonsai. Translated literally, it means “a planting in a shallow container,” or “tree in a tray.”

During the mid 1700s, cultural progress was being made in all the arts of Japan. The tea ceremony, ceramics, painting, landscaping, floral art and Noh flourished, with emphasis on the quest for wabi and sabi. Bonsai appeared in paintings and were even mentioned in the famous Noh play “Hachii-no-ki.” In the play, a poor ex-samurai burns his potted trees to warm his humble guest, who turns out to be a shogun traveling incognito.

Traditionally the pastime of scholars and the noble, after the start of the Meiji period (1868 to 1912), the common public was encouraged to practice bonsai by Emperor Meiji, who felt bonsai was a national art. Professional bonsai collectors worked to satisfy a heavy demand for bonsai material, digging naturally stunted trees out of cliffs and mountains. Gradually native stock became scarce, and eventually all collecting was prohibited by the National Flora and Fauna protection practices of the Modern period. This led to development of new techniques for propagation and nursery training of young bonsai material. The availability of this material contributed to the rapid improvement of growing methods and development of new bonsai styles. The “golden age” of bonsai had arrived in Japan.

In 1914 there were nationwide bonsai exhibits in Tokyo, and in 1921 a bonsai magazine was being published. In 1923, after the Kanto earthquake, many Tokyo growers moved to Omiya, which became the home of many famous bonsai families who still live there today. Bonsai began to be used in public ceremonies, and gained status in 1934 when the first Kokufu bonsai exhibit was held at Ueno Park in Tokyo on the grounds of the Art Gallery. WW2 brought bonsai to the edge of extinction, but thanks to the patience and enthusiasm of bonsai lovers, many priceless ancient bonsai escaped the ravages of war.

After the war, the beauty and charm of bonsai was introduced to the whole world. In Japan, Toshio Kawamoto developed a new style using young, inexpensive plants in living landscapes, calling the style saikei. The beauty of this style is the immediate pleasure of creation without the years of training and expense of good bonsai material.

In the United States in 1957 Yuji Yoshimura wrote a book on bonsai in English. Intended for showing the differences between potted trees and bonsai, it turned into a classification of styles and artistic compromises, setting down rules for creating natural looking bonsai.

In 1969 a man named Wu Yee-sun, a well known Hong Kong banker and financier, published a book called “Man Lung Garden Artistic Pot Plants.” His main purpose was to promote the art of penjing and bonsai worldwide. He gave away all 10,000 copies of his first edition, free of charge, to leading libraries, universities, bonsai clubs and societies, as well as to other lovers of the art throughout the world. He then did the same with a second edition.

In 1964, the Japanese Bonsai Association was established. In 1976, in celebration of our Bicentennial, Japan gave the to United States a gift of several bonsai which are housed and available for viewing at the National Arboretum in Washington, DC. In 1984, the World Bonsai Friendship Federation was formed by Saburo Kato and other bonsai masters in Japan. They held the first magnificent convention in Omiya in 1989 to celebrate World Peace and Harmony through Bonsai. These conventions are now held every four years, with the host country changing each time.

Today, bonsai are grown in almost every country of the world. There are bonsai clubs in most large cities; there are internet bonsai clubs; at least five international magazines are being published; and there are hundreds of books in libraries and available for sale. Classes available to anyone who wants to learn about bonsai, and many clubs host annual conventions featuring local and international artists. Tools and plants (young, pre-bonsai, and bonsai) are readily available. Because of this, the quality of bonsai throughout the world is improving, artistically and dramatically; it truly is art.

It started in China and Japan, but the art of bonsai can be enjoyed in our own back yards, truly binding the past and the present, the east and the west, the old and the young.

References

Bonsai, the Art and Technique, Dorothy Young, Pub.1985, Prentice-Hall

“Peace & Harmony Through Bonsai”, BCI magazine, Nov./Dec. 1992

Bonsai, Deborah R.Koreshoff, Pub.1984, by Timber Press, OR

(currently available through Stone Lantern Publishing Co.)

The Living Art of Bonsai, Amy Liang, Pub.1992, by Sterling Pub.Co.

Man Lung Artistic Pot Plants, Wu Yee-sun, Pub.1974 by Wing Lung Bank

• Bonsai events at the Portland Japanese Garden

photo: Jonathan Ley

Anne Spencer, Bonsai Society of Portland

History

Bonsai (pronounced “bone-sigh”) is a Japanese word that translates literally as “a planting in a shallow container.” In modern usage, the term refers specifically to a dwarfed, artistically shaped tree in a container. It is, in essence, a living sculpture.

The earliest known reference to potted trees is found in second-century Chinese literature. In the Chinese tradition, either dramatically shaped stones or trees could be used to create a scene in a pot or tray; the Chinese term for bonsai is penjing meaning “potted scene.” The practice of growing miniature potted trees, along with many other aspects of Chinese culture, spread into Korea (”boonjay”) and Japan sometime between the 8th and 13th centuries.

Although China has maintained a varied and lively tradition of penjing to the present day, it was the Japanese who adopted, modified, and finally popularized the art of bonsai. Today, what was once the esoteric pastime of scholars and the noble classes has attained broad popularity worldwide.

Artistic Characteristics

A bonsai is a small-scale representation of a mature tree in its natural surroundings; a representation that suggests a particular scene or mood. The bonsai artist manipulates the tree by pruning, bending, and tying. The goal is not to create an exact replica of a large tree but to create a simplified, abstract form that suggests a scene and elicits an emotional response.

The essential difference between bonsai and other potted plants is that while most potted plants are appreciated solely for their own features (flowers, foliage, etc.), bonsai are appreciated for their ability to suggest an image other than themselves. A useful analogy might be to think of a painting, which is appreciated not for the paint per se but for the image the paint creates. Like a painting, a bonsai is not a literally accurate image but a suggestion that is somewhat abstracted and idealized according to the intent and taste of the artist.

A large-scale wisteria bonsai in full bloom. Portland Bonsai Society.

photo: Jonathan Ley

Horticultural Characteristics

Bonsai are not created from a specific species of tree, and they are not stunted, starved, or tortured. A good-quality bonsai is a healthy, well-nourished, vigorously growing tree. It is small in part because it is regularly trimmed, and in part because container cultivation limits the size of the root system. A healthy bonsai regularly produces an abundance of new growth that the artist uses to develop and refine its shape.

Because a bonsai continues to grow, it is never “finished” as an art piece. The artist’s work – and the bonsai’s evolution – can continue for decades. For this reason, creating a bonsai is called “training” rather than “sculpting.” Unlike with clay, glass, and other inanimate materials, creating art from a living tree is an interactive process. The artist must yield to the tree, even as the tree yields to the trimming, shaping, and bending by the artist.

In most cases, bonsai require abundant natural daylight for photosynthesis and therefore should not be treated as houseplants. However, despite the fact that bonsai prefer an outdoor environment (appropriate to the species) even cold-hardy plants require protection in below-freezing weather due to exposure of the roots in small containers.

Information provided by Weyerhaeuser Corporation and the Bonsai Society of Portland

• Bonsai events at the Portland Japanese Garden

Oregon Poet Laureate Inada Reflects on Internment

The PBS website also offers an exclusive video of Mr. Inada reading his work in front of the Garden’s Heavenly Falls, accompanied by guitarist Toshi Onizuka:

Poetry Reading by Lawson Fusao Inada

Dream Weaver: the Bamboo Art of Jiro Yonezawa runs November 15–30 in the Pavilion of the Portland Japanese Garden.

—Anonymous, Goshui Wakashu, (Later Collection of Poetic Gleanings), 11th Century

They say the full moon in mid-autumn always seems to burn the brightest. Poets gather to catch its reflection in the garden pond. Musicians seek to capture its elusive beauty in a tranquil melody. As for lovers, they may just prefer to stroll together along the quiet Garden paths and reflect upon their own good fortune—even though they cannot linger forever in this world of earthly delights.

In Japan, the moon disappearing behind the clouds is a metaphor for the fleeting beauty of life. You may have seen Japanese paintings in which monkeys are depicted dipping their hands into the water to try to catch the reflection of the full moon. This, too, is a Zen Buddhist metaphor for always reaching for things that are not what they seem—material things that are illusions that keep us from grasping what is important in life. Depicted in poetry and painted in gold on lacquered trays, the autumn moon has captured the imagination of the Japanese for over a thousand years—a symbol of this most melancholy of seasons when summer days fade to gray.

For centuries, the full moon at harvest time has been celebrated in agricultural societies around the world. Around the time of the Autumnal Equinox, the moon comes up right around sunset, which enabled farmers to continue working on their harvests into the evening hours. Many cultures hold festivals in celebration of the Harvest Moon.

In Japan, as early as the 7th century, there is a record of aristocratic moonviewing ceremonies and parties held in the gardens of the Imperial Court. Ponds were constructed on which the aristocrats could float along in decorated boats at sunset to enjoy the reflection of the full moon on the waters. In Japan, it is said that the moon is even more beautiful half hidden behind the clouds. It is suggestive, rather than explicit, and is said to spark the creative imagination. This custom originated in China centuries earlier, as did the custom of listening to traditional music, and writing poems in beautiful calligraphy to express the beauty of the full moon.

A half-smile, the faultless restraint, the delicate features: the face of a Japanese doll silently reveals the soul of an ancient culture. Hina Matsuri, the Festival of Dolls, celebrated on March 3, is a once a year event during which little girls learn the importance of gentility and thoughtfulness, qualities they would need to become good wives in mothers in traditional Japanese society.

The central feature of the celebration of Hina Matsuri on March 3 is the display of hina ningyo, special dolls in elaborate costumes, representing the imperial court during the Heian period (794-1185). Arranged on five- or seven-tiered stands, they are displayed in the best room of the house. The pair of dolls on the highest level of the arrangement is called the dairi-sama, which represent a royal couple dressed in resplendent court costumes of figured brocades and handmade silk. The court lady doll wears a costume called juni-hitoe (12-layered ceremonial robe). Even today this multi-layered garment is worn at a wedding of the royal family. Princess Masako wore juni-hitoe when she married Crown Prince Naruhito in 1993.

On the next level are three court ladies (sannin-kanjo), followed by five musicians (gonin-bayashi), two ministers (udaijin and sadaijin) or guards with bows and arrows. Three servants (who carry the courtiers’ hat, shoes, and cane) are arranged on the bottom row in a five-tiered display. There are also miniature pieces of delicately lacquered furniture, tiny dishes, and other household accessories.

The holiday is also known as Momo no Sekku (Peach Festival), so a tiny peach tree often decorates one of the shelves, opposite a tachibana (mandarin orange) tree which is symbolic of the Imperial Court. Peach blossoms symbolize a happy marriage and are indispensable decorations of this festival day. The blossoms signify the feminine traits of gentility, composure, and tranquility.

The tradition of Hina Matsuri

In ancient times, small clay or straw dolls were placed near babies of both sexes to ward off illness and evil spirits. Once a year, the dolls were ceremoniously floated away on a nearby river, thus, taking all bad luck with them. As the years went by, the tradition evolved into an annual ritual in which men, women, and children would make crude paper dolls, symbolically transferring their misfortunes or illness to the dolls and then casting them into a river or stream. In some rural areas, this custom, called hina-okuri or nagashi-bina, is still practiced. Typically, this outdoor family outing happened on March 3 by the Lunar Calendar, just at the start of the warmer weather, so the date for Hina Matsuri marks the onset of spring.

During the Edo period (1600–1867), dolls began to take on a different role. In Japanese society, there were strict rules governing every aspect of life, including what people could wear. The merchant class was not allowed to wear colorful silk. As they became increasingly prosperous, one way to flaunt their wealth was to invest in—and display—hina dolls that could be dressed in the finest colored silk.

Hina Matsuri used to be one of the few occasions when little Japanese girls had their own parties. It was customary up until WWII for girls to invite their friends to these parties at which they partook of the sweets and food offered to the dolls. Sometimes they cooked and prepared the food and cakes to be offered to the dolls.

Hina Matsuri Today

It is traditional to serve hishi mochi, which are diamond-shaped mochi (pounded glutinous rice) that are colored pink, white, or green. The pink is for chasing evil spirits away, the white is for purity, and the green is for health. Hina-arare (special rice crackers) and shirozake (sweet white sake) are also often served, including a tiny thimbleful for the children. The colorful air of both the dolls and the young girls add to the gaiety of this festival.

A traditional set of dolls can be very expensive. There are various grades for the sets, and some full sets cost more than a million yen. Unless there is a set handed down from generation to generation, grandparents or parents buy a new set for a girl by her first Hina Matsuri; other relatives and friends may also make gifts of dolls. Brides used to take their own dolls to their new homes. Since today many Japanese live in very small houses, a simpler royal couple version (with only the Emperor and the Empress dolls) has become popular. And there are dolls for any budget, from miniature paper dolls to the elaborate dolls dressed by master craftsmen.

There is a superstition that if you don’t put away the Hina dolls soon after March 3rd, the daughter will get married late. However, if a family with daughters does not display any dolls, it may bring even worse luck, especially when it comes to finding a husband.

Many interpretations are given about the festival. The special care required to handle the fragile dolls is a lesson to young girls in gentility and thoughtfulness, qualities they will need to become good wives and mothers in the Japanese tradition. Families observe the festival to encourage filial piety, ancestor worship, loyalty, but above all it is a demonstration of the love of children by Japanese parents, their joy and pride in them, and their desire to please them that dominates this celebration. Old country families still treasure their family Hina dolls and doll furniture, which are preserved for centuries.

• Celebrate the Doll Festival at the Portland Japanese Garden

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2007 Portland Japanese Garden Haiku Contest, as follows:

First Prize morning pond— the fog drifts into a pair of swans —Rebecca Lilly Second Prize asparagus spears pushing through grass a garter snake’s stripes —Barbara Snow Third Prize trumpet flower —the deepening hummm of summer —Ernest J Berry

© Jostein Hauge istockphoto.com

© Tjasa Maticic istockphoto.com

Honorable Mentions Early autumn— still woven through my white quilt your black hair —S. L. Lheureux morning star first bloom in the jasmine —Francine Banwarth Pushing upriver, pulling the fog behind it tugboat, chug-chugging —Pru McDonald

Our sincere thanks go to all those who participated in the contest over the past several months. Please watch our website and newsletter for announcements of future contests.

We also want to extend a warm thank you to Margaret Chula for serving as our official content judge and for working tirelessly to read through the myriad of haiku entries.
Margaret Chula has been writing haiku for more than twenty-five years. She has published five collections, including Grinding my ink, a Haiku Society of America Merit Book Award winner. Over the last fifteen years, she has given presentations at the Japanese Garden on Japanese culture. You can find her books in our Gift Store and online at www.japanesegarden.com/shop .

“It was a great pleasure to read so many haiku from around the world. Each one offered a very personal glimpse into nature. Congratulations to the winners for your poignant, well-crafted haiku. Your choices of images and unusual juxtapositions are outstanding. Whether you are an accomplished haiku poet or just beginning to explore this form, I encourage all of you to take the time to enjoy the different seasons and to encapsulate these moments into a haiku.” — Margaret Chula

The earliest recorded o-tsukimi, or moonviewing parties were held at the Imperial Court of Heian-Kyo (present-day Kyoto), in the 10th century, when courtiers gathered on the night of the full moon in the 8th month of the old lunar calendar (September in the Gregorian calendar) for an elegant evening of poetry writing and gagaku, an elegant form of court music.

O-Tsukimi parties are still celebrated in Japan today in temple gardens and private homes. A small altar is decorated with susuki (Eulalia grass) and hagi (bush clover), edamame (green soy beans), sato imo sweet potatoes and tsukimi dango (moonviewing cakes). Tsukimi dango are round dumplings of fine rice flour, kneaded with warm water, and steamed into bite-sized dumplings arranged in a pyramid as part of a special offering referred to as o-sonae.

The Rabbit in the Moon

There are also many legends and fables involving the moon in Japan and other East Asian countries. While in the West, people refer to the “man in the moon,” in the East it is said that the shape of the shadow on the moon resembles a rabbit—an idea that originated in India and traveled to Japan through Korea and China. There’s a Buddhist tale of a rabbit voluntarily sacrificing his life to provide food for the starving Buddha. To show his appreciation, the Buddha rewarded the rabbit by putting his face on the moon.
Throughout Asia, tales of the rabbit on the moon endure. According to Hindu legend, a rabbit, with nothing else to offer the weary Indra, jumps into a fire, cooking himself for the deity. Out of gratitude, Indra placed the rabbit in the moon. The sanskrit word for “moon” literally means “one who carries the hare” and the moon has been associated with the rabbit or hare in Asia for centuries. Another tale about the moon tells of how the craters and shadows on the moon were made by rabbits pounding rice to make mochi, or rice cakes.

Ishidoro, the Stone Lanterns

A very special feature of moonviewing at the Portland Japanese Garden is the lighting of the ishidoro, the stone lanterns that grace the pathways and hidden corners of the Garden. The Portland Japanese Garden has more than 28 stone lanterns, several of which came to the garden as gifts of friendship from Japan. This is one of the only nights of the year when the lanterns are lit for visitors to enjoy as they stroll along the paths.

The Moon in Japanese Literature

In her 10th century novel, The Tale of Genji, Murasaki Shikibu writes of elegant moonviewing parties at Daikaku-ji Temple in Western Kyoto, in which courtiers float languidly in the moonlight to the sound of elegant court music as their dragon boats glide across Osawa Pond, a custom still practiced today.

Japanese literature and lore are filled with melancholy references to the moon, including this poem written by Oe no Chisato in the 9th century:

Or this haiku written by Basho 10 centuries later:

The Melancholy Moon

The whole notion of autumn brings a tinge of melancholy to the Japanese spirit. Summer has ended and with winter approaching this is a time to reflect on the brevity of life itself.

The Portland Japanese Garden is one of the most beautiful places on earth to experience the tranquility of the autumn moon—whether on a clear night or a cloudy one. The moon is said to be even more beautiful when it is half concealed behind the clouds. Yoshida Kenko, a famous 13th century author, wrote in his classic essay Tsurezuregusa, (Essays in Idleness):

Are we to look at cherry blossoms only in full bloom, the moon only when it is cloudless? To long for the moon while looking on the rain, to lower the blinds and be unaware of the passing spring—these are even more deeply beautiful.

One of the most popular forms of poetry today, haiku is the essence of simplicity. Written in three lines with a total of 17 syllables or less, a haiku should be brief enough to be read in one breath. Haiku poems are about nature and experiences in our everyday lives. They contain a seasonal word (or phrase), such as “summer breeze” in the following haiku by Margaret Chula.

summer breeze
stones in the dry garden
flow without moving

Anyone wishing to enter the contest is welcome to submit their haiku to the Portland Japanese Garden by completing the online haiku entry form at www.japanesegarden.com/culture/haiku or mailing their haiku to Portland Japanese Garden, PO Box 3847, Portland, Oregon 97208.

The first-prize winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to the online Garden Gift Store and two runners-up winners will receive $50 gift certificates. Samples of haiku and full instructions can be found at www.japanesegarden.com/culture/haiku. The contest runs from July 21 through October 8, 2007.