"History Of Bonsai"
Throughout human history
people have been growing
plants in containers. Old
Egyptian, Indians and
Chinese are all known for
growing plants in pots.
This early cultivation of
plants in pots was used for
food and medicine only. It
wasn't until 2000 BC that
the Chinese started growing
plants in pots for their
aesthetic attributes, so they
could enjoy their beauty and
to enhance their homes
and gardens.
In 9th century, bonsai, or pen-jing as ti was called in Chine, has been brought
to Japan by Buddhist monks.This was the very beginning of potted plants in
Japan, and it took some time before this tradition developed into the art form
that we now know as a bonsai.
And while development of this tradition went through a seriesof trends and
fashions, the most important influence came from the native Japanese religion,
Shinto, which is characterized by veneration of nature spirits and ancestors
and by a lack of formal dogma.
The major characteristic of Chinese pen-jing trees was that they were trained
into mythical creatures (e.g. dragons) or Chinese characters. In other words,
there was no real attemptto make them look 'natural'. Japanese trees followed
the suit until the end of 16th century, when for the first time noblemen and
samurai collected dwarfed trees form the wild and kept them in pots.
This idea of growing trees in their natural forms, as they are foundin the wild,
is what made bonsai a uniquely Japanese art.
Europeans fist came into contact with bonsai at the end of the19th century.
And while exhibitions were held in Europe in the early 20th century, bonsai
didn't really caught on in the West until after the Second World War.
From this very modest beginnings, bonsai's popularity has grown all over the
world, and it has been increasing in number of practitioners, books and species
grown as bonsai ever since.
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