The History of Bonsai

The art of Bonsai began in China. And it is known by several different words. The word "pen-jing" covers all of the art of bonsai. And there are two other important words, "pun-sai" which means a tree planted in a container without any landscaping. And "pun-ching" which means a tree that is planted in a container along with a landscape.

Earliest mentions of these arts are in chinese literature and art dating back to around 200 BC during the Ch'in dynasty and the Han dynasty.

Legend has it that in 4th century china a Poet and civil servant named Guen-ming, upon retiring from his job embarked on the hobby of growing chrysanthemums in pots and bringing them into his house. This might have been the beginning of potted plants and indoor container gardening.

And we have records from about 200 years later (the T'ang dynasy 618-906) that show the growing of various types of miniature trees in pots. It is believed that this period of time is where bonsai began.

Up until this time the art of bonsai was something practiced only by the highest strata of society in china - the wealthy aristocrats. But during the Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1911) it slowly made its way into all levels and strata of society effectively becoming a hobby for all.

Bonsai comes to Japan

During the Tang dynasty there was a lot of cultural exchange between Japan and China and delegates from Japan took this art of growing trees in dishes back with them to Japan. They further developed the art and made it their own; giving it the name we know today "Bonsai" which translates as "to train in a tray".

And a very important event in the growth of Bonsai in Japan was when a Chinese official fled from China too Japan in 1644. He brought with him a significant collection of literature about bonsai. His knowledge is considered instrumental in the rapid spread of bonsai throughout Japan.

Bonsai is introduced to the world

Bonsai remained in Asia for many centuries and it was first introduced to western civilization at two World Fairs. First in Paris in 1878 and again in London in 1909. At first the art of bonsai was not recieved well by the western world. It was considered to be an art that stunted and deprived the trees. Aesthetically it wasn't pleasing. But with time the beauty and art of it came to be more accepted.

Bonsai Comes to America

The art of Bonsai came slowly to america and the first examples were Japanese immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries who settled on the west coast. But the art really took hold in america after American servicemen started bringing them back from Japan after World War 2.

Earliest collections in America

The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens started its collection of bonsai with 32 specimens in 1925. And the Arnold Arboretum in Boston has a collection that was begun in 1913.

Japanese Horticulturist Kan Yashiroda...

Do you like making projects and exploring a variety of hobbies?

Sign up for my free newsletter. I give you regular updates on hobbies and projects you can make. it is totally free and I don't share your email with anybody.

Custom Search

StormTheCastle.com
Home

Make a Trebuchet
Make a Paper Castle
Rocket Launcher
Make a Catapult
Make a Terrarium
Shoebox Diorama
Sculpting Miniatures
Fantasy Diorama
Shadowbox Fantasy
Make a videogame
Rainforest Diorama
Stop Motion Animation
Make a Volcano
A Paper fantasy game
Make a boxkite
The Warcraft VR Chamber
The Big Wall Diorama
Make a cardboard sword
Cardboard Shield
Dragon Pinata
Nature Walks

MY STORES

Dioramas & miniatures
Classical Guitar store
Telescope Store
Terrarium Store
Fantasy Art Books
Model Rocket Store
Siege Engine Store
R/C Airplanes Store
Swords

LINKS

My Youtube Channel
Twitter - Follow Me
Banner Exchange
Banner Exchange
MoreLinks
HobbyLinks
List of Hobbies
Things
Other Websites
More Other Websites
Kindred Spirit Links

My Other Websites

The Telescope Nerd
Castlefiction.com
Epic-Fantasy.com
The Fantasy Blog
The Fantasy Guide
Medieval Castles
Medieval Swords
Medieval Weapons
The Knight Medieval
willkalif.com
make-video-games.com

All Materials, unless
otherwise stated are
Copyright©2000-2012
Kalif Publishing and
StormtheCastle.com

For more information or
for customer support
check out
copyright and info page

Hi, Thanks for visiting
my website.
My name is Will.
If you have any questions
or want to contribute
to this website:

---------