| Term
|
Definition |
| Akadama (Aka
dama tsuchi) |
Classic Japanese
Bonsai soil. Simulates the volcanic material of Japan
and assists in establishing the water content of the
soil as it changes color as it dries out. It is very
porous with excellent moisture retention and drainage
characteristics. |
|
| Apex |
The top point of the tree. Every tree must have an apex
- a single point which is clearly marked as the top
of the tree. Considered the most important feature
of the tree; treatment of the apex determines deftness
of the bonsai artist. It may be a branch, foliage,
or jin. |
|
| Apical |
Growth
produced by a plant which is most vigorous, in the
majority of species this at the furthest points
of the plant from the rootsystem.
|
|
| Backbudding |
Process
by which apical growth is
pruned to induce growth further back along the branch
or trunk where it is currently non-existent.
|
|
| Bankan |
A bonsai with a very coiled, curvy trunk, resembling
a snake. |
|
| Bon |
Ceramic container
or pot in which bonsai is planted. |
|
| Bonsai |
From the Japanese words, "bon" and "sai" meaning "pot"
and "plant." Bonsai, however is much more than simply
a pot in a plant. There are numerous styles of bonsai,
all which have different criteria for evaluation.
The goal of bonsai is to create the appearance of
great size and age. This is accomplished by create
a bonsai with strong rootage (nebari)
that extends in all directions, creating a sense of
stability, a large trunk which tapers as it goes upward,
a clear apex, and well formed and well placed branches.
These features all combine to create a careful blend
of symmetry, balance and proportion. It also must
be displayed in a pot which harmonizes well with the
plant material. |
|
| Bunjin (Bunjingi) |
"Literati Style". This style of bonsai is generally
unconventional, often breaking well established
rules. With uncharacteristically thin, often wildly
bent, contorted trunks and sparse foliage, these
tree give the appearance of having suffered greatly
in their environment, yet found a away to survive.
Many times the tree has approximately
two thirds of its trunk without any branches growing
to illustrate age and maturity.
The style's name refers to an artistic movement
(The Southern School of Chinese Landscape Painting)
which was carefree and unconventional. It was their
"search for freedom" which, as John Naka, explains
was "portrayed in the trees of their magnificent
landscape paintings" that gave rise to the inspiration
for the bunjin style. These trees are characterized
by their dynamism, artistry and sense of playfulness
and freedom. One of the basic styles.
|
|
| Buttressing |
This
is also known as root-flare, where the base of the
tree flares outwards giving the feeling of great age
and solidity. |
|
| Cambium |
The
cambium is the only living layer of a tree's trunk
and branches. It lies between the outer layer of bark
and the inner layer of wood. Cambium cells divide
and produce bark tissue on one side, and wood tissue
on the other. |
|
| Cascade Style |
See: Kengai |
|
| Chokkan |
The "formal upright" bonsai style. One of the basic
styles. Essential for this style is a straight trunk
with a naturally balanced symmetrical branch structure.
|
|
| Chumono |
Bonsai ranging between fifteen inches and three feet
in height. |
|
| Conifer |
Any of various mostly needle-leaved or scale-leaved,
chiefly evergreen, cone-bearing gymnospermous trees
or shrubs such as pines, spruces, and firs.
Popular bonsai subjects such as Juniper, Japanese
Black Pine, and Cedar are conifers. Redwood species
are occasionally used. |
|
| Dai ki (Oya ki) |
The
parent plant. Parent tree. |
|
| Deciduous |
Refers to any group of plants which drop their leaves
at the end of their growing season. Maples, Elm, and
Oak are all popular bonsai specimens which are in
this category. |
|
| Even numbers |
Even numbers (other than 2) are avoided in bonsai design.
As Yuji Yoshimura explains: "In the case of multiple
trunks and group plantings it should be noted that
the Japanese have a strong dislike for even numbers.
Only the number two is used; four and six in particular
are avoided, both in bonsai training and flower arrangement,
as being clumsy, difficult to arrange, and unlucky." |
|
| Formal Upright style |
See: Chokkan |
|
| Gi sei shi (GI sei eda) |
A branch left to grow only to promote the overall growth
of the tree before being transformed into a bonsai.
Also called "Sacrifice branch". |
|
| Gokan |
The "five-trunk" bonsai style. |
|
| Goro tsuchi |
The course Bonsai soil used at the bottom of the pot
providing good drainage and aeration. |
|
| Fukinagashi |
The "Windswept" bonsai style. A bonsai tree which gives
the appearance of being exposed to harsh winds for
prolonged periods, causing foliage to form in a windswept
pattern. One of the basic styles. |
|
| Han kengai |
The "Semi-cascade"
bonsai style. Simulates a tree
subject to harsh winds, where the branches and trunk
of a tree are swept to one side but not fully weeping.
Similar to, but not as dramatic as the Cascade
Style, with the lowest
extended branch first growing horizontal and then
cascading down at a slight angle. One of the basic
styles. |
|
| Hanamono |
Japanese term for trees which are known for producing
flowers, such as azalea, cherry, plum and flowering
quince. |
|
| Hoki dachi |
A "broom" style of bonsai. Usually featuring
a very straight trunk with symmetrical
branches that fan out from the top, forming a broom-like
(semicircular dome)
crown. Frequently seen on Chinese Elm and other finely
branched deciduous trees.
|
|
| Hon
bachi age |
A tree displayed in a high-class Bonsai dish for an exhibition. |
|
| Ichi no eda |
The first of lowest branch of a bonsai. |
|
| Ikada buki |
The "Raft" bonsai style. The plant is planted sideways
with some of the branches showing out of the soil.
These branches are arranged
in a group formation and trained vertically. They
become the future trees. Special form of the Yosu-Ue (wood)
style. |
|
| Informal
Upright Style |
See: Moyogi
|
|
| Ishi
tsuki (ishi duke) |
Bonsai which are trained to cling to a rock as part of
their styling. The "Root on Rock", "Clinging
to a Rock" or "Rock Grown" bonsai style. Composition
style.
|
|
| Jin (Eda-jin) |
One of the "dead
wood" techniques. A portion of a bonsai, often the top branch, which has been stripped
of its bark and cambium.
The intention is to give the tree an old and lightly
damaged look. Generally carved, jin give the impression of great age
when added to a tree. Often they are coated with
a mixture of lime sulfur,
which turns them white with time. Mostly seen on conifers.
(See also Shari, Sabamiki).
|
|
| Kabudachi
|
Bonsai style - "Clump".
More crowded in appearance than a group planting
as the trunks all grow from the same point on the
root mass.
|
|
| Kan rei sha |
Cloth used for frost protection in winter as well as
sun protection in summer. |
|
| Kann jou hakuhi |
The process of developing roots by peeling bark off
the circumference of a branch and covering it with
sphagnum moss. |
|
| Ka numa tsuchi |
Kanuma soil. High moisture retention and very good drainage. |
|
| Katade Mochi |
Bonsai between eight and fifteen inches in height. |
|
| Kengai (Ken gai ju kei) |
The "Cascade" bonsai style. This style resembles a waterfall
or cascade and simulates a tree
on the edge of a cliff subjected to violent winds. These tree have both an apex and crown on top and a
long flowing branch which descends below the base
of the trunk. One of the basic styles.
|
|
| Kuitsuki eda |
Short complementary branch, smaller than the rest of
the branches, gives the tree naturalism. (See also
Uke eda, Sashi
eda, Mae eda). |
|
| Kiki eda |
Point of tree to focus on. Can be the primer branch.
(See also Ushiro Eda, Uke
eda, Kuitsuki Eda,
Sashi eda, Mae
eda). |
|
| Layering (Air Layering) |
The method by which new trees are formed from old stock.
Incisions are made on a tree's branch or trunk, cutting
its supply of nutrients from the roots. When covered
with a rooting medium (such as Sphagnum Moss) and
treating it with rooting hormone, the affected portion
will sprout new roots and may then be cut from the
parent tree and planted as its own tree. |
|
| Lime Sulfur |
The chemical, Lime
Sulfur, is used at full strength to bleach (whiten)
and sterilize dead wood portions of the trunk and
stripped branches to give an aged look to a jin
or shari. Lime Sulfur will
also help to preserve the wood and prevent fungus
and rot.
SAFETY:
Safety goggles and gloves should be worn while handling
lime sulfur. Lime sulfur solutions are strongly
alkaline (typical commercial concentrates have a
pH over 11.5), and so it is corrosive
to living things and can cause blindness if splashed
in the eyes.
|
|
| Literati Style |
See: Bunjin |
|
| Mae eda |
The "Front Branch" of a bonsai. Always positioned
upon the lower half of the tree. (See also Uke
eda, Sashi eda, Kuitsuki
eda, Ushiro Eda). |
|
| Mame |
The smallest sized bonsai, generally up to 4 or 5 inches
in height. |
|
| Mei boku (Rou boku) |
A very old and elegant bonsai. |
|
| Miki |
Japanese term for "trunk". |
|
| Minomo |
Japanese term for trees which are known primarily for
bearing fruit or berries. Trees include Pyracantha,
Cotoneaster, and Pomegranate. |
|
| Moss |
The soil in a bonsai pot is often covered by a layer
of moss to both create the illusion of a grassy field
in which the bonsai is growing and also, for a more
practical purpose: to keep the soil in the pot from
washing away when watered. |
|
| Moyogi |
The
"Informal Upright" bonsai style. Similar to the
formal upright style, but the trunk curves and twists
through its taper up to and sometimes through the
branches. Branch placement is often on the outside
of the curves; and the top of the trunk, instead
of growing straight, bends slightly to the front.
One of the basic styles.
|
|
| Neagari (Ne-Agari) |
The "Exposed Root" bonsai style. Bonsai where the roots
are long and visible, found often on tropical and
subtropical bonsai. |
|
| Nebari |
The Japanese term referring to the spread rootage formation
at the base of a bonsai - the root crown. The exposed and visible
surface roots. |
|
| Nejikan |
The "Twisted trunk" bonsai style. |
|
| Ne
Tsunagari |
The "Connected root" bonsai style. |
|
| Ni no eda |
The second branch of a bonsai. |
|
| Omono |
The largest size of bonsai, with a maximum height of
roughly four feet. |
|
| Penjing |
the Chinese term
for bonsai. |
|
| pH |
pH is a measure of
a solution's acidity or alkalinity. Aqueous solutions
with pH values lower than 7 are considered acidic,
while pH values higher than 7 are considered alkaline.
Most substances have a pH in the range 0 to 14. |
|
| Pinching |
Means of controlling
and shaping the directing the growth of foliage. |
|
| Potensia |
Immature Bonsai material
or tree. Has the potential for forming into a true
Bonsai. |
|
| Raft Style |
See: Ikada buki |
|
| Sabamiki |
One of the "dead wood" techniques. The intention is to
give the tree an old and lightning damaged look. Most
seen on conifers. Sabamiki is the denomination for
hollow trunks. (See also Jin, Shari). |
|
| Saikei |
A group planting using trees as well as rocks, mosses
and other plants to create the appearance of a landscape. |
|
| Sankan |
The "triple trunk" bonsai style. |
|
| San no eda |
The third branch of a bonsai. |
|
| Sashi eda (Ishi no eda) |
Primer branch which marks direction and movement of the
tree. (See also Uke eda, Kuitsuki
eda, Mae eda, Ushiro
Eda). |
|
| Sekijoju |
The
"tree planted on rock" bonsai style. Tree is planted
on a well formed rock (simulating mountain, slope,
etc.). Tree which has roots arranged so they grow
over the rock and into the container. |
|
| Semi-cascade Style |
See: Han kengai |
|
| Shakkan |
The "Slanting" bonsai style. Shakkan style can be considered
the intermediate stadium between the informal upright
and cascade styles as the tree
still grows up, but tends to slant over. One of the
basic styles. |
|
| Shari |
One
of the "dead wood" techniques, Shari refers to a place
on the tree where bark and cambium
have been stripped or peeled away, giving the tree
the appearance of age or exposure to harsh conditions
or severe weathering - such as a lightning damaged
look. Mostly seen on conifers.
In contrast to Jins, Shari is a dead part on the trunk.
Shari are preserved by coating them with a mixture
of lime sulfur which will
also turn them white, creating an appearance of age.
(See also Jin, Sabamiki).
|
|
| Sharimiki |
The "Driftwood" bonsai style. |
|
| Shidare-Zukuri |
The "Weeping branches" bonsai style. |
|
| Shin (Ten) |
Japanese term for the apex of the
bonsai. |
|
| Shohaku |
Japanese term to refer to conifers
and evergreens. Includes pines, junipers and larches. |
|
| Shohin |
Small bonsai, usually ranging in height from five to
ten inches. |
|
| Snaking |
Use of wire to bend
and shape a tree in a snaking pattern to create a
visual effect and to shorten the overall length of
the branch. |
|
| Sokan (Sou kan) (Sojo) |
The "Twin trunk" bonsai style. Bonsai style in which
the tree has a double trunk which are joined at the
base of the tree. |
|
| Sui
ban |
A shallow tray with no drainage holes that is commonly
filled with either gravel or water and can house rock
plantings. |
|
| Suiseki |
Rocky landscape set up on sui ban.
Stones used in a
Bonsai display to represent large boulders or mountains. |
|
| Taka ue |
Planting the tree at a soil level that is higher than
the rim of the pot. |
|
| Tan gei |
Bonsai Material |
|
| Tankan |
The "Single trunk" bonsai style. |
|
| Three Points |
Most bonsai styles and shapes are related to the idea
of the triangle. The three points of the triangle
represent "Heaven," "Earth," and "Humanity."
The goal of such arrangement is to have, as Yuji Yoshimura
describes it, the "three points form a triangle with
Heaven (the top of the tree) as an apex and Earth
(the point nearest the ground) forming the most acute
of the three angles." |
|
| Tokonoma |
A specific area in
a house where Bonsai are displayed. |
|
| Tsukami yose |
Clustered bonsai style. Many seedlings placed with roots
intertwined which will fuse together and appear as
a single multi-trunk tree or group. |
|
| Uke eda |
Counterweight to Sashi eda branch
placed at opposite side of the tree. Gives the tree
its balance. (See also Sashi eda,
Kuitsuki eda, Mae
eda). |
|
| Ushiro eda |
The back branch of a bonsai. It's purpose is to improve
the perspective of the tree. (See also Uke
eda, Sashi eda, Kuitsuki
eda, Mae eda). |
|
| Wabi Sabi |
The
terms wabi and sabi are terms related to the Japanese
sense of shibui, the aesthetic of tastefulness
and austerity in art and movement. Wabi is the idea
of beauty in the plain, natural and healthy aspect
of form. An appreciation of both the humble and the
reserved. It is also an appreciation of the ways in
which humans can achieve perfection as well. Sabi
is the sense of beauty that comes from great age,
including things like wear, rust, patina and even
decay. It is the sense of natural beauty achieved
not by man, but by nature exerting her influence on
the world.
Wabi Sabi refers to
the balance and appreciation of both aspects of
the world, the role of the human and nature. Accordingly,
it is an ideal philosophy for bonsai, combining
the human aspect of training (represented by the
pot) with the natural aspect of the tree.
More Information
|
|
| Windswept Style |
See: Fukinagashi |
|
| Yose Uye |
The "Wood or Group/Forest" bonsai style. Bonsai planted in the style of a forest
or "wood". Group planting composition style.
|
|
| Yamadori mono |
Trees collected from
the wild which are developed into Bonsai. |
|
| Za |
Seat or base. Artistic
presentation of base of the tree and nebari. |
|
| Zouki |
Japanese term for deciduous plants, such as maples and
birch. These trees typically have leaves which change
colors seasonally and have fine branching. |
