Today it is widely accepted that it was the Chinese who first created the miniature landscapes and trees that we now know as bonsai. While bonsai is a Japanese term meaning “tree in a pot “, the art of bonsai is originated in China. In China, growing miniature trees is known as “penjing”, which literally means “landscape in a pot”. Their art is more of reproducing a miniature landscape than creating a perfect tree as Japanese are trying with their bonsai.
Called penjing by the Chinese, bonsai was believed to have had its start in the Han Dynasty. Here, let me share some of the legends and facts surrounding the beginning of bonsai.
Landscape Bonsai: Model for the Emperor
One of the earliest Chinese legends contends that it was in the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – 220 A.D.) that an emperor created a landscape in his courtyard complete with hills, valleys, rivers, lakes and trees that represented his entire empire. He created the landscape so that he could gaze upon his entire empire from his palace window. This landscape form of art was also his alone to possess. It was said that anyone else found in possession of even a miniature landscape was seen as a threat to his empire and put to death.
The First Bonsai
Another Chinese legend relating to the beginnings of bonsai points to a fourth century A.D. Chinese poet and civil servant named Guen-ming. It’s believed that after his retirement he began growing chrysanthemums in pots. Some historians believe this was a step towards the beginning of bonsai in the Tang dynasty some 200 years later.
The Earliest Documented Proof of Bonsai
The earliest documented proof of bonsai was discovered in 1972 in the tomb of Prince Zhang Huai, of the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 A.D.) who died in 706 A.D. Two wall paintings discovered in the tomb show servants carrying plants resemblingbonsai. In one of the paintings a servant is seen carrying a miniature landscape and in the other painting a servant is shown carrying a pot containing a tree.
Bonsai Comes to Japan
Even though it’s the Japanese who get most of the credit for bonsai, it wasn’t until the Heian period (794 – 1191A.D.) that Buddhist monks brought bonsai to the island. For many years following the arrival of bonsai, the art was practiced by only the wealthy and thus came to be known as a nobleman privilege. The fact that the art of bonsai was limited to the noble class almost caused the art to die out in Japan. It was with the Chinese invasion of Japan in the fourteenth century that the art of bonsai started to be practiced by people of all classes. Once the art was practiced by all classes, bonsai began to grow in popularity in Japan. The Chinese influence on the early bonsai masters is apparent since the Japanese still use the same characters to represent bonsai as the Chinese. After the establishment of bonsai in Japan, the Japanese went to great lengths to refine the art and a lot of credit must go to these early bonsai masters. The refinements that they developed have made bonsai what it is today.
Bonsai Comes to the West
The earliest bonsai to come to the west came mostly from Japan. The showing of bonsai at the Third Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1878 and later exhibitions in 1889 and 1900 increased western interest in bonsai and opened the door for the first major bonsai exhibit held in London in 1909. In these early years many westerners felt that the trees looked tortured and many openly voiced their displeasure in the way the trees were being treated by bonsai masters. It wasn’t until 1935 that opinions changed and bonsai was finally classified as an art in the west.
With the end of World War II, bonsai started to gain in popularity in the west. It was the soldiers returning from Japan with bonsai in tow that sparked western interest in the art, even though most of the trees brought home by these soldiers died a short time after their arrival. They survived long enough to create a desire in westerners to learn more about the proper care of their bonsai. The large Japanese-American population was invaluable to Americans in this respect. Their knowledge of the art of bonsai was of great interest to many Americans learning the art.
Today, most of the bonsai in the west clearly show a strong Japanese influence. This is, of course, only natural, given the fact that in the west, this art has been introduced and taught by Japanese.
Source of First Image: Richard M. Barnhart: Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting, New Haven 2002.
Source of Second Image: www.phoenixbonsai.com