About Basic Bonsai Styles

Bonsai, as a Japanese art form, is more regulated than it’s Chinese counterpart, the penjing. Bonsai attempts to acomplish the ideal tree, while penjing tries to reproduce nature. This is why perfect styling exists in bonsai if you obey the ‘rules’, while penjing leave you free to your creation. As a result these are the simple styles :

Broom (Hokidachi or Hoki-zukuri)

A highly harmonious style, this form has branches that create at a definite height, forming an upside broom. This styling is essentially achieved by means of a method called the “V” cut. The trunk is chopped where you need the branch to commence to create and then a deep V cut is performed on the remaining trunk. This will achieve buds to break near the cut. Zelkova serrata are notorious for this styling but maple and other deciduous species can simply be styled that way.

Formal Upright (Chokkan)

A tree styled the “chokkan” way has a straight trunk tapering graciously from bottom to top. The first and major branch is often positioned at 1/3 of the desired height of the tree and is on the correct or the left. the next branch is positioned on the opposite side, while the third is in the back developing the perception depth. As we look at the branch structure from bottom to top, the branches are getting thinner, developing a pyramidal shape.

Informal Upright (Moyogi)

This style is highly similar to the at one time mentionned style as the same rules of design apply, anyhow, the trunk is not straight but rather forms a sinuous shape while remaining tapered. This style is normally used with conifers.

Slanting (Shakan)

Once again, this style is the same as the formal upright apart from that the trunk is leaning on one side. Branches are grown uniformly on the trunk like the formal/informal upright styles but the apex is tilted to the opposite side of the trunk giving a visual balanced final result.

Cascade (Kengai)

This styling needs an inclined trunk that is preferably at a 45 degree angle. The drastic portion of the foliage is below the pot line and occasionally goes beyond the pot itself. It often represents a tree growing on the side of cliff. A deep pot is used for this style.

Semi-cascade (Han-Kengai)

Similar to the Kengai style, this style additionally has an inclinated trunk. anyhow, the foliage prevails at the height of the pot line. In nature, we can see this style near a waterway, the foliage having grown on the side and leaning towards the water. While the cascade style uses a deeper pot, this style uses a medium depth pot.

Windswept (Fukinagashi)

A “windswept” tree represents a tree that has been growing in a definite shape because of natural elements . Often a cause of strong wind, the trunk is continually inclinated in a definite direction and all branches have grown on the same side.

Literati (Bunjin)

This styling is often signified in Japanese paintings. It is a tree with a tall and sinuous trunk. The foliage only grows near the summit of the tree. This styling is somewhat an exception to the rigorous rules of bonsai for the reason that it doesn’t have special rules. It represents what the bunjin movement is in Japan: the search for freedom.

Group/Forest (Yose-ue)

This styling often represents a forest or a little cluster of trees. It is supposed to be styled in a manner that will clearly represent the growing routines of trees in a group. lots techinques might be used to acomplish this styling and lots perception methods are used to originate the illusion of a forest, or as Naka would tell, “having the quality of the invisible beauty of nature”. To respect the Japanese art form, an odd number of trees is prefered for this styling.

Raft (Ikadabuki)

The same rules of the group planting apply to this style. anyhow, each and every one of the trunks emerge from one frequent trunk. This method is often accomplished with a branch placed verticaly in the soil. The roots form this branch and the upper component of the vertical branch create secondary branches that will eventually become the trunks.

Multi-trunk Style (Sokan – Sankan)

This multi-trunk style has different alternatives. The first, which is called “Sokan”, incorporates two trunks emerging from the same visible roots (nebari). The styling of the upper component of the tree must respect the same rules as the formal / informal upright styles at one time described. Another variance incorporates the same but with 3 trunks emerging from the visible roots. This is called “Sankan”. You can additionally have more than 3 trunks but to respect Japanese bonsai, it is prefered to have an odd number of trunks.

Roots through Rock (Ishitsuki)

This styling has the special charactreristics of having lots visible roots growing through a rock and finding their alternative to the pot/soil.