Art of Bonsai

The Bonsai arose in China for more than 2000 years, later (when Chinese invasions) art spread to Japan and other points in the far east.

Not in all but in most, there are some aesthetic impositions (plants that are less beautiful in Bonsai) and horticultural (plants that do not support Bonsai techniques).

It should have aesthetic potential (not presenting defects that can compromise its design), should be able to support and live well with Bonsai techniques (constant drops, pads, regular transplants and reduced-dimensional vessels), should have proportional leaves, short mid-we, branching capacity, great longevity and give us much pleasure to cultivate it.

For centuries Bonsai, as well as other Eastern artistic expressions, were developed and disseminated by Buddhist monks

Due to the scope of the art of Bonsai (artistic, technical, aesthetic, horticultural and spiritual) and the philosophy inherent to its cultivation, Bonsai is even considered a form of meditation in motion, being the perfect means of contacting our inner self and nature.

Whether or not your congeners of the same species in nature.

No, Bonsai is a set of sculptural and horticultural techniques supported by artistic and aesthetic principles that can be applied to different types of trees and bushes.

Any kind of tree or shrub can be a correct Bonsai, as long as it gathers the characteristics to be a Bonsai (i.e. to be a Potensai – Bonsai potential), regardless of the area from which it originated.

Bonsai are two characters that are written in the same way in Chinese and Japanese (which demonstrates the antiquity of art and cultural interconnection between both countries), which mean a vase tree. Since it is a word built from the way the Japanese pronounce (something like pentsai or puntsai), Bonsai in Portuguese must be written in the same way as in Japanese, that is, always in male and singular.

No, although normally within the same species and aesthetic quality, the bigger the more expensive plant is, this is because it takes longer to “build” a larger Bonsai, but if the aesthetic quality is different, we may have a smaller and younger Bonsai more expensive than a larger and older one of the same species.

The art of Bonsai is a deep respect for nature. constant study and degree of aesthetic, technical and horticultural improvement, in the image of any form of art there are no qualities supported in race, sex, age religion or lack of this. In any case the Eastern culture, by inheritance, demonstrates a great sensitivity to the cultivation and study of Bonsai, so the effort will be greater, but we have achieved the same results.

The value of a Bonsai depends much on various factors, such as its origin, aesthetic quality, species, and finally age. Therefore, usually a Bonsai since it maintains its aesthetic and horticultural quality the older it is more value has. But we should not overvalue the age as it is relative because a Bonsai can (and must!) live centuries.