BONSAI STYLES

A bonsai is a scale model of a tree in nature. Of course, any bonsai tree is somewhat like its larger counterpart. The trick is to make it look old, interesting and artistic while maintaining its natural appearance. Nature does many strange things to trees. It twists their trunks, erodes their roots, prunes or breaks branches, strikes with lightning, or sweeps the branches one direction in the wind. In bonsai, we create a story of what nature has done to a tree and how the tree has struggled back. Depending on prevailing conditions in nature, however, a tree may assume one of a variety of shapes. The main direction and configuration of the trunk of a bonsai tree gives the style its name. The five basic styles are:

• Formal upright - Straight trunk with the apex (the very top of the tree) directly above the base and with branches roughly the same on both sides;
• Informal upright - Curved trunk with apex over the base (most common);
• Slanting - Curved or straight trunk tilted so the apex is not over the base;
• Semi-cascade - The main part of the tree, which may be a large branch, is over the edge of the pot and at or slightly below the level of the base of the trunk; and
• Cascade - The main part of the tree cascades over the edge of the pot, often reaching below the bottom of a tall pot.

In addition to these five basic shapes, there are variations, which fall into several other main categories. These include:

• Broom style - Upright trunk with a fan of branches forming an umbrella of foliage;
• Windswept - Most of the branches are growing in one direction as though the wind forced them to grow that way. The trunk is often leaning in the same direction;
• Literati (bunjin) - A long, thin trunk with an interesting line and few branches with a small amount of foliage.
• There are also bonsai which have more than a single trunk, from twin trunk trees up to forest arrangements of many trees.