Modern vs Traditional bonsai – Bending and Shaping the Rules

From the outside bonsai is often seen as a very rigid set of rules. For years the right way to grow, shape and pot each plant was refined. Through books and the internet this can all seem very formalised and set. Google the variety then follow the instructions. Yet many do still challenge these norms, and is there still room for creativity within tradition?

So where do these rules even come from? The origins of bonsai can be traced back to the Chinese art of Penjing which began in 700 AD. Much like now the goal was to create a miniature realistic landscape and the same idea was largely adopted by the Japanese.

This gives us the first basis for traditional rules. Your tree is meant to look a certain way, species naturally grow to fit a certain mould and our meddling keeping it small stops this. Penjing was an attempt to master the Chinese elements and so logically your recreation had to match nature.

But, how true is that really? Do trees really all grow up the same way? If we’re mastering an element shouldn’t that give us licence to change things? Like many artists once you’ve mastered correct form there is a desire to break it.

So we start seeing bonsai that don’t mirror their tall siblings, taking on strange shapes and have elements that seem ugly or mismatched. This isn’t a complete disregard for natural form though. Take a walk around any forest or country lane and you will see some bizarre sights. And that’s just the people you meet. Trees break, crack, topple and split. They don’t try to look right when survival is more important.

Pots are the other half of this equation. Bonsai literally means pot and tree so while some rules can be broken the no-tree bonsai heretics will likely never gain much footing. It is the composition of pot and tree that creates the art. The traditional shallow stone, clay or ceramic pots date back to the beginning. They worked well for the goal of limiting growth and setting a scene. To portray a landscape a nice flat pot works very well. It is a question of what frames your work best.

So what to do when a nice rectangle glazed pot doesn’t frame your work right? Perhaps you want to create the feeling of a plant hanging in mid air, of a tree breaking out or a scene somewhat detached from nature yet no less evocative. For cases like these it isn’t wrong to experiment with pots, cause it might just look a bit silly if you did stick to tradition.

Rather than bonsai having rules it is maybe better to think of them as suggestions to help craft aesthetics. The rules of traditional bonsai are there to help create an old image. The tutting you’ll hear isn’t about doing something new (well usually), but doing old badly. There are constantly shifting landscapes you can capture and create in your mind. This is the starting point you filter through a style. Maybe your imagination will be best suited in a simple rectangular pot that frames your scene. Or perhaps the feeling of a landscape you love is better portrayed in a rugged pot that captures the concept. The rules and distinctions exist to help you make sense of what goes together.