Bonsai Techniques

"Quick Guide to Advanced Bonsai Trees Styles..."

Some of  the basic styles of bonsai are chokkan (formal upright), shakan (informal upright), kengai (cascade). However, there are several that don't fit neatly into those categories.

The divisions are arbitrary to an extent, but like any specialty they evolve over time to help bonsai artists guide and discuss their work.

The Fukinagashi (Windswept), the Bankan (Twisted), and the Bunjin (Literati) are a few of the common advanced bonsai styles.

Fukinagashi (Windswept)

Many bonsai styles, including the Windswept style, use miniatures to emulate the effects of nature on larger trees in certain conditions.

Bonsai trees of the Windswept style have a slanted trunk to make them appear to have been grown in a place where winds blow more strongly in one direction than another. Constant bending during growth will allow the branches to acquire a similar direction as well. 

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Trees growing in areas near cliffs or hills frequently exhibit these properties. Conditions required to naturally produce fukinagashi are also experienced in coastal regions. Meandering rivers, although not the result of winds, are formed by similar basic physical forces.

Unfortunately, most bonsai artists lack the technical means to emulate the effects of forceful winds.  But the style is formed by use of similar forces, even when the artist isn't aware of why they are basically the same.

A living plant that is stressed in a preferred direction will cooperate and tends to grow in that direction. Well-practiced means that have been developed over centuries are needed to achieve those physical stresses, as opposed to chemical stress caused by unhealthy conditions.

The fukinagahsi style can also be formed in part by harnessing the trunk with a cord tied to a stake in a manner similar to the harnessing of a kengai (cascade) style bonsai. Wire is sometimes used as a supplement. However, wire is used for branches more often than it is used for the basic trunk shape. .

Foliage is usually sparse to add realism. The strong winds that would have naturally produced the bent effect would also have blown away many of the leaves.

Bankan (Twisted)

The bankan indoor bonsai tree style is thought to have originated in China with the beginnings of penjing, the Chinese art that led to bonsai in Japan.

The trunks of trees in the bankan style are twisted and gnarled. They are sometimes twisted to form the shape of animals, such as dragons.

There are various sub-styles of bankan. The Nejikan only makes a partial turn. The trunks and branches of Takzukuri (Octopus) style trees are twisted into a vortex shape to emulate the winds that naturally shape full size species.

Bunjin (Literati)

The simple bunjin (literati) style, one of the most popular bonsai styles, was inspired by Chinese paintings of trees growing in a harsh climate. Bunjin trees have a thin, slanted trunk and few branches. This effect can be deceptively difficult to produce, but the results are often spare and dramatic. 

The trunk frequently twists around  The branches are displayed at sharp upward angles, often twisting as they rise. This allows the tree to  present a different view from every side. Many species are used for this style including the Japanese Red Pine.

These advanced styles of indoor Bonsai care require great skill and patience to master. Thus, they are not usually attempted by novices. However, most bonsai artist will want to try them at some point. The beautiful results are well worth the time and effort required to create them.

 
If I can do it, you can do it!
Tina Timms, Bonsai Babe

Bonsai Techniques