The soil of Japan was fertile ground for a discipline that combined nature with the hand of man. Japanese religious philosophy placed man not outside or in conflict with nature, but as a small element within nature's harmonious whole. Representing for man a link between heaven and earth, trees, with their lofty stature, were often revered. Man, like trees, stones, and waterfalls, occupied one of many niches in nature's hierarchy.
A reverence for nature, simplicity, and understatement are integral to the Japanese aesthetic sense. In bonsai, just as in sumi landscape painting, in ikebana - the Japanese art of flower arranging - and in Japanese garden art, the essence of nature is conveyed by small details rather than complete reproductions of natural scenes. A small part suggests the larger picture. The viewer plays an active roll in the art by filling in the missing elements.
Thus, the painting of a single plum blossom might evoke all that is associated with the awakening of the earth in spring. The viewer admires and appreciates the bravery of the plum blossom for defying the harshness of winter by blooming before all other trees.
Associations found in nature are both strong and many for the Japanese. Selecting a representative portion of nature for contemplation is customary. A traditional Japanese house, for example, is not equipped with picture windows for indiscriminately letting the outdoors in. Instead, windows are fitted with movable, translucent screens for selective viewing. Often a single representative of nature, an ikebana or a bonsai, is brought into the house to be viewed against the absolute simplicity of a blank wall or screen.
Such a setting allows for meditation on nature without distraction. A gnarled, old bonsai might express the heroic struggle of a lonely tree, growing in a rock crevice, buffeted by winds, prevailing against immense odds.
The crystallization of nature into small, fine representatives is perfectly suited to Japan, a country where space is limited and precious. Wild, uncharted country was developed long ago. Land has been scarce and the entire country densely populated for centuries. Working within these limitations, the Japanese have created methods for enjoying the majesty of nature on a small scale. In their garden art, they recreate panoramas of mountain landscapes and woodland vistas within a few square the grandeur of one of nature's giants with a specimen only a foot or two tall.
Long ago, when the countryside was still wild, the first bonsai were trees collected in the wild. Gnarled, twisted, and dwarfed by the elements, these first bonsai were highly prized specimens. Those who collected them often did so at great personal risk, climbing high in the mountains for especially good specimens. Consequently, naturally dwarfed bonsai were expensive.
Only aristocrats and certain of the clergy could afford them and were privy to the secrets of their culture. Grown behind cloister and castle walls, bonsai were treasures passed from generation to generation.
As naturally grown specimens became rarer and rarer, a system for reproducing the conditions of trees dwarfed by nature developed. Over
...
Read Full Article
|
