Bonsai styles

To achieve visual balance with inanimate objects is difficult enough at the best of times but with Bonsai we are confronted with a living changing form that alters with time and season, so knowledge and understanding of horticulture and patterns of growth of any particular species of tree will be necessary in order to arrive at a design solution.

Bonsai styles provide a convenient means of describing tree forms. They vary extensively but mostly emanate from the Prime Order of Five Styles which is the basic structural classification derived from the tree’s trunk angle or line. These in turn symbolise natural tree forms that exist as a result of the environment in which they grow. For instance, the formal upright style is a reflection of trees growing in sheltered plains and valleys; the informal upright signifies trees growing over broken and undulated terrain; steeper slopes and windy coastal bluffs produce the slanting style; whilst rocky crags and overhanging cliffs inspire the semi-cascade and cascade styles.

Most other Bonsai styles are variations of the above five but give emphasis to certain attractive natural features and phenomena. For example, root-over-rock style;forest-group style; broom style; driftwood style; exposed-root style etc. These, and most other styles, all have their origins in nature. Bonsai recognises these natural curiosities and attempts to present them in an organised and improved manner, often exaggerating certain aspects for visual effect and to generate focal attention.

Styles in bonsai should serve to inspire the Bonsai designer in his or her expression of tree forms and should not become the accepted formulae. Use the basic styles as a guideline and devise your own way of interpreting them, for although we are concerned with the representation of trees in miniature we are equally concerned with the aesthetics of the tree and it’s status as an expression within the realms of art - and this gives us an opportunity for innovation and creative thinking.

Bonsai styles are covered in new and greater depth in Dan’s forthcoming book, ‘Down to Earth Bonsai’, (a treatise in aesthetics relating to Bonsai).

He will also be discussing Bonsai styles in future podcasts

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Formal upright: chokkan

The formal upright is probably the most difficult of all styles to create. This is because the rigid geometry involved in forming the style produces a series of essentially straight lines and overlapping triangles. This means any defects are easily spotted and may result in a comprise tree.
Informal upright: moyogi

The informal upright style is undoubtedly the most accommodating of the traditional styles and also the most popular to contrive, and as a consequence results in more clichéd Bonsai than any other style.
Slanting style: shakan

This is a very satisfying style to accomplish but is, for some unknown reason, among the less common of Bonsai styles. This may be because its name, slanting, implies a state of instability, and Bonsai enthusiasts may be put off by this. There is no doubt that aesthetically to balance an inclining form which defies the laws of gravity is no easy task.
Semi-cascade: han-kengai

The semi-cascade and cascade styles differ from the previous three styles within the Prime Order of Five Styles in that their trunk lines encourage downward rather than upward growth. The semi-cascade is exactly as the name implies in that its flow toward a gentle curving downward arc, whereas the cascade tree is much more certain in its downward growth.
Cascade: kengai

Both cascade and semi-cascade Bonsai require deeper than average pots in order to achieve a visual as well as physical balance. They are also very suitable for growing on tall pieces of tufa or rock.
Broom style: hokidachi

There are several variations of the broom style but in every case the trunk is straight with well-spread roots. In some instances it may divide into two upper trunks which in turn divide into two more(known as major branches), which in turn divide again.
Literati: bunjingi

The literati style of Bonsai is said to have been inspired by early Chinese scroll drawings of trees on mountains. These highly impressionistic drawings had a certain poetic lyricism about them and were often quite abstract in image. The style is highly linear and less demanding in that there should be a significant taper in the trunk. Its meanderings can vary from an almost straight line to the most tortuous of bends.
Root over rock: sekijoju

The style in this form of Bonsai is related to its root formation. That is, although the trunk and branch configurations may favour one of the Prime Order or one of its derivatives, the roots and their arrangement over a suitable piece of rock give the Bonsai its individual character.
Forest group: yose-ue

The multiplication of trunks increases in odd numbers with a numeric qualification for each until we reach nine or more trees which then qualify as a forest group. Whatever the number of trees in a group it is vital to include a primary tree which has a greater height and trunk caliper than the others in the group. This provides a focal point.
Twin trunk: sokan

The strict twin-trunk Bonsai description refers to trees that have a single root base with two trunks emanating from it. Ideally these trunks should divide as close to the ground as possible. Trees that begin as a single trunk, then divide several inches up should be avoided as these emerging trunks may well look more like two vertical pointing branches. It is also important that one of the trunks is thicker than the other.