Bonsai: The Cutest Tree of Them All

October 2nd, 2012By Category: Culture, Outdoor/Sports

“A tree that is left growing in its natural state is a crude thing. It is only when it is kept close to human beings who fashion it with loving care that its shape and style acquire the ability to move one.” – Utsubo Monogatari

The purposes of bonsai are primarily contemplation for the viewer and the pleasant exercise of effort and ingenuity for the grower.  By contrast with other plant cultivation practices, bonsai is not intended for production of food, for medicine, or for creating yard-size or park-size gardens or landscapes.  Instead, bonsai practice focuses on long-term cultivation and shaping of one or small trees growing in a container.

Bonsai can be created from nearly any perennial woody-stemmed tree or shrub species that produces true branches and can be cultivated to remain small through pot confinement with crown and root pruning.  Other cultivation techniques include root reduction, potting, defoliation and grafting to produce small trees that mimic the shape and style of mature, full-size trees.

To see bonsai trees up close, check out The Tagaki Bonsai Museum of Art in Ichigaya, Tokyo or visit the Angyo Bonsai and Greenery Fair from October 6-8 at Kawaguchi Ryokka Center.

Author of this article

Gabrielle Ewart

Gabrielle is from London and has been living in Tokyo for 3 years.  Her recent foray into blogging has been a chance to find a place to put photos in case of an emergency and do some seriously fun research.  Tokyo is a continuous source of inspiration, every corner you turn there is something intriguing.  For street, amateur and professional photographers Tokyo is infinite.  She is about to publish her children's books on Kindle Fire under her pseudonym, Isis Ixworth.  Check out her writings at www.windowshoppingintokyo.wordpress.com, www.illostrophy.com and www.isisixworth.wordpress.com

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