Japanese Tree Art The Beautiful Bonsai Bonsai Tree Oh beautiful bonsai tree! Your branches encompass me, With all your eternal peace and serenity. Shapely and infinite through all the seasons, Thriving with passion and love with divine reasons. Giving shade to all your friends, You bring new life with no end. Standing tall with all your power, Giving love with endless leaves of shower. ~Terry Kaufman ~ Printed with permission from the author Bonsai first appeared in China over a thousand years ago on a very basic scale, known as pun-sai, where it was the practice of growing single specimen trees in pots. These early specimens displayed sparse foliage and rugged, gnarled trunks which often looked like animals, dragons and birds. There are a great number of myths and legends surrounding Chinese bonsai, and the grotesque or animal-like trunks and root formations are still highly prized today. Chinese bonsai come from the landscape of the imagination and images of fiery dragons and coiled serpents take far greater precedence over images of trees- so the two forms of this art are quite far apart. With Japan's adoption of many cultural trademarks of China - bonsai was also taken up, introduced to Japan during the Kamakura period (1185 - 1333 by means of Zen Buddhism - which at this time was rapidly spreading around Asia. More pages You are visiting Trees   Verse ... Seeds of Friendship ... Bonsai ... Trees Opening Page    Email Laurie - November 2001