bnsaijim

I would have to agree with Craig and Juliet. Technically they are not bonsai. The kanji specify tree and pot. There has to be something more, obviously, the artistic dimension. The original driver being the display of God-styled trees, later those works shaped primarily by man.

The grass plantings even have their own name. Which I forget, as I appreciate their beauty but frankly I think really are too akin to flower arranging... but at least not as inane as the pet rocks...

:^)

"Four Seasons" was "revolutionary" for it's time. This is one of the first English "picture books" that really showed numerous finished works, with no connection to teaching material. One of the goals was to reveal that bonsai have qualities beyond their simple miniaturized tree-ness. It is a celebration of seasonal glory and symbolism. Simply because it includes "accent plantings" does not imply that grasses are now bonsai. It implies that other plants can be used as symbols and seasonal or environmental indicators.

Jim
a very damp TX