bonsaikc

Fred, this is an excellent train of thought, one which I hope will be followed energetically. Personally, I believe that that spirit or ideal of Japanese bonsai is one that western practitioners should at least try to understand if not emulate. There are many things the Japanese have learned from western culture, which made their own more powerful and complete. In some ways it is the hubris of the west (read Americans) that keeps us from learning some of the beauty and strength of the Japanese culture.

Since bonsai is an art that reached its zenith in Japan, to plumb the depths of bonsai requires one to understand some of its cultural underpinnings. This of course opens the old can of worms that springs from our pride in our "rugged individualism" and makes us disdain other cultures.

My point is simply that yes, there are differences between western and Japanese bonsai, and perhaps we could learn from the Japanese influence.

Chris

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