Divergent Bonsai Philosophy

andrewquah

I run a bonsai nursery in Sydney's West (in Australia) which operates under Chinese bonsai philosophy, rather than Japanese. Much of my work embodies the philosophy of Chinese bonsai for Australian conditions - we work mostly with native species, and adopt very different watering methods to other countries - including leaving trees sitting in trays of water 24/7.

In this country, and from much of what I have read on the internet, there seems to be a tendancy for bonsai artists to consider themselves as "more Japanese than the Japanese". I believe this is especially true in bonsai competition in this country - where the established bonsai community (mostly white people) look down on bonsai grown in more "free" forms.

What are your opinions on this issue? Is it better to pursue strict japanese or Chinese bonsai rules, or to allow each artist's culture and climate to affect their final product? And for those of you who judge competitions - do you award marks based on how the tree observes a particular tradition, or on the tree itself?

Andrew Quah
QuahBonsai

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TreeBay

This is an interesting question. Unfortunately there is not a lot of good penjing to enjoy here in the US. There is a penjing display at the US Arboretum now. And the Man Lung Penjing series has created some exposure, but so many of the imported "bonsai" are just slapdash trees that are cultivated for cheap export.

I did a search on PENJING CLUB and came up with only one

Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden Penjing Club 578 Carrall St., Vancouver

Unfortunately Judged competitions are equally rare around these parts.

Regards,

Matt

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andrewquah

The problem that I face here in Sydney is that some of the established nurseries are pissed off that in the last ten years, the amount of nurseries in this city have more than doubled. A greek lady in Balmain who's been doing it for a long time (and has thrived on charging people MUCH more than the tree is worth) even wrote an article about me saying that my bonsai was of "inferior" quality and was not real bonsai - because I did not follow Japanese rules. Ignoring for a moment the fact that my trees are much healthier than anything at any other nursery in Sydney, the fact is that Chinese bonsai is the original form, and should not be so disrespected by a greek lady who thinks she knows more about a Chinese art than a Chinese.

As an aside, I use the Japanese "bonsai" because that is the term associated with this craft. It is no good for me to go and divide into bonsai and penjing, because they're essentially the same damn thing.

malhomme

As a Zen-man I can tell you that there are a lot of similarities in Western reactions as Buddhism and Bonsai move West. When Buddhism came from India into China, it met resistance and then adapted to the popular Taoist ideals of the time to become C'han Buddhism. As C'han Buddhism moved from China to Japan it also had to adapt and contend with different interpretations of the sutras and schools of Buddhism. These changes did not take place in a decade or two. These transformations from C'han to Zen happened not even within several generations, but took at least 200 years of adaptation to become it's own thing. It is the same as bonsai moves West.

In American Zen circles there is a push to claim Zen as our own. To remove the Japanese from it. In a sense this is silly. The Japanese do not own Zen any more than they own bonsai. But a strong influence persists in both, I think, just to make certain that the transmission of understanding is correct and because there is nothing but the next oldest (Japanese) way to build upon. The Chinese did this with the Indians. The Japanese did this with the Chinese. And so shall we.

However, I am disappointed in the almost phobic rush to abandon the Eastern ways of bonsai. To somehow, out of thin air, create Western bonsai. Western bonsai will happen whether someone insists on Western style bonsai or not. The Japanese were inspired by the Chinese trees that they saw and adapted it to their taste. Already in bonsai we have styles that are uniquely Western, such as the live-oak style. Why abandon outright the Chinese way or the Japanese way. These are both honored predecessors to our evolving art.

I say, Appreciate Chinese bonsai for what it is, and appreciate Japanese bonsai for what it is. Some people say that dogs are smarter than cats. I think that cats are just as smart at what they do as dogs are at what they do. The differences are minor when compared to the essence of each. One is as good as the other.


Cheers (and hoping this made sense),
Jim

andrewquah

I don't see any rush to create a "Western" form of Bonsai. If anything, I believe that the established (anglo) nurseries here in Sydney are trying to be "more japanese than the japanese", so that nurseries such as my own, who push chinese-inspired Australian bonsai are criticised. I had in fact entered bonsai competitions when I was younger, but I was continuously ranked last because I didn't follow the strict japanese rules. I gave up on that, except for the occasional high-exposure competition.

I believe that it's one thing to respect the Chinese tradition - but we must adapt bonsai to our culture and climate. If I tried to grow bonsai here in Australia in the same way as I would in China, my trees would be all dead.

Vance Wood

I don't think you have to choose between Japanese style and Chinese style. I have always forwarded the philosophy that if the tree is healthy and beautiful it will speak for itself.

If your competitor feels she has to attack you she must also feel threatened. If there are shows around the area go to them the buyers will choose. Let her say what she wants she is advertising for you. I think many of her customers are aware of her prices and may check you out to see the difference. Do not get into a war with her you will only come off as the bad guy in this deal. If she slanders you I suppose you have legal recourse, but let her spout off. Because of her, more people have now heard of your business.

Bonsainut

Quah,

Seems you answered your own question. I agree with Vwood that beauty and health is what YOU strive for . Calling it by "whatever" is just marketing.

You will have to educate the public, thats all. Or do a Kung fu Movie with lots of penjing and a cute master guy that teaches a young apprentice to "Wax the fish", "Paint the dragon".

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Keep growing,---'Nut



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bisco_bonsai

I think the "free form" argument vs. "traditional" japanese argment has been exhausted; it basically comes down to what you like best. I guess us "white" people over here in the states like Japanese bonsai so much because it satisfies our desire to organize nature, and create a tree that looks best from the "human" perspective. An uber tree, if you will. However, that can result in cookie cutter bonsai, if you eliminate the natural elements in your material. I think the best best bonsai have a perfect balance of artistic organization and natural design. The only chance I've had to view real penjing was at the last CBE (Carolina Bonsai Expo) where "Brooks" Zhao performed a three hour demonstration. I can't say I like it better than Japanese bonsai, but I can certainly appreciate the "natural" effect. Here's what he created out of a few 12 year old seiju elms and a rock slab. Quite impressive.
All the best,
JDL

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andrewquah

I raise this issue here because I've been asked to give a series of talks on Bonsai for Beginners at the very popular Easter Show here. All well and good - except on one of the days is the Bonsai competition and most of the bonsai community will be represented on this day. That's why I wish to discuss Bonsai philosophy in Australia, and the tendency for the craft to become bogged down in traditions that aren't fully understood by the white people in this country (Koreshoff, Nesci et al). I believe their tendency to stick to these traditions at any cost is to the Detriment of the art, and that we need to adapt bonsai to our own society and culture, and more importantly climate, if we want to bring new people into the art.