In Japan, bonsai remains a Guild activity, with knowledge being transferred from master to apprentice over a period of years of dedicated study. The apprentice works his way up as his skills progress, beginning with such basic roles as cleaning, sweeping and weeding, moving on to other responsibilities like watering, repotting and decandling pines. The Japanese apprentice learns first by watching and appreciating, later by doing and feeling and finally by teaching younger students in a "virtuous cycle." How did you go about learning bonsai? Many of us come into contact with bonsai through mallsai or a bonsai "kit", which is roughly analogous to developing an interest in fine painting by seeing a few caricatures drawn by a street artist and then buying a paint-by-number kit. Good, structured teaching is hard to come by in our hobby. There are workshops and less frequently classes available from traveling professionals, but this is a hit-or-miss affair and it's kind of like traveling theater. You get what's available when it's available.

For those who are lucky enough, there are a few bonsai schools available in the United States. In California, El Dorado Bonsai ,for example, has developed a certification program in the study of satsuki azalea, and Boon Manakitivipart has a Bonsai Intensive. In Europe, the John Hanby Bonsai School in West Yorkshire is another option. But these offerings really pale in comparison to what is available in the East: Pursuing bonsai as a career is not a viable option for many in a country where bonsai is a cultural curiosity. So, many who are serious about bonsai as a career head to Japan to immerse themselves in bonsai, much like a baroque composer might head to Europe to 'polish his chops' hundreds of years ago. Alternative options to this Master:Apprentice course of study vary, but the results that can be achieved from workshops, online study, peer groups, and techniques classes or workshops associated with bonsai nurseries are not nearly as productive. There is little substitute for a structured program involving a teacher that works through a progressive set of skills, techniques and study.

How are you learning bonsai, and how do you hope to improve your skills?

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AS in many polls, the offered answers do not quite fit my situation.

I am fortunate enough to live within an hour of Chase Rosade, who refuses the title of "Master", but who is generally acknowledged to be one.

Each year, I participate in about 20 "open workshops" with him. In these we bring our trees and work on them, with his advising on styling and showing techniques as needed. How do we classify this? He also, from time to time, will have a visiting expert conduct a seminar. A particularly memorable one was on grafting, conducted by Taiwanese Master Chiu-Chang Chiang. (Had anyone told me three years earlier that I would spend an afternoon paying undivided attention in a class given in Chinese, I would have not believed them!)

I have done workshops with a number of visiting masters at other venues, and, while I find these entertaining, I have slowly come to the conclusion, that, by the time I find and buy a tree to work on, do not justify the total cost. Fortunately, another local nursery sells some of the resulting trees for me, as, otherwise, my collection would get totally out of hand.

The demos at conventions are entertaining, but, IMO, less valuable than hands on time with the same Masters. In most cases, I come away with one or two key "wrinkles" that are very useful. What I learned fron Dan Barton about the use of torches in conjunction with carving is an excellent specific example. In other cases, such as the many offered alternatives to raffia, they are more interesting than needed.

Online groups, such as bonsai Talk, have been of tremendous use to me. I think this usefulness is greatly enhanced by having a sensei (Chase) available to discuss ideas that are offered. I find my sense of geographical differences is tremendously sharpened by all the "contact" with people from all over the world. I must also note, that the use of the net has greatly increased my skepticism of offered ideas.

However, one soon learns which posters are worth paying attention to, and which (how to say this?) may need a little more experience. I have learned to stay out of "religious" issues (soils, etc), and that the value of a thread tends to decrease in the later posts.

There are tremendous resources available on the web: BT's Wiki , The BCI Species Guide , The excellent articles and other info from Brent Walston at the Evergreen Gardenworks site, and any number of sites dealing with diseases and plagues are just examples.

Will I ever be a master? I doubt it, but I get a little better every year, thanks to all of these resources.

I am predominantly learning through the internet, classes and self teaching. However, when i am older i definitely want to go to Japan to study the art as permanently as possible, if anyone knows of a place that would accept foreign disciples please post them here or pm me, im only 17 so it will be about 3 years before i am ready to leave, maybe longer depending on university, but its definitely something i am researching quite heavily.

Regards
Rowan

I started out as a horticulture student pursuing horticulture as a creative outlet masked as a career. As I neared the end of the curriculum at college I hit a stone wall. (That stone wall being my hard head once my mind is set.)

I guess I'm not much different than too any people but I definitely need the pay off, some thing that inspires me or caters to my sometimes fickle nature. (Again that being that I like being crative but I do not like bending my artistic vision to fit into a mold that makes money but constricts creative flow.)

So there I was all stopped up, unable to work as a landscape designer because of my unwilliness to cater only to a customers needs that do not meet my own needs and unwilling to give up I floundered in school a little while.

I still have about four classes to go until I have a degree but since the classes I have left have no forseeable bearing towards my satisfaction than getting that degree is most unlikely at this point.

So in the midst of floundering I discovered bonsai. Wow! It has so much about it that really does fill my imagination with wonderment and intregue. Although I had learned most of the horticultural practises in school I've discovered for myself that when those pactises are used in bonsai they take on a whole other level of thoughfullness that helps bring balance to an otherwise hectic life.

I would like to pursue bonsai as a career but given my fickle nature and the unavailiblity of bonsai schools close enough to me I will chose to be content with growing and learning and experiencing and developing this as much as I can until I may one day be fortunate enough to pass on to someone oneday this quiet time I know as bonsai -Dkozi

Lol, I almost had to check all of the above.


WIll

1964 marked the year that the worlds fair was in NYC. First exposure to bonsai and products from Japan including my love affair with a Datsun Fairlady roadster.

By the end of my college years, 1971 I'd seen the real thing at Toshio Sambumoro's place in Palo Alto, CA and decided that I'd learn this discipline.

Michigan a year later...self attempts...few books available except the Brooklyn Botanic and George S. Hulls book: Bonsai for Americans...still an excellent resource. And of course the Sunset book another valuable beginning.

Clubs...help. But you need highly qualified in-depth teachers. There just weren't any here. Pesudo, yes.

Books, and the ineviable BCI and ABS conventions. In the meantime collecting and growing IN THE GROUND a bed for seedlings of P.Thunbergii and others.

Visiting every chance with a master...and listening carefully. Doing club demonstrations for the public and clases for the newer club members. Later in '93 I began to teach the basics at the MABA convention in DeMoines.

That was 10 yrs ago. Since then I've developed a fairly respectable 'self made' collection. I might add that none of which is a 'purchased as bonsai 'plant. Yes, I have two trees that were purchased but as very pre-bonsai. The entire balance is from my own attempts: For better or worse.

Last year a visit to Japan and China...to see what growers do..much the same as i thought here at home. In ground beds and plenty of trees in process. Constant wiring, pruning, shaping and other pleasant chores now being passed on to a few students that somehow think I can teach!

I'm not a master by any means..a grower yes.
As a 'self taught' bonsai grower...with a background in the fine arts along with a masters in Product Engineering helps but not necessary!

Most valuable asset? The ability to remain somewhat humble and with good ears..

best,
vance hanna

I am studying bonsai in the same manner in which I have studied art and music. In art school the best way to learn was by doing, the same for music. I am a professional artist and graphic designer and semi pro musician for that reason.
I began with bonsai as a 17yr old. I saw some in a shop and became interested. I immediately absorbed as much information as possible and began "doing". I took a job at a commercial bonsai co. and dove in head first. The best way to learn is by doing and I "did" thousands of bonsai activities. I had greenhouses at my disposal and tons of material to work with. I developed 3yr projects for future bonsai through directional pruning at the nursery. I propagated thousands of junipers and tropicals in the greenhouses using the clippings from all of the future trees being developed. I practiced grafting with maples to produce better bonsai quickly and cheaply. I consider it the best experience one can have in America as far as bonsai training goes.
The result of it all is - I have the confidence to choose material and create bonsai satisfyingly. I have designed projects which will further my understanding and I hope to share these things when I undertstand them.
Of course, given the diversity of approaches to bonsai I doubt anything I discover hasn't been discussed already somewhere.

Books and online.

bonsaiTALK has been incredibly helpful. It helps me piece together all the things I've learned in books, acquire different perspectives, and ask questions about what I did not understand.