Kazari: The Art of Display

Kazari (飾り), display, is the final art of bonsai. A tree is shown with a few chosen companions, in a set relationship, so that together they suggest a season and a place. The classic setting is the tokonoma 床の間, the alcove of the Japanese room.

The elements

  • The main tree, shuboku 主木, on its table or slab.
  • An accent plant, shitakusa or kusamono: grasses or wild flowers in a small pot. See Kusamono and Shitakusa.
  • A hanging scroll, kakejiku: a painting or calligraphy that names the season or the mood. See Caring for Hanging Scrolls.
  • Sometimes a stone or a small figure, tenpai 添配, in place of one element.

The rules of the alcove

  • Three points form an uneven triangle: never a straight row or a symmetrical pair.
  • Each element faces into the display; a tree leaning left sits to the right.
  • The scroll and the tree speak to each other: a mountain painting with a pine, a moon with an autumn maple.
  • The season is everything. Displays change with the year, and exhibitions in Japan follow the calendar closely.

Kazari at home

Few modern homes have a tokonoma, but the principles work on any low shelf or table: a cleared space, a plain wall, one tree or stone on a stand, one accent and one small scroll or print. Restraint does the rest.

In the collection

Browse bonsai and suiseki and hanging scrolls. Our curator desk can search Japan for a particular pot, stone or stand; replies follow within 1–3 business days.

See also

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