The Japonista Dictionary of Bonsai and Suiseki

Japonista Universe › Volume V

Welcome to the Japonista Dictionary of Bonsai and Suiseki, the fifth volume of the Japonista Universe. It covers the living art of the dwarfed tree and the quiet art of the viewing stone, and above all the objects that serve them: pots, trays, stands, tools and scrolls, collected in Japan for centuries and able to travel anywhere in the world.

Japonista is based in Saitama, a short walk from the Omiya Bonsai Village. Begin with Bonsai in Japan: A Short History, or browse by family below.

Foundations

Where bonsai came from, where it lives in Japan and how trees are described.

• Bonsai in Japan: A Short History: From Chinese penjing and medieval scrolls to Edo connoisseurs, Meiji statesmen and the Kokufu exhibition: how bonsai became a Japanese art.
• Omiya Bonsai Village, Saitama: The bonsai village founded in 1925 by Tokyo growers after the Great Kantō Earthquake, now home to the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum.
• Bonsai Styles: The classical Japanese bonsai styles, from formal upright to cascade, literati and forest plantings, and how to recognise each.
• Bonsai Size Classes: How Japanese exhibitions class trees by size, from palm-sized mame and shohin to large omono, and what each means for pots and display.
• Classic Bonsai Species of Japan: The trees at the heart of Japanese bonsai: black and white pine, shimpaku juniper, maples, zelkova, satsuki azalea and flowering apricot.

Pots and Potters

The containers that frame a tree, and how to read and date them.

• Bonsai Pots (Hachi): Shapes, Clays and Glazes: How to read a Japanese bonsai pot: shapes, unglazed and glazed clays, feet, rims, drainage and the pairing of pot and tree.
• Tokoname: The Bonsai Pot Town: Tokoname in Aichi, one of the Six Ancient Kilns, is the capital of Japanese bonsai pots: Gyozan, Yamaaki, Reiho, Ikko, Bigei and more.
• Kowatari, Nakawatari and Shinto: Chinese Pots in Japan: How Japanese collectors date antique Chinese bonsai pots by when they crossed to Japan: kowatari, nakawatari and shinto.
• Reading Pot Chops, Signatures and Boxes: How to read the stamped seals, incised signatures and inscribed boxes that identify Japanese and Chinese bonsai pots.

Stones and Display

Viewing stones, their trays and stands, and the art of the alcove.

• Suiseki: Classification and Famous Stones: How Japanese viewing stones are classified by shape, pattern and colour, and the famous stones of the Kamo, Furuya, Saji and Sado.
• Suiban and Doban: Trays for Stones: The shallow ceramic suiban and bronze doban in which Japanese viewing stones are shown on sand or water.
• Daiza, Shoku and Jita: Stands and Tables: The carved bases, display tables and slabs that lift bonsai and stones: daiza, shoku, jita and tiered tana.
• Kazari: The Art of Display: How a Japanese bonsai display is composed in the tokonoma: the main tree, the accent plant, the scroll and the stand.
• Kusamono and Shitakusa: Accent Plants: The small grasses, mosses and wild flowers that accompany a bonsai in display, and the pots made for them.

Tools and Soils

The forged tools and granular soils of Japanese growing.

• Japanese Bonsai Tools: The forged tools of Japanese bonsai, from the concave branch cutter to shears, knob cutters, jin pliers, root hooks and wire.
• Akadama, Kanuma and Kiryu: Bonsai Soils: Akadama clay, acidic kanuma for azaleas and gritty kiryu, and why soil cannot travel.

For the Collector

Buying, shipping and the vocabulary of the art.

• Collecting Pots, Stones and Stands: A collector’s guide to buying antique and contemporary bonsai pots, viewing stones and display stands from Japan: condition, marks, boxes and shipping.
• Sending Bonsai Abroad: What Can Travel: What can and cannot be sent from Japan: why living trees face strict plant-health rules, and why pots, stones, stands and tools travel freely.
• Glossary of Bonsai and Suiseki Terms: The Japanese words of bonsai and viewing stones explained, from akadama and bunjingi to tokonoma and yose-ue.

Further reading

• Bonsai pots of Tokoname, a collector’s guide
• Suiseki, a collector’s guide
• Ikebana vessels
• Zen Gardens
• Wabi-sabi for collectors

In the collection

Browse bonsai and suiseki, ikebana vessels and Chinese decorative arts. Looking for a particular pot, stone or stand? Our curator desk searches Japan on your behalf; replies follow within 1–3 business days. Every piece is examined in Japan, carries our authenticity guarantee and travels insured and tracked.