Suiseki and Bonsai

CEBU, Philippines - What is in some stones that make them artsy?

The art of suiseki (sui – water; seki – stone) seems a bit odd to those who encounter it the first time. A rock that resembles a distant mountain is placed on a custom-made elaborate wooden stand and displayed on a shelf. The viewer is drawn into the miniature world of rocks representing mountains, distant hills, ravines, waterfalls and valleys. These “water stones” could also suggest objects and creatures. Before long, you find yourself noticing rocks, picking them up and looking at them in an entirely different way.

Like bonsai, the art of suiseki originated in China during the Sung dynasty (960-1279) and the “water stones” were then called the Chinese Scholar Rocks. As trade and contact between China and Japan flourished in the Middle Ages, the Japanese adopted and adapted the art form into its own culture. They set guidelines and refined the art. Due to this, Japan is thought of as the mother nation of suiseki.

Cebu Suiseki Society and Cebu Bonsai Society will hold a simultaneous exhibit at the Atrium C of SM City Cebu from March 12 to 14. Members of both clubs will exhibit their prized collections of bonsai and suiseki.