Nature in miniature

The Philippine Bonsai Society in cooperation with Goodwill Bookstore recently launched the book Bonsai and Suiseki – Trees and Stones in Harmony at the World Trade Center on Roxas Blvd. The book contains more than 150 pages of beautifully photographed bonsai trees and unique natural stones from the collections of renowned Filipino bonsai artists like Dorie Bernabe, Fely S. Gupit, architect Roberto Gopiao, Willi Hahn, Teddy Lim, David Du, Dr. Oding Reyes, Yumie Gupit, Vic Ceballos and many more photographed by Edison and Belen Noblela. It also contains valuable information on bonsai culture and art.

According to architect Roberto "Bobby" Gopiao, Philippine Bonsai society president, ancient Chinese monks were nature lovers. They wanted to mingle with trees and animals, but there were times when these hermits had to spend long hours meditating, praying, contemplating and doing chores indoors. Hence, these men brought in trees and tried to plant them in containers. The limited space in the temples gave them the idea of reducing trees to smaller sizes.

Buddhism spread to other parts of Asia through the monks and Japan was one of the countries that accepted this religion. The ancient Japanese readily appreciated and loved the art of bonsai. Discipline, orderliness, simplicity and love of nature are a few of the character traits of the Japanese and these are what they used to make their works of art.

The exact beginnings of bonsai are now lost for no records were found. The oldest living proof of their beginnings can be seen on a famous Japanese scroll painting which is about 800 years old, showing a dwarfed tree in a ceramic container. Bobby relates that early Japanese nobilities showed a strong interest in unusual botanical specimens. These nature-dwarfed trees were weathered into unusual, fantastic shapes, and noble men collected them from all over Japan. But as enthusiasm grew and spread the naturally-dwarfed trees became scarce. This led to the making of artificially dwarfed trees by sophisticated Japanese horticulturists. The shaping underwent many changes before the dwarfed trees became what we now know as bonsai, Bobby describes. There was even a time when the highest goal of bonsai art was to create the most grotesque, unnatural of bizarre shapes one can imagine.

Bonsai or the art of dwarfing trees was learned by the ancient Japanese from the ancient Chinese monks of the Buddhist temples. The essence of bonsai art is to evoke the spirit of nature. Although the Chinese claimed to have originally invented bonsai, it was the Japanese who developed and perfected the art.

"The essence of bonsai is to evoke the spirit of nature," says Bobby Gopiao. "Your bonsai can take you virtually anywhere you want to be; in a forest, mountain, by the riverbank or anywhere you can picture yourself using your imagination and the miniaturized tree. That imagination will give the spirit of nature reflected in the bonsai, but that spirit will only be brought to life by your work on the plant."

During the mid-19th century, today’s aesthetic principles based on asymmetric balance were adapted. In 1909, bonsai first appeared in the western world through a garden exhibit in London, England.

"It is neither hard nor expensive nor time-consuming to start bonsai," the architect says. "If you get interested, there is no need to go to Japan to find and obtain the materials necessary to educate yourself and develop your skills and artistry. Bonsai clubs are all around to help you and the Philippine Bonsai Society is one of them." The organization is not only for experts and specialists. The club was formed for hobbyists and especially for beginners. The Philippine Bonsai Society holds exhibits annually to entice people to the elegant and serene beauty of the Japanese art of dwarfing trees. In these exhibits new members, mostly beginners, are encouraged. Their interest is supported by lectures and demonstrations, workshops, and field trips, bonsai hunting, all sponsored by the PBSI. The society also publishes a bonsai magazine twice a year which contain educational articles, pictorials, how-to-do and listings of plants for bonsai and their care; and a directory of reliable and legitimate bonsai artists and experts.

Bobby also says that there are potential bonsai materials people can start with. In your own garden, a neighborhood park, or even in a plant nursery, there may be some fruit trees or flowering trees stunted because of neglect. Ideal for bonsai are bougainvilleas, fire trees, narra, mahogany, tamarind, guava, kamias, starfruit/balimbing, mulawin aso bignay, golden shower, kamachile, bantigue, Palawan, cherry, kasuy, balite, acacia, calachuchi, callos and many more.