THE FIVE STYLES OF JAPANESE BONSAI

One of the first things I start with when teaching bonsai classes is the five basic styles.

If you are able to understand these differing styles of Japanese bonsai and try to follow the guidelines that define them, you will be able to create much better trees over time.

It gives a firm point of reference to return to when styling and refining your bonsai trees at any stage of their life cycle.

Just like most other art forms, bonsai has several categories which define how the elements of the tree create a particular style.

In all styles the tree should be the thickest at the base with an even taper (thinning) as it grows to the apex (tip) of the tree. The first branch should be around a third of way up the overall height of the tree and no branch should point forward till at least two thirds up the overall height of the tree. There are many more specifications which can help improve a tree but we can get to them another time, today I just want to start with the basics and then improve the rest over time.

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WANT TO CREATE YOUR VERY OWN JAPANESE STYLE BONSAI? YOU NOW CAN WITH MY STEP BY STEP BONSAI BEGINNERS COURSE