Bonsai Terminology

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The term bonsai is actually the Japanese pronunciation of an older Chinese word, penzai, which referred to the practice of growing trees and other plants in containers.

The practice was first mentioned in writing during the time of the Jin Dynasty in China, and the Japanese refined it to the art of using shallower Bonsai terminologypots to create a miniature replica of a much larger and much older plant. In the West, Bonsai generally refers to any potted tree or plant that has been miniaturized and trained, or the art of doing so.

One of the techniques used to give the impression of maturity and age is deadwood bonsai, which includes jin and shari. These techniques are usually applied to conifers as opposed to deciduous plants and trees.

Jin involves stripping the bark from an entire branch to simulate the effects of an occurrence in nature such as breakage by wind, snow or lightning. Shari denotes the practice of stripping bark from selected areas of the trunk, to simulate a lightning strike or other damage. The dead area or branch is treated with chemicals, usually lime sulfur, to preserve and bleach the deadwood.

With deciduous trees the technique for ageing is called uro, in which the bonsai gardeners use a drill or other tool to make small wounds or indents where a branch was removed, then treat the wound with lime sulfur usually mixed with paint to match the tree. New wood grows around the wound forming a small hollow, and an ugly scar that may take a decade to heal in nature is concealed and adds to the appearance of age and struggle for survival.

Sharimiki, also known as driftwood style, is another technique used to simulate age and previous trauma such as wind or lightning or even damage caused by animals gnawing the bark. In this case a great deal of the trunk is dead, with ‘lifelines’ of living wood to keep the growth process going. This style of bonsai treatment is often used to correct a defect such as a branch that is too large or growing too tall. Growers may use natural driftwood as a base, or create the driftwood appearance by carving and stripping the bark.

With the Sabamiki technique, a part of the trunk is hollowed out and there is an indentation or carving, which is treated with lime sulfur. The result is very effective in giving the tree a semblance of having had a long and difficult life.
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With any of these dead wood approaches it is essential to keep part of the trunk alive, and the dead wood must be kept clean and dry to prevent decay. Shari is very similar to Sabamiki but less drastic, and involves a lesser portion of dead wood. It is often used to disguise a recent scar to make it a part of the whole effect.

Tanuki is employed by bonsai growers in Japan and in the West, but ’Tanuki’ translates very roughly as “ something that is not what it seems” and to the Japanese it is not a true bonsai. A tanuki bonsai is made by taking an interesting piece of totally dead wood, making a groove in it, then attaching a young, flexible, healthy plant to the groove. After the living plant (most often a juniper) has grown into the dead wood of the base, the nails or screws are removed, and the bonsai is trained and cultivated with usual techniques.