[Life with Bonsai #03] The trees in the city have started to look a little different

I used to think that trees just grew straight up, like anything else.

In fact, I don't think I was really looking at them that closely to begin with.

Leaves come out in the spring, and they fall in the autumn.

That was about the extent of my awareness.

But since I started bonsai, the shapes of the trees in the city have started to catch my eye.

Lately, while commuting or walking in the park, I find myself thinking,

"This tree looks a bit like a slanted style."

"It looks like a group planting."

I even take pictures while thinking things like that.

Before, they were all just trees.

I learned after I started growing bonsai that there is a whole world of "tree forms" in bonsai.

"Chokkan" (formal upright), which grows straight and strong.

"Moyogi" (informal upright), which grows with natural curves.

"Kengai" (cascade), where the trunk grows below the rim of the pot.

"Fukinagashi" (windswept), which represents a form constantly blown by the wind.

"Bunjin-gi" (literati style), which is thin, quiet, and somewhat aloof.

At first, even when I heard the names, I honestly didn't really understand them.

But as I compared them, I realized that even with the same type of tree, just having a different shape makes them look like completely different living things.

For example, with the same pine tree, sometimes just standing straight makes it feel powerful, while a large curve can suddenly give it the atmosphere of being deep in nature.

The very air a tree carries changes depending on its form.

This might be the interesting part of bonsai.

What's more, the interesting thing is that everyone has completely different favorite tree forms.

In class, there are people who say,

"I like the formal upright style the best."

And I have friends who say,

"I just love the literati style."

For now, I am strongly drawn to forms like the cascade or the windswept style.

I don't own any yet, and I've never grown one.

But I hope to try it someday.

At first, I thought people were forcing the trees into these shapes.

But in reality, there are trees of many different shapes in nature as well.

Wind.

Sunlight.

Snow.

Gravity.

In harsh environments, trees change their appearance little by little.

It is said that bonsai tree forms express those natural appearances within a small pot.

That is why when I see a cascade or a windswept tree, rather than just seeing it as beautiful, it looks like

"a shape that has survived."

A tree that has taken root on a steep cliff and lived while enduring wind and snow.

A tree that continues to live in that spot even while being blown by strong winds.

A shape that had to be that way to adapt to its environment.

In that, I feel the strength of life.

Recently, even the way I look at street trees has changed.

A tree that bends significantly halfway up.

A tree with branches growing only on one side.

A tree growing to avoid a building.

Before, they were all just "trees."

But now, it seems like there is a reason for each one.

Before I started bonsai, I thought all trees grew in the same way.

But lately, I walk around thinking,

"I wonder why this tree ended up in this shape."

And before I knew it, I had started to develop my own "favorite tree forms."

Bonsai might be a rather dangerous hobby once you start getting hooked on the shapes.

Next time, I think I will write about "pots."

Actually, a bonsai is not complete with just the tree.

I have finally started to understand a little bit of what that means.

I feel like my world is gradually expanding from the small pot on my balcony.