Page 17 - BSAM 2018 Q2

A bunjin called il Pellegrino The ABCs of Bonsai
and the Literati Style
By Massimo Bandera, Italy Photos by Massimo Bandera Translation by Joe Grande
Bunjin, in its most correct meaning should not be considered a real style, but a way of making bonsai of any kind and of any form. Some Japanese believe there is a difference between “true bunjin” and “bunjin style.”
Other Japanese consider bunjin the only true bonsai, truly a progeny of Zen aesthetics.
Spirituality becomes the key element in the interpre- tation of the bunjin style. The “refined preciousness” of Chinese origin and the imperial and military for- malities of the Japanese world are therefore avoided. Bunjin is the representative style of bonsai, it is the essence of bonsai.
Bunjin spirit and philosophy
The spirit that underlies bunjin is attributable to Lao Tse (Chinese Taoist) born in 2500 BC. Then in 600 AD, the bunjin spirit arrives in Japan, but only after 1200 A.D. does it spread and evolve.
Bunjin is a translation of the Chinese Wenjen, the word used in Chinese to denote those scholars who were practiced in the arts. These Chinese intellectu- als rejected glory, social position and wealth. They devoted themselves to the study of man and often lived as hermits. To be bunjin, bonsai must reflect this sensi- bility: Not flashy but noble of soul, minimal materially but spiritually high. In Japan, bunjin is enriched by simple beauty.
“Gathering of the literati” (Wenyuan tu), believed to have been a work by Zhou Wengui of the Five Dynasties period, 907-960.
Facing page; This bunjin, a Juniperus sabina was harvested in the Alps in 2002.
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