Bonsai Styles for Beginners: 12 Basic Styles for Your First Trees

As a form of Japanese art, bonsai is more regulated than Chinese bonsai. Bonsai tries to realize the ideal tree, and Bonsai tries to reproduce nature. For this reason, in bonsai, if you follow the "rules", you will get perfect styling, but in Bonsai, you can create it freely. As a result, these are the basic styles.


Broom (Hokidachi or Hoki-zukuri) 

In a very harmonious style, this shape has branches that develop at a certain height and form a broom on the head. This style is mainly achieved by a technique called "V" cut. Cut the stem where the branches develop and make a deep V-cut on the rest of the stem. This causes the shoots to break near the cut. Zelkova is famous for this styling, but maple and other deciduous tree species can be easily styled in this way.


Formal Upright (Chokkan) 

The little-style tree has a straight trunk that gracefully tapers from bottom to top. The first largest branch is often one-third the height of the desired tree, on the right or left side. The next branch is on the opposite side, and the third branch behind creates a depth of perception. Looking at the structure of the branches from bottom to top, the branches are thin and pyramidal.


Informal Upright (Moyogi) 

This style is very similar to the  style described above because the same design rules  apply, but the trunk is not straight and forms a curved shape as it tapers. This style is commonly used in conifers.


Slanting (Shakan) 

Again, this style is the same as a formal post, except that the trunk leans to one side. The branches grow evenly on the trunk, like a formal / informal upright style, but the tips slant to the opposite side of the trunk for a visually balanced effect.


Cascade (Kengai) 

This style should preferably have a trunk tilted at a 45-degree angle. Most of the leaves are below the pot line and may extend beyond the pot itself. It often depicts a tree growing on the side of a cliff. A deep pot is used for this style.


Semi-cascade (Han-Kengai) 

Like the Kengai style, this style also has a slanted torso. However, the leaves remain at the same height as the pot line. In nature, you can see this style near the waterways where the leaves stretch sideways and lean against the water. The cascading style uses deeper pots, while this style uses medium-depth pots.


Windswept (Fukinagashi) 

A "windswept" tree represents a tree that has grown into a particular shape as a result of natural elements. Often caused by strong winds, the trunk is always tilted in a particular direction, with all branches growing on the same side.


Literati (Bunjin) 

This style is often depicted in Japanese paintings. It is a tree with a tall and twisted trunk. The leaves only grow near the top of the tree. This style is a kind of exception to the strict bonsai rules, as there are no specific rules. It represents the literary movement in Japan, the quest for freedom.


Group/Forest (Yose-ue) 

This style often represents a forest or a small block of wood. It should be designed to clearly show the growth habits of the trees in the mass. Many techniques can be used to achieve this style, to create a forest-like illusion, or, as the inside says, "has the invisible quality of nature". Many perceptual techniques are used in Odd trees are preferred for this style to respect the Japanese art form.


Raft (Ikadabuki) 

The same rules for group planting apply to this style. However, all tribes emerge from a common tribe. This technique is often achieved by piercing a branch vertically into the ground. The roots form this branch, and the upper part of the vertical branch develops a secondary branch that  eventually becomes the trunk.


Multi-trunk Style (Sokan - Sankan) 

There are many possibilities for this multi-trunk style. The first is called "Sokan" and is composed of two tribes that originate from the same visible root (Nebari). The design at the top of the tree should follow the same rules as the formal / informal upright style described above. Another variety is composed of the same, but has three stems from its visible roots. This is called "sankan". You can  have three or more trunks, but in order to respect Japanese bonsai, it is recommended to have an odd number of trunks.


Roots Over Rock (Ishitsuki) 

This styling has the specific feature that many visible roots grow on the rock and invade the pot / soil.


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