The purpose of this site is to promote the art and craft of pottery for bonsai in
North America by providing a guide to the practitioners of this art form that is
so essential to the art of bonsai.
Introduction
The
word
"bonsai"
comes
from
the
Japanese
words
"bon"
(pot)
and
"sai"
(tree)
and
literally
means
"tree
in
a
pot".
Most
individuals
who
use
the
term
bonsai
are
referring
to
the
tree,
but
from
the
name,
it
is
clear
that
the
pot
or
container
is
essential to complete the bonsai whole.
In
bonsai,
the
container
or
pot
is
almost
always
ceramic.
The
pot
must
be
carefully
matched
to
the
tree
in
size,
style,
color
and
"gender."
The
pot
should
complement
the
tree
and
not
draw
attention
to
itself
rather
than
the
tree
or
the
total
composition.
Inexpensive
pots
are
used
for
initial
training
but
nicely
trained
trees
deserve
nice
pots.
Trees
grow
and
change
in
style,
so
as
a
tree
matures,
the
"perfect
pot"
may
change.
As
a
result,
there
is
a
saying
in
the
bonsai
community
that
one
can
never
have
too
many
pots.
The
corollary
is
that
one
never
has
the
right
pot
for
a
given
tree
after
a
restyling.
There
are
several
bonsai
styles
that
do
not
employ
ceramic
pots.
Those
include
single
trees
or
forest
plantings
on
rough
stone
slabs
or,
more
recently,
synthetic
slabs
from
ciment
fondue
or
fiberglass.
Trees
clinging
to
rocks
are
another
familiar
theme
in
bonsai;
the
stone
may
or
may
not
be
placed
in
a
ceramic
pot
or
suiban.
Chinese
penjing
often
employs
marble
slabs
carved
into
shallow
oval
or
rectangular trays.
Bonsai
is
often
viewed
as
a
very
traditional
art
bound
by
many
rules
instituted
or
codified
by
the
Japanese.
These
traditions
are
an
important
underpinning
of
bonsai
and
it
is
wise
to
understand
the
rules
and
why
they
exist.
There
are
many
books
that
will
guide
the
beginner
through
the
intricacies
of
bonsai.
All
art
is
based
upon
balance
and
composition,
but
bonsai
includes
the
additional
aspect
of
a
living
and
growing
organism.
To
understand
the
rules
is
critical,
but
bonsai
is
also
an
evolving
art,
not
only
in
the
growth
of
its
trees,
but
also
in
the
evolution
of
its
artistry.
Very
traditional
styles
can
stand
side
by
side
with
modern
or
even
abstract
works.
See
the
wonderful
article
"
Bonsai
Containers
as
Ceramic
Art
"
by
Fred
Aufschläger
for
a
description
of
bonsai
and
pot
styles
and
how
they relate to one another.
There
is
a
related
site
on
identifying
bonsai
pottery
of
the
world
hosted
by
the
Dutch
bonsai
portal.
That
site
is
currently
focussed
on
marks
or
chops
of
the
entire
world and is thus very complementary to this effort.
Organization
There
are
several
ways
to
view
this
site.
We
have
compiled
a
directory
of
artists
and
their
signatures,
seals,
rakkan
(Japanese
seals)
or
other
identifying
marks.
Those
identifiers
link
directly
to
individual
pages
for
each
artist.
One
may
also
simply
browse
through
the
artist
pages
or
return
to
the
home
page
or
the
directory
at
any
point.
We
devoted
pages
to
each
of
the
artists
we
have
identified
giving
a
very
limited
impression
of
their
work.
We
have
also
included
very
brief
information
about
the
artists.
Where
possible,
we
have
also
included
links
to
their
own
or
other
web
sites
where you can find additional information.
Purpose
The
initial
basis
for
this
site
was
a
project
undertaken
by
the
Brandywine
Bonsai
Society
to
document
the
pot
collections
of
its
members.
Several
of
these
collections
are
deemed
to
be
of
significant
historical
value.
Other
photographs
have
been
taken
from
the
internet.
(Where
we
are
aware
of
copyrights,
we
have
obtained
permission
to
reproduce,
though
this
does
not
imply
that
our
readers
have
permission
to
reproduce.)
It
is
brought
to
you
as
a
service
to
the
bonsai
community
at
large.
It
was
our
intent
that
all
of
the
information
is
correct,
up
to
date
and
useful,
but
it
turned
out
to
be
too
much
work.
There
are
now,
more
up-to-date
repositories
of
information
and
some
of
them
reference
this
material
in
detail.
In
fact,
reviewing
what
is
left
of
this
database
highlights
its
original
age.
All
of
the
remaining
potters
are
going
out
of
the
business, out of the business, or deceased.
Finally,
in
keeping
with
our
objective
to
promote
the
art
of
bonsai
pottery
in
North
America,
and
for
that
matter,
around
the
world,
we
encourage
bonsai
enthusiasts
and
clubs
to
do
so
also.
When
we
are
showing
trees
it
is
common
to
Tiny contemporary pot.
A huge classic pot.
Modern pot as
contemporary art
Links below in blue are
not yet working
The Art of Bonsai Pottery
by Steve Ittel
Brandywine Bonsai Society is an educational organization and as a result, the material in this site may be copied for
educational purposes. If large portions are copied, we would appreciate attribution. We welcome links to this site.