When displaying bonsai in a more
formal setting like a bonsai show, the
home, or in a tokonoma in the home. the
tree should remain the focus of the
display. (This statement reveals the bias
of this web-site because a collector of
scrolls might say that the scroll should be
the focus of the display.) The display of
the tree on a nice stand is enhanced by
the inclusion of an accent plant, a suiseki,
and/or a scroll.
The objective is to complement the tree
with a collection of small articles of art that
convey a cohesive story instantly read by
the viewer and deciphered without
hesitation. This should be an artistic
depiction with all items related to the tree
and the season.
The roll of the scroll and the accent or
companion plant is to convey the season
while not overpowering the display. A
wonderful presentations can be ruined by
the wrong scroll. The Japanese use the
sky, ocean and mountains to tell their
story, as well as the moon, birds, animals
and insects. The clever use of certain
animals or insects, birds and fish tell
stories of the seasons as well. In fact
those that covet scrolls for display and
follow traditional ways of years gone by
understand fully the significance of what is
depicted on a scroll.
The image of Fuji, a famous and
sacred mountain in Japan is celebrated
each year at New Years. Fuji can be
depicted with snow, clouds, rain, smoke,
green trees, leafless trees and so on with
each depiction capturing a specific time of
year and even the time of day. A moon
can be a half moon, crescent moon, fuzzy
moon, moon peeking from behind clouds.
The sun can be rising, setting over water,
partially clouded, or setting behind Fuji.
Spring is cherry blossoms or a crocus just
pushing up. Summer is a cicada or
dragonfly, frogs or turtles. Cat tails are
late summer. Fall is a falling leaf or a
branch of red leaves. Winter is snow on a
branch. maybe with a cardinal, ice on a
lake, or an icicle.
The scroll while long, vertical, and displayed
separating the tree and the accent goes a long
way in balancing each of those elements. The
placement of the scroll in relation to the tree, in
relation to the accent can make or break a
display. The easiest way to keep from having
redundant themes in the display is to make sure
the scroll is simple. Keep the image to a house,
an insect, a bird, or a moon or sun. That way it is
easier to tell the story. Too busy a scroll and the
message is easy to muddy. The bonsai is the
tree, so the scroll should not depict a tree or
particularly a bonsai. Scrolls of calligraphy of a
poem might be suitable, but will not be
understood by the general public in the US.
Scroll history and making
Brandywine Bonsai Society hosted Sean
Smith for a scroll workshop. The top figure on the
right conveys part of the lecture. His very
worthwhile presentation covered the use of
scrolls in display, their history, their proper
storage and handling, and their construction. The
lecture was followed by a workshop where
participants constructed scrolls from mulberry
paper, prints, silk fabric and patterned Japanese
papers. The workshop was quite successful and
the resulting scrolls were as diverse as the
participants.
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.