The Art of Bonsai Project

I think these terms can be over-reduced, as well. I have always thought of literati as not having branches on the lower 2/3 of the tree, but of course there are always exceptions. Perhaps literati as a classification is more forgiving of exceptions.

Feminine has been used in many ways in bonsai, usually meaning softer in tone or less angular, softer of foliage, etc.

For example, JBP is usually considered masculine and Japanese Red or White pine more femninine. Trident maple is considered more masculine and Japanese maple more feminine. Am I mistaken here? But how do we explain that more fully?

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If I may..... the parts make up the whole and it is these parts that cause us to say "Literati" instead of "Informal Upright."

We have already named some of these parts:

Feminine
Minimalistic
Emphasis is always on the trunk

Since there doesn't seem to be any Literati at all without these aspects, they must be necessary for a bonsai to be perceived as one.


Will

In a sense Bonsai is a metaphor in that this little tree/bush/shrub is being compared to a mature ancient tree growing on the mountain side. The Literati is even more so because it does not fill a niche other than it's own, with the exception of an evidence of age and associated wear and tear. It could be said also that the Literati is the more plausible of forms existing in our imaginations but seldom seen in nature in the ways we perceive them. In other word is should exist, and it could exist most certainly somewhere but does it?

We see the Formal Upright, the Informal Upright, the Slanting, The Wind Swept, the Twisted, the Semi-cascade and even rarely the Cascade. All of the fathomable forms we have learned over the years have there roots in the real and tangible forms we see in nature almost every-where. Though all the bonsai imitating these forms could be said to be metaphorical, it is the Literati that is least definable. It's metaphor is found in another ill-defined term mentioned above---plausible. It is a figment of our imagination. Dare I make so bold a statement as to suggest that the Literati is the manifestation of our deepest feelings about the simplicity of bonsai, less hindered by standards of form, shape, and style, but dependant upon our desire to express an idea for its own sake.