A Brief history of Bonsai

Over 2 thousand years ago the Chinese started creating miniature landscapes scenes known as Penjing or Penzai. To create such a land scape would require pruning roots and branches, bending trunks and branches, and adding scenery such as rocks, figurines, moss, little houses, or even other dead trees. During the Kamakura period (over 700 years ago), the Japanese adapted the art form to focus solely on one tree - instead of a whole landscape in miniature form. In today's world, the definition between the two practices is blurred and it is common to call any miniature tree in a pot (with/without a scenery) a bonsai.