Standards for Bonsai

IBCer John Tapner of the Bonsai Study Group in Lindfield, Australia kindly sends me his group's newsletter every quarter. I received their Winter issue today. The lead article is "judging Standards for Bonsai As Approved by Bonsai Federation of Australia, Inc."

It describes in brief detail the necessary criteria a bonsai must meet in Formal Upright, Informal Upright, Slanting, Semi-Cascade, and Cascade styles, as well as Windswept, Rock plantings, Literati, Group plantngs and Natives. I also mentions Miniature Bonsai as incorporating all of the earlier styles, but with "more flexible" rules.

The article made me wonder: Do any other Countries, Areas, or Geographical regions have a similar set of Standards? I know that in North America, the ABS has a little booklet "Bonsai Manual for Appreciating, Judging, and buying Bonsai" but I don't think it has the same cachet as the Australian "Standards."

Should they?

And can someone from Australia comment on how (or if) these standards are enforced?

To me buying bonsai is a personal thing, I only buy trees I like. I think a lot of people like to memorize the names of the styles of trees to impress other people with their knowledge of bonsai. If I'm at a bonsai show and the owner is standing next to his tree and it's a nice tree, I tell him or her it's a nice tree, not it's a nice informal upright or cascade,etc. I don't have anything to prove knowing all the styles of bonsai, but I do appreciate a nice tree.

Harry

I must get a copy of the ABS book. When you go to a major show or a sophisticated club, pretty much everybody is on the same page, & at least they know what the standards are. Out here in the boondocks, it is very difficult to persuade people to follow at least some semblance of bonsai standards. I am not a recognized authority, just another club member. Other members can say, "That's just your opinion." It helps to have an objective standard to point to.
Iris

Jim, glad you enjoyed the article, but I must emphasize that these standards would probably be used at a top show. Our Group is holding our annual show in a couple of weeks (look forward to seeing you there?) and I can almost guarantee that there would not be more that one or two trees that would conform to the "standards" as set. Generally club members will style a tree to please their own criteria, and I have no argument with this. I think it would be a dull old world if we all stuck to the "standards". A good book on bonsai styles is "Bonsai Styles of the World" by Charles S Ceronio, I believe he is a South African author.

Regards

John T

Well, John, I was wondering if any other country had a set of "standards" their trees were supposed to be judged by, and was hoping to get more comments than I've gotten.

I think the ABS book (assuming it is still available) was never "adopted" by any organization in North America. Personally, I'm not in favor of "official standards" and if they exist, they certainly give a "pfffttt" to everyone who is concerned over bonsai's status as an "art." "Standards" and art are incompatible concepts.

Are the Australian standards "official?" Are they adhered to at some national show, or shows?

I certainly wish I could visit your show. I'm afrain, however, that long journeys like that are not in my future any longer.

Thanks for the copy John, I always enjoy them. I liked the standards and I think they are a good base and a good start on standardizing judging, keeping in mind that many bonsai will cross standards. More importantly, I think a standardized judging/scoring system is needed. Attila Soos had one idea http://artofbonsai.org/feature_articles/judging.php that seems fair, and I have seen a couple others here and there.

Anyone know of another?

In France the French Federation of Bonsai have write and sell a booklet for Appreciating and Judging Bonsai.
This guide is available in all Bonsai Club (members of Federation, of course)

Standards for bonsai would be like having standards for painters, or sculptors, or artists in general -- self defeating.

But, this is probably too closely akin to discussions of "rules."

JimLewis wrote:Standards for bonsai would be like having standards for painters, or sculptors, or artists in general -- self defeating.

But, this is probably too closely akin to discussions of "rules."

Not really, as I see it we are discussing the end result and the classification and judging of such, not the creation, which is what "rules" relates to.


Will

The best articulation of bonsai design principles is David DeGroot's Basic Bonsai Design. While it is not intended as a judging manual per se, it is the best reference for that purpose.
It is also a very inexpensive little tome which can be ordered through the ABS Book Service at http://www.absbonsai.org/books/booklist.html

Having entered Judged competition and none judged!! ( did not know it was being Judged ). In Australia. It is my understanding. Most Judges are of Horticulture not Bonsai.
The Royal Agriculture Society in Perth Western Australia decided to hand it over to The Bonsai Society of Western Australia.
The society did not have a set of Judging rules!!. They the asked various Bonsai enthusiast, whom they assumed were good at interpreting.
Then said to use the Chart on Judging by Deborah Koreshoff in her book.
Bonsai it Art Science History and Philosophy. Every body was happy!!.
Darky

I have the Koreshoff book and I think the Guideline for Judging, found in the chapter "Exhibiting, Display and the Judging of Quality in Bonsai", is a reasonable tool for assessing a tree in an organized manner, assigning points for such features as trunk, branches,foliage,roots,soil,pot and finally "aesthetic quality".

You really can't separate the standards from the rules totally they are kind of extensions of each other. But that is not necessarily bad, as long as the standards are open to innovation, growth and discovery. Often the concept of the rules are inflexible, dogmatic and slow to change. The standards give you an idea where you stand in certain situations, and the rules are a reflection of good practices over time by others so that you do not have to necessarily do all of the discovery work yourself.

The German bonsai club published a pretty good guide for judging bonsai a few years ago.

I am not a great fan of judging bonsai in a formal way, which is what you inevitably get into when you publish judging guidelines. We do not judge our bonsai here in Toronto. Officially. Of course you can always count on some loudmouth holding forth on the merits and demerits of one tree or another.

Guidelines for the styling of bonsai have to be flexible and will always be subject to personal interpretation. However, to the extent that bonsai is not only art but also craft, I think guidelines can be established.

I haven't seen the Aussy standards, but to me the only standard applicable would be the plant has to be in a container and I'm flexible on that if someone comes up with something creative.