Lifestyle

Types of Bonsai Styles

Name: Types of Bonsai Styles
Creator: Community curated
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Formal upright, cascade, literati or windswept - which traditional bonsai form actually deserves the decades of patience?

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Source:Community curated

Updated:4/9/2026

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Style↕	Japanese Name↕	Description↕	Difficulty↕	Typical Species↕	Symbolism↕
Formal Upright	Chokkan	Perfectly straight trunk tapering upward, symmetrical branches	Beginner	Juniper, pine, spruce	Strength, dignity, order
Informal Upright	Moyogi	Trunk curves gently in S-shape but apex is over the base	Beginner	Japanese maple, trident maple, juniper	Natural resilience
Slanting	Shakan	Trunk leans at 60-80 degree angle, roots anchor against lean	Intermediate	Pine, juniper	Survival against the wind
Cascade	Kengai	Trunk grows downward below the pot base, mimicking cliffside trees	Advanced	Juniper, pine, cotoneaster	Perseverance through hardship
Semi-Cascade	Han-Kengai	Trunk extends horizontally or slightly below pot rim	Intermediate	Juniper, azalea, flowering species	Graceful endurance
Literati	Bunjin	Tall slender trunk with minimal foliage only at apex	Advanced	Pine, juniper	Scholarly elegance, Zen minimalism
Windswept	Fukinagashi	All branches swept to one side as if by constant wind	Advanced	Pine, juniper	Battle with the elements
Forest	Yose-ue	Multiple trees planted together to evoke a miniature grove	Intermediate	Maple, beech, larch	Community and scale
Root-over-Rock	Sekijoju	Roots grip and flow over a rock into the soil below	Advanced	Ficus, trident maple, juniper	Adaptation and tenacity
Planted-on-Rock	Ishitsuki	Tree grows entirely from crevices of a rock, no pot soil	Expert	Juniper, pine	Purity, isolation
Multi-Trunk	Sokan (twin) / Kabudachi (multi)	Multiple trunks from a single root base	Intermediate	Maple, elm	Family unity
Raft	Ikadabuki	Fallen tree with branches that grow upward as new trunks	Advanced	Juniper, pine	Rebirth from collapse
Broom	Hokidachi	Straight trunk with branches fanning out like an inverted broom	Beginner	Zelkova, elm, maple	Balance and harmony
Weeping	Shidare-zukuri	Branches drape downward mimicking weeping willows	Intermediate	Willow, weeping cherry	Grief, grace, flow
Exposed Root	Neagari	Roots lifted above soil line as if eroded away	Advanced	Ficus, juniper	Age and exposure
Split-Trunk	Sabamiki	Trunk with dramatic hollow or split from lightning strike	Expert	Juniper, pine	Survival of calamity
Driftwood	Sharimiki	Large portions of trunk bleached and dead (shari) with live veins	Expert	Juniper (especially Shimpaku)	Age, death and life intertwined