Japanese Tray Stone Art "BONSEKI"
Vast landscapes drawn on a japanese small tray
加賀相阿弥流盆石
Kaga Soamiryu Bonseki
盆石
Bonseki is Japanese Tray Stone Art. That is a traditional art form that combines sand and stones on a black lacquered tray placed atop a tray to express landscapes such as mountains, seas, and rivers.
打つ
Create Bonseki works is called "Bonseki wo utsu".
"Utsu" is a word that is fundamentally used to mean to strike. Those who create Bonseki works are called "Uchite".
bonseki
Utsu
自然
Nature
Black stones, white sand, red stones, colored sand, gravel, seashells,natural landscapes drawn with natural materials.
The attraction and enjoyment of Bonseki
Freedom to paint grand landscapes with limited tools
Just stones and sand placed there—you can start over again and again
Keep creating until you're satisfied with your work
But you can't solidify it to keep it
You can't transport it far away
That's precisely why it's so interesting
Now, you can preserve it as an image within a screen
Your proud creations become memories in their original form
Your work can be seen by people far away, by many people
Using a smartphone makes bonsai even more enjoyable
相阿弥流 SOAMIRYU
The Soami style is one of the schools of Bonseki (bonsai-like rock arrangements) established by Soami Shinsho during the Muromachi period.It flourished in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, and Oyabe, Toyama.
Several styles exist for Bonseki, including the Hosokawa, Kiyohara, and Takeya styles. Long ago, numerous schools existed nationwide, but over time, most lost practitioners, dwindling to a handful.
The Soami style was also on the verge of extinction, but a preservation society was established and is actively working to keep it alive.
The most distinctive feature of the Soami style lies in its use of color.
While other schools often use only black stones and white sand, the Soami style incorporates red stones, green stones, and colored sand as well.
Materials and Tools
The basic materials for creating landscapes are stones and sand.
Stones include black stones, red stones, green stones, and others with mixed minerals.
Sand includes white sand, colored sand, gravel, and small stones.
Tools include sieves, feather dusters, brushes, wooden boards, spoons, and more.
Making your own necessary tools is also enjoyable.
Tools include sieves, feather dusters, brushes, wooden boards, and spoons.
Making the necessary tools yourself is also enjoyable.
The wooden box with drawers for storing tools is called a Bosenki chest.
