Literati Bonsai

Literati bonsai are "styled in a manner that is suggestive of the austere, time-worn life experience of the aged Chinese artist-scholar." Here is a list of characteristics of the literati bonsai, from bonsaiTALK

1. A long, thin trunk, that expresses the long, austere life of the scholar.

2. Movement in the trunk suggesting the twisting path of experience and knowledge.

3. Meager foliage, suggesting a life without ornamentation and superfluence.

4. Branching often begins in the upper third of the tree, suggesting an ascetic quality of life, reduced to its essentials. Often including hanging branches in its design.

5. An unassuming bonsai container, usually an unglazed, shallow bowl with little ornamentation, often with a handmade, rustic appearance and flaws in its finish.