Which came first, the seed or the sprout? The question is rhetorical, but the bonsai philosophy was born when people discovered that plants could grow in pots. The absolute majority believe that the homeland of bonsai is Japan, but that's not entirely true. It began in China and the art of bonsai developed in two ways.

There were two schools - one taught how to grow and shape trees by pruning and stretching, the other taught how to find dwarf trees in nature and transplant them into pots while retaining their natural shape. It was in the 200s B.C. The main philosophy of bonsai that survives to this day is the formation of the tree through the knowledge of its character, which gives rise to a mutual understanding of the tree and the man. "Through the small to see the great" - this is the principle of bonsai craftsmen.