According to the school of Rabbi Yuji Yoshimura, what we call in English a tray
landscape is a bonkei. According to the school of Rabbi Toshio Kawamoto, a
more-or-less permanent arrangement of trees, rocks, and accessory plants is a
saikei (the word was coined about 30 years ago). We usually call these in
English a tray landscape.
A Chinese penjing is something else. We usually give that name to a
land-and-water arrangement in the style of Quing Quang Zao.
My understanding is that a bonkei is a temporary landscape made up of twigs,
unrooted cuttings, and herbaceous plants. Does anybody have any further
information or opinion on this? What do you call these in other European
languages?
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)