Hi Jim.
The history of bonsai will never be written without some distortion. You noted,
FWIW, _I_ believe that the roots of bonsai (or, rather,
decorative trees grown in pots) are much more likely to rest in
Taoism than in Buddhism. However, there are so many close ties
between Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism and they're all so
long ago and so tied up in myth, who can know? Taoism, of
course, pre-dates either of the others.
Daoism doesn't pre-date Confucianism or Buddhism-- the historical founders lived in the same period (crossing the sixth & fifth centuries BCE), though Buddhism didn't arrive in China until later & Zen Buddhism, later still. By the time their ideas influen
ced potted tree culture, Confucian moralists & Daoist practicing the Way of Celestial Masters were vying for legitimacy in ancient aristocratic courts. A syncratic mix of ideals promoted by both of these groups (as well as by more philosophical Daoists f
ollowing the Zhangzi text assembled by Guo Xiang ~ 300 CE) and their adoption of Buddhist teachings as subsets of their own understanding were related by writers including Tao Yuan Ming (a.k.a., Tao Qian) in the fourth century CE.
Chinese authors tend to credit Tao Yuan Ming (b. between 365 & 372, d.427) cultivating chrysanthemums as the first to write about pot cultivation as "penjing" meaning "bonsai." Japanese authors (e.g., Yuji Yoshimura), if they reference him at all, tend t
o reference Tao Yuan Ming's potted plants as flower cultivation called "penjing," which was then not the same as a potted tree or landscape scene. Maggie Bickford notes Tao Yuan Ming was the first to relate plum cultivation with scholars, and an ancient p
roverb she relates notes that an entire worlds can be seen in a single plum blossom. This isn't what we mean today by "bonsai," but support or negation of Tao Yuan Ming as an early cultivator of landscape allusion using potted plants is easy to draw. He
also:
1. wrote the important epic poem _Peach Blossom Spring_ which helped promulgate the idea of Daoist "cave heavens" that is essential to scholar rock appreciation,
2. became acknowledged (including among Japanese literati) as the no-string _qin_ player (who didn't need the encumbrance of notes actually being plucked to 'hear' an instrument's music)-- _qin_ listening is the source of the aesthetic term for "sound/no s
ound" that has been applied to suseki aesthetics as "reverberation" or _yoin_,
3. quit 5 civil posts under corrupt administrations thus becoming an early model for pursuing a rustic literati lifestyle as an alternative to pursuing proper Confucian civil service for following generations of scholars.
Confucianism was the earliest of these "influences" to gain prominence among China's elite. Buddhism was then introduced to Chinese courts before Daoism became institutionalized (by Zhang ling in the mid 2nd century) & further popularized with the _Zhangz
i_ text (assembled in the early 4th century). Zen sect Buddhism enters China later (in the early 6th century).
The intertwined history of spiritual pursuit & political legitimacy suggest philosophical trends parrallel to development of bonsai if not partially driving it. An ancient leisurely class could afford to pursue potted plant culture. Tao Yuan Ming compose
d simple poems when ornate poetry was fashionable. He mocked himself as a poor & inept scholar struggling to lead the bucolic life of a peasant. He praised Confucian ideals and explored Taoist and Buddhist concepts while expressing contentment in readin
g, music, wine and potted chrysanthemums.
Best wishes,
Chris... C. Cochrane,
, Richmond VA USA
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