Metro Bonsai

The Five Main Bonsai Styles: 

The five basic bonsai styles are formal upright, informal upright, slanting (or windswept), semi-cascade and cascade. All have their own individual beauty and serenity. 

I have added another, my favorite, Literati or Bunjin. 

The styles listed below will provide some guidance about the differences and the specifics of each as you build your collection or simply create your masterpiece.

FORMAL UPRIGHT (CHOKKAN)

A tree with a style such as formal upright occurs when it has grown in the open under perfect conditions. The most important requirement for this style is that the trunk should be perfectly straight, tapering naturally and evenly from base to apex. The branches should be symmetrically spaced so that they are balanced when viewed from any direction. It is quite a demanding style to achieve.

INFORMAL UPRIGHT (MOYOGI)

In nature, such trees bend or alter their direction away from wind or shade other trees or buildings, or towards light. In an informal upright bonsai the trunk should slightly bend to the right or left - but never towards the viewer. (This applies to all types of bonsai. Neither the trunk or branches should be pointing towards the viewer when the bonsai is viewed from the front.)

SLANTING/WINDSWEPT (FUKINAGASHI) 

 Trees that slant naturally occur a result of buffeting winds or deep shade during early development. Whether curved or straight, the whole trunk leans at a definite angle. The stronger roots grow out on the side, away from the angle of the trunk lean, to support the weight.

CASCADE (KENGAI) 

The growing tip of a cascade bonsai reaches below the base of a container. The trunk has a natural taper and gives the impression of the forces of nature pulling against the forces of gravity. Branches appear to be seeking the light. The winding main trunk is reminiscent of a stream meandering down the side of a mountain.

SEMI-CASCADE (HAN-KENGAI) 

The tip of a semi-cascade, like the cascade, projects over the rim of the container, but does not drop below its base. The style occurs in nature when trees grow on clifs or overhang water. The angle of the trunk in this bonsai is not precise, as long as the effect is strongly horizontal, even if the plant grows well below the level of the pot rim. Any exposed roots should balance the trunk.

LITERATI (BUNJIN) 

The Literati were a group of ancient Chinese scholars, their philosophy was one of simplicity. Nowdays they might be called 'minimalists'. In their art they would use as few brushstrokes as possible to convey the form of a tree, that tree generally had a long flowing trunk.

Sources: http://www.bonsaisite.com/

The Bonsai Workshop, Herb L. Gustafson

FORMAL UPRIGHT 

INFORMAL UPRIGHT 

SLANTING/WINDSWEPT 

  CASCADE 

             SEMI-CASCADE 

       LITERATI