Yamato fuzoku joreishiki (Etiquette and Manners for Women) Collection of The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, Saitama

It was during the late nineteenth century, from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period that the bonsai in its present form really took off. The impetus for this trend was the popularity of sencha (roasted green leaf tea) gatherings, during which the Chinese objects and decorations popular at the time would be displayed for the guests who were served steeped green tea. The potted plants used to decorate such rooms initiated today’s bonsai tradition. As these potted plants grew increasingly refined for use in tea rooms, extraneous flowers and plants were omitted, leaving the tree as the central focus.