Bonkei
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A bonkei is a temporary or permanent three-dimensional depiction of a landscape in miniature, portrayed using mainly dry materials like rock, papier-mâché or cement mixtures, and sand in a shallow tra
Prints out of the Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō as Potted Landscapes depicting Bonkei, by Utagawa Yoshishige (1848)
Color print depicting a bonkei modeled after Station 1 of The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō
Color print of Station 1 of The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō
Saikei
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Saikei is the Japanese art of creating tray landscapes that combine miniature living trees with soil, rocks, water, and related vegetation in a single tray or similar container. A saikei landscape is
Bonkei
…papier-mâché or cement mixtures, and sand in a shallow tray. A bonkei contains no living material, in contrast with related Japanese art forms bonsai and saikei: bonsai contain living trees, and saikei contain living trees and other vegetation. Its three-dimensional character and permanence distinguish bonkei…
Trees, soil, and rocks form a miniature living landscape in this example of a saikei.
Multi-species saikei named Roan Mountain contains Shimpaku juniper and Zakura azalea.
Saikei featuring Seiju elm