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Giant Sequoia tree seedling time lapse photography from seed

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Source D: bonsaiempire.com,(n.d.) History of bonsai – bonsai empire [online] 14/9/2016, http://www.bonsaiempire.com/origin/bonsai-history

Source A: Clyne ,J., Searby, R., Leeds, M., Frappell, S., Cummins, N., Cashman, L. & Meehan, M. (2012). History 8: The ancient and modern world. South Yarra , Victoria: macmillan

Source C: Kruse ,D. (2000). The Medievals  (second ed.) Singapore: Oxford U.P.

Source B: Sosnoski ,D. (1996). Introduction to Japanese culture. Singapore : Tuttle pub

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The way that bonsai is used today is to try to make a realistic depiction of nature as the bonsai tree gets smaller it becomes more abstract as different to resembling nature in a more accurate way and as for  Ikebana the word means “giving life to flowers” is very symbolic because  the emphasis on putting the stems near the center of the flower arrangement symbolizes The essences of harmony, minimalism, and that is the meaning of the arrangement of today in the Japanese culture.

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Bonsai trees first originated in China and were given as luxurious gifts then were later introduced to Japan during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). The Japanese also modified the tools that were originally used in China. Even peasants grew a form of bonsai tree or azalea in a pot or abalone shell the bonsai tree was originally called dwarf trees.

Whilst ikebana was developed from Buddhist flower offering rituals seeking back to the 6th century. The offerings were informal but developed more in Japan to more arranged rituals in which the flowers were displayed in containers around the 10th century. And in the 15th century the flower arrangements took off as a form of art independent of the religious beginnings. Ikebana developed in time from its minimalistic arrangements to its more contemporary and decorative designs. The first design was called Kuge; it consisted of a tall placed stem convoyed by two smaller stems.

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The religious beliefs that influenced Bonsai and ikebana Were Buddhism Because they gave the Buddhist flower offering Rituals ranging from different types of arrangements such as the Kuge and many more dating back to the 6th century when the practice was moved to Japan this religion soon became a big part of this practice for example by creating tools and creating new flower arrangements and giving this practice some rituals and making the Japanese believe things that involved that religion for example the religion stressed the importance of the impermanence of this practice

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Life in Shogunate japan was very controlling, the person controlled by the shogun (the figurehead). For example he'd control his Daimyos and samurai through the art of deceiving them by telling them something that isn't true and telling them that they can only have a certain amount of Samurai so that they don't have the control so that the shogun gets a personal gain. in the middle of the social hierarchy they had the worrier class which contains the samurai and the Daimyos because they are the people that help the Shogun with the wars they fought. In the lower part of the social hierarchy are the merchants artisans they were the lower less productive people and they weren’t very helpful on their society. For example some merchants
because traded goods and made a living without producing anything of value some merchants became wealthy then status improved later in history  and Artisans and raftsmen Provided weapons and armor to the samurai

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the medieval cultural practice of Bonsai and Ikebana were significantly influenced by the Shogunate religions and their beliefs of Zen Buddhism through the religions stress to see the impermanence immortality and to capture eternal beauty.

How were medieval Japanese cultural practices influenced by the Shogunate and religious beliefs