Editing Bonsai (section)

==Size classifications==
Japanese bonsai exhibitions and catalogs frequently refer to the size of individual bonsai specimens by assigning them to size classes (see table below). Not all sources agree on the exact sizes or names for these size ranges, but the concept of the ranges is well-established and useful to both the cultivation and the aesthetic understanding of the trees. A photograph of a bonsai may not give the viewer an accurate impression of the tree's real size, so printed documents may complement a photograph by naming the bonsai's size class. The size class implies the height and weight of the tree in its container.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

In the very largest size ranges, a recognized Japanese practice is to name the trees "two-handed", "four-handed", and so on, based on the number of men required to move the tree and pot. These trees will have dozens of branches and can closely simulate a full-size tree. The very largest size, called "imperial", is named after the enormous potted trees of Japan's [[Tokyo Imperial Palace|Imperial Palace]].<ref name=autogenerated15>{{cite book | last = Gustafson| title=Miniature Bonsai | page=17}}</ref>

At the other end of the size spectrum, there are a number of specific techniques and styles associated solely with the smallest common sizes, ''mame'' and ''shito''. These techniques take advantage of the bonsai's minute dimensions and compensate for the limited number of branches and leaves that can appear on a tree this small.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left:1em;"
|-
!colspan=3| Common names for bonsai size classes<ref name=autogenerated25>{{cite book | last = Gustafson| title=Miniature Bonsai | page=18}}</ref>
|-
!colspan=3| Large bonsai
|-
! Common name
! Size class
! Tree Height
|-
|align="left"| Imperial bonsai || Eight-handed || {{convert|60|-|80|in|cm|abbr=on|0|order=flip}}
|-
|align="left"| ''Hachi-uye'' || Six-handed || {{convert|40|-|60|in|cm|abbr=on|0|order=flip}}
|-
|align="left"| ''Dai'' || Four-handed || {{convert|30|-|48|in|cm|abbr=on|0|order=flip}}
|-
|align="left"| ''Omono'' || Four-handed || {{convert|30|-|48|in|cm|abbr=on|0|order=flip}}
|-
!colspan=3| Medium-size bonsai
|-
! Common name
! Size class
! Tree Height
|-
|align="left"| ''Chiu'' || Two-handed || {{convert|16|-|36|in|cm|abbr=on|0|order=flip}}
|-
|align="left"| ''Chumono'' || Two-handed || {{convert|16|-|36|in|cm|abbr=on|0|order=flip}}
|-
|align="left"| ''Katade-mochi'' || One-handed || {{convert|10|-|18|in|cm|abbr=on|0|order=flip}}
|-
!colspan=3| Miniature bonsai
|-
! Common name
! Size class
! Tree Height
|-
|align="left"| ''Komono'' || One-handed || {{convert|6|-|10|in|cm|abbr=on|0|order=flip}}
|-
|align="left"| ''Shohin'' || One-handed || {{convert|5|-|8|in|cm|abbr=on|0|order=flip}}
|-
|align="left"| ''Mame'' || Palm size || {{convert|2|-|6|in|cm|abbr=on|0|order=flip}}
|-
|align="left"| ''Shito'' || Fingertip size || {{convert|2|-|4|in|cm|abbr=on|0|order=flip}}
|-
|align="left"| ''Keshitsubo'' || Poppy-seed size || {{convert|1|-|3|in|cm|abbr=on|0|order=flip}}
|}