Bonsai Classification by Size

The art of bonsai is creating miniature replicas of mature trees in nature. Even as bonsais are small, there are various sizes in which they are made. The smallest bonsais are little more than seedlings, while the largest ones that grow in the Japanese Imperial Palace gardens (Imperial size) require as many as four people (Eight-handed) to move.

In the olden times, the recognised practice was to denote the size of bonsai plants by assigning them to size classes based on the weight and height of the trees in their containers. When it comes to weight, bonsais were classified as per how many hands it took to move the plant, ‘four-handed’ (can be moved by two persons), ‘two-handed’ and so on. The height of the plant is measured from the edge of the pot or from the beginning of the roots to the highest point of the plant.

Size classification of the bonsai plants currently is given in the table below.

Common Name	Size Class	Height in Inches
Imperial	Eight-handed	60 – 80 in
Hachi-uye	Six-handed	40 – 60 in
Omono, Dai	Four-handed	30 – 48 in
Chumono, Chiu	Two-handed	16 – 36 in
Katade-mochi	One-handed	10 – 18 in
Komono	One-handed	6 -10 in
Shohin	One-handed	5 – 8 in
Mame	Palm size	2 – 6 in
Shito	Fingertip size	2 – 4 in
Keshitsubo	Poppy-seed size	1 – 3 in