The formal upright style is a very common form of Bonsai. This style occurs often in nature, especially when the tree is exposed to lots of light and does not face the problem of competing trees. For this style, tapering of the upright-growing trunk must be clearly visible. The trunk must therefore be thicker at the bottom and must grow increasingly thinner with the height. At about 1/4 of the total length of the trunk, branching should begin. The top of the tree should be formed by a single branch; the trunk should not span the entire height of the tree.
| Bonsai Styles - Straight Trunk Style (CHOKKAN) |
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 | By using available branches, the back branch is placed between the second and third branch. |
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 | Branches are upright, which signifies a young tree. |
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 | Branches more horizontal with tips pointing slightly upwards. |
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 | Using more branches that are slightly slanted downward gives the tree a tall and narrow look. |
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 | Branches forced downwards, exposing large trunk. |
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Images and content taken from from "Bonsai Techniques I" by John Yoshio Naka under express permission from the author. Dallas Bonsai holds all content and material rights reserved. © 2001 DallasBonsai.com.
