Encounter with Bonsai
During my 2018 FIT tour, I had the opportunity to see the “Satsuki azalea Bonsai Exhibition” being held at Ueno Park.
All the satsuki trees had beautiful flowers in small pots that were overflowing with them.
And in November 2020, I fell in love at first sight with a satsuki bonsai I came across at a Sunday market during my trip to Kochi. It was as small as my hand! It had a little nameplate with a ‘Chinzan’ written on it.
The Sunday market is held right in front of Kochi Castle. Wish I could go back!
left: Hanabin, right: Chinzan with rooting up
The buds, which were small when I bought it, bloomed beautifully in May of the following year.
However, I neglected to water it for just one day… and it died… ∑(ﾟДﾟ) (T . T)
Conclusion: Enjoy looking at a bonsai rather than growing it!
I visited the Omiya bonsai art museum!
So I went to the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, located in Bonsai-cho, Kita-ku, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture!
This museum is small enough to take an hour to visit, but it is the only museum in the world that deals exclusively with bonsai.
The museum opened on March 28, 2010.
This is a view of the courtyard display area. About 60 pots are always on display. The number of young visitors has been increasing recently.
The museum also has a collection gallery and a display of tatami room decorations.
(The contents of the exhibition will change sequentially, so please check the website for details.)
Black pine, semi-suspended style (a style part of its trunk dropping) 120 years old
How to appreciate a bonsai
First, find the “front”.
If you look at a bonsai from different angles, you will notice that the tree is slightly bent forward.
The lower the tree is in front, the more it looks as if it is bowing.
Named “Chiyodai no Matsu” (Pine of the Thousand Years), species: Goyomatsu (Picea glehnii), estimated to be 500 years old, the largest tree in the museum collection.
2. Once the front is set, the next step is to lower your posture and move your viewpoint from the bottom to the top while viewing.
Then small bonsai will look like a big tree in the mountain or forest!
3. Lastly, observe
(1) Root growth (rooting) (2) Rise (trunk growth) (3) Branching (4) Leafing (5) Jin (dead branches) and shari (dead trunks).
Let’s forget the hard and fast rules and enjoy bonsai!
Bonsai trees can be divided into two main categories
1. Shohaku bonsai: evergreen coniferous The pine tree on the right in the photo is in this category.
2. Zatuboku bonsai: other than Shohaku … Hamono leafy bonsai, Hanamono flowering bonsai, Mimono fruit bonsai, Kusamono grass bonsai
Flowering bonsai (left) and grassy bonsai (center) are in this category.
This is a representative of the Hamono bonsai, Maple (Seigen) ♪ The roots add gravitas to the pretty foliage!
Also, there is no photo this time, but the zelkova is very pretty too! I am tempted to buy it (;^_^A
By the way, the age of a bonsai is determined by the bonsai master’s experience, taking into account the environment in which the tree is found, the amount of bark layers on the trunk, the roots, and other factors.
The “Hime-ringo” tree displayed in the entrance hall is estimated to be 40 years old and blooms once a year, risking its life. It is really beautiful!
Omiya Bonsai Village and Bonsai Garden
Bonsai Village is a small village that can be visited in an hour, and the Bonsai Art Museum is its centerpiece. There are currently six bonsai gardens surrounding the museum that anyone is free to visit.
The history of Bonsai Village dates back to the Great Kanto Earthquake, when bonsai growers in Tokyo took advantage of the rich groundwater, clean air, and red soil suitable for bonsai to establish bonsai gardens in the area.
Among Japan’s prime ministers, bonsai enthusiasts such as Shigeru Yoshida, Eisaku Sato, and Nobusuke Kishi visited the garden.
The bonsai garden’s work is varied, and in addition to sales to individuals, they also manage and ship works for rent to exhibitions and hotels, manage bonsai entrusted to them by bonsai enthusiasts, and offer bonsai classes. That’s a lot of depth!
Why don’t you visit this unique art museum to discover the charm of bonsai!
Access: Take JR Utsunomiya line, get off at Toro station, and walk 5 minutes.
The Utsunomiya line from Tokyo to Toro station takes about 45 minutes.