HANG OUT VOL.5

Authentic Bonsai

Chapter 06

2025.1.24

Photo：Hiroki Oe

Text：Shinri Kobayashi

Edit：Shinri Kobayashi

HANG OUT VOL.5

HANG OUT VOL.5Authentic Bonsai

Let's start with greenery. Or even start with bonsai.

If you want to enrich your interior, why not start by growing some greenery that is also good for your mental health? Or maybe even try bonsai, which is a little more twisted. Now is the best time to get started before it becomes popular, with the attention of overseas bonsai artists and the emergence of a new generation. This time, we visited Toshoen, a group of young bonsai artists with an average age of 20, and learned the basics of bonsai.

Chapter 06 | Authentic Bonsai

Takehiro Kasai

Representative of "Momomatsuen". He aimed to compete in the Olympic Games in weightlifting, but failed, so he turned to his hobby of bonsai. The shop name comes from the fact that his family runs a peach farm. However, he has no experience growing peaches.

The ABCs of bonsai.

-This is powerful and extremely cool.

It's a nice piece. It's a type of juniper tree, and the dead, white trunk is called the "shari" and the living part is called the "mizu-suki." The contrast between the two, which symbolize life and death, is striking and very popular.

-What does bonsai represent?

There are various theories, but it is believed that the Chinese culture of "bonkei" was imported to Japan and developed there. Bonsai is a way of expressing natural beauty in a pot. There are theories for creators, but as a hobbyist, I hope you will enjoy it freely. You can try growing bonsai, or just enjoy it without growing it, and everyone can enjoy it in their own way.

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