Introductory Bonsai Experience with a Professional Bonsai Artist at Suishoen in Hyogo

Bonsai: The Traditional Japanese Art of Crafting Miniaturized Worlds in a Planting Pot

Bonsai is a traditional planting technique from Japan that has become an international phenomenon. Trees like pine or cypress are planted in pots, and then shaped and sculpted over time by branch pruning and wiring to create miniaturized versions of their highly regarded full-sized forms. The bonsai philosophy and techniques of capturing nature’s beauty in microcosm nurture a joy not only of the moment, but which grows and matures over time – a joy that has earned the word “bonsai” a place in the lexicons of many languages the world over.

The garden of Bonsai Suishoen, where a variety of bonsai trees from big to small are lined up on display

Bonsai Suishoen is the venue for the experience, a 40 minute drive from the scenic and historic landmark Himeji Castle, a World Heritage Site. The garden’s owner Koji Matsusue works to promote the art in Japan and overseas, and has given bonsai demonstrations and lessons in Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and the USA, as well as served in the Japan-US-UK landscape and horticulture exchange and training fellowship TRIAD as an instructor.

Matsusue is also a bonsai instructor with a large audience of enthusiasts both domestic and international, as evidenced by his myriad Instagram followers

Bonsai as Nature in Microcosm

Matsusue starts by introducing concepts that give depth and significance to bonsai appreciation. He has over 500 specimens on display in the garden, ranging from small to large. He will use them to illustrate points to consider in viewing bonsai, as you do just that. You can learn a surprising amount taking even a single specimen as an example, such as how pot size affects growth speed and wood grain fineness affects valuation.

A Noda-fuji wisteria bonsai in gorgeous purple bloom

A bit of terminology: deadwood in branches is referred to as jin, and in trunks as shari. These important features are produced by trees living under extremely harsh conditions, such as those damaged by lightning strikes or overburdened with snow. They bleach white and express grand undulating curvature, forging a singular beauty.

A regal and spirited bonsai tree with a flowing trunk

“A tree’s history is told in its shape,” says Matsusue, and as you peruse his garden with his commentary, you may begin to see it too.

Bonsai as Mirror of the Self

After appreciation and theory, move next to observation of the techniques. Watch as Matsusue works, demonstrating the basics of pruning and wiring. As you wield your shears and face the bonsai before you, it is important, Mr. Matsusue says, to visualize the shape you wish it to grow into. Wiring, he explains, takes a year to result in branches growing into the desired shape.

The underside receives less sunlight and exhibits less growth than the top, making it important not to over-prune here

Appreciation and theory give way to observation, which in turn gives way to practice as you reach your turn to act. Even beginners can work with confidence as Matsusue teaches the techniques necessary to express the beauty in their personal vision. In this plan, participants will work with a black pine specimen approximately ten years old. The first few snips of the shears may be nerve-racking, but inevitably the work draws you in, immersing you quietly in the act of bonsai creation. Time spent facing the living tree before you becomes time spent facing your own inner life, and many discover a calming clarity of mind settles in as a result.

Wiring: wrapping a branch to induce directed movement

Bonsai as Landscapes of the Mind Made Real

When your bonsai is finished, give it its place in the garden. In the hour you spend working on it, you are apt to develop a surprising bond with your tree thanks to the close attention and care the process elicits. While Matsusue offers feedback on your work, take a commemorative photo of your bonsai.

Bonsai as prepared in this experience (left: the advanced plan / right: this introductory plan)

“Bonsai is the realization of a natural landscape within the confines of a planting pot. Bringing the landscape in your mind into reality: that is bonsai,” explains Matsusue. Facing the living tree, spending time with it, working with it, and letting go of preconceptions and arbitrary demands is the key. Practice in sharpening your sensibilities to find and visualize your ideal yields insights that go far beyond bonsai itself. The craft becomes a new path to self discovery.

Professional eye advice on bonsai cultivation

Into a Time of Mellow Contact with Nature

As a Japanese tradition, bonsai has deep roots. Century-old bonsai survive to this day because people of the past cultivated and nurtured them, even though the trees would change hands again and again long after the cultivators were gone. This profound continuity, in some regards a living physical manifestation of tradition itself, is a facet of Japanese culture worth proudly celebrating. Matsusue hopes to continue to share that beauty and expand its reach both at home and abroad.

When the experience is over, enjoy a leisurely amble through the garden, taking in the myriad bonsai

For Matsusue, with his years of experience in bonsai, the appeal lies in “contending with the very inner world of the human experience.” Bonsai trees become constant companions, as their cultivators spend countless hours with them through the joys and sorrows of life, and in so doing teach much about life and the very laws of nature. Far from the constant hustle and grind of city life, who wouldn’t want to spend some time in that tranquil repose?