The Kinashi Bonsai District is the source of many different bonsai varieties, but by far most trees from this region are black, red, and white pines. Each of these varieties are typically grown here in pure “river sand.” Warmer winters and hot muggy summers make river sand the perfect medium for pines in the region. […]
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Nakanishi Chinshoen
Kagawa, Japan’s smallest prefecture, happens to be one of the country’s larger bonsai producers. Fifty years ago, to hear some of the local nurserymen tell it, the area was rife with bonsai growing in the region’s sandy soil. The clusters of nurseries around Kinashi and Kokubunji, about 15 minutes by car or train from Takamatsu, […]
Bonsai from Takasago-An at Ritsurin Garden
As part of last year’s Asia Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention and Exhibition, a number of trees from Takasago-An, the late Daizo Iwasaki’s bonsai garden, were displayed around town. Here are some of the trees on display at Ritsurin Garden. White pine White pine on slab Red pine Shimpaku on stone Tsuyama cypress Hornbeam Large suiseki […]
Pines from Ritsurin Garden
Apart from the overall beauty of the place, the most memorable feature of Ritsurin Garden its collection of pines. Each is old and well cared for, like Tsurukame-matsu (crane and tortoise) below. From the park brochure, “A black pine tree resembling the shape of a crane spreading its wings planted in a turtle-shaped stone planter […]
Ritsurin Garden
Among the more popular destinations in Kagawa is Ritsurin Garden. Built in the 17th and 18th centuries, the garden comprises 6 ponds and 13 small hills in the shadow of Mt Shiun. The park served as the private villa estate for 11 lords of the Matsudaira family for 228 years up until the Meiji Restoration […]