In Kagawa where is bonsai producing area, there are many bonsai zealous fanciers. They visit the bonsai exhibitions and the markets held in Takamatsu’s Kinashi and Kokubunji town to get a good bonsai tree. Recently not only old collectors but also many young ones come there.

40 Years Old Collector

About 40 years ago, Isao Yano, a grower of Kiku (chrysanthemum) in Kanonji’s Onohara town, was attracted bonsai when he saw a beautiful tree in a agricultural magazine. Since then he learns how to care bonsai by himself.

Yano visited many bonsai exhibitions in and out of Kagawa Prefecture. And also he came to the Green Festa Kokubunji every year. One day at the exhibition, he met Kiyoshi Hiramatsu, ex-president of bonsai section of JA Kokubunji and now regarded as his teacher. At first, Hiramatsu talked to him when he looked carefully at every tree in the process of display before the exhibition.

Terribly Shocked

Yano has the bonsai shelves area of about 500 square meters at his house and cultivates a thousand of bonsai including Shohaku and Zoki. Especially he likes the Kawarigi of Kuromatsu.

He says, “I was terribly shocked when I had looked at Hiramatsu’s trees. Compared with my trees, his ones are blamelessly simple with wires.”

Learning from Hiramatsu seriously, he has shown his bonsai at Green Festa Kokubunji since 1998. From then, he has won the Minister of Education award for the best bonsai for 6 times, the Minister of the Environment award for 4 times, and the governor award for 4 times.

Yano says, “Through bonsai, I met many people. This is my asset.” He gives water twice in a day in summers, once in springs and autumns, and once in a few days in winters. “People say it is hard to water but I don’t think so. The tree’s trunks turn darker when I give water them. It is indescribably beautiful.”

(By Shigeo Hano)