Age: about 100 yrs Height: Height: 116 cm
Kuromatsu
(Japanese black pine)

This tree is a masterpiece also called “tsuru-no-mai,” or a dancing crane, after its elegant style. Planted in a small square pot, the tree suggests a long-legged crane with wings outstretched.

It also recalls the “bunjingi” style favored by Meiji-era literati in which the number of branches is kept down. While giving it a feeling of lightness, the way this emphasizes the trunk’s natural movement is outstanding. The leaves are treated to moderate “metsumi” (bud-trimming) and “hasukashi” (thinning out). It draws its charm from the somewhat twisted “mikimoyo” (trunk patterns) and a natural bulge at the “ichinoeda” (the first branch from the base of the tree).

The tree, which is about 100 years old, is one of the younger among the bonsai trees at the Imperial Palace and it has good “jusei” (vigor). As time goes by, the tree is expected to grow into an increasingly impressive kuromatsu.

translated by Kyodo News