🌲Comprehensive Knowledge of Japanese White Pine Bonsai (Plan+T BONSAI Column)
I. Background of Japanese Five-Needle Pine 🌱
Japanese five-needle pine (scientific name: Pinus parviflora, Japanese: ゴヨウマツ) is an evergreen coniferous tree belonging to the genus Pinus in the family Pinaceae, and is one of the most representative Japanese pine trees.
• 🌿 Features: Each bundle has five needles, with soft leaves and a silvery-blue sheen.
• 🗾 Origin: High-altitude mountainous regions of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, Japan.
• 🌳 Tree age and appearance: The trees can live for hundreds of years. The bark of old trees has grayish-brown tortoise shell-like cracks, and the branches and trunks are vigorous and majestic.
• 🍃 Fruit: Oval-shaped, takes two years to mature.
The Japanese five-needle pine grows slowly but is extremely resilient, and is the soul tree species of traditional Japanese bonsai.
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II. History and Culture 🏯
The five-needle pine holds a prestigious position in the history of Japanese bonsai, and has been regarded as a symbol of nobility since the Edo period.
• 👑 Tokugawa Iemitsu was a great lover of five-needle pines, and the existing "Pine of Three Generations of Shoguns" is about 600 years old.
• 🌲 Omiya Bonsai Village and Seikaen Garden house many ancient pine trees that are over a hundred years old, and are the core of Japanese bonsai culture.
• ☮️ A five-needle pine that survived the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bomb is now on display at the National Bonsai Museum in the United States and is known as the "Peace Pine".
"The beauty of five-needle pine bonsai lies in its undiminished vitality despite the passage of time." Kato Zoraku (Bonsai artist at Omiya Bonsai Village)
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III. Classic Design Style🎋
The five-needle pine has a variety of shapes and is one of the representative materials for bonsai art.
• 🪴 Chokkan: A tree with a straight trunk symbolizes stability and strength.
• 🌾 Moyogi (样样木): S-shaped curved trunk, natural and smooth.
• 💨 Shakan: Growing against the wind, in dynamic equilibrium.
• ✨ Bunjin-gi (文人木): With its slender trunk and sparse branches, it embodies the beauty of wabi-sabi.
• ⛰️ Cliff (Kengai): Branches hanging down the cliff, like an ancient pine tree on a mountaintop.
• 🌱 Sokan (双干): symbolizes the bond between parents and children and between partners.
Each style embodies the strength and tranquility of the five-needle pine, presenting a harmonious beauty of time and nature.
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IV. Symbols in Japanese Culture 🎎
The five-needle pine symbolizes longevity, loyalty, good fortune, and elegance.
• 🌿 Evergreen throughout the four seasons, symbolizing "eternal youth".
• ❄️ Unfading in the cold winter, it symbolizes perseverance and loyalty.
• 🎍 In Japan, "kadomatsu" (pine tree branches) are used to welcome the New Year and symbolize good fortune and prosperity for the family.
• 🏆 The name "Five-leaf Pine (御用待つ)" symbolizes waiting for good fortune and career success.
In Japanese aesthetics, the five-needle pine is not merely a plant, but a symbol of spirit. It is firm yet gentle, and its strength lies hidden in stillness.
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V. Representative varieties of five-needle pine 🌸
The variety of five-needle pine cultivars cultivated by horticulturists and horticulturists across Japan is vast and diverse, showcasing the regional diversity of bonsai culture.
Among them, the Miyajima five-needle pine is one of the most famous representatives. Originally from Itsukushima (Miyajima) in Hiroshima, it has short, densely packed leaves with a golden-green sheen, and a compact and elegant tree shape, earning it the reputation of "Royal Pine".
The Nine-layered Pine is a dwarf, short-leaved variety with dense buds and extremely short internodes, making it suitable for creating small pieces and miniature bonsai. It is the most classic representative of the "Yafusa series".
The Zuisho five-needle pine is famous for its short, straight, stiff leaves and short internodes. It can also be propagated by cuttings. With its upright shape and dense branches and leaves, it is regarded as the best cultivation system among modern five-needle pines.
The Azuma five-needle pine is from the Fukushima mountain range. Its leaves are golden and its trunk is thick, making it suitable for creating magnificent large bonsai.
In addition, there are variant varieties such as Jinsong, Wuzisong, and Yunlong Wuyesong, which have different leaf shapes and are highly ornamental.
The diverse varieties of five-needle pine allow it to exhibit both strength and elegance in bonsai creations of different sizes.
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VI. Stories of Famous Figures and Famous Trees 🌳
• 🎨 Kato Zoraku (Omiya Bonsai Village): Famous for his care of the "Three Generations of Generals Pine", he advocates that bonsai is "an art that coexists with time".
• 🖋️ Kunio Kobayashi (Harukana Garden Museum): His collection includes an 800-year-old five-needle pine, which promotes the literati style of wood carving and showcases the "beauty of mystery".
• 🪵 Masahiko Kimura: Known for his split-trunk technique and shari (deadwood) shaping, which gives the five-needle pine a more ancient and majestic appearance.
• 🏯 Seikouen: It houses a 300-year-old tree called Hakkaisan, a Japanese cultural heritage item.
"The vitality of bonsai blossoms amidst ancient scars." — from Kunio Kobayashi
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VII. Uses and Gift Suggestions 🎁
• 🏠 Home: Place it in the living room, study, entryway, or tea room to create a sense of tranquility and Zen.
• 💼 Business: A company lobby or office symbolizes stability and longevity.
• 🎂 Gifts: Birthday wishes (May you live a long and healthy life), business opening wishes (May your business thrive forever), and New Year wishes (May you welcome good fortune and wealth).
The five-needle pine is not only a work of art, but also a "gift of life with blessings".🎍
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VIII. Conclusion 🌕
The Japanese bonsai pine embodies nature, art, and philosophy, and is a representative of Japanese bonsai culture.
From Edo shoguns to modern artisans, it has always symbolized resilience, elegance, and eternity.
For PLAN+T, the five-needle pine is not just a tree, but a way of life.
In the midst of a bustling city, preserve a moment of tranquility to slow down and connect with nature.🍃
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📚 References and sources
1. 🇯🇵 JBC (Japan Culture Information Network) — "Five-Needle Pine: A Timeless Green, A Tale of Elegance"
https://www.japanbonsai.com
2. All Japan Bonsai Association - "History of Bonsai"
https://www.bonsai-kyokai.or.jp
3. Bonsai Myo – Tree Shape Explanation Page
https://www.bonsai-myo.com
4. Bonsai Q — "What is the scholar wood?"
https://bonsai-q.com
5. andplants — "Five-leaf pine's nurturing recipe"
https://andplants.jp
6. Wazakura Japan — Knowledge of Japanese Pine and Cypress Bonsai
https://wazakurajapan.com
7. Daily Headline — "Classification of Japanese White Pine Bonsai and Varieties"
https://kknews.cc/zh-tw/plant/
8. Bonsai Empire (Japanese version) - "The oldest bonsai in the world"
https://www.bonsaiempire.jp
9. BONSAI PLAN+T Hong Kong — Pre-order Japanese Five-Needle Pine
https://planplust.com