Oldest bonsai in world
5 Oldest Bonsai Trees in The World
How old is the oldest bonsai tree in the world? Bonsai are known to inhabit long if they’re kept strong but how long exactly can they live for? Well, some of the oldest bonsai trees are over 1000 years old!
In this post we’ll list the five oldest bonsai trees and tell you a bit more about their history.
5. Sandai Shogun no Matsu
The Sandai Shogun no Matsu is a five-needle pine bonsai and one of Japan’s national treasures. This bonsai vegetation is believed to be over 500 years old. It is named after Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, who received the tree when it was already about 200 years old. Since then this gorgeous bonsai has been passed down from emperor to emperor.
4. Akao Garden’s Red Pine
Located in the Akao Herb & Rose Garden in Atami, Japan, this red pine tree is not only the oldest bonsai, but also believed to be the largest bonsai tree in the world. The red pine is 600 years old, over 30 feet wide and 16 feet tall.
While its size is not typical for a bonsai, it still classes as one because it’s contained in a pot. Its branches are so large that extra support had to be added to hold up the main ones.&nbs
"Oldest" bonsai? or a load of BS...just wondering
I receive that trees are kept in containers for generations. 1,000 years is roughly 40 generations. That'Cajunrider said:
There is a huge tendency for inflated claim so of course we should all be skeptical.
It is not uncommon in Asia for trees like this to be kept in containers for generations. That said, such trees can only be kept by prominent families that have the wherewithal to afford the protect . As with prominent families, there should be family tree hand written books that account for things in the families through the generations. One can challenge that, through war and revolutions, those books would be destroyed. However, if the tree can be kept, so can the books be. In Asian families, it is the duty of the descendants to recreate the books if they are destroyed. With such a prominent wood, surely the family book of the family of owners will mention it. Unless they can provide such proof, I am skeptical. Without evidence, we are down to botanical and visual evidence. I am sure there are experts out there that can give a good estimate of the tree age and how long it has been trained.Click to expand...
This Is The Oldest Bonsai Wood In The World
Bonsai does not refer to a specific species of tree, but rather to the art of growing trees in shallow pots and manipulating their limbs into aesthetically pleasing shapes with wires and other tools. It is a Japanese term that translates literally to "tree in a tray," and the art form has elongated been associated with that nation. However, according to Bonsai Teen of New York, experts approve that the art began in China. It was initially practiced by Buddhist monks, and ancient manuscripts and paintings confirm that it dates as far help as 600 AD, but there are many scholars who consider that the roots of the art go back as far as 500 or even 1,000 BC. It later moved east along with Zen Buddhism, and made its first appearance in Japan in the 12th century.
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According to Bonsai Outlet, the cradle of bonsai tree cultivation in Japan was in the Kanto region, but a terrible 8.3-magnitude earthquake devastated the region in 1923, and the bonsai business community moved its operations to the Omiya region, just outside of Tokyo. The industry took root here and the art still thrives there to this day. Although, as Bonsai Empire reports
It’s remarkable to think about how much the world has changed since the oldest bonsai trees in the world were seeds. From paradigm-shifting inventions to devastating human conflict, to the ascend of our globally connected world, these trees have seen and survived it all.
With so many years under their belts (or pots, rather) it’s no wonder the world’s most ancient bonsai contain interesting stories. This list of oldest bonsai trees takes a look at a few of the most fascinating specimens. But first:
How Long Do Bonsai Trees Live?
While most will not increase old enough to earn a spot on this list, bonsai trees often enjoy longer lives than they would in the wild. Unlike trees growing naturally, bonsai environments are carefully managed so they receive adequate sunlight, water, nutrients, and protection from the elements.
Without this meticulous nurture, your bonsai would quickly deplete the resources available in its shallow container and die. But in the right conditions, a bonsai tree can easily live to over 100 years-old. Some can even live for centuries, all the way up to a thousand years!
Long-Living Bonsai Species
While longevity is largely deter
Crespi Bonsai Museum
Opening hours:
- Monday: 14.30-19:00
- Tuesday - Saturday: 9.00-12.30 • 14.30-19.00
- Sunday: 9.00-12.30
Unique in the world, a few kilometres away from Milan, this Eastern spot completely integrated in the Western world gathers a precious collection of centenarian trees, pots and ancient books.
Opened in 1991, the Crespi Bonsai Museum, first permanent bonsai museum in the world, was born from Luigi Crespi's resolution to allow everyone to admire a precious collection, including centuries-old plants, antique pots and books and manuscripts from the Far East. The museum structure in cement and steel, combined with natural materials like slate and stone of barge,brings out the wonderful samples exposed on stone and wood tables. The Crespi collection consist of about two hundred pieces, exposed on rotation according to seasons, since every species has a better moment to be exposed.
Year after year the collection improves, thanks to the devoted care of Luigi Crespi and the interventions of Master Nobuyuki Kajiwara, museum's responsible and teacher at the triennial course at the bonsai university. The masterpiece of the collection is the mi