Producing bonsai from the perspective of customersHaruchan Bonsai
It’s fun to just walk around this garden, crowded with small bonsais of all types of shohin, or small-sized bonsai, and read the tree names. Kuromatsu, (Japanese black pine). Zuiho (a variety of Japanese black pine). Kaede (maple). Umemodoki (Japanese winterberry). Haido zakura (hall crab apple), gumi (oleaster), hime ringo (crab apple), kaki (Japanese persimmon), bara (rose), hime oribu (small olive), and murasaki shikibu (Japanese beauty-berry) written on their price tags.
Kokubunji-cho, Takamatsu City, ranked with Kinashi-cho as one of the most well-known bonsai producing areas in Kagawa Prefecture. Haruchan Bonsai is located in a sunny residential part of the neighborhood.
This gentleman is OKADA Toshiyuki, the third keeper of Haruchan Bonsai.
After working as a sailor on foreign routes and an employee at Japanese National Railways before it was broken up, OKADA retired from the railway company early and devoted himself to growing bonsai. When working, OKADA had always helped his father on every day off. He had been born into the world of bonsai, and grew up immersed in it. He has been involved in bonsai for more than 50 years. OKADA is now working with his wife on projects ranging from the cultivation of bonsai to using the Internet to connect the bonsai with buyers who will care for them.
Increasingly diverse tree collection in response to customer requests
It was the natural next step for OKADA to retire early and start growing bonsai.
Many types of trees line his bonsai garden. OKADA says he is growing 20 to 30 types of trees now. However, he did not grow such a large variety of trees from the beginning. OKADA explains that he has increased tree types little by little in response to customer requests.
“I’d like to value customers’ needs, and meet their requests individually.”
As these words suggest, it is not uncommon for OKADA to embark on travels beyond Kagawa to stock seedlings. He drives to places as far as Aichi, Saitama, or Nagano when no one locally has a seedling for a tree his customer wants. With customer requests as the starting point, OKADA sells bonsai pots, too.
I’d like to popularize zuiho, which originated in Kokubunji.
Zuiho is a variety of Japanese black pine discovered in Kokubunji, characterized by its deep leaf color and large number of buds.
After the passing of the other grower, OKADA is the only remaining zuiho producer. He shared his outlook on the future, saying he wants to keep this local bonsai variety alive and meet many customer orders for zuiho.
OKADA would love if readers came visit to Haruchan Bonsai. He recommends fall in particular as a fantastic time to visit his garden. Pine branches with the buds nipped off grow nicely and fruits turn colors in the fall.
Haruchan Bonsai
- ADDRESS
- 1909-2 Nii, Kokubunji-cho, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture
- TEL
- +81-87-874-0361
- URL
- http://www.haruchanbonsai.jp