Photo/Illutration Buyers from outside Japan examine the bonsai at Kandakashojuen farm in the Kinashicho district of Takamatsu on Sept. 21. (Hayato Sakata)

TAKAMATSU--Officials from Kagawa Prefecture are taking advantage of a long-sought opportunity to expand their sales network to Europe for black pine bonsai cultivated in the prefecture. 

In Takamatsu, the Kinashicho district is lined with pine bonsai farms, as the prefectural capital is famed for being Japan’s largest pine bonsai-producing area.

The president and distribution official from specialized bonsai importers in the Netherlands and Spain visited Kandakashojuen farm in the district on Sept. 21. 

They carefully examined the many miniature potted plants before declaring the bonsai pieces there “appear to have grown well despite the reported blazing summer heat.” 

The president and official were taking part in a business tour organized by the prefectural government, and they made a succession of purchases at 10 producers in Takamatsu over two days.

A total of 500 bonsai works, including those ordered in advance last year, will be shipped to Europe.

Takamatsu is now drawing a great deal of attention from buyers as exports of black pine bonsai to Europe is set to accelerate next year. 

Although potted pine trees previously could not be sold to Europe for quarantine reasons, the restriction was lifted in October 2020 as a result of efforts by the prefecture and other parties.

Bonsai pieces can now be exported so long as they are checked and kept for two years with no problems detected upon being registered at a plant quarantine center.

Participating in the latest business session, the president of Lodder Bonsai BV, which sells bonsai to more than 20 countries from the Netherlands, said he has high hopes.

“In Europe, even though there are more men, there are also women quite interested in bonsai. It’s very mixed, people who in general like nature, who like plants. A lot of people see bonsai as a hobby and they want to be active,” he said. “We’re very happy that black pine is finally available. A lot of European people saw black pine in magazines but they could never buy it. There is a big potential to make people more enthusiastic about black pine.”

The cultivation of pine bonsai in Takamatsu started about 200 years ago by transferring a wild tree into a pot. Bonsai here are said to have been sold to hordes of visitors to the noted Kotohiragu shrine in present-day Kagawa Prefecture in bygone days.

The warm, dry climate was suited for growing bonsai, and artistic plants grown in the area account for 80 percent of the national shipment, according to an estimate by Kagawa Prefecture.

The number of bonsai farmers in the prefecture, however, is falling. Data from the prefectural government show 196 farmers handled bonsai in 2021, whereas 300 or more engaged in the practice in 2000 and before.

Farmers are struggling to find their successors amid the prolonged dwindling domestic demand.

“Many people used to own bonsai in Japan because doing so was deemed as representative of a high social status, but that demand has nosedived,” said Satoru Oro, chair of the Takamatsu Bonsai Export Promotion Association. “We will be taking advantage of this coveted opportunity to export bonsai to Europe to preserve the culture of bonsai in Takamatsu.”

Oro said that a series of agents from Europe, aside from the two people in the latest tour, have appeared to see the bonsai.

Kagawa Prefecture is stepping up its promotion campaign as well.

Bonsai from the prefecture went on display for the first time at the Floriade 2022 Gardening Expo in June this year in the Netherlands.

About 2,000 visitors turned out daily to Japan’s booth, and a horticulturist’s pruning demonstration drew crowds of spectators.

“The word ‘bonsai’ appeared to be well known among locals, like sushi, and we are feeling there is potential demand,” said a representative of the prefecture’s local specialty promotion division.

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