Bonsai and Penjing. Ann McClellan

      Before he became emperor, Prince Hirohito was photographed in 1921 with his brothers: left to right, the future emperor, Prince Mikasa, Prince Takamatsu and Prince Chichibu.

      The third tree with a Japanese imperial connection is a Trident Maple (Acer buergerianum), which was trained as a bonsai from a seedling. It was a gift from Prince Takamatsu (1905–1987), the third son of Emperor Taishō. Prince Takamatsu served in Japan’s navy through World War II, after which he played largely ceremonial roles in a variety of activities, ranging from international relations, health and welfare to fine arts and sports. The Prince’s tree has a quiet nobility and is treasured for its distinctive curving trunk, its artful roots and its dramatic fall foliage. It is believed to have been in training since 1895.

      The other 50 trees assembled by the Nippon Bonsai Association may not have had imperial pedigrees, but each was specially selected from private collections to represent Japan, and some had amazing stories of their own.

      The oldest tree in the gift and at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum today is the Yamaki pine, a Japanese White Pine (Pinus parviflora ‘Miyajima’), which has been in training since 1625. Its designation as ‘Miyajima’ shows it is from an island not far from Hiroshima, famous for its torii gate and the Itsukushima Shrine. While the tree was known to be ancient when it arrived in American quarantine in 1975, no one knew its full story until 2001 when grandsons of the bonsai master Masaru Yamaki, who had given it, visited the tree at the U.S. National Arboretum. The young men explained that their family had operated a commercial bonsai nursery in Hiroshima for several generations. On August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb dropped less than two miles from their home, blowing out all of the glass windows. Each family member was cut though miraculously no one suffered any permanent injuries. The Yamaki pine and others in the nursery were protected from the blast by a wall, and its inclusion added a profound and poignant note to the Bicentennial Gift.

      Another Japanese White Pine (Pinus parviflora ‘Miyajima’) arrived after the Bicentennial Gift. The distinctive slant of the trunk is balanced by the design of its branches and foliage. It was given to the museum by the late Daizo Iwasaki, a noted bonsai collector in Japan.

      A tree treasured by the Japanese is the cryptomeria or Sugi (Cryptomeria japonica). It is often called a Japanese cedar though it is not a true cedar. In Japan, some consider it the national tree because it is often planted around temples and shrines, marking the passage from the “daily” world to a “sacred” space. At the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, cryptomeria line the entrance walk, creating a transitional space into the museum’s pavilion area, similar to their use in Japan. Its evergreen quality is perceived as a symbol of longevity and strength. In addition to its landscape use, Cryptomeria is also used for lumber and for a variety of crafted products. The bonsai Cryptomeria forest planting in the Bicentennial Gift echoes the “grown up” versions lining the entrance walk and was a gift of a former Prime Minister of Japan, Eisaku Satō.

      A Trident Maple (Acer buergerianum), in training since 1856, has a different shape from Prince Takamatsu’s and was included in the Bicentennial Gift. It was also grown from a seedling but this one conveys majesty in a different way. It has a formal upright-style trunk tapering to an apex with flaring surface roots, creating the illusion of great age and magnificence.