Our guide is Koji Hiramatsu. One of Japan's foremost bonsai artisans, yet he would never call himself a master who has arrived.
To keep facing forward, to keep growing — showing that very commitment is his way. Those close to him call him "Boss" or "Sensei" with deep affection.
In his years as an apprentice, his father and mentor rarely taught technique through words. When he sought guidance, the reply was always the same: "Think for yourself." Through the steady practice of observing, reflecting, and choosing on his own, Hiramatsu gradually came to understand — bonsai is not a path that leads to a final destination.
Each time he stands before a tree, questions arise. Should this branch remain, or be removed? Is it time to act, or time to wait? Every decision is irreversible, and it is the accumulation of these choices that gradually becomes the tree's singular character. Because there is no definitive answer, one has no choice but to keep standing before the work. In that tension and stillness, he came to know the essence of bonsai.
To share the authentic tradition of bonsai, he began to travel the world. Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia — people of different nations and languages share a remarkably similar gaze when standing before bonsai. What is conveyed is not technique alone. He came to feel deeply that the very posture of devotion is itself a precious cultural heritage.
That is why, even today, he offers his apprentices not prescriptions but ways of thinking. Wherever they go, however many years pass, the journey of contemplation never ends. For Hiramatsu, bonsai is a lifelong dialogue with living trees — life itself.
Not to hand down conclusions or well-trodden trails, but to show, through the way he walks, what it means to keep searching for the path. To fulfill that calling, he faces the trees once more today — waiting, envisioning, choosing.
"No matter how far, still mid-journey."
Fourth-generation owner of Hiramatsu Shunshoen, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture.
Born December 23, 1967. In 1990, at the age of 23, he entered the way of bonsai. Honing his styling skills with wiring at their core, he works broadly with conifers and shohin bonsai.
He has performed demonstrations at the Asia-Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention (ASPAC), the World Bonsai Convention, and other events. He conducts workshops and instruction internationally, including China, France, Italy, and Australia.
We have prepared a selection of videos available upon registration. Follow where your heart leads, and take that first step.
The way begins here.
Begin the Journey