Greeting

The world’s first publicly-operated Bonsai Museum was opened here in Saitama City in 2010.

The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, Saitama, which lies adjacent to the renowned Omiya Bonsai Village, aims, through its activities, to promote the culture of bonsai -designated as a traditional industry of Saitama City- both locally and internationally. This is achieved through the display of masterpieces and outstanding works with the collection of the former Takagi Bonsai Museum of Art forming the nucleus, as well as bonsai pots, landscape stones generally referred to as suiseki, and paintings, including ukiyo-e woodblock prints depicting bonsai. The museum’s activities also entail the systematic collection and publishing of documents related to the history and folklore of bonsai.

The following are the three main pillars of the museum’s activities.

First of all, the museum conducts investigations and research into the history and significance of various bonsai and bonsai-related traditional arts from multiple perspectives, including art history, craft history, and the history of horticulture. The highly detailed results of this research are then made public in an easily understandable way through exhibitions and publications. Not only does the museum hold exhibitions, but it also actively develops awareness projects, including the development of courses and lectures, with the hope of providing opportunities for constant interaction with bonsai culture throughout the year. Furthermore, the museum strives for the establishment of interdisciplinary research on bonsai.

Secondly, as a new attraction on par with the Railway Museum, the Bonsai Museum seeks to become a sightseeing hub where not only local citizens, but also visitors from all over Japan and those from abroad can readily experience the charm and depth of bonsai.

Thirdly, the museum navigates visitors through its exhibits and also though Saitama city’s bonsai gardens located in and around the Bonsai Village, with the hopes that by experiencing the profoundness of bonsai, they will become strong supporters of the bonsai industry.

The museum, therefore, presses forward with the integration of these three roles: that of a bonsai research center, a new sightseeing hub for Saitama City, and a contributor to the revitalization of the bonsai industry, which together form the pillar of its work.

The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, Saitama