Looking at this majestic bonsai who is 394 years old today, you’d already be in awe with its beauty and history but did you know that this bonsai tree survived the Hiroshima Bombing?
There is one very special bonsai tree in the National Arboretum in Northeast Washington that has been gaining lots of media attention not just because of its beauty and age but also because of the history that was uncovered last 2001.
The white pine
This beautiful bonsai tree was donated by a bonsai master named Masaru Yamaki. It was actually a part of a 53-specimen gift to the United States for its 1976 bicentennial celebration. As the museum gladly accepted the gift, they cared for it every single day until they uncovered the real history behind it.
Little did they know about the real history behind this bonsai tree until March 8, 2001, when — two brothers from Japan visited the museum to check on their grandfather’s prized tree.
Shigeru Yamaki and his brother, Akira, told a story that shocked everyone. The museum officials were stunned to know that this majestic bonsai was actually a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing.
The survivor
Japan has already marked 74 years since the US atomic bomb attacked the city of Hiroshima. To most of us, this is known as the Hiroshima bombing, a devastating event that killed 70,000 people instantly and at the end of the year, a total of around 140,000.
According to the National Geographic report, this Japanese white pine bonsai was potted 394 years ago and it belonged to a family that lived around two miles of where the US forces dropped the “Little Boy” atomic bomb 74 years ago. The family, including this white pine bonsai, survived the blast.
“Location, location, location,” Sustic said to Washington Post. “It was up against a wall. It must have been the wall that shielded it from the blast.”
“Bonsai, Sustic adds, refers not to the type of tree but rather the manner in which it is cared for. It is the blending of nature and art.”
Jack Sustic is the Co-President of the National Bonsai Foundation.
History uncovered
The Yamaki family had taken care of the tree for five generations before finally giving it the United States in 1975. The brothers even told the museum officials about a news footage that shows this tree in the Yamaki nursery unharmed after the historical bombing.
It’s amazing how for 394 years, someone has been attending to this tree that allowed it to not just survive but to thrive until this day.
This remarkable bonsai tree, now a part of the Arboretum’s National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, still amazes people who gets to discover the history behind this beautiful and majestic tree.
“Every bonsai tells a story and some of the stories are truly amazing. From such humble beginnings to symbols of peace and perseverance they quietly stand on display as testaments to man’s reverence toward nature.” – Jack Sustic of National Bonsai Foundation
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