Today we visited the Daiju-en Bonsai Garden of Toru Suzuki, third generation bonsai artist.
Saichi Suzuki (1902 – 1991)
Toshinori Suzuki (1925 – 2007)
Toru Suzuki (1954 –
Takuya Suzuki (1984 –
The Suzuki family is one of the longest, most prominent and well-respected bonsai family in Japan.
Saichi Suzuki established his Daiju-En Bonsai Garden, in Okazaki, Japan in 1931. The Suzuki family has been studying and refining pine bonsai for nearly 100 years. Many of the common and current pine training and trimming techniques were discovered and refined at the Daiju-En Bonsai Garden.
Historically, Saichi Suzuki introduced the Dwarf Zuisho Japanese Five-needle pine in 1934. Together with his family, they actively promoted it as a new dwarf cultivar ideally suited for bonsai training and has thin, straight, short and light-green needles. It has a fast-growing character and elegant appeal. Masahiko Kimura actively grows and shapes Zuisho and often uses this cultivar when presenting demonstrations for the Zuisho Bonsai Society. Often, many of his Zuisho bonsai he has trained are displayed in Zuisho only exhibitions.
Daiju-en Bonsai Garden is not large, but rather compact filled with beautifully displayed bonsai and filled with masterpiece Japanese five-needle pine, Japanese red pine and Japanese black pine bonsai in all sizes.
This is a unique bonsai garden with several huge stones framing the trees. The Suzuki family maintains several private bonsai collections as well. Scattered throughout the garden are numerous Princess persimmons and a few colorful maple bonsai shinning with their autumn dress.
A cascade Ginkgo? There is a weeping cultivar, butI don’t think this it. Started by cutting off a hanging aerial root and rooting it
Mr. Suzuki likes to share his family’s research on developing pine bonsai around the world. Recently in September he traveled to Rochester, New York to demonstrate his techniques and judge the 2025 9th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition.
