fascinated by plants
There was a bonsai where I ended up.
An old residential area in Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture. About a 15-minute walk from the nearest station, I was on a narrow, winding road when my eyes suddenly caught my attention by the small plants filling the front garden. The words posted on the gatepost read ``Shiotsu Botanical Research Institute'' - this is the store run by Takehiro Shiotsu and Kumiko. In addition to the bonsai itself, the company undertakes all kinds of work related to plants, including sales of seed trees and pots before they become bonsai, classes on treatment, replanting, and pruning, decoration of pots for stores and private homes, and purchases...
``Our goal is to become a 'Kakekomi-ji Temple of Plants and Trees.'' Even if you buy flowers at a flower shop, you don't often go to the flower shop for further consultation, but I want to be the kind of person who can solve problems for you if you come to my office. I'll introduce you to other professionals, and when you're at a loss about plants, I want you to remember, ``If you go there, you'll be able to find something.'' I think it's good to have a place like that,'' says Takehiro.
My bonsai is not doing well, so I want it to come back to life. I would like to take over the bonsai that the deceased cherished. The fact that such consultants come from all over the country is proof that the Shiotsus are getting closer to their goal.
The store has no doors, only a gatepost standing between it and the front garden. Because of the ease of access, many people stop by to admire the plants.
While studying architecture at Nagoya University of Arts, Faculty of Design, Takehiro searched for a job related to his favorite wood. He began researching trees as lumber, and then researched everything from flower shops to forestry and agriculture, and discovered bonsai.
"Bonsai has the charm of being both a living creature and an object to be admired. I thought it was interesting. Immediately after graduating, I became a live-in disciple of a bonsai master in Tokyo, and I was only 2010 years old when I became independent in 26. We were able to get a lot of attention from people in the media, and things were going smoothly.''
The finished bonsai is3000From around yen to tens of thousands of yen.
The Shiotsu Botanical Research Institute opened its doors in Setagaya, Tokyo, in a space of just 100 tsubo. The meaning of the trade name is an expression of the company's desire to be involved not only in bonsai but also in all aspects of plants and plants. However, there was a limit to what they could do due to the size of the store, so they soon moved and expanded to a store in Higashikurume City, Tokyo, with an area of about XNUMX tsubo. Gradually, the production of seed trees has also begun.
Plants grow throughout the grounds, including the original fruit trees.
I met Kumiko at a bonsai class she was holding around that time.
Kumiko studied English at Kansai University and a double school in order to work overseas. Once she got a job, she tried to change jobs from a company in Osaka, but it didn't work out, and when she thought about it, she realized that she surprisingly didn't know much about Japan. There, she got a job at Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten, a craft manufacturing and sales company, and as part of her introduction to crafts, she took part in a bonsai class. When she came into contact with Takehiro's bonsai, Kumiko recalls, ``It turned my concept of bonsai upside down.She was shocked that such a beautiful culture existed.''
Takehiro studied architecture because he was attracted to wood, but his desire to work with living trees led him to bonsai.
Kumiko longed to go abroad due to the influence of her father, who is involved in trade, but her interest in Japanese culture turned and she ended up studying bonsai.
Eventually the two got married. Takehiro, who was feeling limited by the high land rents of Tokyo, decided to move to Nara after visiting the current location of the store where Kumiko's grandparents had previously lived.
``At that time, part of the wasteland here was used as a farm, so I came here to pick vegetables, and at first glance I thought it was a good place.This is Nara.I instinctively knew that this land was good. I'm also from Wakayama, so I was thinking about moving back to Kansai, so it was an instant decision."
After cutting down the overgrown weeds and leveling the ground, they turned a dilapidated warehouse into an office and an outhouse into a residence. It took about half a year for the two to say with a smile, ``We have cleared the land.''
The deciding factor was the well, which had ``good boiling water.'' Plants grow well in well water and rainwater that are rich in organic and mineral content. We secure waterways and gradually increase the number of greenhouses and other facilities each year to grow trees. Four years have passed since it opened in April 2017, and most of the facilities have finally been installed. Currently, 100 trees of 2 species are living quietly on the premises.
Basically, we deal with Japanese plants. There are about 100 species, mainly broad-leaved trees, ranging from seed trees to bonsai.
The value of putting in the effort.
Be careful with plants and life
Their lives revolve around plants. It is essential to water the plants at 10:15 and XNUMX:XNUMX every day, so you can only actually move during those times. There is no time to relax even when going out for shopping, let alone going far.
The annual schedule is similar, with bonsai being replanted in the spring, pruned in the summer, and finally ready for viewing in the fall, so the only time we have is winter, when the plants are asleep.
"That's why I always travel in the winter (lol). Rather than my daily life, I live at the pace of the plants. We plant seeds with an eye on the next 10 years. When we think of bonsai, we have the image of growing them over many years. It will take several years to reach a size that can be sold."
The white citrus that we planted when we first opened. It took four years to finally grow it to a size where it could be sold.
Bonsai is not just about growing trees, it's about designing trees by wrapping them with wire. Its growth is slow and requires years of careful attention. ``When you take care of it, you grow attached to it. That's what makes it attractive. It's the same as using a good tool for a long time,'' says Takehiro.
Both of us have always liked things made by hand and things where you can see the face of the creator. The chest of drawers used in the office is a chest of drawers that Kumiko's great-grandmother brought to her wedding. The table is a former sewing factory stand that her grandfather used when he opened a private cram school at his home.
``It's furniture from 100 years ago, so it has scratches and dirt, but it's durable and can still be used if you take care of it. Kumiko smiles as she says this, and is working carefully on her daily life.
Antique furniture that shows the people who have used it. I fit in well with the atmosphere of the research institute.
In the bonsai casually displayed in the office,
``Pickling pickled plums and making the right stock for miso soup.I think that in today's world, the theme of daily life has become more and more common.Because we're so busy, we can make ourselves feel richer with just a little extra effort.'' I don't want to spare any effort to live a comfortable life.''
The family of three, including their eldest son Kusu, who is now 3 years old, lives in an outbuilding on the property. There is no TV or rice cooker in the small space. With my hands, I slowly weave my days together. Here is a modern slow life where you live with plants.
In the second part, we will explore more deeply the work content and the thoughts of the two.
(Titles omitted)
Three people live in a space with as few home appliances as possible. The loft created by removing the ceiling can be used as a storage room.
Shiotsu Botanical Research Institute
993-1 Toichicho, Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture
0744-48-0845
Business hours / 9: 00-17: 00
Closed: Wednesdays and Thursdays
Text by Aki Fujita
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