The 388-Year-Old Bonsai that Survived Hiroshima

Pretty Amazing!

TwistedSifter

Photograph by rcbryson on Flikr

 

On display at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the United States National Arboretum is this remarkable Japanese White Pine (Pinus parviflora ‘Miyajima’) bonsai sometimes known as Hiroshima Survivor. According to the tree’s display placard, it has been in training since 1625 making it 388-years-old. Oh and it survived the atomic blast in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

 

Photograph by Sage Ross on Wikimedia Commons

 

In 1976 as part of Japan’s Bicentennial gift to the American people, bonsai master Masaru Yamaki donated one of his most prized bonsai. The Yamaki family operated a commercial bonsai nursery in Hiroshima for several generations (the nursery is now a private bonsai collection). According to the National Bonsai Foundation:

On the morning of August 6, 1945, all the Yamaki family members were inside their home. The bomb exploded about three kilometers (less…

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