Discover the Oldest Bonsai Tree and Where to See it

Have you ever wondered about the oldest bonsai tree? If so, you’re not alone. The art of bonsai is a culturally-rich and interesting topic, and its history is more much in-depth than you might think at a glance.

Ready to meet the oldest bonsai tree? Keep reading!

About the Oldest Bonsai Tree

The oldest bonsai in the world is the Ficus retusa linn. This bonsai is thought to be over 1,000 years old!

The Ficus retusa is a type of fig tree. It is known to be a fast grower, and it can reach heights of over 33 feet. Just its leaves alone can grow to be nearly four inches long. It’s actually quite uncommon to find this species of tree as a bonsai due to its large size. Most bonsai that are labeled as Ficus retusa are actually a species known as Ficus microcarpa. However, this is not the case for the oldest bonsai in the world!

This is because the Ficus retusa linn is what is known as an ògata, or large bonsai. It’s around ten feet tall, and almost just as wide. 

Where to See the Oldest Bonsai

You can find the oldest bonsai in the world at the Crespi Bonsai Museum in northern Italy. Its current owner is Luigi Crespi, the founder of the museum.

Believe it or not, however, coming to own the oldest bonsai in the world was no easy feat for Crespi. The oldest bonsai tree isn’t originally from Italy. Once it came to the country from China, however, it was cared for by Shotaro Kawahara, a bonsai master. Crespi began trying to gain ownership of the ficus bonsai in the 1970s. In 1986, he finally succeeded, and Crespi, along with Alberto Lavazza, have been taking care of the bonsai ever since. 

However, the ficus didn’t get moved to the museum yet at this point. In fact, the museum hadn’t even been founded yet! The museum itself was founded in 1991. After this, the ficus was transferred into the museum where it is still the centerpiece to this day. 

What is a Bonsai?

A bonsai isn’t a type of tree. In fact, it’s not even a type of plant! Instead, bonsai is the Japanese art of training trees to exist at a miniature size, all while tending to them and taking care of them. The practice of bonsai originates from penjing, a Chinese art form that involves shaping plants.

As a result, almost any type of tree can be a bonsai! While some are only inches tall, as is most common, there are some types of large bonsai trees, like the oldest bonsai tree. 

4 of the Other Oldest Bonsais

The ficus bonsai in Italy isn’t an odd case. In fact, there are many examples of bonsai trees that are hundreds of years old! Here are four others that you may be interested in learning more about. 

Juniper Bonsai Tree

The second oldest bonsai tree is a juniper bonsai tree in Omiya, Japan. This tree is also around 1000 years old, although it’s not as old as the Ficus retusa linn. This bonsai tree was actually collected from the wilderness!

Today, you can find the juniper bonsai tree in the Mansei-en bonsai nursery. This is one of six, as well as the oldest, bonsai nursery and garden in the Omiya Bonsai Village.

Shunkaen Bonsai Trees

The Shunkaen Bonsai Museum in Tokyo Japan is actually home to not one but two of the oldest bonsai trees! These trees are both estimated to be over 800 years old.

Kunio Kobayashi, the owner and founder of the museum, opened the Shunkaen Bonsai Museum in 2002 to help highlight this beautiful piece of Japanese culture. Not only is Kobayashi an admirer of the art of bonsai, but he’s also a bonsai master himself. 

Red Pine Bonsai

At first glance, it may not seem like this red pine bonsai is a bonsai at all. However, like the Ficus retusa linn, this bonsai tree, located in Atami, Japan, is an example of ògata. In fact, this bonsai tree in particular is considered to be the largest bonsai in the world!

It also happens to be one of the oldest bonsai trees as well. Located in Akao Herb & Rose Garden, the red pine bonsai is around 600 years old. It is over 16 feet tall and around 30 feet wide. However, because it is still contained in a single pot, it meets the standards for bonsai. 

Sandai Shogun no Matsu

This 500-year-old tree is actually considered the National Treasure of Japan! A five-needle pine, this bonsai is named for Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu. He was the third shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty, and he lived in the 17th century. One of the most surprising facts, however, is that the tree was already over 100 years old when he owned it.

The Sandai Shogun no Matsu, located in Tokyo, Japan, has been passed down from emperor to emperor. Today, you can find it in the Tokyo Imperial Palace.

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