Yamamoto has devoted her life to pruning and shaping the miniature trees.
Bonsai is a Japanese art form that dates back over a 1000 years. The tradition involves caring for and shaping trees so that they remain small but mimic the shape and scale of full-size trees. If left to their own devices, the trees would grow to full size.
Yamamoto’s passion is caring for these miniature trees, and becoming the world’s first female bonsai sensei, or master, has been the result of a lifetime’s devotion to the practice.
One of the bonsai trees she tends to was actually planted by her grandfather 100 years ago. Thanks to Yamamoto’s painstaking care, the tree has outlived three emperors. That’s pretty amazing.
In a video posted by BBC Earth, Yamamoto says that your bonsai is always with you, accumulating time and memories as it lives on. For Yamamoto, the sentimental value of the trees is priceless.
Watch the full video here:
I don’t know about you, but I found this so heartwarming!
