PERMANENT COLLECTION

50, stunning bonsai from our permanent collection are currently on view in our outdoor exhibition space and in our tropical conservatory.

World War Bonsai

In 2020, to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, Pacific Bonsai Museum will tell the story of how war forever changed bonsai culture in the United States and Japan in its special exhibit World War Bonsai. 

World War Bonsai is a special exhibit of bonsai, artifacts, and interpretive information telling the story (for the first time in a formal setting) of how WWII changed the course of bonsai art history. The exhibit will highlight:

• the ingenuity and dedication of Japanese bonsai artists who cared for bonsai (sometimes in secret) during the war;
• the pivotal role that members of the US armed forces played in making bonsai accessible to a wider-popular audience in America;
• that the practice of bonsai was carried out by Japanese Americans even during incarceration in relocation camps; and
• the cross-cultural friendships that developed as budding American bonsai artists sought out Japanese and Japanese American bonsai teachers.

Through this exploration of WWII-era bonsai, we expect that visitors will leave with a widened global perspective on the art of bonsai, a connection to the individuals who persevered with their art despite substantial hardship, and the recognition that art offers post-conflict avenues for reconciliation and cross-cultural understanding.