The Two Pairs of Shears He Received on His First Day as an Apprentice

Hirao entered the world of bonsai about 20 years ago. Until college, he was dedicated to track and field and had considered a different career path. The turning point was a garden he saw at Tofuku-ji Temple in Kyoto.

"It was there that I felt I had 'truly connected with Japanese culture' for the first time," he says.

Shortly after, he became an apprentice in the Omiya Bonsai Village in Saitama City. He started with almost no experience in bonsai. On his first day as an apprentice, he was given a full set of tools. Among them were two pairs of shears.

One pair was for daily tasks. The other was a 'special pair of shears' to be used only when cutting valuable bonsai or their roots.

"I was told, 'Whatever you do, don't treat this pair carelessly,'" he recalls.

The One Pair He's Been Using for 18 Years

When he completed his training, his master entrusted him with a pair of shears. They were made by Etsuro, a craftsman who specialized in making shears for bonsai. Hirao's own name is engraved on the handle.

"It was 18 years ago. To be precise, it might be a little longer than that," he says with a laugh, but those shears are still his main tool today.

"Honestly, I can't work without them." The reason is clear.

"The points where I apply pressure have become one with my own hands."

The Shears Become an Extension of His Hand

Hirao doesn't think of his shears as mere tools.

"They're my hands. It's like my fingers have been extended."

Through years of use, the way the grips feel, how they open, and the balance of their weight all become ingrained at a subconscious level.

"If someone uses them without my permission, I know immediately. I can just tell, 'Ah, someone used these.'"

Even the sound they make when cutting is different.

"I have a habit of making them click shut after a cut, and I love that sound."

It's not just about the sharpness. The sound is also a crucial element in recognizing his partner.

His Partners Aren't Just Shears

However, bonsai work isn't something that can be completed with a single pair of shears. Hirao says the bare essentials are three or four tools: shears, pliers, wire cutters, and tweezers.

"With these, I can do most things."

He winds wire, guides branches, and creates the shape. But when bending a thick branch, you can't just apply force suddenly. "If you just go for it, it'll snap with a crack."

To avoid breaking it, he first has to condition the tree. He waters it, circulates its nutrients, and nurtures it into a 'bendable state' before applying the first wire.

The Most Important Thing is Actually 'Watering'

It might seem surprising, but Hirao says this:

"Watering is more important than tools."

No matter how good your shears are, if you get the watering wrong, the tree will weaken. The tree species, pot size, age, and season—the speed at which each tree dries out is completely different.

"There's a specific 'now's the time' moment for it."

In recent years, the impact of climate change has also been significant. The summer heat is incomparable to what it was 20 years ago.

"You can't get by with the old ways of thinking anymore."

A partner is not just a tool, but also the 'eye' that constantly reads the situation.

Both Trees and Tools Grow

Hirao doesn't consider his tools to be disposable.

"They do get shorter with use, so in a way they are consumable," he admits.

Still, he says that when you do good work, something changes in both the trees and the tools.

"I feel like their 'dignity' increases."

By being seen by many people and displayed in fine places, both the trees and the tools change, as if they become 'self-aware.'

"I sometimes think, 'I haven't displayed this one much lately, so it might be in a bad mood' (laughs)."

It might sound like a joke, but that's why he calls them partners.
For Masashi Hirao, a partner is not just a tool. Shears, wire, pots, water, time. And the living tree. His work only comes into being when all of these elements are present.

"If even one is missing, it just doesn't work."