About Ken's Bonsai Garden

Every tree Ken Sugimoto worked on reveals a spirit of nature in which the viewers can project themselves. To own one of these living works of art is to have a special place to go and find peace.

Ken Sugimoto was first introduced to bonsai as a child in Hiroshima, Japan. He became a devoted student to a neighboring bonsai master sensei. Ken's creative ability to see art in nature so impressed those around him that he was introduced to several bonsai masters of Japan. And the art of bonsai would never be the same again.

After arriving in the United States, Ken was encouraged by his master sensei to spread the teachings of bonsai. Ken continued to develop his art under the tutorship of renowned bonsai master Professor Sakakibara and established his first bonsai club in Los Angeles, California.

After the internment of Japanese-American citizens during World War II, Ken opened the first bonsai nursery in 1951. The concept of using small trees as an art form was new for westerners. Realizing the need for bonsai education, Ken established the Peninsula Bonsai Club, now the oldest bonsai club in the United States. Ken was considered instrumental in establishing the Bonsai movement in America.

Ken's pieces of art are considered the finest in America. Specializing in the formations of trees in rock plantings, Ken's creative techniques attracted bonsai masters from Japan who came to learn this method from Ken. People worldwide have visited Ken's small and unique studio located on Page Mill Road in Palo Alto, California. People from Fortune 500 companies and the entertainment industry have regularly purchased and displayed Ken's trees.

Ken was one of the very few true bonsai masters in America. Through Ken Sugimoto's work, we can still find the origins of classical traditions and inspired creativity.