Bonsai Tree Is 391 Years Old And Has Even Survived Hiroshima

For those of us who struggle with a lack of a green thumb, we may have a difficulty keeping a houseplant alive but this amazing bonsai tree just continues to keep growing and growing. In fact, it has been around for almost 400 years! It is currently 391 years old, being planted in 1625 but that is only part of the story. This tree belonged to the Yamaki family, who lived only 2 miles from the spot of the Hiroshima atomic blast that killed 140,000 people in 1945. Not only did the family survive, the tree survived unharmed.

The tree is no longer in Japan but it is in the US National Arboretum in Washington DC. The bonsai master Masaru Yamaki gave it as a gift in 1976. At the time, the staff at the Arboretum was unaware of the connection that the tree had to Hiroshima. They learned it in 2001, when the grandchildren explained the history of the tree while they were visiting the collection.

Via: Bored Panda

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