Pieces of art, antiques, paintings, and bonsai tools and trees share a common trait. As time goes by, it becomes valuable. Bonsai shares all the advantages of economic prosperity. Antiques are worth something as they age, sometimes regardless of their beauty. Art sometimes becomes more valuable as time passes, but can also be priced high if right off the bat, it is stunning or by a famous artist (branding).
Like art and antiquities, bonsai tools and trees posses both characteristics. If from the beginning, the tree you created is magnificent, it can very well be valuable for the market would demand it and so are the bonsai tools used to make this happen. Also, like antiques, if it ages, many bonsai become worthy because of its age alone. Have a combination of both beauty and age, you have one expensive tree. Now, like an artist, get a reputation for your work, and anything you touch is instant gold. So combine all three, and next thing you know you are creating priceless works of art. Bonsai masters are rare and few, and the trees they create, sell, or donate are usually named and appear in museums. There are certain traditional methods to categorize the quality of a tree. In addition, the bonsai tools these masters use can be worth a lot of money.
There have been hundreds of masters of bonsai and penjing, and all of them are experts at using bonsai tools for training the tree. All are noteworthy and deserving of recognition. In the most recent times, there have been a few that not only have created some of the most incredible bonsai designs, but also brought its ideals to the world. Here we list a few of the most famous and influential bonsai masters in modern bonsai history.
