Teppei Kojima, a bonsai producer inundated with requests from renowned global brands
Ishitomi Property Co., Ltd. Press Release: October 18, 2025 Teppei Kojima, a bonsai producer inundated with requests from renowned global brands. Artist MUSASHI collaborates with “TRADMAN’S BONSAI” at the “MUSASHI Solo Exhibition from Around the World” at the Expo 2025. The “MUSASHI of the World Solo Exhibition,” held at the Osaka-Kansai Expo in July, featured approximately 150 companies, organizations, and celebrities, and exhibited approximately 100 collaborative works with the artist MUSASHI. A pair of bonsai trees sits majestically at the main entrance, like the guardian lion dogs at a shrine. This is a work by Teppei Kojima of “TRADMAN’S BONSAI (Matsubaya Co., Ltd.).”
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international brands, including shu uemura, NIKE, Dior, and RIMOWA.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/148782/64/148782-64-f7f93560a21b4f544064ac3f78bbf5c8-2160×2700.jpg Teppei Kojima, a bonsai producer gaining global attention Teppei Kojima is the representative of Matsubaya Co., Ltd. and the bonsai producer of the globally acclaimed “TRADMAN’S BONSAI.” His background is surprising. His father, who loved clothes, gave him a pair of vintage Levi’s 501 66 jeans, which led to his fascination with American street culture, including fashion, hip-hop music, and skateboarding. When he was in junior high school, he decided that “I’d open a clothing store someday,” and dropped out of high school after just a few months. To save up money for his business, he sold used clothing at flea markets, worked various part-time jobs, and even worked at a pachinko parlor. At the age of 22, he opened a select shop with a friend from junior high school. He first fell in love with bonsai when he was in the first or second grade of elementary school. Due to family circumstances, he and his younger brother were living in an orphanage. He became interested in the bonsai trees the director of the orphanage cultivated in the corner of the facility’s grounds, seeing him water and caress them. Even after starting his career in the apparel industry, he continued to cultivate bonsai as a hobby. However, while traveling to various countries to purchase clothing for work, he felt uncomfortable with the way bonsai trees were treated in Shanghai. “They were simply potted trees, with no sense of
‘minimalism,’ and some were even painted. So when I showed them photos of Japanese bonsai trees on my phone, they were stunned and asked, ‘What is this?’ Similar experiences continued, and I began to feel uncomfortable with the way bonsai trees were treated overseas, as different as sushi and California rolls.” While pondering this sense of incongruity, he came up with the idea of creating an original bonsai brand for young people. “From then on, bonsai was all I could think about, and as soon as I returned to Japan, I quit my job in the apparel industry.” However, it wasn’t a decision he made impulsively without thinking about the consequences. “Bonsai has a long history in Japan, but no one is promoting it to young people in their 20s and 30s. If young people and TRADMAN’S BONSAI could grow together, those young people would remain fans even in their 40s and 50s. I was confident that it would be a success.” With new aspirations and dreams in mind, I founded “TRADMAN’S BONSAI” in 2015, and Matsuba Co., Ltd. the following year in 2016.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/148782/64/148782-64-1d10f0d8627737449edfc29056354457-2500×1667.jpg Meeting MUSASHI and what I saw with my own eyes Kojima first met MUSASHI on the day of the “MUSASHI from Around the World Solo Exhibition.” “Looking into his eyes, I strongly felt that these were eyes I had never seen before, someone I had never come into contact with before. I felt that he was seeing something that only he could see.” As they talked, Kojima recalled his original intentions and felt a sense of nostalgia. “MUSASHI’s honesty and raw emotions made him a real person, and I realized that these were areas I was lacking, and it was a shock.” It was at this moment that he became interested not only in his work, but also in MUSASHI as a person. “When I’m face to face with him, I don’t feel like he can see right through me, but I feel like he’s ‘watching’ me. Like he’s looking from another dimension. I think that’s why he’s able to create works like that. Maybe it’s something like ‘love’.” Kojima grew up in a challenging environment, while MUSASHI is trying to make it in the art world despite certain challenges. The two share a common feeling: gratitude, compassion, and warmth, which stems from overcoming obstacles. This resonated with us and influenced each other. Captivate people with the worldview you create. I regained that feeling and remembered my original intentions. “Looking around, I felt that everyone was ‘shocked’ by the work. MUSASHI’s worldview is unparalleled. I felt like I had regained that feeling of captivating people with the worldview I created, and it reminded me of something important.” Kojima says he has learned from and been supported by American street culture. His background is strongly reflected in the bonsai, fashion, style and worldview he creates. I hope to continue to see bonsai, a part of Japanese culture, being powerfully promoted to the world as something cool and new, never before seen, through “TRADMAN’S BONSAI,” while still firmly rooted in its traditional spirit.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/148782/64/148782-64-3d6a12422f6527834d170645871b070a-1793×2700.jpg Teppei Kojima Profile Growing up in Matsuba-cho, Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, he graduated from Kashiwa Municipal Matsuba Junior High School. During his school days, he spent his youth as an avid lover of street culture, including music, fashion, and tattoos. He built a career as a buyer in the apparel industry, and through his repeated purchasing activities overseas, he became captivated once again by the depth of Japanese culture. Eventually, he became captivated by the tranquil beauty and spirituality inherent in bonsai, and formed “TRADMAN’S BONSAI” in 2015, and established Matsubaya Co., Ltd. the following year in 2016. Based on his belief that “tradition is a continuous stream of innovation,” he combines bonsai with modern sensibilities and aesthetic sense, achieving a fusion with brands and spaces. He has collaborated with numerous domestic and international brands, including shu uemura, NIKE, Dior, and RIMOWA. He has elevated bonsai into an “experience” that transcends cultural boundaries, and continues to spread the “coolness of Japan” to the world.
《Collaboration company information》 ■Name: Matsubaya Co., Ltd. (trade name: TRADMAN’S BONSAI) ■Representative: Teppei Kojima, Representative Director and President ■Location: 1F Shin-Tokyo Building, 3-3-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005 ■Telephone: SHOP/03-6256-0471 OFFICE/03-6822-3223 ■Mail: SHOP／marunouchi@tradmans.jp
OFFICE／info@tradmans.jp ■Founded: April 2015 ■Established: July 11, 2016 ■Capital: 80 million yen ■Number of employees: 16 ■Bank: Mitsubishi UFJ Bank ■Business: Bonsai space production, leasing, rental, sales, and purchase ■Website: https://tradmans.jp ■Profile: TRADMAN’S BONSAI was formed in 2015 (later establishing Matsubaya Co., Ltd. in 2016) with the mission of spreading the traditional Japanese art of bonsai to the world. Not only do we preserve tradition, but we also cherish the essence of the “spirit of hospitality” and “altruism” embodied in bonsai. By fusing street culture, fashion, and art, we incorporate innovation into traditional Japanese culture, constantly evolving. TRADMAN’S BONSAI will redefine “Japanese coolness” through bonsai and create innovative value. 《Secretariat information》 ■Name: Expo Musashi Solo Exhibition Secretariat ■Main Tel: 06-6606-9638 ■Email: ishitomi.expoinfo@gmail.com ■Address: 1-40 Torikai Meiki-cho, Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture, 566-0063 《Company Information》 ■Name: Ishitomi Property Co., Ltd. ■Representative: Representative Director Nakai Kenta ■Address: 3-30-4 Dotno, Neyagawa City, Osaka 572-0077 ■Established: February 2015 ■Capital: 17 million yen ■HP:
https://musashi-ishitomi-art.com/ 《Artist Information》 ■Name: MUSASHI ■Birthplace: Neyagawa City, Osaka Prefecture ■Age: Born in 2003 Since childhood, he has loved creating three-dimensional sculptures, and began painting seriously in junior high school. Originally from Neyagawa City, he skillfully incorporates markers, acrylics, and face paint to create colorful works and characters. Please take note of his skill and style in incorporating works inspired by beats and lyrics, as well as floral patterns, into canvases, digital art, and
three-dimensional sculptures, conveying messages ranging from positive to dark. ■SNS: https://www.instagram.com/musashi_ishitomi?igsh=M2ZuMTJlY3AxanNh
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