How it all began
1996. Jake Hobson travels to Japan as an aspiring sculptor to investigate the cultural phenomenon of cherry blossom season, hanami. There, he discovers Japanese gardens and native trees, and vows to learn more.
Back home in England, he trained as an English teacher, met his partner Keiko and the two then returned to Japan. He spent his first year teaching, the second working in a traditional tree nursery in rural Osaka, learning all about tree planting, pruning and seeding.
Back in England, Jake finds work at Architectural Plants in Sussex, where he is surprised and curious to find people still using FOUR-LEGGED LADDERS, whereas he had used tripod ladders in Japan, finding them extremely practical... He then asks his brother-in-law Haruyasu to ship him some tripod ladders (still in good condition today) which, along with the sturdy secateurs and clippers that Jake also imports, create a buzz in the local gardening community.
And that's how Niwaki was born!
What everyone is beginning to realize is that even though these things are Japanese, they work just as well in Western gardens and on a whole range of plants.
You don't need to grow bonsai to benefit from these tools!
The name
Niwaki means garden tree. It doesn't sound very exciting, but it implies much more than that. Japanese gardens are landscapes, microcosms of nature, and the trees are all shaped to fit into those landscapes - they also contain a lot of artistic and cultural baggage. Jake has written a book about all this, if you're interested.
The quality
Almost the entire line is made up of products they use themselves. Jake’s first day of pruning a pine tree in Osaka gave him a pair of garden shears, which are still sharp over a decade later. Brother-in-law Haruyasu bought Jake his first pair of Japanese gardening shears, and he’s rarely used anything else since. Keiko uses her garden shears around the house to cut flowers (she never cleans them, they rust and Jake has to revive them, but they still work.) Grandpa grabs his trusty pruning saw when he goes out to harvest…and they’re very proud of it!
