Exploring new materials, manufacturing processes, and form within bonsai;
and going where ceramic cannot follow.
Hito
Roughly translated from Japanese, and depending on context, Hito means people or person. As a force for both personal and community development, it points toward a natural outcome of Bonsai practice.
Or, if you prefer, Human-Inspired Tree Objects.
Red Osier Dogwood
Native to Wisconsin where Hito Bonsai is based, Red Osier Dogwood Cornus Sericea is a coalescence of innovation and adaptability. Within its red bark anthocyanins and carotenoids have the ability to absorb light, increasing the plant’s energy production ability. It can survive well in numerous conditions, fully-submerged and dry, through hot summers and polar lows. Its red shoots bring visceral visual interest to any garden, especially in winter. Its use and potential within bonsai is yet to be fully explored.
On-Demand Manufacturing
Hito aims to manufacture as much as possible on-demand. In addition to creating lean business operations, manufacturing on-demand reduces ecological impact by not requiring excessive inventory or unnecessary production volume.
AI Free
Hito operates, designs and markets without the use of AI. A rapidly increasing odd choice— certainly for a company that embraces bleeding-edge technology and what it can produce—AI does not offer opportunity without separating humans from the process of making. And when separated from making, we are separated from community. An element of joy and craft is lost through the veneer of speed. That is too high a cost. Similarly to the inseparable element of time as a force within bonsai, time accelerated is insight lost.
“Waiting is thinking. And to think deeply is, very often, to change one’s mind.” ~ Salman Rushdie
Meta / TikTok / Amazon Free
Hito does not market or post content on Meta products, on Amazon, or TikTok. Turning human engagement into monetization and extracting attention through addictive design, and the entrapment of commerce, are not the conditions for a healthy or sustainable public marketplace.
Founder & Designer
Hito Bonsai is the work of Christopher Scott. Designing pots was an immediate instinct while beginning his bonsai learning journey. Bonsai engages the creativity of many who practice it, creating new vernaculars and languages of tree presentation. Christopher has been a commercial designer across product design, branding and marketing for close to 20 years. He is a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, having completed a master’s in the field of design management.
