KOHEI ODA

Plant Shop Owner ISSUE 2 2024 AW

The founder of "Qusamura," Kohei Oda, has always sought to convey the true essence of plants. Shiftinghis focus from cut flowers to living plants after realizing that there were limits to expressing beauty within the short lifespan of cut flowers, Oda first discovered his signature style when he encountered uniquely shaped plants and rare, unintended cacti and succulents that don't typically circulate in the market. From the perspective of "wanting to bring joy and inspire awe," Oda creates works of unparalleled artistic value. We spoke with him about his deep love for plants and in particular, his obsession with cacti.

In January 2024, the Qusamura Hiroshima main store relocated to Ryuo-cho, Nishi Ward, Hiroshima, undergoing a full renewal. Upon entering the shop, a rusted metal plate formed from Corten steel greets you, giving the feeling of stepping into another world. Just as when one enters a theme park, this threshold marks the boundary between the ordinary and theextraordinary, marking the beginning of a space in which the atmosphere is designed to fully convey the charm of Kohei Oda’s vigorous living plants. Once inside, a thoughtfully designed stage focused on stark, white space frames the unique cacti on display, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the unique world that Qusamura offers. He sincerely welcomes visitors and hopes they, too, will engage with the plants in a heightened state of awareness.

“The most appealing aspect of living plants is that they possess a past, present, and future,” Oda says, emphasizing that the ability to enjoy the sight of new branches or leaves sprouting and flowers blooming is one of the plants’ greatest charms. He values the story leading up to these moments of growth. When presented with a vacant shelf or space, people naturally want to place something there to fill the void, whether it’s a vase, a lamp, or a picture. In this scenario, the cacti from Qusamura become contenders that must surpass even its strongest rivals. That’s why Oda pays special attention to the pots as well. “When you first glance at a cactus, half of your attention goes to the pot, right?” he remarks, favoring strong, refined containers that complement the cacti. When Oda first launched Qusamura, he once visited the modern ceramics master, Ryoji Sabae, to showcase his proud cacti. Oda’s work got recognizing and Sabae accepted to create craft pot for him, marking the beginning of a collaboration that sparked discussion amongst ceramics enthusiasts. While pots with drainage holes were considered unconventional by many, following their high-profile collaboration, made fewer people who are resistant to making pots with such designs evaporated. Today, Oda collaborates with numerous artists, always selecting colors, shapes, and patterns that enhance the cactus while ensuring the pot meets the minimum requirements necessary for the plant to thrive.

There are four key approaches Oda uses to showcase the story of Qusamura cacti. The first is mokka (woodification), where the base of the cactus turns brown. In the horticultural world, this used to be considered less valuable as it presents an image similar to a wilting plant. It is common practice in the gardening world to give plants enough water to keep them a beautiful shade of green. However, when cacti grow normally in harsh environments, they naturally woodify their lower parts to suppress photosynthesis, as well as to harden their skin in order to protect themselves from falling over. Though the outside appears brown, the inside remains vibrant, allowing the cactus to live more robustly. This survival strategy is a reflection of nature’s resilience, which adds rather than detracts from the plant’s value. The second technique is tsugiki (grafting), where a slow-growing variety is attached to a fast-growing variety, accelerating the plant’s overall growth and vitality—an especially important technique for the preservation of rare species. This combining of completely disparate cacti elements, as well as the enjoyment of this process, reflects Oda’s philosophy of “making things more exciting” by creating new life through unconventional pairings. This way of thinking, which once had no value in horticulture, allows the unique silhouettes of plants—often hidden beneath the soil—to be creatively revealed. The third is oyagi (parent tree), The uniformly sized cacti we often see in hardware stores are sometimes grown from seeds, but most are made by cutting the tip to a certain length and using it as cuttage to grow a new plant. Repeating this process will easily mass-produce a series of identical plants. Ultimately, the parent tree is the one that demonstrates the cuts from repeated pruning. No matter how many times the parent tree grows new buds trying to bloom, each newly grown part is snipped off, leaving behind countless scars which distort the shape of the plant. The accumulation of time and effort becomes visible in their strange, sometimes battered forms, giving them what Oda describes as “good faces”— a term that signifies more than just traditional beauty.

The fourth method involves beta-fu (solid variegation), and chochin (lantern), in which the plant undergoes genetic mutation, resulting in a loss of pigmentation and color changes. For those unfamiliar with horticulture, this creates a simple sense of beauty and cuteness. However, in terms of horticulture, these plants are perceived as having little value, due to their inability to produce roots properly which inhibits their ability to grow. Fortunately, by borrowing the roots from another cactus as rootstock, these plants can be given the chance to thrive through grafting. Cacti have a long history in Japan, dating back over to the mid-Edo period 300 years ago. The Japanese horticultural world is famously steeped in tradition, with countless textbooks and rules guiding its practices. However, Oda has broken free from these conventions, focusing on redefining plants once traditionally considered of low value as worthy of attention and admiration. His idea of “good faces” refers to plants that have endured past hardships yet continue to thrive. This is not about flawless beauty but instead refers to the appearance of plants which have endured past hardships yet continue their efforts to grow. Having cracks from trying their best to bloom, repeatedly being cut or a lack of water do not deter these plants. Nor does time— a plant which has existed on Earth for 500 million years will still produce oxygen, residing contentedly at the bottom of the food chain and supporting life across our planet from behind the scenes. Oda believes that plants, with their visible histories of struggle and survival, truly have “good faces.”

Given his unique perspective and radical approach, we asked Oda about the origins of his free-spirited sense of creativity. “After graduating from university, I spent a year traveling around Europe,” he says. Without any specific purpose—no sightseeing or sampling local delicacies—he simply wandered. During this time, he reflected deeply and came to the conclusion that “the answer is always within oneself.” This realization became a foundation for his current style. When asked about the future of Qusamura, Oda was reflective. “This shop isn’t in an easily accessible location. It’s a place where people who truly love what we do make the effort to visit. I also want people who don’t know anything about us to discover the fascination of the plants we create.” His vision is to create a space without preconceptions, where people can freely experience the charm of plants in their daily lives—perhaps evoking a park rather than a gallery. Oda shared several of his exciting concepts for the future of his space, such as incorporating unique-shaped trees and tree stumps. His passion for plants, along with his overflowing imagination and creative ideas, seems limitless.