What is a Tenpai?
A Tenpai (also spelled tenpai or tenpaihin) is a small ornamental object or figurine used in bonsai displays to complement and enhance the overall composition. It helps create a sense of scale, season, or storytelling within the display. Tenpai can represent animals, people, tools, or natural elements like huts, carts, or bridges — anything that adds context or emotion to the scene without distracting from the bonsai itself.
In a formal bonsai display (tokonoma), a Tenpai is often placed alongside the bonsai tree and sometimes an accent plant (kusamono) or scroll (kakemono), helping to create harmony and convey a particular mood or theme — such as tranquility, passage of time, or the changing seasons.
