Something slightly off

For a long time, as a Japanese person, I've felt a quiet unease when looking at many "Japanese-style" images online. Something was always slightly off. What I wanted to share was the real beauty of Japanese culture and spirit, the kind that feels natural and beautiful even to Japanese eyes.

A lifelong project

"Japanese style" covers an enormous range, and I knew I had a lot to learn before I could make something good. For years that kept me hesitating. In the end, I decided it was worth taking on as a lifelong project.

From a garden to trees

I started by building a garden for a traditional sukiya-style building. Along the way, a way of growing Japanese trees procedurally in Blender's Geometry Nodes slowly took shape, and I decided to focus on it first. That became Koshizu Trees.

Where it stands

It isn't perfect yet. Branches are built from separate curves, so the joins at forks can show in close-ups, and I'm still refining how twigs are placed. But as far as I could find, there was no tree generator focused on Japanese species and tree forms, so I think it's worth sharing now, and I'll keep improving it.

The first release includes five species, and I plan to add more over time as additional species packs.

The first step

Koshizu Trees is a first step. From here, I want to keep deepening my understanding of trees and of Japan's culture, and keep sharing it through CG.

Koshizu Trees will be released on November 1 on Superhive and Gumroad, with a launch price of $39 until November 14. I'll write again on release day.

Thank you for following along.

Nao - Founder, Koshizu Space