These shohin are quite remote from the Chinese taste, they have an aristocratic aura and are full of refined elegance, progressiveness and naturalness. This expresses the aesthetic principle of Sabi (age, serenity, mildness and melancholy). As famous as the shohin bonsai of the Matsudaira family are, only few people ever had the opportunity to admire them in person. They are rarely shown on exhibitions or even in bonsai magazines. It was a Daimyo (count) from that family, Yorinaga Matsudaira (1875 - 1944), who established the collection. He is said to have had many other interests besides bonsai and was well versed in Haiku, calligraphy, painting and Noh theatre. Yorinaga cared personally for his trees, and after his death, his wife took over their maintenance. His writings can be regarded as fundamental ones on the art of bonsai. His books are still worth reading today since they are open to future development.