A bonsai is a living work of art in the form of a perfect miniature tree. It is a microcosm that contains all the secrets of the universe and, except for its dimensions, is completely unchanged.
Become a professional bonsai master and grow your own bonsai. Show off your green fingers and earn a spot in the Imperial Gardens to display your masterpiece.
On your turn, you perform one of two actions: meditate or cultivate. When you meditate, you choose one of the face-up cards on the board and take it, along with any bonsai tiles shown below it.
As you cultivate, you can place the tiles in your personal stash into your bonsai. You can place as many tiles as the total number of symbols depicted on your Seishi tile and on all your Growth cards combined.
Each symbol allows you to place one tile of the corresponding type. During the turn in which your bonsai meets the requirements of a target tile that is still in the center of the table (i.e. the target tile has not yet been claimed by another player), you must immediately choose whether to claim that tile or refrains from trying to achieve a more difficult goal tile.
When the last card of the deck is revealed, the end of the game is signaled. Each tile in your bonsai is worth a certain number of points. The player with the most points is the most professional bonsai master!
In the solo game you can try to complete the extra scenarios that change some rules and objectives and finally try to complete the Emperor's challenge.