Kimura wanted to be a rock and roll musician as a teenager, but at age 15, following the wishes of his mother, he started an apprenticeship at Toju-en Bonsai Garden, under master Motosuke Hamano.

[1] Nowadays, Kimura is regarded as a genius and innovator in the bonsai world.

[1][7] Kimura has done presentations and demonstrations around the world, and his work has appeared in numerous bonsai publications.

[1][9] His past apprentices include Marco Invernizzi,[6] Salvatore Liporace,[10] Ernie Kuo,[11] Marc Noelanders, Kawabe Takeo, and Ryan Neil.

[13] A Spanish translation, Masahiko Kimura: el técnico mágico del bonsai actual was published in 1988 by Ediciones Tyris, S.A., His 9-video 4-hour "Kimura Master Class" course was made available by Bonsai Empire in 2020.