Category: Archives

10th Anniversary / Karako Elemntary School, Karako Chuo Park

An artistic workshop had been held every year led by artist Anken Kidani at Karako Elementary School. This year, celebrating the 10th anniversary since the planting back in 2007, the third grade pupils exchanged video letters with pupils of F. Fellini Comprehensive School in Italy, and made ornaments to decorate their tree and another Kaki tree also planted in a nearby park. The anniversary ceremony was held on December 6th, and 76 pupils sang songs around both trees at their school and at the park.      

Workshop by Anken Kidani: Let’s draw “Baby Kaki Tree” in Karako Elementary School in Higashi-Matsuyama

The kaki tree planting took place on 26 February 2007 at Karako Elementary School in Higashi-Matsuyama city. They held  workshops by Artist Anken Kidani every autumn since then as a peace study session for the third-grade pupils. Following is about the workshop held on 17 November 2015 at the school. First, the picture-card show of “Kaki Tree Parent and Child”, a story about the bombed kaki tree in Nagasaki, was performed by its creator, Anken Kidani. He described the history of the kaki tree which was planted in the elementary school. When children went to see the actual tree and touched it, they were surprised how much the tree had… Read more »

Epoka (Motomiya Citizen’s Genki Ikiiki Plaza) with Motomiya Daiichi Junior High School Tree Planting Ceremony
(Motomiya City, Fukushima Prefecture, JAPAN)

The project first started at the Fukushima Geijutsu Keikaku x Art Support Tohoku-Tokyo’s Kick-off Forum on 30 June 2012. In cooperation with the Fukushima prefectural government, Fukushima Museum and Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art, foster parent recruitment campaigns for the “seedlings of the bombed kaki tree” also began. On 25 December 2012, a talk event on the Kaki Tree Project was held in the community center in Motomiya City. Application for planting was sent by Mayor Yoshiyuki Takamatsu and the board of education. There are three junior high schools within the city. One of them, Motomiya Daini Junior High School has already planted the kaki tree on 14 February 2000…. Read more »

Around War Memorial and Peace Monument, and Mizuho Eco Park Tree Planting Ceremony
(Mizuho-machi, Nishitama-gun, Tokyo, JAPAN)

Around the war memorial and peace monument in Mizuho-machi, the “sapling from the bombed sterculia” and the “bombed camphor tree” are also planted. The town has been working to foster the awareness about peace within the community over the years, so they planted the rose called “Souvenir d’Anne Frank” in eight locations within the town as well. The municipal office has designated the planting day as the “9th Peace Message Awards Ceremony” day. It held a peace message contest prior to the tree planting ceremony and called for entries from children and local residents. The second part took place in the Mizuho-machi community center, and the awards ceremony was held…. Read more »

Smile Kids Park with Shirasawa Junior High School Tree Planting Ceremony
(Motomiya City, Fukushima Prefecture, JAPAN)

Plantings in Fukushima in 2013 took place in five locations as part of the Fukushima Geijutsu Keikaku (Fukushima Art Program) x Art Support Tohoku-Tokyo’s “‘Passing on Fukushima’ Project.” The Fukushima Geijutsu Keikaku x Art Support Tohoku-Tokyo is the Tokyo metropolitan government’s support services for the earthquake-hit area through art and culture. Three public bodies, namely, Fukushima Prefecture, Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Tokyo Cultrure Creation Project (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture) co-organize and carry out art programs in cooperation with local organizations. They aim to provide, from the perspective of creation of local dynamism and mental health care through art and culture, assistance for restoration and reconstruction by creating… Read more »

Tomioka Kindergarten Tree Planting Ceremony
(Aizu-wakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, JAPAN)

The project first started at the Fukushima Geijutsu Keikaku x Art Support Tohoku-Tokyo’s Kick-off Forum on 30 June 2012. In cooperation with the Fukushima prefectural government, Fukushima Museum and Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art, f A teacher from Tomioka kindergarten attended the event and got inspired by the Project. The word passed around, and we received the tree planting applications not only from Tomioka kindergarten but also Shiraume and Higashi-gyonin kindergartens in Aizu-wakamatsu City.

Higashi-gyonin Kindergarten Tree Planting Ceremony
(Aizu-wakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, JAPAN)

The project first started at the Fukushima Geijutsu Keikaku x Art Support Tohoku-Tokyo’s Kick-off Forum on 30 June 2012. In cooperation with the Fukushima prefectural government, Fukushima Museum and Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art, f A teacher from Tomioka kindergarten attended the event and got inspired by the Project. The word passed around, and we received the tree planting applications not only from Tomioka kindergarten but also Shiraume and Higashi-gyonin kindergartens in Aizu-wakamatsu City. Finally, they took group photos, ate the puffed rice snack, danced “Hyokkori Hyotan Jima” again with everyone, prayed for the kaki tree’s healthy growth and ended the ceremony. On 28 March, the tree was transplanted in… Read more »

Shiraume Kindergarten Tree Planting Ceremony
(Aizu-wakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, JAPAN)

The project first started at the Fukushima Geijutsu Keikaku x Art Support Tohoku-Tokyo’s Kick-off Forum on 30 June 2012. In cooperation with the Fukushima prefectural government, Fukushima Museum and Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art, f A teacher from Tomioka kindergarten attended the event and got inspired by the Project. The word passed around, and we received the tree planting applications not only from Tomioka kindergarten but also Shiraume and Higashi-gyonin kindergartens in Aizu-wakamatsu City. Volunteers made puffed grain snack in front of the children, as well. The snack is made by placing rice grains under high pressure. The children were loudly counting down the seconds until there was a big… Read more »

Lyra Creative Art School Tree Planting Ceremony
(Kaiso-gun, Wakayama Prefecture, JAPAN)

Afterwards, they planted the “seedling from the bombed tree” in the school vegetable garden on the premises. The female student who was the MC for the planting ceremony nicknamed the tree “Fusashi,” in hoping that the tree would grow well and become ‘bushy (fusa-fusa).’ Later they told us the nickname became the tree’s official name.

Ioki War Memorial Square Tree Planting Ceremony
(Aki City, Kochi Prefecture, JAPAN)

She has launched the Kaki Tree Project Executive Committee in Aki, and planned the tree planting ceremony together with the Ioki Council of Social Welfare. Then, in the exhibition room below, local high-school students conducted Japanse lantern painting and origami workshops. Finally, all the participants sang together “Believe.” While people were still feeling the excitement from it, Ms. Kusunose delivered a few words to close the planting ceremony. It was such an attractive ceremony, which was rare within the country and touched us deeply.

Collaboration Workshop
Yoshino Saga’s Monologue Performance “Wind’s Aria ~Wishes of the Bombed Kaki Tree”
and Anken Kidani

Monologue Performance “Wind’s Aria ~Wishes of the Bombed Kaki Tree” Performance by Yoshino Saga Script, Production and Sound by Seigo Yatagai + Artist Anken Kidani Since the planting on 26 February 2007, Artist Anken Kidani has been conducting a workshop at Karako Elementary School in cooperation with Higashi-Matsuyama municipal office. The annual workshop is for the third graders to pass down the stories of “the seedlings of the bombed kaki tree.” This year, a collaborative workshop with Yoshino Saga’s Monologue Performance “Wind’s Aria ~Wishes of the Bombed Kaki Tree” took place. Second and third-grade pupils gathered in the school gymnasium at first, and each class visited the kaki seedlings planted… Read more »

Exhibition Celebrating the Publication of “The Story of the Kaki Tree” Talk Event Tatsuo Miyajima and Akio Nagasawa

Exhibition Celebrating the Publication of “The Story of the Kaki Tree” Talk Event Tatsuo Miyajima and Akio Nagasawa 　　　　　　　　　　　　 A talk event was held to celebrate the publication of “The Story of the Kaki Tree” at NADiff a/p/a/r/t. First, Miyajima showed the Kaki Tree Project DVD and talked about the Project. He also shared how the Japan’s art world reacted when they started the Project and about the state of participatory projects around 1996. Although some JR (Japan Rail) lines were suspended due to a large earthquake occurred in the early evening, people came to the event. He welcomed and enjoyed the interaction with those who attended. The Q and… Read more »

Mr. Rosario Scollo from Mirabella Imbaccari, Sicily, Italy came to Japan

Mr. Rosario Scollo from Mirabella Imbaccari, Sicily, Italy came to Japan and visited the Project’s head office in Moriya City. The planting took place on 26 April 2012 in Mirabella Imbaccari. Mr. Scollo told us about the planting ceremony in detail, and together we visited the kaki trees at the nearby Toride Daini Junior High School (planted on 20 February 2004) and Terahara Elementary School (planted on 12 February 2010). The trees have grown bigger, and the tree at the junior high school has already produced plenty of fruit that looked red, juicy and delicious. Mr. Scollo is responsible for SCI (Service Civil International) in the entire province of Catania…. Read more »

Yoshino Saga’s Monologue “Wind’s Aria ~Wishes of the Bombed Kaki Tree” in BLD Gallery

Exhibition Celebrating the Publication of “The Story of the Kaki Tree” Guest Artist Performance Monologue “Wind’s Aria ~Wishes of the Bombed Kaki Tree” By Yoshino Saga Script, Production and Sound by Seigo Yatagai Actress Yoshino Saga’s monologue performance “Wind’s Aria” was held on the day before the final day of the exhibition. Mr. Seigo Yatagai, Producer wrote this work to pass down the stories of the Kaki Tree Project and the Nagasaki atomic bombing to children. Mr. Yatagai and Ms. Saga have been performing monologue dramas on the bombing since 2011. Through such activities, they came across the Kaki Tree Project. The “Wind’s Aria” is a story of a kaki… Read more »

Sankakuma’s Workshop in BLD Gallery

Exhibition Celebrating the Publication of “The Story of the Kaki Tree” Guest Artist Workshop No.4 “Let’s Draw A Family Portrait! Let’s Draw Peace Just As You Like!” By Sankakuma Guest artist “Sankakuma” is a group of artists based in Kumamoto, which consists of painter, contemporary artist, researcher, curator and art student. Normally, each of them pursues one’s artistic interests in own way, but they joined as a team this time as they agreed with the purpose of the Kaki Tree Project. The workshop’s theme was “Family Bond.” Participating family members were asked to pair up, and look at and draw a portrait each other. The artists made them do so… Read more »

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