The kaki tree was planted in the foreyard of San Giovanni, the former church in Casciago in the Province of Varese, Italy on 18 March 2010. The tree planting ceremony at the former San Giovanni church. Planting Ceremony / Chiesa Vecchia di San Giovanni
Ms Anniva Anzi Achini, who encountered “the seedlings of the bombed kaki tree” at Japanese Pavilion at Venice Biennale 1999, was so impressed that she planted the kaki tree together with the local Casciago people and children from “A. Manzoni” Primary School. Since then, the city of Casciago, mainly at A. Manzoni Primary School, every year celebrates the anniversary of the kaki tree planting and has held workshops and events to commemorate the kaki tree. The 10th anniversary festival was held on 2 May 2010. The mayor, a number of local people, children from A. Manzoni Primary School, the school’s Parents and Teachers Association members, staff from the Japanese Consulate-General in Milan and Istituto Giapponese di Cultura in Roma and other people who had participated or involved in tree planting ten years before got together under the kaki tree. The tree has grown to about three meters high and was with a lot of beautiful green leaves. A new plate describing the origin of the kaki tree was presented and after speeches by the mayor and Ms Anniva, children performed singing. Then, people moved to the city hall. There the drawings sent from children of Karako Primary School in Higashimatsuyama City, Saitama commemorating the 10th anniversary are on exhibit. After some speeches, people listened to the artist talk about the work “Kaki Tree Sundial, ” which was installed in the city hall’s garden to commemorate the day and took group photos. At lunchtime, PTA member mothers served handmade kaki tree cakes and cookies. In the building across from the city hall, the works created in the workshops of the past ten years were displayed.
In the afternoon, a workshop was held and all the children made a piece of work together. A 20 meters long white vinyl sheet was laid on the road and they put plastic bottles containing different colors on it. Lastly, a transparent film was laid on top of it and the giant work was completed. After that, children were divided into groups of less than 10 people and participated in 8 workshops held at the city hall in turn. Among the artists who conducted origami, picture-card show and poetry writing workshops, there were some who had conducted workshops at the tree planting ceremony ten years before. Children participated in all 8 workshops in three hours. Lastly, everybody gathered again in front of the kaki tree at the former San Giovanni church at 5pm and released persimmon colored balloons at the end of the 10th anniversary festival.
