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. People wanted to plant the kaki tree at the other two, Shirasawa Junior High and Motomiya Daiichi Junior High Schools as well, and realized the plantings.
After the mayor, head of the board of education, Senior Staff of the Fukushima Prefecture Cultural Promotion Division made speeches, Dr. Ebinuma and Miyajima also offered a few words.
They prepared a brand-new shovel decorated with a big ribbon. Everyone wore a pair of white gloves and solemnly planted the tree.
Then each placed own fairy around the newly-planted kaki tree and took group photos.
Final rice-cake making was carried out in the Epoka’s lobby. About eight people, each held a long stick and pounded rice, which was quite characteristic, and small children who came to Epoka also joined. Fresh rice cake, mochi, was served to everyone afterwards. It tasted very nice.
“A message to oneself ten years later” by students written when they made fairies will be put inside a time capsule and buried in Epoka. We look forward to seeing each other again in ten years.
