Planting
Ceremony

2001

Revive Time・Kaki Tree ProjectINDEX
27 Feb

Updated in 2020

Touhoku Seikatsu Bunka University High School(Former Mishima Gakuen) Sendai-shi, Miyagi, Japan

27 FebNiji-no-Oka Public Hall
Sendai-shi, Miyagi, Japan

01 MarTakaho Elementary School
Suzaka-shi, Nagano, Japan

06 MarSintra Museum of Modern Art
Sintra, Portugal

08 MarNational Botanic Garden of Wales
Wales, UK

09 MarFinsbury Park
London, UK

10 MarTaihei Park
Tokamachi-shi, Nigata, Japan

11 MarTasmajdan Park
Belgrade, Serbia

21 MarO.B.S.’t KOFSCHIP
Zonnemaire, The Netherlands

27 AprBrooklyn Botanic Garden
New York, U.S.A.

07 May“M. Montessori” Kindergarten
Crema, CR, Italy

19 MayTownshend International School
Transplanted from The Town Park in Cesky Krumlov
Cesky Krumlov, Czecho

10 Apr

Akasaka Elementary School
Ogaki-shi, Gifu, Japan

12 AprUruu Elementary School
Ogaki-shi, Gifu, Japan

12 AprYasui Elementary School
Ogaki-shi, Gifu, Japan

13 AprHigashi Elementary School
Ogaki-shi, Gifu, Japan

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Tohoku Seikatsu Bunka College
High School (Former Mishima Gakuen)
Japan
Sendai-shi, Miyagi
17 Feb 2001

Mr. Ikuya Kuramoto, a teacher at Tohoku Seikatsuquite impressed by the work.

Bunka College High School (Former Mishima Gakuen
Girls High School), applied for the project after seeing

The 10-year-scroll message role was created by a

the works of Kaki-an at Echigo- tsumari Art Triennial

few volunteers and the administration division of theand that was how the tree planting was realized. That

student council before the tree planting ceremony.

year also commemorated the 100th anniversary of

Based on the concept of the Kaki Tree Project, it

Mishima Gakuen. So the kaki tree planting ceremony

was carefully planned so that the project will be on-

was conducted as part of the commemorative events.

going and properly shared by all of the students for theperiod of 10 years, that is between the tree planting

The tree planting ceremony was a big event, withceremony and harvest festival. Every year, a new

almost 850 participants including

scroll will be made and it will be

the students from the school,

10 of them 10 years from now.

related parties and neighbors,

To share a sense of achievement

and the students buried the “Kakiof the project with the students,

Tree Bottle” containing about

the 10 scrolls will be connected

1,100 messages addressed toand made into one huge scroll ofthemselves 10 years from now.

about 500m in length and will be

Another kaki tree was also planted

presented at once at the harvestat Niji-no-Oka Community Center, located in the city.

festival 10 years later. The persimmon tree keeps
growing and every year peace study is conducted

Unfortunately, the tree planted at the school that year

on 27th of February. The project is in progress anddied due to soil problems. However, in the month ofheading towards its 10th anniversary event.

March, following year, the first anniversary of tree
planting was celebrated and a new tree was planted.

We planned to release these 10 trees at the harvest

Mr. Nobuo Koike from Tokyo also participated in thefestival 10 years later. After that, the kaki tree

event and gave a lecture. The location where the newcontinued to grow, and peace learning was conducted

tree was planted gets much sunlight and its soil is in

every year on February 27. The 10th anniversary

good condition. The message role, introduced duringof kaki tree planting, which was held on October

the anniversary event, was very big in size, just30, 2010, was also the same day of the 110th

impressive. The current length of the scroll is 35m

anniversary of Mishima Gakuen. At the time ofand each student pasted “What happiness means to

the 10th Anniversary Festival, the student councilme” or “Message to my life-long friend” and so onpresident at the time attended with his own children

inside the scroll. Pasted outside the scroll was theand gave a speech. Ten original scrolls continued

database such as newspaper articles of this year

to produce every year, were also completed andconcerning peace issues, etc. As the more than 10

presented to the attendees. A time capsule "Kaki Treestudents carried it around within the event venue, theBottle" with about 1100 messages was also taken out

people cheered. Mothers of PTA members were also

and exhibited.

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Niji-no-Oka
Community CenterJapan
Sendai-shi, Miyagi
17 Feb 2001

In the afternoon of the same day when the tree was planted at Tohoku
Seikatsu Bunka College High School (Former Mishima Gakuen Girls HighSchool), a persimmon tree was planted at Niji-no-Oka Community Center.
A few student representatives and teachers from Tohoku Seikatsu Bunka
College High School (Former Mishima Gakuen Girls High School) attended
the tree planting ceremony. When we visited the site on the occasion of its
first anniversary event, the tree was fine and growing. Adjacent to the front
yard where the tree is planted, there is a children’s house so the tree canbe seen well by children. The sign board that explains the tree planting ishighly visible and contains information on the second generation persimmon
trees that are from the atomic bombed tree.

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Takaho Elementary SchoolJapan
Suzaka-shi, Nagano
1 Mar 2001

Takaho area of Suzaka City has been famous

At the ceremony, the persimmon trees werefor persimmon tree production since earlypresented and Mr. Seiji Arai, chairman oftimes and the school emblem design of Takaho

the regional development committee and Mr.

Elementary School is based on a persimmon

Masayuki Ebinuma gave speeches. A drum andflower. Though the local people still have afife band performed some music and the trees

special feeling toward persimmon, the mostwere covered with the soil.

of the persimmon trees were destroyed by
the powerful typhoon came to Ise Bay inIn the following year, persimmon tree nickname

1971 and there is not many remnants of “thecontest was held there and the ones by a firsthome of persimmon trees” any more. Mr. Seiji

grader were adopted. The trees were named

Arai, chairman of the regional development“Takky” and “Nacky.” The trees have growncommittee, read a newspaper article on theand even borne fruit. Takaho Elementary School

Kaki Tree Project and applied for the treeorganizes an “Experience persimmon peeling”

planting because he wanted to make it as “aevent in which all the pupils participate in every

starting point of peace movement” by planting

November after the tree planting. At the event,“the second generation persimmon trees fromparticipants including children and people fromthe atomic bombed tree.”elderly association, women’s group, PTA, theregional development committee as well as other

Prior to the tree planting, children made three

locals enjoy making Hoshigaki, skewered drieddimensional message cards wishing for peace.

persimmons, which are later delivered to pupils,

When cards were opened, two persimmons pop

kindergartens and other nearby institutions.

up and on the persimmons there were messages
written by them about peace and how they

Principal Akinori Horikome, who promoted peacewant to take a good care of the trees.

activities at Takatsugu Elementary School at thetime, has been watching over the kaki trees at

The tree planting ceremony was attended by

the elementary school even after he retired.

the pupils of all grades and the local people.
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Sintra Museum of Modern Art
Portugal
Sintra6 Mar 2001

Sintra City is a sister city of Omura City ofNagasaki Prefecture. It first flourished in the
13th century as a summer resort for the royalfamily and was designate as UNESCO’s World
Heritage Site, where a number of beautiful
castles and churches from the Middle Ages
still remain intact.
Ms. Maria Nobre Franco, director of themuseum, expressed an interest in joining the
project after seeing the Kaki Tree Project
exhibit at Venice Biennial. The city of Sintraemphasizes on cultural policy and the museum
was already conducting workshops and guided
tours for children every week, in cooperation
with elementary schools. So the museum was very keen on welcoming thepersimmon tree there. In the meantime, Ms. Marina Sequeira Costa encouraged
the city and schools to consider how they want to welcome the tree, and thetree planting project was developed during the course of 2 years. A variety of
programs such as theater pieces and songs were performed at the ceremony.
Especially, Mr. Jose Manuel, a teacher, at A.J. school along with his students
beautifully expressed the themeof the Kaki Tree Project, “Revive”,
through a performance, which
they had rehearsed for 6 months.
At the opening of the “Exhibition
with the theme of Kaki Tree”,
little children did a performance
expressing different ways ofcommunication in the world suchas bowing and kissing.

Revive Time: Kaki Tree Project | 2001 Planting Ceremony

4National Botanic
Garden of WalesUK
Wales
8 Mar 2001

National Botanic Garden of Wales is located in the rural areain South Wales, which is about an hour and a half train ride
heading West from London. Mr. Michael Nixon, an art adviser,
expressed an interest in joining the project after seeing the
Kaki Tree Project exhibit at Venice Biennial held in1999.
On the day of tree planting ceremony, comings and goings ofpeople were strictly controlled by the garden due to epidemic
of foot-and-mouth disease and the restaurant was also closed.
So the people and children who were invited to the ceremony
could not enter the garden. We presented the persimmon tree
and conducted a temporary tree planting ceremony.
The garden has been taking a good care of the tree.

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Finsbury ParkUK
London9 Mar 2001

the tree planting, children deepened theirunderstanding of the project.
The workshops were conducted for a periodof 2 days, on the 6th and 7th of Marchprior to the tree planting ceremony. Be Van
Der Heide, an artist and wife of Mr. Hans
Diemel, planned the workshops. With andled by 5, 6 artists based in the Park Studios,which is located near the school, the largeFinsbury Park is a public park located in thescale workshop involving 450 pupils from allnortheast of London, on the top of a hill from

grades of the school was conducted. All thewhich visitors can enjoy a nice view of thepupils created message cards for the day ofcity. Next to the park, there is Park Studios

the tree planting ceremony, they marched

Artists Co-operative where 25 artists create

from the school carrying their messages andtheir works.

buried them under the tree.

Mr. Hans Diemel and Be van der Heide, (oneThe ceremony was attended by about 100of the artists), applied for the tree planting

pupils from the school, ages from 5 to 10,

after seeing the Kaki Tree Project exhibit

and their parents. The weather on the day ofat Venice Biennial held in 1999. In order tothe ceremony was fine and the mayor of therealize the project, Hans phoned dozens of

London Council of Haringey was also present

schools and visited 5 schools. Finally, heto give a speech to celebrate the occasion.

encountered Stroud Green Primary School
and the project was realized after waitingfor one year. Stroud Green Primary School isa state school where anyone from any race
can attend. A very appropriate school for the
Kaki Tree Project. The staff members also
showed their understanding and through theworkshops conducted at the school prior to

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Taihei Park
Japan
Tokamachi-shi, Nigata
10 Mar 2001

The Kaki Tree Project participated in Echigo-

several local children ranging from Kindergarten

tsumari Art Triennial in 2000 and in cooperation

to high school, who participated in the treewith people of Tahei district of Matsudai-cho, anplanting ceremony. During the workshop, theunoccupied private house was remodeled andparticipants were divided into two groups andexhibited as “Kaki-an”, Inspired by this exhibit,

drew persimmon trees with fruit on a big drawing

Taihei Tomo-no-kai and Tahei Kodomo-kai applied

paper using their imagination how the tree, which

for the tree planting and it was realized in thewas planted on the occasion of Tahei’s harvest

district. Since this region is deeply covered withfestival, would look like with fruit 10 years later.

snow during the winter, the tree presentation

Two pictures were accomplished: one is depicting

ceremony was held on the 10th of March and thea persimmon tree growing with the sun, whose

official tree planting ceremony was held on thecolor is the same as persimmon, shining in the

28th of October.

background; the other is depicting different
expressions of persimmon. These pictures wereOn the 10th of March, the tree presentation

to be displayed at Sato-no-ie in Matsudai.

ceremony was held on the stage at an local event
called “Fuyu-no-Jin.” During the ceremony, there

The people in Tahei district of Matsudai-cho

was an explanation of the Kaki Tree Project andhave been taking a good care of the tree and it

presentation of the tree by Mrs. Junko Ebinuma

continues to grow. As the staff participated inas well as a speech made by Takeda on behalf ofthe event lived in Kaki-an for a while after the

Kodomo-kai.

exhibition, the local people and the Kaki Tree
Project executive committee member still actively

A lot of people gathered to the event despite

communicate with each other to this day. There is athe deep snow

plan to invite people together again on the occasion

and freezingof the 10th anniversary of the tree planting.

temperature.
The treeAt the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial in the summer

plantingof 2015, an exhibition and workshop "Iroiro

ceremony was

Fluttering" by artist Misa Asano, and at the 2018

held on the

Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial, Paella making by

28th of October"Asobitokurashi ●▲■ " and Asano Misa held

and Yoshida Yu

a flag making workshop. The local people who

conducted awatched over the kaki trees for a long time andworkshop. The

kept protecting the kaki trees from the snow

workshop was

succeeded in growing the bombed kaki tree III.

attended by
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Tasmajdan Park
Serbia (Former Yugoslavia)
Belgrade
11 Mar 2001

Once inside the city of Belgrade, destroyed buildings by the NATO airstrikes
in 1999 during the Kosovo War are unavoidable scenery. Mr. Aleksandar
Djordjevic, who expressed his interest in joining the project, said “Until we
actually experienced bombings, we thought bombings in Irak and atomic
bombs were their problems, not ours. However, it’s different now. This is aproblem to all of humanity and that was the reason why I wished to join anddo the Kaki Tree Project here in this place, because it has a special meaning
to us.” He even came to Japan moved by his passion to realize the project.
The tree planting ceremony was held at SKC Gallery. Children from the local
elementary school, alma mater of Mr. Aleks, gathered bringing along theirdrawn pictures and pasted them on the wall of the gallery. On the wall facing
front, the footage of the tree planting at Yanaka Community Center, Japan,
was introduced on the projector. The ceremony was attended by the pupils
from the elementary school, Minister of Culture of (then) the Federal Republicof Yugoslavia, people from the Japanese Consulate and Mr. Aleks, Mr.
Ebinuma and Minister of Culture gave speeches.
Then all the participants, together with children and Mr. Aleks, who held thepotted tree, marched through the city to Tasmajdan Park, the tree planting
site. At the site, a few children read some poems celebrating the coming ofspring and the tree was planted. After the planting, there was a marionette
performance, through which a message that asking the children to carefully
nurture the tree was delivered.

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O.B.S.'t
KOFSCHIPThe Netherlands
Zonnemaire
21 Mar 2001

A farmer in Zonnemaire, Mr. Jaap Verseput,

trees were planted in the same year. These

applied for the tree planting. Mr. Jaap grows

two tree planting sites shared information andvegetables such as potatoes but he also

cooperated in proceeding with the project suchplaces art works in his vast farm and every

as accepting the seedlings. Mr. Jaap visitedyear organizes and enjoys “Farm Festival”

Kofschip Primary School in Zierikzee, which iswith the local people, where artists from all

located in the north of Zonnemaire, to explain

over the world are invited to do performancethe purpose of the Kaki Tree Project and ask

of music, theater, poem, etc. As Mr. Jaap

for understanding from the school, and finally

was impressed by the purpose of the Kakiin 2001 the tree planting was realized.

Tree Project, he established the local officewith the local people including local artists. At

Before the tree planting ceremony, afirst, they wanted to plant the tree in 2000,

workshop by an artist, Teja Van Hoften,

the year which marked the 400th anniversary

was conducted. Children tried to write someof Japan-Holland friendship, however, since

Japanese words such as “why” and “what”

the summer season when the Farm Festival

in Japanese calligraphy wearing Kimono

is usually held is not appropriate season forand made fan, kite, persimmon seeds fromplanting, the potted trees ware introduced

paper and Origami as well.

and welcomed at the festival. The idea ofbringing the potted tree was an advice fromAt the tree planting ceremony, all the children atLeiden University Botanic Garden and thethe school welcomed the trees by singing a song

person in charge from CBK Leiden, where theand drew a number of pictures of persimmon
trees and executive committee members,
who participated in the ceremony. They also
set up a special exhibition corner in a room to
introduce Japanese culture and the art works
created during the workshop were displayed.

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Brooklyn Botanic Garden
USA
New York
27 Apr 2001

The tree planting this time was realized
because a city gardener expressed an interestin the project after seeing the Kaki Tree
Project exhibit at “The Edge of Awareness”
exhibition held in 1998 at the United Nations
Headquarters in New York City. Then thegardener met a teacher of the Family School
and they officially applied for the project.
The Family School is located near the UN Headquarters,
which is in the central part of the city, and it does not havea garden. So we negotiated with Brooklyn Botanic Garden,
which is located a little distance away, and the tree planting
ceremony was carried out on the 27th of April. Actually,
Brooklyn Botanic Garden was interested in the Kaki Tree
Project from before. During the workshop on the day, children
drew pictures and wrote messages to the seedling of thebombed persimmon tree on a huge canvas. They powerfully
read out peace messages under the beautiful blue sky. Since
the ceremony day also coincided with the annual “Cherry
Blossom Festival” of Brooklyn Botanic Garden, childrensang “Sakura Sakura” in Japanese. However, because of
the circumstances at that time, the persimmon tree wastemporarily planted in a big pot during the ceremony. On
the 11th of September that year, the World Trade Centerbuildings were destroyed by terrorist attacks and the Kaki
Tree Project took the initiative in delivering messages toencourage children at the Family School.
The teacher informed us later on that unfortunately thepersimmon tree died.

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"M. Montessori"
Kindergarten
Italy
Crema, CR
7 May 2001

5 students of IT.IS.”G. Galilei” expressed their interest in
joining the project after seeing the Kaki Tree Project exhibit
at Venice Biennial held in 1999. They participated in the
project as part of their graduation project. They also plan tomake CD-ROM with the themes of peace, culture, history andatomic bomb.
The tree planting ceremony was held at Scuola Materna“M. Montessori”. The entire event was held indoors due torain.With students from IT.IS.”G. Galilei” taking the lead,children from Scuola Materna “M. Montessori” as well asfrom neighboring elementary schools and junior high schools(lower secondary schools) were invited. The mayor of Crema,
Chairperson of Crema Cultural Association and Crema
town councilor also attended the ceremony. 4 animators
cooperated in the workshop, in which children drew picturesand made persimmon trees from paper and polyethylene.
There was a child who made Kimono for a Samurai, too. At
the ceremony, people took turns in burying the tree while anumber of balloons with peace messages were released into
the sky. After the band played music, people made a work ofart together by hanging all the messages and pictures on thewooden persimmon tree created during the workshop.

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Townshend
International School(Transplanted from The Town Park in Cesky Krumlov)
CzechoCesky Krumlov
19 May 2001

Cesky Krumlov is an ancient town with

4th of March. At the ceremony, the seedling

beautiful nature and historic buildings fromwas planted in a special pot by children and

the Middle Ages, and is registered as aa small concert was performed by String

UNESCO World Heritage site. The town was

Quartette Watzko.

also once part of the so-called Sudetenland,annexed by Nazi Germany.

At the tree planting ceremony on the 19thof May, a ceramic workshop was held in the

After encountering the second generation

garden in front of Mr. and Mrs. Petr Sladek’s

seedling of the bombed persimmon tree atstudio. 6 children made their unique pieces

Venice Biennial

in clay with guidance from Mr. Petr Sladek.

in 1999, Mr.

Children’s parents and other local people

Ivo Moravec,

also joined in Origami making. After that,a biologist,

everybody moved to the concert hall. The

planned theconcert hall is a beautiful building, a former

tree planting

noble’s house remade into a hotel. Before thewith his friends

concert began, there were some talks on theof Independentsignificance of the concert which celebrated

Company of

the occasion and the Kaki Tree Project. After

Art in ordera 15-year-old girl played a piano solo, theto remember

Bohemian City Orchestra also joined andthe war times

performed a wonderful piano piece by Mozart.

in CeskyJapanese artists based in Germany, Tanaka

Krumlov.

and Shimojo, also attended the ceremony as
representatives of the project.

Prior to tree
planting,

The tree was moved to International

the treeTownshend School, which is located in apresentation

town 30km north of Cesky Krumlov in 2002

ceremony wasdue to flood that damaged the town. The

held on theschool has been taking good care of the tree.

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