Portland Japanese Garden

Watch Hiroshi Sunairi’s Tree Project Film, 2010 Featuring Chikara Horiguchi, Tree Doctor, to learn more about how Dr. Horiguchi takes care of the remaining Hibaku trees in Hiroshima.

Photo: Hiroshi Sunairi

During a recent seed planting workshop with guides, volunteers and friends, the Portland Japanese Garden started a year-long journey toward next year’s Art in the Garden Summer 2011 exhibition with conceptual artist and sculptor Hiroshi Sunairi, who launched the worldwide Tree Project with an exhibition in New York in 2009.

Describing this fascinating project, Hiroshi Sunairi says, “The trees that still live from the time of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima are called, Hibaku trees (A-bombed trees). In the winter of 2008, from tree doctor Riki Horiguchi in Hiroshima, I received seeds of Round Leaf Holly, Persimmon, Chinaberry, Firmiana simplex, Japanese Hackberry, Jujube trees that are the second or third generation of Hibaku Trees. I have been giving these seeds to the ones that are interested in planting them both in the US and the world. By sharing these seeds, I would like to share the pleasure of growing plants, especially the plants from Hibaku seeds.”

photo: Heike Edossa

With the planting of more than two dozen of these Hibaku seeds on a recent afternoon in June, the Garden was honored to become a new branch in Mr. Sunairi’s Tree Project. The plants grown from these seeds will be part of a special exhibition by Mr. Sunairi to held at the Garden in June 2011.

In the photo at the left, Virginia Harmon, Director of Grounds Maintenance, instructs Mrs. Bernice Brown and Garden volunteer Judith Lancefield in how to plant their Hibaku seeds. At age 101, Mrs. Brown made the two-hour trip from McMinnville to participate in this project.

Watch our web site for details of the June 2011 exhibition.