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The Sakura Project aims to pass on the wonder of Japan's heritage in partnership with our customers by devoting part of our sales revenue to getting elementary schools throughout Japan to plant cherry trees.
We want the children who will inherit the future to care for cherry trees and appreciate how precious life is whenever they see the trees in blossom.
At tree planting events, the project expresses the wonder and beauty of Japanese culture and how precious the natural environment is by giving live performances of Japanese musical instruments as well as allowing people a chance to try the instruments for themselves.
1. Performance of Japanese musical instruments by AUN (Japanese musical instruments, shamisen, shinobue (bamboo flutes), etc.)
A live show by Japanese musical instruments performers. The children listen attentively to the very vibrant Japanese-style music as it is performed for them.
2. Children have a turn at playing the instruments
The children have an opportunity to try playing some of the instruments (taiko drums) for themselves. Children are excited by this first encounter with Japanese musical instruments.
3.Investiture as ‘cherry tree keepers’
Like pine trees and plum blossoms, many plants are used to symbolize the culture and scenery of Japan, but it is said that, among those, the word ‘keeper’ is used only for the cherry tree. With our wish that they take good care of the cherry trees, we are appointing children as the keepers of their school cherry trees.
4. Cherry tree planting, taking of a photograph to mark the occasion, etc.
Cherry tree planting involves each participant placing some soil and making a wish for the growth of the cherry tree. A memorial plate is also placed in the ground recording the type of cherry tree, date of planting, and other details. The children can keep coming back to check on the growth of the tree even after they leave school.
5. Distribution of memorial gifts to the children
(Tree planting certificates, cherry tree rulers, etc.)
To commemorate the tree planting, the children are presented with tree planting certificates and rulers made from cherry tree off-cuts. The hope is that the event will remain always in their memory.
The Sakura Project, which has been carried out under the slogan of "Connect, with cherry trees," reached its ninth year in 2018. As of Friday, July 6 that year, through an event held at Matsue City Municipal Nogi Elementary School in Shimane Prefecture, Sakura Project activities have been held in all of Japan’s 47 prefectures.
School visits usually center on AUN, but this time, as a special event, the AUN J Classic Orchestra visited the school and played Japanese musical instruments in front of about 530 children, sharing the sound of Japan with them.
When the children got a chance to play the Japanese taiko drums themselves, they beat them so strongly that they could feel the drums’ reverberations throughout their entire bodies. Despite the rain that day, their enthusiasm filled the school gymnasium and created a sense of unity among participants.
The children were appointed ‘cherry tree keepers,’ which is a term used to refer to people who keep watch over the cherry trees. Entrusting them with our wish that they become keepers of their school cherry trees and take good care of the cherry trees, we gave each of them a cherry tree keeper notebook.
This event marked a significant juncture for the Sakura Project, and we at Daiwa House Industry will continue to share the importance of the natural environment and the wonder and beauty of Japanese culture with children throughout the country, who will connect the future.
The Sakura Project event at Nogi Elementary School
The 100th event took place at Nagatoro Elementary School in Watari, Miyagi Prefecture on Thursday October 2.
Daiwa House and SAP Japan have jointly supported the elementary school as part of the recovery effort following the Great East Japan Earthquake. A cherry tree was planted on the school grounds to mark the completion of a new school building in August of that year.
On the day, a talk on technology was given to year six pupils by Yuzuru Fukuda, President of SAP Japan, and this was followed by a Sakura Project event for all school pupils (approximately 200 children). The AUN twins provided a rousing performance of Japanese musical instruments.
The children were fascinated by the opportunity to try the instruments, with a resounding response when asked who wanted to have a go. They had a great time playing the taiko drums.
At the tree planting ceremony, the final event of the day, Tamio Ishibashi, Executive Vice President of Daiwa House Industry, joined with the children to recite "okikunare" (grow up big) as they placed soil on the cherry tree.
Both the cherry tree that was planted and the new school building embody the wish to carry on the history of Nagatoro Elementary School, and we intend to continue with our efforts to use Japanese musical instruments and cherry trees to convey what is wonderful about Japan to elementary schools throughout the country.
100th commemorative digest
Ryohei and Kohei, the twin brothers who perform Japanese musical instruments as AUN
At the age of 18, they joined the Ondekoza troupe who were the first in the world to popularize taiko drumming.
They performed in more than 40 different countries around the world, including four successful appearances at Carnegie Hall in New York.
They have popularized performances of Japanese musical instruments, using mainly taiko drums but also shamisen and shinobue (bamboo flutes).
To express the more popular, simpler, and more stylish possibilities of Japanese musical instruments, they formed the AUN J Classic Orchestra with young koto and shakuhachi musicians.
With Daiwa House, they have staged the Sukuou Sennen no Sakura Charity Concert to help preserve the cherry trees of Mount Yoshino since April 2011.
Right: Kohei Inoue, taiko drums, shamisen, and flute
Left: Ryohei Inoue, taiko drums and shamisen
Enjoying Japanese musical instruments and cultivating cherry tree saplings around Japan
First kindergarten, then school, … finally graduation.
Cherry trees are forever part of our memories.
We provide powerful performances of Japanese musical instruments and conduct cherry tree plantings in the wish that the sight of fallen cherry blossoms will give children a sense of the spirit of great harmony and lodge wonderful memories in their hearts.
