Dear Hiroshi Sunairi SAN,
We write this mail to see whether is possible to have two seeds of Hibaku trees, to nurture and plant in the new site of our company, at Tigre County, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.
Alberto Gesualdi
11/6/13
Alberto,
Welcome to Tree Project. Currently I am out of seeds till next spring and if you want seeds for an institution, you may perhaps apply to be part of Green Legacy in Hiroshima that also distribute Hibaku seeds, I attached application forms you may read them and apply to be part of GLH. If you just want to wait till next season, let me know so your email will be in my list for next call of seeds.
Hiroshi Sunairi
11/8/13
Dear Hiroshi SAN,
I think it will be good to wait for next season, since our project is to plant the tree around november 2014, when the new premises of the company are opened. The place is wide (30.000 sqm2), and although we are using 10.000 sqm2 now, we would like to plant as many as trees as possible in the site.
Everything comes for those wait, as found in the japanese sayings.
alberto
11/8/13
Alberto,
OK, I will send you guys seeds soon with your Fedex account. BTW, which seeds were you interested in? is there a specific number of seeds you wanted?
HS
4/7/14
Dear Hiroshi SAN,
thank you !! please feel free to choose whatever seeds you think should be.
Gingko is a tree that in Argentina is widely planted. In fact, I planted in 1986 one little tree at my children’s school and now is a huge tree with plenty of leaves.
I think Jujube is not so widely planted in Argentina, there are some areas where Jujube trees are planted as forestation projects, but if I am not wrong, the jujube tree grows better in dry environment. Here at Tigre county where our company is, it is a county with many islands, small rivers, and what is called the Delta of Parana river, more or less like the Delta of New Orleans in USA. So we think gingko seeds will be a good choice for a successful growing.
No, the amount of seeds you consider is proper, will be good.
In Japan , number 7 is considered a good lucky number, especially considering the Shichi- fuku-in, the Seven Gods of Luck. But also, 3 seeds is a good and proper number, since it symbolize, in our humble opinion, past, present and future, and also, three points are necessary, if you want to draw a line with a direction towards something :)
alberto
4/9/14
Alberto,
The time just swung by, so sorry today finally I will send out your seeds today by your fedex account.
Sorry I got too busy with work and my personal work and Tree Project got pushed back.
When you receive your seeds, please refrigerate till your planting. I listed links to how to germinate these seeds.
Ginkgo Germination
http://worldseedsupplydotnet.blogspot.com/2009/09/germination-instructions-for-ginkgo.html
http://worldseedsupplydotnet.blogspot.com/2009/09/germination-instructions-for-ginkgo.html
Please let me know if there is any questions and send me pictures of your sprout if it happens. It is no problem if it doesn’t happen, just ask me if I have more seeds for you to try again then. There is no guilt trip about not succeeding. Usually out of 10, there are 3-5 sprouts. It’s nature so it depends on a luck.
Hiroshi Sunairi
4/23/14
Dear Sunairi SAN,
Concerning your delivery of seeds, one good new, one bad new. Good new is seeds are already landed into Fedex warehouse of Ezeiza airport in Buenos Aires. Bad new is, argentine custom, hold the delivery, saying it is necessary to submit a petition to the National Institute of Food, since content of envelope are seeds. we will do our best to take seeds out of custom , may the force be with us……
Actually we are in autumn in buenos aires, so temperature is increasingly cold, we do not think seeds will be harmed by this waiting period.
AG
4/25/14
Dear Sunairi SAN,
Unfortunately, argentine custom reject our petition, so it will be returned to origin (your address in New York). Maybe you can resend the seeds, in small envelopes, so we can receive it here in Buenos Aires, again. sorry for this bothersome procedure, argentine custom is……unforgivable…
alberto
4/29/14
Dear Mr. Sunairi,
Thanks for your support. I will provide all information to our custom agents so they can proceed with return. I apologize on FedEx’s behalf for delays caused.
FedEx
5/13/14
Alberto,
So I finally got Fed Ex back. Look what I found inside, all three seeds germinated and dried in the plastic bag. So if you got them, they would have sprouted…how sad…I think they are dead but I am trying to see by putting them in wet tissue…So now I have your seeds back, I will send new seeds to you.
Hiroshi Sunairi
5/28/14
Dear Sunairi SAN,
Sorry for this sad story. There is a Japanese tale / saying “nothing is good or bad, everything is like Saiou’s horse.”
Romaji: Ningen banji saiou ga uma
Literally: Humans everything Saiou’s horse
Meaning: All human affairs are like Saiou’s horse; One’s fortune/luck is unpredictable and changeable
Notes: Saiou ga uma refers to an old story about a man and a horse, where what at first appears to be good luck turns out to be bad luck
I got a couple of replies to this article relating the story of Saiou ga uma. It appears that it was an old Chinese folktale about an old man called Sai (the -ou, also read as okina, means “old man”).
The story goes that one day his horse broke down the fence and ran away. When his neighbours heard, they commiserated with him over his misfortune, but he said ‘How do you know this is not really good luck?’ A few days later the horse returned, bringing another horse with it. However when his neighbours congratulated him on his good luck, the old man said ‘How do you know this is really good luck?’
Sure enough, some while later Sai’s son falls while riding the horse, and breaks his leg. However this turns out to be good fortune when all the young men of the village are ordered to join the Emperor’s army. Sai’s son doesn’t have to go since he has a broken leg.
—Canon Wordtank translates Ningen banji, saiou ga uma as “Inscrutable are the ways of heaven.”
So let’s hope we can have some time in the future, gingko seeds to grow and put into soil to make them trees
Alberto
5/28/14
Alberto,
Last Friday, 6/6, I sent out your seeds in regular mail. I included wet tissue inside with seeds so they may sprout while being sent, thus as soon as they arrive, please plant them in pots.
Hiroshi Sunairi
6/9/14
Dear Sunairi SAN
This is to confirm that today I received a carton folder from argentine custom, I am requested to present at custom to take the envelope out. This time, there are no requirements to register or present certifications of sanitary health authorities, just to pay a minimum fee. Nevertheless, I ask you if possible, an escan from your value declaration for this shipment, to copy exactly what you put as content of the envelope
Alberto
7/11/14
Dear Sunairi SAN
We are sorry to say, that we could not take out the envelope from custom today. The custom officer rejected the envelope. So this envelope will be returned to origin once again.
We think it will be better to wait until next year, maybe a friend or acquaintance would travel to New York and can present personally to you. Also there is a friend travelling to Hiroshima with an official delegation of businessmen around february 2015, so he may be able to contact someone there.
Alberto
7/16/14
Alberto,
Thank you for sending me Lonely Planet Buenos Aires Book. One day, I would love to visit Argentina as my favorite filmmaker, Lisandro Alonso is from there.
Hiroshi
8/11/14
Dear Hiroshi,
Do itashimashite (You’re welcome). I am glad the book and “Euro marker “ arrived safely!! My son Patricio is studying the audiovisual media, at IUNA (Institute of Arts).
I have not seen movies from Lisandro Alonso, since he is in indie cinema, and this kind of cinema have a very short circuit for exhibition. Anyway I will try to look for one his movies, I barely remember “Jauja” and “Liverpool” names of two of his movies
Alberto
8/11/14
Alberto,
OH great, if I wanted to make a film in Argentina, I will ask your son to do sound! Los Muertos and La Libertad are the best of Alonso. “Jauja,” hasn’t come to NY, yet, Liverpool is an alright film.
HS
8/11/14
Dear Hiroshi,
It will be great. My son just finished this past month, his project a two-minute shorts with his team. The teacher critiqued their work and they got a “10.” Also Patricio has another 10 in a written a paper on women’s perspective in cinematic history, like the work of Laura Mulvey. Well, it is good to have a son in the good path!!! He is 23 old, include a photo of Patricio and my daughter Veronica, 32 years old.
I have another daughter Mariana, 35 years old. She is at the other photo, taken a while time ago like in 2011, when I remarried for the second time.
alberto
8/11/14
Dear Sunairi SAN,
I hope you are in good health, and working in peace. We wish to inform you, the travel timetable, of the person that is visiting Hiroshima on february 2015. His names is, Martin. And, his family will be in Hiroshima from february 10 evening and february 11th all day long, at this hotel.
We keep in contact so we may bring this hope of a gingko seed in Argentina soil, growing J
abrazo
12/15/14
OK I will contact Dr. Horiguchi and tell him about this. I will get back to you. If it’s only some kind of hibaku tree is available around that time, will that be OK for you?
12/18/14
Dear Sunairi SAN,
Thank you for your return and commitment. Yes, any kind of hibaku tree will be great.
alberto
12/19/14
Alberto,
I finally got an answer from Dr. Horiguchi and he said to bring a seedling in Argentina is extremely difficult to do without some government institution involved.
Then, he suggested that we contact Mr. Julio bernal from Buenos Aires Botanical Garden who has received several Hibaku seeds from Green Legacy Hiroshima Project to share some seedling to you. I think it’s a great idea and I will contact him ccing you on this. After I send email to him, I think you can email him as well to talk about your passion and love. At this place nichiagakuin.edu.ar/ Dr. Horiguchi sent me a link, but somehow the link doesn’t work, but maybe some Hibaku seedlings are there also.
Hiroshi Sunairi
1/23/15
Mr. Julio Bernal,
Dr. Horiguchi and Ms. Yamada have given me your contact, regarding some of your Hibaku tree seedlings from Hiroshima. My name is Hiroshi Sunairi, a founder of Tree Project of which I have been distributing seeds of the trees that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in the world since 2006. One of the enthusiastic participant, alberto gesualdi has been trying to grow the hibaku tree seeds and I have sent seeds three times. With these three times, the custom held the seeds for a long time and at the end they sent me back the seeds each time. Alberto was very disappointed and he has arranged his friends who are traveling to Hiroshima this coming Feb to bring back seedlings officially with paperworks. However, Dr. Horiguchi was informed that bringing seedlings to Argentina will not be a easy task for regular public other than governmental institutions and Dr. has advised me instead of trying to bring the seedlings into Argentina, we ask you, Mr. Julio generously share one of the seedlings to Alberto. I have been in contact with Alberto for a long time for his passion for this cause and love for Japan and he will be a great caretaker of the seedlings with much love and compassion.
I was wondering if you generously let Alberto be a Hibaku tree father. Thank you for your time and generosity in advance.
Hiroshi Sunairi
1/23/15
Dear Sunairi SAN
Everything arrives for those who wait, says the Japanese proverb.
This Saturday march 14th, we have a meeting with Mr. Bernal and his colleagues, to see whether is possible to have a hibaku seed, we will keep you posted with news, we expect it will be good. Mr Bernal is the man with glasses in the picture.
Warm regards,
Alberto
3/12/15
Sunairi SAN
And what happened with these seeds, do they survive? Somehow in the exchange of mails, I do not grasp their end.
Warm regards
alberto
3/25/15
Alberto,
Yes, they survived as they were growing already in the plastic bag, when I got them back, I immediately placed them in wet tissue and let them revive. So there is some fulfillment from that already. As for your saga, I will wait till you hear from mr berman about it and the day you will get your tree. I am so excited.
Hiroshi Sunairi
3/25/14
Hello, Sunairi-san.
I’m Julio Bernal founder and coordinator of “Seeds of Peace” Project, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Hope you’re really genki when receiving this Email.
Just minutes ago I arrived home after meeting with Mr. Alberto Gesualdi, the resolute and determined Alberto, yes! Guess what? He finally got his Hibaku Jumoku! (Well, we’ll deliver a sapling in the new SMC premises on august 6th, 70th anniversary of the bombing, after a speech accompanied by a presentation, as I usually do.)
It was difficult to decide because we never delivered a sapling to a private entity before, but you and my friends in Hiroshima did your best to this end to be achieved. Great! As we both are doing the same in a humble and simple way, do please accept me and my Project as your friends. (Besides, I love Japan, been there 3 times - last for an 11 month lap, visited Hiroshima another 3 times, and last but not least: I’m married to a nikkei lady and got 2 beautiful hafu girls (which I always say “double”, not “half”!)
Let’s keep in touch and count on me for whatever you need. Let’s continue with the 3 precepts my Project intends to spread: Peace, love for environment and remembrance for the victims of Hiroshima.
Julio Bernal
3/28/15
Hiroshi SAN
Yes, it is a good news, Mr. Bernal wrote to you at once as I see :)
We will receive out seedlings on August 6th, we thought this year is the 70th anniversary of Hiroshima atomic bombing, so it would be good to make some events for the peace. We think we will receive a kaki tree, which is a wonderful tree. This is an election year in Argentina, so all politicians are fighting a rat race for the power. It is the way it is…
alberto
3/29/15
Dear Sunairi SAN
Today we met with our architect, to see best way to plant the tree in the place, and as well, to have it protected from minor animals, that are free in the zone (small lizards, cats, errand dogs, etc..)
Our architect propose to make a small entrance into the perimeter fence, 1,60 metros deep, and 0,95 meters wide, and to put a small fence 1 meter high, to prevent animals to enter and harm the tree
As well, a small door with a padlock, so if someone wants to enter to see the tree closer, or to water it, will be able to do it (the padlock can be a combination one, so it is not necessary to have a key to open it, just the number cipher to open)
I have an idea also, to make around the tree a small zen garden. I have never done this before, so it will be a challenge. As far as I know, the quantity of stones for a dry zen garden have to be 15, in 5 groups of 3 stones each.
I have some photos of ryoan ji dry zen garden, I would like to do something alike. This zen garden is very ancient in japan, and I read that someone thinks that the artist zen wanted to show a tiger crossing a river (since we are in Tigre county, that means tiger, it seems a proper idea for the place and for a dry zen garden.)
We will keep you posted with news. On april 25th we will go to the premises with the people of Semillas de paz project, to see the place for the tree. The tree to be received will be a diospyros kaki, already grown, it’s about 2 years old, it is a good moment to make the planting in soil, this coming august.
Below a photo of the blueprints, for the place of the tree, that will be close to the entrance of personnel, where will be a watchman so the tree will have surveillance at all times.
alberto
4/9/15
Alberto,
I am happy that you guys met. By the way, if the seedling is only two years old, you may want to wait to plant it outside for another two years or so. It really depends on the climate of Buenos Aires but usually young seedling can’t endure winter time. Their stem needs to thicken before withstand the snow and coldness. Meanwhile for some time you wait till it grows, you can construct the zen garden.
Hiroshi Sunairi
4/14/15
Dear Sunairi SAN,
Thank you for your comments ¡! We will take that into our account, maybe we will have a small greenhouse to preserve it.
Although the weather in this area of Argentina, is not so harsh. Last time it snowed was in year 2007 (my grandson was born that year), usually weather is cold but not chilly.
alberto
4/14/15
Dear Sunairi SAN,
Just for your peace of mind, there are three “brothers” of this kaki tree to be received, already planted at the Japanese Garden of Buenos Aires on November 2013, and they are growing happily.
Here in august is one month before springtime here in Argentina, so we have mild weather.
alberto
4/16/15
Dear Sunairi SAN
We went with Mr. Julio Bernal and Mr. Matayoshi (the members of Seeds for Peace –Green Legacy Hiroshima), this past Saturday april 25th, to see the place for the tree.
This is a reserved area, now we have to coordinate best way, to preserve the area with good earth. since, the area of earth, is clay earth, basement for concrete planks and iron nets, to make the pavement.
But in this area, the clay earth will be removed partially and black earth or good earth for planting will be put instead.
Also, if you the marks in the earth floor with the tape, closed to the perimeter fence, this part will be replaced (the fence) by an entrance with a short (not tall) fence, so any pedestrian walking through the street, will be able to stay and see the tree if it is their wish.
There is another photo of the perspective of the works, that are advanced, we think that for august 6th 2015, the date for planting of the Kaki tree, will be reasonable finished the area of works.
alberto
4/27/15
Alberto,
So I a writing to let you know what went on to the three seeds that came back to US after traveling to Argentina and being stopped at Custom. All three have grown and were adopted by loving parents!
The first one was adopted by my friend, filmmaker I respect dearly, Jill Godmilow. She is my mentor and my cinema cohort. We talk about cinema and it’s value that we cherish for it’s invention, politics and power to change things. The first one, Ginkgo is growing well and Jill tells me everytime her friends visits her, she talks about it and they are profoundly moved by its existence.
Then the second one went to be a family member of Ryuichi Sakamoto, a renowned composer. His son, Neo picked it up and cared by his wife. It seems to be very happy with it’s foster parents.
Lastly, this one went to my friend, conceptual artist, Christian Holstad’s place in Williamsburg, NY. he was talking about planting it on the ground upstate, NY. So one day, this little one will be a large tree I hope.
Hiroshi
5/6/2015
For those who are learning about Tree Project for the first time,
This is the kind of energy that goes on with my Tree Project which I have started from 2006 and have given seeds to many many countries, US, England, Mali, Germany, Philippine, Malaysia, Singapore, Norway, Taiwan, Cuba, Brazil, Korea…and so on. Sometimes, people write to me with enthusiasm but often the long procedure before getting the seeds leaves the new participants run out of their interest. Sometimes, people get their seeds but their seeds don’t sprout. They feel bad that they don’t write to me. The fact of matter is, it is nature we are dealing with here and we can’t be sure of the nature’s master plan. For me as a founder of the project, I don’t care a bit about not succeeding, I think it’s quite hard for first timer of growing plants to succeed. I can send seeds over and over again.
With Alberto in Argentina, his enthusiasm never ended, will go on till he gets that tree and will probably go on to see the tree grow bigger than us observing Alberto’s kids growing. Maybe one day, Alberto’s kids having their own kids who may hug this tree planted out of reverent desire of Alberto, their grand, grand parent.
This project, specifically Alberto’s Hibaku Second generation of Persimmon tree, will come to a state of completion in coming August 6, 2015 by Alberto reviving the seedling and planting it in his company property, open to public. So this essay will only document till 5/6/2015 but for those who are interested can find this saga’s conclusion at Treeproject.blogspot.com
Dr. Matayoshi Ernesto (physician-opthamologist), Gesualdi Alberto and Mr. Bernal Julio
Hiroshi Sunairi
tree project
6/1/2015