Recovering the original landscape does not mean cutting out only the good aspects of a society. Traces of conflict and destructive legacies are significant as part of the original landscape so that society does not repeat the same mistakes. The photographs of bark in this piece were taken of trees in Hiroshima that were exposed to radiation from the atomic bombs of World War II. The trees have survived the horrors of war and the nuclear bombing and are growing strong and resilient despite the damage. These trees gave the people of Hiroshima the courage to live and hope for recovery. And as the only remaining A-bombed trees in Japan, they will live on to help realise a world without nuclear weapons.

 　The wooden box accompanying the photo is a renovated paulownia chest that was handed down to us. Paulownia wood was not only resistant to fire and water but was also ideal for protecting valuables from humidity in Japan's uniquely hot and humid climate. Also, as they are light and easy to carry, paulownia chests of drawers were valued as wedding gifts from the Edo period onwards. There was even a custom of planting a paulownia tree when a girl was born and making a chest of drawers from it when she married. Furthermore, we can scrape off the surface of paulownia wood to regenerate beautifully; we can use it for future generations.

 　Mokume-gane seals the wounds of renewed Paulownia chests. Today, it is a wonderful craft, but it was initially a technique developed mainly to decorate swords.

 　Exposed trees are the last survivors of the atomic bomb, having survived the bombing despite being exposed to large amounts of radiation. On the other hand, Paulownia wood is grown with care in an optimum environment and is used carefully for many years after being sawn and processed, but its life as a tree has ceased. Mokume-gane is also a tree that people have imitated to achieve the beauty of the wood. A tree that meets with misery but continues to live, a tree that is treated with respect throughout its life but is dying out, and a tree that humans developed for weapons but is now trying to become pure. Through a dialogue between the three opposing parties, the exhibition explores the original landscape's nature in places with an adverse history.

 　When a tree is living, a human being is living as well. When a tree is cut, a human being is killed.