ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Masahiro Okafuji, President & CEO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) opened ITOCHU AOYAMA ART SQUARE in the CI Plaza, a commercial facility situated next to ITOCHU’s Tokyo Head Office, in October 2012. The gallery was part of ITOCHU’s social contribution activities, with the aim of developing the next generation through art, contributing to the local community and promoting both local and overseas art and culture. Various exhibitions have since been held in the space.

As a new project, ITOCHU will run an event titled “Happy Island ~ Blossoming in the Future ~ Art Exhibition ‘God of Flowers – Advent (I)’  by Flower Arranger Hiroki Maeno.” This is the second part of the event related to the reconstruction of Fukushima titled “Happy Island ~ Blossoming in the Future ~”, which was held in July last year. This time, the exhibition will be held as a prayer to the cherry blossoms, which bloom in March every year, in the hope that the reconstruction of Fukushima will occur as soon as possible. Flower arranger Hiroki Maeno, who works under the name “Sakura no Maeno (Maeno the cherry blossom arranger),” will arrange flowers as a prayer to the lives of all kinds of flowers, so that Sakura no Hanagami (the god of flowers who is believed to be responsible for the productiveness of grain, or lives) will descend to earth.

Event Outline

Information about a Special Event ” Ao no Inori ”

The event includes a special event in which a prayer for the souls of the victims and for the future will be given from Aoyama, Tokyo to Tohoku on the day before the day of the commemoration of the Third Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Tsumura, a Noh performer, is asked to perform to the music of Furusawa’s violin and also Daito’s cello. The prayer will be expressed through the sound and Japanese Noh, and flowers.