Sumitomo Forestry Launches 'Sakura no Tasuki' Project — Preserving Weakening Cherry Trees for Future Generations Through Tissue Culture (Cloning) Technology

On March 26, Ninnaji Temple (Kyoto City) unveiled a new viewing deck and interpretive panels for its nationally designated scenic site, the 'Omuro Cherry Blossoms,' located within the temple grounds. The deck made its public debut at the 'Omuro Hana Matsuri' festival, which opened on March 27. It was established with support from the Agency for Cultural Affairs to mark the 15th anniversary of the successful tissue culture propagation of the Omuro Cherry Blossoms in 2010. On this occasion, Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd. (President: Toshiro Mitsuyoshi, Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) launched the 'Sakura no Tasuki' project, which leverages tissue culture and other seedling propagation technologies to preserve historically and culturally significant trees across Japan — trees at risk of decline or death — and pass them on to future generations. ■ Ninnaji Temple's Efforts to Preserve the Scenic 'Omuro Cherry Blossoms' The 'Omuro Cherry Blossoms' at Ninnaji Temple are said to have been planted during the reconstruction of the temple complex in 1646 (Shōhō 3). Known for growing only to about the height of a person and for their late blooming, they allow visitors to enjoy the blossoms at eye level, and are celebrated as the trees that mark the end of Kyoto's spring. However, estimated to be over 360 years old, the trees show notable signs of declining vigor, and some are feared to be dying. In response, Ninnaji Temple launched the 'Omuro Cherry Blossom Research Project' in 2007 in collaboration with Sumitomo Forestry Group and the Faculty of Horticulture at Chiba University, under the guidance of the Kyoto Prefectural Cultural Properties Protection Division. Under this project, Sumitomo Forestry conducted research at its in-house Tsukuba Research Institute into the ecology of the Omuro Cherry Blossoms and management techniques based on scientific findings. This research culminated in the successful tissue culture propagation of the trees in 2010. The cloned cherry trees planted within the temple grounds in 2012 bloomed for the first time in 2014 and have continued to produce beautiful blossoms ever since. ■ Sumitomo Forestry's 'Sakura no Tasuki' Project Famous trees hundreds of years old are increasingly weakening with age and face the risk of dying. In recent years, there are growing concerns that climate change and environmental shifts will make growing conditions even more challenging. With the goal of passing historically and culturally precious trees on to future generations, Sumitomo Forestry has already propagated seedlings from more than 25 species of notable and rare trees, including the 'Taiko Shidare Zakura' weeping cherry at Daigoji Temple and the 'Izumi no Ichiyo Matsu' pine, a natural monument in Minamisoma, Fukushima.