ONO, Gifu Prefecture--Through the magic of roses and their power to heal, a friendship has blossomed between two men who share a link to Jewish schoolgirl Anne Frank and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.
ONO, Gifu Prefecture--Through the magic of roses and their power to heal, a friendship has blossomed between two men who share a link to Jewish schoolgirl Anne Frank and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.
Hirotatsu Aoki, 59, a rose grower here, met recently for the first time with Itaru Sasaki from Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, which was devastated by the twin disasters.
Following the disasters, Sasaki, 70, set up a nonworking telephone booth in his garden for survivors to put their minds at peace by “calling" loved ones who died in the calamity.
In March this year, Aoki sent him two saplings of “Anne no Bara” (Roses of Anne), a flower named after Anne Frank (1929-1945), who wrote about her experiences while hiding from Nazi persecution during World War II.
The saplings were planted near the entrance to the telephone booth, called “Kaze no Denwa Box” (Phone booth of the winds). The roses bloomed beautifully from June to mid-November. To express his gratitude to Aoki, Sasaki visited him on Nov. 20 here.
“How are the roses I sent you?” Aoki asked. Sasaki replied, “They blossomed beautifully and soothed the minds of people who visited the telephone booth. Thank you very much.”
Though the two were meeting for the first time, they soon became at ease around one another, and their conversation about roses became animated.
Roses of Anne were developed by a Belgian horticulturalist in the 1950s in memory of Anne Frank, who died in a concentration camp at the age of 15. The new strain spread to Japan through Anne’s father, Otto Frank, in the 1970s.
Around 1985, Aoki obtained a sapling of the Roses of Anne through the Gifu prefectural UNESCO association. Since then, he has continued growing the flower through grafting.
Hiroyuki Miura, 47, a photographer living in the city of Gifu, served as a bridge between Aoki and Sasaki. Miura has been engaged in support activities for areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami since immediately after the disaster.
He became acquainted with Sasaki, who told him that he wanted to obtain some roses. Miura conveyed those hopes to Aoki.
Aoki immediately accepted the request, saying, "I want to present the affected area with the Roses of Anne because Anne endured hardships of her own."
In March this year, Miura carried saplings of the rose to Sasaki along with Rika Komura, a friendship ambassador of Ono town.
Sasaki’s Nov. 20 visit to Aoki was also arranged by Miura. Sasaki was scheduled to visit Gifu Prefecture in November to give a lecture during a natural disaster-related meeting in Seki on Nov. 21.
After being contacted by Sasaki about the visit, Miura arranged for him to meet Aoki after coordinating their schedules.
“The two wanted to meet each other for months. I wanted them to meet in a place where Roses of Anne are grown,” Miura said.
A new friendship sprouted through the gift of the roses.
“For areas affected by natural disasters, it is most painful to be forgotten," Sasaki said. "But when I see supporters like in this case, I realize that we have not been forgotten.”
In response, Aoki said, “I am happy if I can see that people in affected areas are pleased with my roses. I will continue to present them.”