Tree planting commemorates Lili‘uokalani Gardens, reaffirms bonds between Hilo and Hiroshima Prefecture

The faintest breeze rippled the surface of the ponds at Lili‘uokalani Gardens in Hilo on Tuesday morning. Dozens of birds tweeted from the treetops.

One tree, though, was still too small to be a bird neighborhood.

It was a black pine sapling, spindly in its pot and ready to be planted at the bottom of a slight hill. A stone lantern donated to the garden in 1968 by the governor of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan sat atop the hill. The lantern marked the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the “gannen moto,” or the first Japanese immigrants to arrive in Hawaii.

On Tuesday, current Hiroshima governor Hidehiko Yuzaki, along with members of the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly, attended a rededication ceremony for the stone lantern, and commemorated the centennial anniversary of the gardens themselves by planting the spindly black pine.

Many of the Japanese immigrants who first built Lili‘uokalani Gardens in the early 20th century were from Hiroshima Prefecture. Some of the bridges in the garden were built by the grandfather of Larry Isemoto, chairman of Isemoto Contracting.

Construction of the Japanese-style public garden began in 1917, with the park opening in 1919.

“No matter how many times I come here, (to) walk or sit in the park, I’m still overwhelmed by the beauty of the place,” Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim said.

Kim and Hawaii County Council Chairwoman Valerie Poindexter spoke of the deep impression Japanese culture left on them while growing up at plantation camps.

“The planting of the trees symbolize the strong bond we have shared for many generations,” Poindexter said. “We are so grateful.”

Through a translator, Yuzaki said he was honored to help plant the new tree.

“It makes me very happy to know that today this is such a loved park,” he said.

Centennial celebrations at Lili‘uokalani Gardens will continue through 2019.

Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com.