The Atomic Tree

This moving video takes us on a journey into the memories of one of the world's most revered trees, a 400 year old Japanese white pine bonsai. The tree's rings hold stories from its inception as a tiny seed, through its early years surrounded by monks who prayed in the surrounding forest. It holds memories of sunlight and purifying rain. Tended by the loving touch and care of five generations of the Yamaki family, the tree and the family survived the devastation of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. In 1976 it was gifted to the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. where it remains as a symbol of the merger of lives, forests, and the human family.

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