The Man Who Planted Trees

SACHIKO HIRABAYASHI

Niigata Prefecture, northeastern Japan, hold "The Niigata Space Odyssey" on April 29, 2001 as a memorial of the 21st century at the Niigata Stadium Big Swan. The Big Swan is the place where the first game in Japan of 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan will be held. A musical "Midori Hyakunen Monogatari (Century Story of Green)" was presented on this day as the inaugural event of this stadium. In the story of this musical, the 2.5 million citizens of Niigata Prefecture plant 2.5 million trees. The chief producer of this musical was Mitsuru Arai. The person who was in charge of the music and the principal of the musical was Masashi Sada, of whom I have been a big fan for a long time.

Seeing this musical on that day, I knew for the first time that the original of this musical was a picture book "The Man Who Planted Trees (L'homme Qui Plantait des Arbres)" of Jean Giono. Later, I went to the library of my city to find this picture book, which, I realized, was already in the stockroom. Jean Giono seems not to be widely known in Japan, but I had heard he is famous enough to have received a Nobel Prize.

The hero of the story is a lonely 55-year-old man who has lost everything. One day, he hears a message from the heaven: "plant trees." He continues planting trees in barren land for years. He hopes for nothing and just continues this voluntary work with a pure heart. He makes desolate land a beautiful forest and ends his lonely life at a home for the aged at the age of 87. When I read this book with the pictures of Frederic Back, I couldn't help admiring the beauty of humanity.

I remember this wonderful story whenever I listen to Masashi Sada's song "The Man Who Planted Trees" that tells us "I plant trees in people's hearts. I plant trees whose name is love."