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ツリバナ
Korean Spindletree (Tsuribana)
In early summer, green, unripe fruit hangs from the slender branches of the Spindletree, which is where it gets its name: “Hanging Flower.” In autumn, when the vivid leaves are at their most brilliant, the vermillion seeds peel back their skin to reveal a pentad of bright red fruit, elegantly decorating the landscape. In the season where the land is covered in pure white snow, this fruit falls and garnishes the fresh snow with tinges of red, reminding us of the last vestiges of the past autumn.
ハルニレ
Japanese Elm (Harunire)
The Japanese Elm is a tree that grows slowly, similar to humans. As it matures slowly, it grows into a safe and sturdy tree. It grows tall while communicating thoughts and feelings with people who live close by, lives together with our memories, and protects us from wind, rain and the sun’s harsh rays. The towering Japanese Elm projects a deep kindness and announces the arrival of spring with the blooming of its many faint red flowers.
ブルーミントン
Bloomington Monument of Friendship
Bloomington City and the adjacent Normal City, in Illinois, USA, can be reached in one hour by plane from Chicago. In addition to having one of the leading music schools in America, the towns are surrounded by farms and fields of corn, and you can gaze at the vast and expansive scenery of America. Bloomington and Normal were the first cities Asahikawa focused on for global communication, and they formally became sister cities in 1967.
藤棚
Hanging Wisteria Pergola (Fujidana)
In autumn, the Wisteria is soft and fluffy, but in April and May, the tufts clad in light purple petals bloom profusely as if they were a meteor shower falling through the night sky. In Japan, there are Wisteria trees which are over 1000 years old, living for what seems like an eternity. A vitality that easily surpasses our own lifespans is concealed within the elegant Wisteria and its fantastic spectacle leads our thoughts to our own fragile lives which are as fleeting as the twinkle of a shooting star.
Sakhalin Fir (Todomatsu)
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The Sakhalin Fir often grows in cool climates with clear air. It is used in furniture and for making wood chips. Its timber is soft, warm, delicate and pleasant to the touch. It is also preferred as a garden tree in the North with its clear, chilly air; it is said to be “as brilliant as blooming flowers”, adorning the lives of the people around it with brilliant verdure.
トドマツ
Rotary Club Monument
This is a monument celebrating the 15th anniversary of the founding of the West Asahikawa Rotary Club which is part of the International Voluntary Social Service Organization “Rotary International”. The Rotary organization strives towards world peace and goodwill through the ideals of humane services and the protection of high moral standards in the workplace. The “Four-Way Test” of the Member’s Code of Conduct is inscribed on the monument.
ロータリー
Image of Pioneering
“Image of Pioneering” towers high above the centre of the intersection of Kaimono Shopping Park and Ryokudo as if aiming for a place beyond the sky. This tower was created by a sculptor from Aibetsu named Nakai Nobuya in the year Showa 42 (1967). On the main tower, which is made of iron, we can see the symbolic arrangement of pioneers and their tools woven from this element of nature. This dark brown tower, which incorporates the remnants of the pioneering era, conveys the thoughts of the pioneers who once worked themselves to the bone to develop this land.
開拓のイメージ
執筆：佐々木祐輔 (Sasaki Yusuke)
＜参考文献（Bibliography）＞
□植物
福岡 イト子、 佐藤 寿子『アイヌ植物誌』草風館 (1995)
「アイヌと自然デジタル図鑑」＜http://www.ainu-museum.or.jp/siror/index.html＞
「アイヌ生活文化再現マニュアル 熊の霊送り【道具編】イオマンテ」財団法人アイヌ文化振興・研究推進機構(2003)＜https://www.frpac.or.jp/manual/files/2003_08.pdf＞
□彫刻
『あさひかわの彫刻』旭川市教育委員会 (1987)
『あさひかわの彫刻』旭川市教育委員会 (1992)
中原悌二郎記念旭川市彫刻美術館／編者『旭川叢書 第25巻 あさひかわと彫刻』旭川振興公社 (1999)
『北海道立近代美術館紀要 第7号』北海道立近代美術館 (1985)
「国土交通省大臣表彰 手づくり郷土賞」
＜http://www.mlit.go.jp/sogoseisaku/region/tedukuri/list/pref/list_01hokkai.html＞
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