‘Ki’ means ‘trees’, ‘zuna’ or ‘tsuna’ - means ‘ropes’, and ‘kizuna’ (kee-zuna) means ‘bonds’ in Japanese.  Thus this exhibit is called ‘bonding trees and ropes’.

Every time I go to the Scottish Sculpture Workshops (SSW) I greet two pine trees standing before the Alford Bridge in Aberdeenshire Scotland.  They remind me of the pine trees in front of my old house in Japan.

Unfortunately, a long time ago the house was demolished as well as the pine trees.

Last year when I was sketching the Alford trees I met the owner of the farmhouse across the road, and I explained to her how much the trees meant to me.  Later Later when I arrived back home, my next-door neighbour, Janet, came around and I told her about my pine trees.  She asked me where they were exactly.  After I told her she exclaimed, “ They are not your pine trees !  They are mine !  I was born in that house and I grew up next to them!”  It turned out that there farm owner that I had met that day was her cousin’s wife.

Since then we call them ‘our pine trees’ and I bond with the pine trees more than ever.

Kizuna 1- Twine: “Across the Ocean”
Kizuna 2- Paper and Straw : “Shimenawa”

Thanks to :
Janet M Byth
Sandy and Lottie Glennie (Farmer)
Malcom Esson (farmer) 
Peter Smith (SSW)