Taking a strong interest in the Senbazuru, Mr. Hukuda wrote a letter to the elementary school. Before long he received replies, and started interchange letters with Abumibata Elementary School in Hukuoka Prefecture. In the meantime, Mr Hukuda was requested to guide Hiroshima by the school because they decided to visit Hiroshima for their school excursion. Mr. Hukuda included the A-bombed hackberry among the tour, and it led him to study about the tree. Starting to observe the hackberry, he got acquainted with pupils of Hiroshima Motomachi Elementary School. There is the Hackberry Committee at Motomachi Elementary School, and centering around the committee, whole students take care of the hackberry as a school project. It is when this activity started that several students took cans away from a hollow, and this mind spreaded from a class to whole grades.
Then weeding, watering, garbage gathering, and keeping observation diary came to stay among the pupils. This activity was impressed on Mr. Hukuda's mind, and he took an increasing interest in the A-bombed hackberry.
Mr. Hukuda continued to visit the hackberry on weekends. He said it w as hard when hot weather followed. He gave vigilant attention for the tree, such as stamping out noxious insects when he found the leaves was withering for worms. Hiroshima City has coped with the A-Bombed tree. The City covered the hackberry up with black nets to protect the tree from strong summer sunlight, applied antiseptic treat, supplied water and nourishment、and tried every means avairable. In time, leaving 4 meter abo ve the ground, in1984, the hackberry broke in suffering a direct hit from typhoon. However it put forth leaves next year, and one of the buds grew into a more than 1 meter branch in 1986 and 1987, seemed like the tree revived. But in the1988 spring the hackberry didn't come in leaf bud, yet in rainy season when it was the last chance to sprout the tree still didn't burst into leaf. In 1989, March, according to experts of a botanical gardens and landscape gardeners, the A-bombed hackberry didn't recover and withered away. The bark was going rotten which rose by touching the surface and when the spoiling went to roots the tree would fell down. Hiroshima City dicided the tree to remain molding. Among Hiroshima citizens, however, there were arguments for and against the City's measure; " we would like the hachberry to preserve at the field or in the Peace Memorial Museum and hand down to next generation." or "Rottening creature is a natural phenominon, so it is a good chance to know about 'life' for children."
Mr. Fukuda's contribution, "A-bombed hackberry, struggling" appeared in Asahi Newspaper on August 5th, 1987. Taking notice of the article, a writer of juvenile stories, Mr. Gennosuke Nagasaki who lived in Yokohama was moved by the story. Then he decided to write a picture book which the leading character was the A-bombed hackberry, a witness to an atomic bomb. Mr. Nagasaki visited Hiroshima to know much more about the hackberry and saw the tree with Mr. Fukuda. There, Mr. Nagasaki met pupils of Motomachi Elementary School who were taking care of the hackberry.
When Mr. Nagasaki was the outliving tree being watched over by pupils, he said "Protecting the dying hackberry with whole schools and towns seems like a symbol of hoping for peace. Children were contriving to help the A-bombed hackberry while war attempted the life of the tree. I want to make known such mind to infants." The book was published in June, 1988, titled A hackberry in Hiroshima.. The terror of atomic bombs and the warmness of caring children were drawn in the book through the hackberry which was torn by an atomic bomb once but recovered at last.
There was a female junior high school student who was touched with the p
icture book drawn by Mr. Nagasaki. Miss Yuka Kunimoto was the girl,
studying at HIroshima Midorimachi Junior High School in South ward. She
wrote a letter about the book and her idea for peace lasting 5 pages, and
got a reply three monthes later. After that Miss Kunimoto and Mr. Nagasaki
kept up correspondance. In July 1993, Miss Kunimoto received a post card
"Why don't we see at the tree?", then Kunimoto Family, Nagasaki Family and
Mr Fukuda gathered around the hackberry. Listening stories of war
experiences, Miss Kunimoto said " We don't have a hackberry Jr., but I want
to spread the mind among my school mates." Be impressed with her wards,
Mr. Fikuda made a promise to donate a hackberry Jr. 
to Midorimachi Junior High School. 17 days later, on the
basis of whole students' approval, the tree was planted in the school.
Mr.Fudkuda had been donating hackberry trees to Narumi Elementary School in
Neyakawa, Osaka and other schools for teaching materials about peace.
Mr. Fududa also requested Hiroshima City to erect a monument of the A-bo mbed hackberry. He has been considering about the monument and raising subscriptions and calling for contributions. Mr Fukuda's effort came to fruition and the construction plan is well in progress. The completion is expected on August 6th, 1995.
Enduring an atomic bomb and typhoons, the 42years-lived hackberry tought us the preciousness and bravery of being lived. Now half a century have passed since the World War , and the figure seems like asking to pres ent-day children unrelated to war what peace is. Studing about the hackberry, those children felt horror and misery of war deeply again and inscribed the gravity and glory of peace on their minds.
Masako Inoue, Yoshimi Okazaki,Aki Kamitoda, Mizuki Takada, Miyuki Norishige, Kanoko Hayashi