Kagawa Prefecture has a long history of bonsai-making, the beginnings of which are said to have occurred in the Edo Period, when people potted and maintained pine trees that they had carefully selected from the area’s islands and coastal mountains. These bonsai then began to spread throughout the country, with the flow of people coming and going along the major sea-traffic route of the Seto Inland Sea, including the many people who came to pray at Kotohira Shrine. Later on the local bonsai craft was further improved, and Takamatsu became one of Japan’s leading bonsai production areas.

I find it very meaningful that the 11th Asia Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention and Exhibition in Takamatsu has come to be held in this city, whose long tradition has made the area known as the “Hometown of Bonsai.” I am thoroughly looking forward to our guests coming from throughout the world to enjoy the first-rate craft of Kagawa’s bonsai and the appeal of the prefecture’s suiseki stonework.

Sunport Takamatsu, which will serve as the convention and exhibition’s main event site, is a modern convention facility that faces out toward the beautiful islands of the Seto Inland Sea. Tamamo Koen, which will serve as the convention and exhibition’s secondary event site, is the historic site of Takamatsu Castle, and it is a place where you can experience Takamatsu’s history and traditional architecture. Also, you can enjoy the sculpted pine trees and skillful landscaping of Ritsurin Garden, Japan’s best daimyo garden (that is, a garden once belonging to a feudal lord). In addition, you can see bonsai cultivation fields (a rare sight even in Japan) in the towns of Kinashi-cho and Kokubunji-cho, and you can experience our special event site at the Takasago-an, a garden well-loved by world bonsai enthusiasts and located in the town of Niihama in neighboring Ehime Prefecture.

I hope that you will fully enjoy the traditional crafts that have been fostered throughout Kagawa’s history and that you will savor the taste of the Setouchi Area’s fresh seafood and Sanuki Udon noodles. Kagawa Prefecture is a place where you can relax as you take in the beautiful landscape of islands at sea and glittering reservoirs on the inland plain, as well as our unique and highly popular modern art and the friendly pilgrimage culture that has been cultivated around the Shikoku 88 Temple Circuit. The people of Kagawa welcome all of our guests from Japan and abroad with warmth and hospitality!

I hope that the Takamatsu Convention and Exhibition will serve as a terrific opportunity for exchange between the citizens of this bonsai production area and visitors from throughout the rest of the world, and I hope to see the craft of our locally produced bonsai and suiseki spread overseas. Through this convention and exhibition, I also sincerely hope for the active exchange of bonsai and suiseki knowledge and techniques and for ever increasing international goodwill and friendship. Thank you.