Peace Trio: A-Bombed Piano, Tuner, US Jazz PianistーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
A piano tuner in Hiroshima has been traveling across Japan for decades with his treasures. Pianos that bore witness to the atomic bombing 80 years ago that he has nursed back to life. Recently, he’s enlisted the help of an unlikely ally on what he calls his planting the seeds of peace. [Music] Somber melancholic sounds emanating from a piano that witnessed the atomic [Music] bombing. Yagawa, a Hiroshima tuner, owns seven such pianos. The second generation atomic bomb survivor received them from their original owners who also experienced the blast. His repairs were minimal, just enough so the pianos could sing again. This embodies his restoration philosophy. When I received this piano, two strings were broken, so I replaced them. But the rest of the piano is just the way it was when the bombing occurred. If I were to change anything, I’d be erasing history. Driven by the original owner’s wish for peace, Yagawa has for years been hauling the instruments across Japan for concerts that so far number over 3500. [Music] When in Hiroshima, he and the pianos, which he describes lovingly as his alter egos, welcome students from all over the country. The keys felt heavier than the pianos I’m used to. I think that’s because of the fact the piano survived the atomic momming. Aware that he was getting up there in years, Yagawa, who is now 73, built a museum on his property to safeguard the pianos and their stories for the future. He also sought a collaborator to help take his message across borders. and he found him in the talented Jacob Coller, an American jazz pianist. Yagawa soon asked him to play at the atomic bomb dome. At the time, the project caused some controversy among locals. Some people said, “Don’t let an American play the atomic bombed piano.” But I don’t think that’s right. Whether Japanese or American, we all share a desire for peace. Caller was sensitive to the issue, initially worrying about causing offense, but Yagawa reassured him. I don’t have to worry about every little thing and maybe I’m overstressing, over worrying about what people might think and just just relax, just relax and play and get into the moment. And he did get into the moment and along the way became committed to Yagawa’s peace seeeking journey. Ever since the piano, the tuner, and the pianist, a mighty trio, have been touring Japan. They even played to 70,000 at an event held to promote nuclear weapons abolition. And they performed on the 80th anniversary of a massive US air raid on Tokyo to commemorate the 100,000 victims killed overnight. [Music] Ker lives in Japan with his family. He’s known as a jazz virtuoso with more than 100 million views on YouTube. Playing gigs and entertaining fans have always been a source of joy. But his work with Yagawa has brought a new dimension to his art. promote peace this way uh with the atomic piano and show how devastating war can be and how devastating nuclear bombs can be. That that message just really resonated with me and I felt like I want to be a part of that. Color began composing pieces with themes of war and peace. This February, he released an album featuring his original pieces, remembering war victims and praying for peace. For the album, he had immeasurable support from his wife Norico, his best critic. Sadly, she lost her battle with cancer just before its [Music] release. Now, Color is raising their two children alone. The thing that keeps him going is his resolve to be the best father he can be. And this includes sharing his message of peace. I think it’s important to teach my kids about, you know, what has happened and but that we need to work for the future and how important peace is in the world. And yeah, I I want to do my best to make them appreciate peace and become good human beings when they grow up. On children’s day, the trio is in a park in Tokyo on their mission. The distinctive strains of the scarred piano from the war carry in various ways. War is happening in everywhere even now. So most important things that fact is we need to promote the peace. no war. So he is the one American national playing the piano to promoting a piece. That’s the point. The whole kind of undoing this history, this bad history, isn’t it? You know, when we think that Japan and America fought in the war, it’s wonderful to see these two working together to touch all kinds of people’s hearts in their pursuit of world peace. I don’t know if we’re ever going to get to the point where there’s never a war. I mean, hopefully we do, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t work to make it better. I know he wants a peaceful place. I want to live in a peaceful place and we share that dream together. And so, yeah, I I do not want to give up. And I think it’s important that nobody gives up. The piano must have a player. And Jacob plays the piano while really understanding its feelings. That’s why he is able to touch audiences with the piano sound. I think that’s significant. An atomic bombed piano. It’s tuner and player. Their melody continues. Yumoto Jun NHK World Tokyo. The trio is set to do 20 more concerts this year in Japan and have more slated for next year. Their vision is to cross the seas over to the US and let their music of peace be heard.
A Hiroshima piano tuner, an atomic-bombed piano and an American jazz musician together create messages of peace. #japan #hiroshima #atomicbomb #music
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