Nov

The Harmony of Hope: Tsunami Violins

by Janine Boylan on November 18, 2013

Tsunami violins illustrate cross-cultural contributions on the path to healing (Design by Muneyuki Nakazawa)

Muneyuki Nakazawa’s tsunami violins,
each with a solitary pine tree painted on its back.
Image courtesy of Classic for Japan Foundation

Healing with Cross-Cultural Contributions

If music is healing, then it follows that violins can also bring healing.

Master luthier Muneyuki Nakazawa has constructed two violins with the goal of bringing harmony and healing to a devastated Japanese community.

Moving from Disaster

After the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March of 2011, Nakazawa felt that he needed to do something for his community.

He visited the ruined shores of the city of Rikuzentakata, Japan, strewn with broken trees that had been ripped from the ground.

Nakazawa (right), with piles of wood for tsunami violins, illustrating the cross-cultural contributions on the path to healing (Image courtesy of Classic for Japan Foundation)

Nakazawa (right) at Rikuzentakata, with piles of wood broken by the tsunami.
Image courtesy of Classic for Japan Foundation

He couldn’t help but notice that a single miracle pine stood in the spot on the beach where nearly 70,000 pine trees had been rooted before the disaster.

Solitary pine tree, symbol for tsunami violins, illustrating cross-cultural contributions on the path to healing (Image by Takata Matsubara)

solitary pine tree
Image by Takata Matsubara

He had his “Oh, I see” moment: he would build violins from the splintered wood. Nakazawa worked with several local experts to choose and collect wood from the piles of rubble. Then he took the wood back to his shop where, over the next several months, he crafted the pieces into violins.

On the back of each, he painted the miracle pine, as a symbol of hope and continued life.

Muneyuki Nakazawa making tsunami violin, illustrating cross-cultural contributions on the path to healing (Image courtesy of Classic for Japan Foundation)

Muneyuki Nakazawa carves a tsunami violin.
Image courtesy of Classic for Japan Foundation

Continuing the Plan

But Nakazawa’s idea didn’t stop there.

Inspired by the Japanese tradition of folding 1,000 paper cranes to fulfill a wish, Nakazawa’s dream was to have the violins played by 1,000 people around the world. Taizo Oba worked with him to launch the project, named “The Bond Made of 1,000 Tones.”

In an interview with Yoree Koh of Wall Street Journal’s blog Japan Real Time, Nakazawa explains,

This isn’t a violin meant to play big concertos in a large concert hall. That should be left to other violins. I wanted to make a tender sounding violin that consoles people. This is a violin for the people in the disaster zones, for people who have grieved over lost loved ones and for the souls of those who died from this tragedy.

The project encourages anyone who wishes to play one of the instruments, young or old, experienced or amateur, to apply.

The Tour

Exactly one year after the devastating storm, on March 11, 2012, Israeli violinist Ivry Gitlis debuted the first violin at a benefit concert in Rikuzentakata. An audience member recorded the moment.

If the video does not display, watch it here.

Gitlis put the music he played in the violin case and handed it along to the next artist. Each person who plays is encouraged to add to the notes in the case.

Kimiko Nakazawa with tsunami violin, illustrating cross-cultural contributions on the path to healing (Image courtesy of Classic for Japan Foundation)

Kimiko Nakazawa
Image courtesy of Classic for Japan Foundation

Since then, the two violins have been featured around the world in the hands of artists from many cultures who support the effort of healing the community.

Nakazawa’s wife, renowned violinist Kimiko Nakazawa has performed with the violin.
Cairo-born violinist Atef Halim, who is French and plays regularly in Japan, has played tsunami violins in April and October of 2013. You can hear him playing a tsunami violin in a video posted October 27 on his Facebook page.
The Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan played a tsunami violin in Tokyo on July 7, 2013.
Kevin Chen of the World Civic Orchestra played one in New York City on June 9, 2013.
Juilliard graduate Erika Mitsui played a tsunami violin at the Japan Society in New York City on March 11, 2013. She was the 119th violinist to play the instrument.
The first duets of the violins were performed by Adrian Justus and his teacher, Mexico-based Japanese violinist Yuriko Kuronuma in January 2013.
French violinist Gérard Poulet played the violin in Tokyo in August 2012.

Gérard Poulet plays a tsunami violin, illustrating cross-cultural contributions on the path to healing (Image by Minoru Watanabe)

Gérard Poulet
Image by Minoru Watanabe

Moving into The Future

At the end of October, the violins were played inside the world’s first inflatable concert hall, a purple balloon-like structure called Ark Nova, in the hard-struck city of Matsushima, Japan. This partnership of violins and concert hall can travel to many of the other areas struck by the 2011 storm and help give the people a respite from the rebuilding that is still happening around them.

Nakazawa shared with The Japan Times,“The rebirth of (driftwood into) the two small violins can continue conveying what happened on March 11 beyond this generation.” He imagines that it will take years to fulfill his dream of 1,000 tones.

Violins built of broken wood, played by cross-cultural artists around the globe, are bringing a harmony of hope that is sure to continue for decades.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Janine Boylan 2 Comments

Clever Ideas/Japan/On the World Stage/The World's Music

Comments:

2 thoughts on “The Harmony of Hope: Tsunami Violins”

Bilbo violin on June 11, 2015 at 1:55 pm said:

Hi there.

Violin is my pasion. I am playing the violin for so long bud I realy never knew that they were made like this.
And awlso all this information that you just learned me its crazy thanks alot for that!

cheers Bilbo
Pingback: Rikuzentakata’s Symbol of Hope and Recovery | The last hero's blog

World Views:

Topics