On Wednesday, November 27, we gave a dedication performance at a memorial service for the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and a prayer for the reconstruction of the affected areas (hosted by Todaiji Temple and Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine). The venue was the Great Buddha Hall of Todaiji Temple in the southern capital!
Following the performance at Horyu-ji Temple for “OTOBUTAI” hosted by Mainichi Broadcasting System in September, this was the second time for us to perform at a Buddhist temple on our pilgrimage to ancient temples in Nara.

This time, we were given a rare opportunity by Mr. Koyo Morimoto, a priest of Todaiji Temple and the abbot of Shoryoin, who was a close friend of Director Ryuichi Sakamoto, to perform at the memorial service for the 311 victims that is held every year with Tsuruoka Hachiman Shrine.

Here is a picture of the two of them on March 12, 2007, when Director Sakamoto visited The Shuni-e Ceremony（Omizutori）.

The members of the quartet selected by the Tohoku Youth Orchestra alighted at JR Nara Station.

We left our luggage at a hotel near the station and headed for Todaiji Temple without a break.
Of course, we rented a meeting place right next to the Great Buddha Hall for a last minute tune-up.

Here are the four members.

First violinist Ms. Yoshiko Izawa (born in Miyagi Prefecture, 4th year university student)

Second violinist Ms. Kyoka Date (born in Fukushima Prefecture, 3rd year university student)

Viola player Ms. Yuri Naganuma (born in Fukushima Prefecture, 3rd year university student)

Cello player Ms. Yuri Naganuma (born in Fukushima Prefecture, 4th year university student)

After practicing the three pieces, we headed to the Daibutsuden, the venue for the main performance, where time for sound checks was limited.

A stage was set up for today's ceremony, and we played a few notes while being watched by many tourists (80% of whom were foreigners). When the quartet finished playing, they were greeted with applause.

The most important audience of the day was the Great Buddha.

It is a rare honor to be able to perform in front of the Great Buddha.

The following is the program of the “Memorial Service for the Victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Prayer for Reconstruction” which has been held every year since 311 under the auspices of the two temples and shrines.

This is the first performance at a religious event in the history of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, as it is a dedication performance at a solemn ceremony that transcends the differences between Shintoism and Buddhism. The reason why the combination of this event at this temple and shrine has a history that goes back to the battle of Genpei. It took 10 years to rebuild the temple, and in 1195, Minamoto no Yoritomo, who became a barbarian general, and his wife Hojo Masako led tens of thousands of soldiers from Kamakura to attend the memorial service to celebrate the completion of the Great Buddha. The event was held at the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine in Kamakura. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura was founded as the guardian deity of the Minamoto clan. In fact, the prayer ceremony was the result of the relationship between Todaiji Temple and Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine for over 800 years.

After being politely introduced, Ms. Takahashi, who was in charge of not only the cello but also the MC, greeted the audience.

Today We would like to dedicate a piece composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
The first piece we will perform is “Aqua".
This piece was composed by Director Sakamoto in 1998 for his daughter, Miu Sakamoto, a singer. Since then, it has become a standard concert piece as an instrumental piece with his own piano solo. Last year, “Aqua” was used as the soundtrack for the film “Monster,” which won an award at the Cannes International Film Festival.
Ms.Naganuma, who plays the viola, said of “Aqua,” “The beautiful melody is very moving.
I especially like the part where the accompaniment adds warmth.” She says.”

Ms.Izawa, who plays the first violin, said of this piece, “When I participated in the reconstruction ceremony in Rikuzentakada with Mr. Sakamoto, this was one of the pieces we played with the piano quintet. I was very much impressed by what the director said at that time about water being important for our survival. I also like the melody that gently envelops us!” She said.
As you just commented, “Aqua” means “water” in Latin. Shunie, also known as “Omizutori"(means Taking the water), is held here at Todaiji Temple every year for two weeks starting on March 1. Before his death, Mr.Sakamoto participated in The Shuni-e Ceremony throughout the night and left behind a body of work inspired by this experience. I hope that Director Ryuichi Sakamoto is still smiling and watching over us in this hall as we perform. Please listen to the music.”

The delicate harmony of string music echoed serenely through the hall, and the monks and guests in attendance said that this performance of “Aqua” brought tears to their eyes.

The second piece was composed by Mr. Sakamoto when he was a member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). Ms.Date, who plays second violin today, said, “I like this piece because it has a sophisticated rhythm that creates a unique sense of tension while at the same time providing a cool melody line. She says, “I like it because it has a sophisticated rhythm, a unique tension, and a cool melody line.
The song we will be playing, “Behind the Mask,” is a masterpiece by Sakamoto that has been covered by many of the greatest pop and rock musicians in the West, including Michael Jackson and Eric Clapton.
Gigaku, a Chinese traditional performing art, is a masked drama that has been passed down from generation to generation here at Todaiji Temple, where valuable masks and masks have been left behind. We are grateful for the opportunity to perform in connection with the masks.
Now, please listen.”

"We are going to end the concert with a piece that is one of the most popular pieces in Ryuichi Sakamoto's oeuvre. I would like to end with one of Ryuichi Sakamoto's most famous songs."

Ms.Takahashi really took on the heavy responsibility of hosting the event by standing as if he was talking to the Great Buddha.
“I wonder if any of you have seen the movie ‘Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence’? I am glad to see so many of you nodding your heads. Thank you very much.
I find this song very appealing. “I love the overlapping of the bells and clappers in this original piece, which I feel represents both the West and Japan at the same time, and the charming Christmas feeling it gives.”
Is “Merry Christmas” appropriate in front of the Great Buddha and inside a Buddhist temple hall? Although we thought so, we will play it with our prayers, with a feeling of being surrounded by the compassion of the gracious Great Buddha, with a feeling of offering to those who died in the Great East Japan Earthquake, and with a feeling of reconstruction in the future. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” is the main theme. Please listen.”

The sound of the rain that began to fall at the time of the opening ceremony and the sound of the four musicians playing in concert in the Great Buddha Hall created the unique sound of music that could only be heard here and now.

The quartet successfully completed the performance.

The Great Buddha listened to us in the front row and received their sound and also served as an echo board. Therefore, on this day, the performance was an ensemble of the Tohoku Youth Orchestra quartet, the Great Buddha, the rain, and the prayers of the Great Buddha Hall.

Even after the dedication performance, there was a sense of tension without smiles in the solemn space, but everyone had a look of accomplishment on their faces.

The event concluded with greetings from Shigeho Yoshida, chief priest of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, and chief priest Kimihide Hashimura of Todaiji Temple.

Mr.Yoshida spoke emphatically, “We must continue to pray for the people affected by the disaster so that they can find comfort in their hearts and minds.
Mr.Hashimura made a vow of prayer for the continuing disasters, saying, “It is important to remember that disasters will happen as long as we live and to keep our palms together.

After the ceremony, I was approached by an attendee. To see who it was, it was Yasuhiro Ushiro of Beethoven's Ninth “Tsunagaru Chorus,” which had been planned for the 2022 regular concert. He came all the way from Himeji to join us. Thankfully, our connection has continued even after our performance together.

Mr.Hashimura explained that the rain that fell only during the ceremony was a force of nature that human beings have no control over. In the context of Japanese religion, which is prone to natural disasters, I felt that this view of nature transcended the differences between Shintoism and Buddhism, and I felt that I saw the origin of religion in “prayer,” which is a syncretism between Shintoism and Buddhism.
The time of offering and prayer with “water” seemed appropriate for this day and time. I also felt that Director Sakamoto loved the rain.

We received further information about the sound of the ensemble from Mr. Kojyo Morimoto, who was serving on the pedestal of the Great Buddha. He said, “Just as we were finishing our performance, you may have heard the sound of a bell in the distance. That sound is the great bell of Todaiji Temple, which was built in the Nara period (710-794). It is rung at 20:00 every day, but since the memorial service started a little earlier, everyone had a session with the sound of the Nara period as well🎼.

These smiling members were finally able to rest after being invited by the organizers to a consolation party for those involved.

However, at the beginning of the meeting, following the Todaiji Temple and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, we were “recklessly” asked to have a representative from the Tohoku Youth Orchestra greet the audience.

Of course, I asked this person.

I was worried, but she was strong enough to improvise!

This was a truly dignified address, which was met with applause and words of praise from the Todaiji elders (all of whom had served as chief priest) and everyone else present.

The closing address was given by Elder Kosei Morimoto, father of Mr.Kojyo Morimoto.

He is the oldest and most vigorous elder of the temple at the age of 90 years old, and is also the author of the book “Todaiji no natachi　(The History of Todaiji Temple)” (Iwanami publishing).

It was past 23:00 when we arrived at our accommodation.

But they found a Christmas tree and took a picture. The reindeer looked like deer in Nara.

The next day, on the train from Nara to Kyoto, I sat next to Ms. Date, the violinisy. Mr. Date has been a member of the orchestra since the 8th term, two terms ago.
I asked her, “Why did you join the Tohoku Youth Orchestra? Why did you join the Tohoku Youth Orchestra?”
Mr. Date replied, “With its high level image, I thought it was very out of my league until I entered university. But I wanted to meet Ryuichi Sakamoto. It's a shame I didn't get to meet him after all, because my first real performance was at the Mahler V concert in 2023.”
Sakamoto passed away two days later, as if to witness the last Tokyo performance of that season.
"Where were you at the time of 311?"
“My father had been transferred to another town and we had moved to Okuma six months earlier. We had a house three kilometers from the nuclear power plant, and when I was in an evacuation center right after the earthquake, a Self-Defense Forces officer came to me and told me, “Please leave here and run away. Since then, I have never returned to my home in Okuma. My father went there only once to pick up some valuables wearing protective clothing. The school lunch lady was swept away by the tsunami.
"I didn't know we had been through such a hard time. That remains as a strong memory even for a first grader, doesn't it?"
"Yes, so I am very glad that yesterday's performance was an opportunity for me to pay my deepest condolences to the victims."

We would like to sincerely appreciate Todaiji Temple and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine for giving us this precious opportunity to give a dedication performance.

We would like to ask for your continued support for the Tohoku Youth Orchestra.
We will do our best to respond to your requests for performances, so please feel free to contact us.

From being supported,
to supporting others.

Tohoku Youth Orchestra
empowered by Ryuichi Sakamoto