60th Anniversary of Hiroshima Bomb

August 6th, London.

On Saturday, I attended a 60th Anniversary ceremony and exhibition dealing with the bombing of Hiroshima. It is such an unimagineable atrocity, and so alarming to watch the profileration of nuclear weapons today. I was struck by the message of the Buddhist priest, who talked about the importance of inner peace in achieving peace in the world. Meanwhile, we could all here the police sirens and helicopters passing through central London, which formed a backdrop to the ceremony up on the rooftop garden at the Brunei Gallery. Somehow the message seems very close to home after the London bombings . The exhibition continues for several weeks, and features an interesting array of artworks from British and Japanese artists inspired by the events. I was particularly moved by the wall made from paper cranes! For me, the traditional symbol seemed the most powerful.

http://www.afterhiroshima.org/

Up on the rooftop garden, I got a chance to play 'Rokkudan' as part of the Japan Music Society from SOAS.


Then a personal highlight was to play a 20 minutes solo set on the shamisen down in the gallery. The shamisen is a traditional Japanese three-stringed instrument used in a wide variety of ways across the various genres of Japanese music. I played three 'kouta' or short songs, followed by one faster tsugaru pieice and one section of a nagauta piece from the play 'miyakodari'. Then I closed with another series of three kouta pieces. I enjoyed playing in the space, and hopefully playing a supportive role adding to the mood in the gallery room.



Lots of supportive friends came out. Thanks guys!