World of Japanese Picture Books
Brought to Life through Reading and Music
The World of Japanese Picture Books is an educational programme introducing a fascinating Japanese culture, which pianist and composer Motoki Hirai has been promoting globally as Artistic Director since 2007. It provides a true platform for participatory international cultural exchange.
(2007 - 2012)
Video Edited by Noriko Sugiura
【Background】
The project began in 2007, when the prevailing Japanese Ambassador to Denmark, Masaki Okada, initiated the Japan Culture Festival to be held in Frederikshavn in August that year, which would introduce the audience to the fantastic world of Japanese picture books through ‘Reading, Music and Images’. He commissioned composer-pianist Motoki Hirai, who happened to be in Copenhagen for piano recitals, to write music based on and inspired by three picture books including one by the famous Kenji Miyazawa, and thus ‘A Suite of Picture Books’ was born.
For its world première on 17 August 2007, at which the mayor of Frederikhavn and many foreign diplomats were present, images from the stories were shown while a prominent Danish actress read the three stories in Danish, preceded and followed by the four pieces of music Hirai had newly written, performed live by two violinists. It received great acclaim as ‘a project which has depths in its content in that it is artistically excellent and highly entertaining yet significant in terms of “introducing a culture unique to Japan, encouraging cultural dialogues between nations, and promoting education”’.
In 2008, the piece saw its UK première (read in English for the first time) at the Westminster Academy, London, for senior school students (supported by the Japanese Embassy as well as the Japan Society in the UK, and sponsored by All Nippon Airways) and was received with great enthusiasm.
Since its successful première in Denmark, the ‘World of Japanese Picture Books’ has been performed in many countries in a variety of languages across the UK, Europe, the USA, Middle East and Africa at venues including theatres, concert halls, festivals, institutes and schools.
【Project Aim and Significance】
1. It is a fresh attempt at bringing both classic and contemporary Japanese picture books and fairy tales, including those which have been loved by many for so long and translated into several languages, to the world through a collaboration between images, reading and live music.
2. It allows the audience outside of Japan to appreciate and relish the unique Japanese culture, made ever more charming by the beautiful pictures which is very different from the manga (anime) or TV games that have become hugely popular.
3. It provides a true platform for participatory international cultural exchange (e.g. in the 2012 performances in Israel, the Jews and Arabs performed together, representing hopes to achieve peace through ‘soft power’). The flexible setup allows for the reading to be done in Japanese or in the local language, whilst the performers can be either or more often a mixture of both. Picture books and folklores from other countries maybe introduced as well, which could act as an interesting cultural comparison.
4. There are profound messages and universal themes embedded in each of the stories which are particularly relevant to the modern society - including environmental issues, human greed or arrogance, the side effect of civilization, peace, life and death, and family ties. The music is placed in such a way to enhance the experience.
5. The stories, the pictures and the music together create fantastic high-quality entertainment which can be enjoyed by adults and children alike.
【Overview】
Picture Books：
‘A Tree of Courage’
Story by Ryusuke Saito （1971）
Pictures by Jiro Takidaira (1971)
Published by Iwasaki Shoten (1971）
‘The Restaurant of Many Orders’
Story by Kenji Miyazawa (1924)
Pictures by Koji Suzuki (1987)
Published by Miki House (1987)
‘A Cat Who Lived A Million Times’
Story and pictures by Yoko Sano（1977）
Published by Kodansha (1977)
‘Urashima-Taro’
Story – Traditional (ca. 5th century)
Pictures by Shiro Kasamatsu (1953)
Published by Kodansha (1953)
‘Run, Melos!’
Story by Osamu Dazai (1940)
Pictures by Tuuga Takeuchi （2009）
Published by Holp Shuppan (2009)
‘The Cat and Tanabata’
Story by Shinsuke Takasaki (2013)
Pictures by Pana Stamos (2013)
Published by Oxford Brookes University (2013)
‘The Grateful Crane’
Story – Traditional (ca. 9th century)
Pictures by Peter Daly (2013)
Published by Oxford Brookes University (2013)
‘Hana-Oni’
Story by Bunnoh Fujisawa (2006)Pictures by Toshiya Kobayashi（2006）
Published by Bungeisha (2006)
Music：
‘Suite for 3 Picture Books’
Composed by Motoki Hirai (2007)‘Music for “A Tree of Courage” ’
Composed by Motoki Hirai (2007)
‘Music for “The Restaurant of Many Orders” ’
Composed by Motoki Hirai (2011)
‘Music for “A Cat Who Lived A Million Times” ’
Composed by Motoki Hirai (2011)
‘Music for “Urashima-Taro” ’
Composed by Motoki Hirai (2012)
‘Music for “Run, Melos!” ’
Composed by Motoki Hirai (2013)
‘Music for “The Cat and Tanabata” ’
Composed by Motoki Hirai (2014)
‘Music for “The Grateful Crane” ’
Composed by Motoki Hirai (2014)
‘Music for “Hana-Oni” ’
Composed by Motoki Hirai (2014)
【Instrumentation】
Two Violins or Piano Solo(with Japanese Taiko Drum, Cello, Viola, Flute or Japanese Bamboo Flute, optional)
【Duration】
10 – 90 mins*
*Each of the Picture Books can be performed on its own or can be combined in any order to fit the venue or meet any time constraints, giving it great flexibility. It can be combined with poetry reading, lecture, roundtables and panel discussions. They can be used as part of a concert programme as well.
【Suggested Programme l】
| Music 1： Prologue | (c. 3 mins) |
| Reading (& Images)： 'A Tree of Courage' | (c. 8 mins) |
| Music 2： Interlude | (c. 3 mins) |
| Reading (& Images)： 'The Restaurant of Many Orders' | (c. 17-25 mins) |
| Music 3： Romanza | (c. 4 mins) |
| Reading (& Images)： 'A Cat Who Lived A Million Times' | (c. 8 mins) |
| Music 4： Epilogue | (c. 4 mins) |
| ~Interval~ | |
Reading and Music* with Images： ‘Urashima-Taro’ |
(c. 30-40 mins)
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【Suggested Programme II】
| Reading and Music* with Images： ‘A Tree of Courage’ | (c. 15 mins) |
| Reading and Music* with Images： ‘A Cat Who lived A Million Times’ ( * short musical pieces are played between each scene) |
(c. 15 mins) |
【Capacity】
Anywhere between 30 and 1,000
【Venues】
Theatres, Art Centres, Concert Halls, Museums, Embassies or Consulate Buildings, Cultural Institutes, Schools, Colleges, Universities, Nurseries, Research Institutes, Hospitals, Care Homes, Conference Rooms, Multi Media Rooms, Festivals, Japan-related Events, etc.
【Media ＆ Press Reviews】
‘…In the modern era plagued by nationalism, tribalism, religious conflicts and poverty, I believe there are many wonderful aspects of Japanese culture that we can introduce to the world signified by this fantastic project – I sincerely hope that it will be shared with and passed onto the Japanese younger generation in particular, as well as globally.’
# Chopin Magazine (Hanna: July 2014)
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# ‘Miwaku-no Denmark’, written by Masaki Okada (Former Ambassador to Denmark), (Shinhyoron: 2012) |
# Monetary and Fiscal Business (Jiji Press: 28 May, 2012) ‘…In the modern era plagued by nationalism, tribalism, religious conflicts and poverty, I believe there are many wonderful aspects of Japanese culture that we can introduce to the world signified by this fantastic project – I sincerely hope that it will be shared with and passed onto the Japanese younger generation in particular, as well as globally.’ ----- Monetary and Fiscal Business (Jiji Press)
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【Notable Performances】
August, 2007
Supported by: Embassy of Japan in Denmark, etc. |
November, 2008
Supported by: Embassy of Japan in the UK, Japan Society, Westminister Academy June, 2011
Supported by: Unicorn Theatre, Embassy of Japan in the UK, etc. |
July, 2011
Organised by: Embassy of Japan in Slovakia |
October, 2011
Organised by: Embassy of Japan in Lithuania |
December, 2011
Organised by: Japan Society of the UK, etc. |
February, 2012
Organised by: Embassy of Japan in Lithuania |
March, 2012
Organised by: Japan Cornwall Society |
March, 2012
Sponsored by: ANA, Sharp, SAFEWAY, etc. |
September, 2012
Organised by: Embassy of Japan in Tanzania |
November, 2012
Organised by: Embassy of Japan in Palestine and Israel |
November, 2012
Organised by: Embassy of Japan in Israel |
June, 2013
Organised by: Japanese Language Committee of the Association for Language Learning, Japan Foundation, Embassy of Japan in the UK |
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| Country: | Slovakia 【Slovakia première of ‘Urashima-Taro’】 |
| Venue: |
Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava - Dvorana Concert Hall |
| Audience: | Adults (Diplomats, etc.) and Children |
| Reading: Readers: |
Slovak Jana Soucova |
| Music: | Piano Solo (World première of the piano version for ‘Urashima-Taro’) |
Organised by: Embassy of Japan in Slovakia
Supported by: VSMU Bratislava, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, etc
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| Country: | UK
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| Venue: Haifa: |
Pegasus Theatre (Oxford) |
| Audience: | University Students and Adults |
| Reading: Readers: |
Japanese and English Japanese: NHK Broadcaster, Students of Department of English and Modern Languages (Oxford Brookes University) |
| Music: | Piano Solo |
Organised by: Suzuko Anai and Keisuke Honda (Department of English and Modern Languages)
Supported by: Oxford Brookes University, Brookes Festival 2014
Sponsored by: Japan Foundation
【Past Performances】 (Music Only)
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