My mother was an "entry survivor." She was 20 when she left Hiroshima on August 5th to go to Etajima, an island not far from Hiroshima, to visit the family of a student who was boarding at her house. That chance visit saved her life.

On the 7th, she began searching for her parents, a search that continued day after day. During her search, she saw "a hell much worse than hell."

Kazuo Murakami, professor emeritus of Tsukuba University and an authority in cytogenetics, passed away recently. I will never forget the passion with which he declared, "Japanese culture and traditions will save the world!"

During the Heian Period (794-1185), Kobo Daishi, founder of the Shingon Sect of Buddhism, worked to reconcile Japan’s ancient Shinto with his new religion, Buddhism. Many wars have been fought over religion, but the syncretic fusion of Shintoism and Buddhism infused Japanese culture with an open-minded acceptance of all religions.

I am hereby donating a music video that features Scarborough Fair, a well-known anti-war song by Simon and Garfunkel, arranged with ancient Japanese court music, some of the oldest orchestral music in the world. The visual setting is Mount Misen, the mountain on Miyajima Island declared sacred by Kobo Daishi, with cuts to the Flame of Peace in Hiroshima Peace Park.

Japanese traditional music has the power to purify and heal the wounded soul. My most fervent desire is to convey through music to people around the world the spirit of Hiroshima.

August 6, 2021
Kimoto Izumi