Violins Made from Pine Trees Damaged in Japan's 2011 Earthquake Disaster Tell Stories to Future Generations through Music

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Muneyuki Nakazawa, a veteran violin craftsman and restorer, and supporters launched a group on December 1, 2012 named "Inochi o Tsunagu Kodama no Kai" (roughly translated as "Wood Spirit Association to Link Lives") to contribute to the recovery of communities that suffered from the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. In this project, the wood used to make violins is taken from trees that grew in the areas affected by the earthquake and then played in honor of the victims. Through these activities, the association aims to convey to future generations the impact of the earthquake by reminding people of what happened.

Now, different patrons in various places are organizing a concert series, titled "Human Bonds of a Thousand Tones," managed by Classic for Japan Foundation, featuring violins made from the trees that went through the earthquake. The plan is for more than one thousand violinists in Japan and around the world to play these violins in concert performances over the next decade.