The Firefighters

Story
One day in 2013, Maria, a Japanese university student studying abroad in New York, U.S. is with her aunt, Maria who comes and visits her from Japan. They visit the place where in the past the World Trade Center was standing. They walk to a church near there and stop at one monument. There decorated the relics of many firefighters who lost their lives in the 9.11 incident of a large-scale terrorism occurred here twelve years ago...

The messages we want to convey through drama
Overcoming the Grief
American terrorist attacks, that people all over the world was shocked. The incident was not the case of others, but it also carved deep shock and sorrow memory in the Japanese as well. Back in 2012, we visited St. Paul’s Church in New York where was the base for rescue operations for 9.11. There stored a lot of relics of the firefighters who passed away at their posts. Taking pride in their mission, those men fulfilled their duties. There is their chagrin, there is sadness of the bereaved families. Devoting our deep condolences to them, we produced this play.

Desire for Peace
The story and the setting of the play are completely fictional. In this play, even though we set a person to be a perpetrator, it does not mean to support or criticize some specific religions. The important point here is that we should not further strengthen the hatred against the heinous act of terrorism, but we need to stand on the view that the sad feeling of losing beloved family members is exactly the same for all the people in the world equally. And if we are based on this standpoint, this kind of sad incident will never occur in the future. We would like to keep on conveying this message.

Over the Differences
Still now in the world, wars and terrorist attacks are continuously occurring in the world. Can we keep on being indifferent to them because we are living far away from those places? What future will you entrust to the children? Not fighting each other, but we need to respect each other and take hands as the same family members living on Earth, overcoming the differences of human races, national cultures and religions. This is exactly the future of our Earth we need to choose, isn't it?


SAIKAI - REUNITED - Vow of HIROSHIMA -

Story
There was a boy born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan during World War II. His father went to war to fight for his country. His older sister was a mobilized student working in a munition factory. Their mother carefully watched over her children. They were not rich but they were happy together.

One summer morning, he left home with his mother to take lunch to his sister. When they arrived at the Industrial Promotion Hall, his mother said,
"Stay right here. Don't move. Alright?"
He replied,
"Yes, mother. Hurry back."
He kept his promise.

It was 8:15 in the morning August 6th, 1945.
The moment of destiny had come.

The messages we want to convey through drama
Bond of mother and child
An older sister and the younger brother who are considerate of each other while quarrelling. The mother who watches such children gently. It may be a figure of a common family anywhere. "Don't move." The boy who protected a favorite mother's order, stayed still in that place, and continued waiting for a mother's return. The words that anyone will speak of if it is mother. However, the words left a deep regret to the mother's heart.

Misery of nuclear weapons
There may not be a person who doesn’t know how cruel and miserable the first atomic bomb dropped on human beings on the history of man was. Hundreds of thousands of people's lives were deprived in an instant. Though the pains might be surely far beyond imagination, if there is the world called heaven, people who died are released from the pains, and it may be thought that they will live peacefully in heaven. However, if a way to heaven was shut by the power of the nuclear weapon …… The pains may still continue.

Than to shout against war
What we would like to tell is not only shouting loud, "Antiwar." With a beloved family, merely living peacefully without life being threatened. Is it a small wish common to all people of the world? I would like you to notice the common thought. Then, wars which wound each other will surely disappear. Neither hatred nor anger, but prayer for peace. It is the message we would like to convey.


Prayer of Mother Mary -A Miracle of NAGASAKI-



Story
It was during the Edo period (1603-1867), Japan. While Christianity was prohibited throughout the country, Christians in Nagasaki kept burning the flame of faith in secret despite of cruel suppression from Bakufu, the feudal government of that time. Oyuki was one of such "underground Christians." Guidance by Father Giuseppe, chat with her best friend Omoto. When she prayed to a Maria-Kannon statue with those committed people, was the only time she could forget daily pains...

As time went by, it is in present day, Japan. College students Maria and Yosuke met a woman in a wheelchair, Rie, at Nagasaki where they went during summer vacation. Rie was a woman who had a mysterious power. "You two are related to Mother Mary," told Rie to Maria and Yosuke. Intrigued by her words, they decided to accompany her to Urakami Cathedral. What was the purpose of Rie's visit there? Were the two really related to Mother Mary? At 8 o'clock on the night of August 8th, a miracle moment has come...

The messages we want to convey through drama
Desperate faith
Nagasaki is the place that is closely related to Christianity. It was strongly impressed by the existence of the underground Christians who persisted in their faith in spite of the risk of their lives in the times when Christianity was oppressed. To step on just one picture. The believer who resisted it stubbornly though God is not in a picture. The strength of the faith was the limitlessly pure prayer for God itself. The faith was inherited by the believers who survived through persecution. That's the reason we cannot help asking a question "why" the atomic bomb was dropped on the head of the faithful who have the same beliefs.

Beyond the periods
This work is a tale in which the same person appears beyond the three periods of Edo, Showa, and the present age. Although there may be pointed out that the transmigration is a Buddhism thought and such thought is not in Christianity, we do not want to convey a Christian doctrine, but if there is a reincarnation, nothing was more foolish than the countries being opposed to each other and fighting for each other we thought. It is because probably we were once born in the country which we thought to be an enemy country.

As Earth family
There is no person who doesn’t pray for happiness of the family. I think the feeling to protect an important family is the same for all of us. Please enlarge the domain of the "family" just a little. If we think the earth is "one house" and we living there are all brothers and sisters, even if a country, a race and religion are different, we should respect each other and be able to harmonize. By the holy sacrifice of many people, we were able to learn the foolishness of war. We pray for these souls being peaceful, and we would like to pledge the realization of a peaceful world.


I Saw You in My Dream



I saw you in my dream
I was sending you off to a war
I woke up and I could not stop crying
I was crying my heart out

You are being with me in bed
And you are sleeping over the pillow
I just rubbed your hair softly
I was relieved it was only a dream

But why have I seen such a dream? (such a dream?)
Really vivid and sure it is
Might it be a memory of the far past
Remained deeply in my soul

Or on this very moment
Someone might have sent her beloved
Might it be such a too sorrowful image
Has coming up to my heart

I saw you in my dream
I was sending you off to a war
In the trees of a park, birds are singing
In the midst of a peaceful town

In the night
I've seen my these hands
They are going to change the world
Even by only the courage

But why have I seen such a dream? (such a dream?)
Now I can see the meaning
Because the battlefield near by are
Connecting over on our earth

On this time and moment
Someone is sending the dear person off
This such a too sorrowful reality
Is calling my heart

Next to me you are being
And you are sleeping like a log
A vow of peace I made myself deep in my heart
I am going to step forward

A single line of prayer is going over the sea
And may the light covering the world

Listen with the Heart



When you listen with the heart
You'll hear songs around you
Tender whisper of winds
Cheerful singing of birds

Just close your eyes
You'll find songs around you
Leaves rustling on a path
A stream murmuring over pebbles

There's no God, now I see
‘Cause He made me have a hard time
I'm left alone in dark place
It's grim, fearful, I can't stand it anymore

But one day, my teacher told me
About what musicians do
They close the eyes, then listen in the dark
To spin the notes into a melody

It's so miraculous
What my teacher told me is true
I see everything singing melody
I'm feeling the notes flowing all over the world
I dream
My melodies make someone smile

Take a listen with the heart
Can you hear the world sing
Leaves dancing in the breeze
Barley swinging in the wind
Just close your eyes
Let's feel the world sing
Waterdrops' song after the rain
Merry humming of honeybees

There is God, I can believe now
‘Cause I feel Him around me
He cannot be seen but watches over us
All the time with the amazing grace

Can you see my heart begin to sing out loud
Not all of precious things can be seen and touched
I'm feeling the love flowing all over the world
I gather
Melodies of love for a song for you


 このエントリーをはてなブックマークに追加
Top of page


About IAPG Activity Idea Works Activity History Gallery Donation Contact Japanese

Copyright (c) Inamori Art Project Group
All rights reserved.