PEOPLE

■ Tan’an, Atsuki Kokoro no Hi—an original opera created together with local residents

——By the way, what was the story of the original opera you wrote, Tan’an, Atsuki Kokoro no Hi—Egawa Tan’an no Nihon no Mirai ni Yoseru Omoi [Tan’an, the flame of a passionate heart—Tan’an Egawa’s thoughts on the future of Japan]? I have heard that you have continued to perform the piece using local volunteers, but can you tell us about your future plans for staging the opera?

The man who built the Nirayama Reverberatory Furnaces, Hidetatsu Egawa (1801–1855), was the pride of our hometown and was a historical hero. The Egawa family was the Edo-period “daikan,” or governor, of Izu-Nirayama, which was imperial land, and in each generation, the head of the family would take the name Tarozaemon. Hidetatsu was the 36th-generation head of the family. Tan’an was Hidetatsu’s nickname. Since 2001 marked the 200th anniversary of Hidetatsu’s birth, in what was formerly the town of Nirayama (prior to the consolidation with other towns that are part of Izunokuni), there was talk of creating an opera based on Tarozaemon as part of the commemorative events. I was a member of the Nirayama town council, and so it ended up that I would write the script. It is a 2-act, 11-scene opera.

In terms of why I was the one selected, in 1997, a hall was built in the town of Nirayama, the Nirayama Jidai Theater, and for its opening we put on an original opera, Yoritomo, with volunteers. At that time, I served as the stage director. That led to the establishment in 1999 of the Izu City Opera Association. In other words, we wanted to create more opportunities to appear onstage for those who graduated from vocal music programs at music colleges and then came back to their home towns. Those connections led to the creation of the original opera, Tan’an.

Since the first performance in 2001, we stage it annually without fail, not just in our town but also in cities like Shizuoka and Mishima, and last year we performed it in Ito too. We also were asked to perform at the National Cultural Festival, so in total there have been more than 30 performances. We are trying to catch up with the famous Yuzuru, which is another Japanese original opera. This year, there are plans to perform it in the city of Gojo, in Nara Prefecture, and we are also thinking of performing it in our sister-city of Nagaokakyo in Kyoto Prefecture.

——Now that you say that, coincidentally the timing of your writing the opera about Hidetatsu Egawa’s building of the Nirayama furnaces coincided with the very start of the plan for the “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution” in far-off Kyushu. It would be about a dozen years later that the World Heritage listing came to fruition.

That really was a “coincidence,” wasn’t it! At that point, never in my wildest dreams did I think it would become a World Heritage site. But, if I do say so myself, the opera Tan’an was very popular from the start and always draws big crowds—so much so that I get scolded that “It’s always standing room only!” We’ve created very beautiful sets as well, so it isn’t your run-of-the-mill amateur opera. (Laughs)

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The final scene of the opera, Tan’an, Atsuki Kokoro no Hi. Hidetoshi Egawa (eldest son and heir of Hidetatsu, who oversaw the completion of the furnaces after his father’s death) and others celebrate in front of the finished Nirayama Reverberatory Furnaces. From a performance in Shizuoka Prefecture in 2009 at the 24th National Cultural Festival. (Image courtesy of the City of Izunokuni）

——When you hear “the late days of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Izu, and opera,” probably most people would think of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. I wonder if we can’t someday have a “Madame Butterfly and Tarozaemon collaboration.” (Laughs) For example, in the summer tourist season, you could set up a temporary stage in the square or the parking lot in front of the Nirayama Reverberatory Furnaces and have an outdoor opera festival or a concert….

Hmm, I wonder…. Although it’s an opera set in the same era, the subject as well as the character and viewpoint of the main characters are completely different, so I hadn’t thought about that. (Laughs) Perhaps it would it would be good if the son of Madame Butterfly and Hidetake Egawa, the second son of Hidetatsu, meet in America and further pursue their dreams. Hidetake traveled to the U.S. with the Iwakura Mission and studied there.

Also, we have already held outdoor events many times, including firefly concerts and gala concerts, and have performed a scene from the opera. I think it would be great if we could plan to take advantage of opportunities to stage various musical and cultural events, for example planning and supporting relevant arts and cultural programs in conjunction with the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.