The Nippon Foundation and Nippon Music Foundation
The Nippon Music Foundation is a strategic partner and division of The Nippon Foundation.
The Nippon Foundation
www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/eng
“The World is one family; all mankind are brothers and sisters.”
-Ryoichi Sasakawa, Founder of The Nippon Foundation
The Nippon Foundation was established in 1962 as a non-profit philanthropic organization, active both in Japan and abroad. Since the beginning, its efforts to bolster the domestic development of the island nation of Japan have focused largely on the maritime and shipping fields. As the years have gone by, it has expanded its activities to include such fields as education, social welfare and public health, both within Japan and in more than a hundred countries to date.
The Foundation’s fundamental aim is the realization of a peaceful and prosperous global society, in which none need struggle to secure their basic human rights. Towards this goal, it is essential on the one hand to respect the different value systems embraced by the world’s many cultures, but on the other to transcend the political, religious, racial and national boundaries that divide the world.
The Foundation works to not be blindly influenced by precedent, but rather proactively seek out alternative solutions to the world’s problems, enacting them expediently. It feels a strong sense of responsibility and mission in working together with the people of the world. For the sake of humankind and the world in general, the Foundation brings together the world’s wisdom, using it to transform society.
The Nippon Music Foundation
www.nmf.or.jp/english
“Each of the instruments in our collection is very dear to us. However, the extent of the devastationfacing Japan is very
serious and we feel that everyone and every organization should make some sacrifice for those affected by this tragedy.”
-Kazuko Shiomi, President of The Nippon Music Foundation
The Nippon Music Foundation strives to make global contributions through music, the universal language for all people. Established in March 1974 to enhance music culture both domestically and internationally, it acts as a custodian of some of the world’s top-quality stringed instruments such as those made by Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri ‘del Gesù’. It currently owns 21 instruments (19 Stradivari and two Guarneri ‘del Gesù’) and one of its main objectives today is to make both short and long term loans of these exquisite instruments at no charge to world-renowned musicians as well as promising young players, regardless of nationality
The Foundation is committed to preserving these stringed instrument masterpieces, regarded as cultural assets of the world, so that they can be enjoyed by future generations. It organizes benefit concerts worldwide, with musicians playing more than ten Stradivari instruments on loan from the Foundation. These concerts provide opportunities for classical music lovers to fully enjoy the timbre of these superb instruments. Full proceeds are donated to the local organizations to be used for projects to promote classical music.
The Foundation also provides grants to support a variety of classical music projects including concerts, workshops and seminars organized by other organizations. The Foundation’s activities are made possible by the generous support of The Nippon Foundation.
