March 12, 2026
◎Osaka Castle Plum Grove 2026: A Historic Performance in Rome, and the Resonance of Natsuho Murata’s Genius
My first visit of the year to Osaka Castle and its plum grove was on February 19.
The original concept of this work was to pair the photographs taken on February 22 with Haydn: String Quartet No. 82 in G major, Op. 77-1 (Lobkowitz Quartets), performed at Natsuho Murata’s invitational recital in Rome.
However, because the piece extends to approximately twenty-four minutes, I did not have enough photographs to sustain that original concept.
When I looked back over this year’s photographs of Osaka Castle Plum Grove, I realized that February 19 was the only day on which I encountered Japanese white-eyes among the plum blossoms.
Moreover, the photographs from that day captured the clearest air and the keenest sharpness of all my Osaka Castle Plum Grove photographs this year.
Including the cropped images that fully draw upon the power of the SONY α1, I believe this became my most memorable record of Osaka Castle Plum Grove this year.
For production reasons, those photographs were placed at the end of the work.
Please remain with it until the final frame.
This work is not only a visual record of plum blossoms, Japanese white-eyes, and Osaka Castle.
It is also a work created to make known to the world the historic fact that Japan has given rise to a violinist of the century, Murata Natsuho.
The music used in this work is drawn from a historic performance in Rome, where Murata Natsuho was invited to appear.
This work was created to inscribe that historic fact upon the world through my photographs and Murata Natsuho’s supreme resonance.
Music
Haydn: String Quartet No. 82 in G major, Op. 77-1
(Lobkowitz Quartets)
From Natsuho Murata’s invitational recital in Rome
A historic performance
Camera
SONY α1