Nara's Historic Grand Piano

Nara Women's University (奈良女子大学), Nara
(By OhMyDeer, Wikipedia)

University's Yamaha Grand Piano (Serial #1749; 1909)




In 1909, just one year after its founding, this ornate Yamaha grand piano was bought by Nara Women's University (then called Nara Joshi Koto Shihan Gakko; 奈良女子高等師範学校) for its use. After many years of use and the World War II, the piano was locked away and forgotten in a storage building for decades until it was discovered in June, 2005.

Nippon Gakki Company (日本楽器製造株式会社; now called Yamaha Corporation) was founded by Torakusu Yamaha (山葉寅楠) in 1887, and it produced its first grand piano in 1902. The grand piano in Nara Women's University was made just seven years after the company's first production.

The piano itself has 85 keys, which is less than 88 keys that the modern grand pianos have. According to historic records the piano was purchased by a man named Fumi Rokurou Naitou (内藤文六郎), who paid 1000 yen, which was an extraordinary sum at the time. (For a comparison, a new government official (college graduate) then received 55 yen per month)

Having seen so many mechanical and plastic looking Yamaha pianos, I feel rather amazed that Yamaha produced such a beautiful piano back in 1909.

The First Day, Fall Semeter

Today was marked by numerous yet vivid dreams.



In a first dream, I dreamed that I was going to a war. I was to drive a small airplane, and I was shaken with a fear of dying. Actually, I was rather more afraid of dying by an explosion/crash involving fire. My father bought me a single fish for preparation, which outrageously costed $3000.

In a second dream, I dreamed that I was in Paris. To ecape people who were chasing me without a reason, I escaped the Paris Opera by getting into a secret wooden elevator, which went down and somehow connected to a dazzling, marble-floored shopping mall. After existing the mall, I saw the city. The city was almost surreal and futuristic, with deep dark blue skies, brilliant signs, and imposing buildings. Notre Dame looked beautiful. It was winter.

In a third dream, I dreamed that I was in some kind of a fantasy card contest. I became the last one to survive and to finish.



Between these dreams, I found myself in classrooms, listening to the first lectures of the semester. I took two naps between lectures, for I was tired from driving yesterday, and each time I woke up with my dream still lingering in my memory.


Sometimes I wish I could live in a dream and see the end.

Modern Boy (2008)

I just watched this movie, Modern Boy (모던보이), which was released in October, 2008, in Korea. When I first saw the movie's poster/trailer, I was intrigued most by the movie's historic setting (Seoul in 1937) and wanted to watch it since then.

The movie, directed by Jiwoo Jeong (정지우) and based on an award-winning Korean novel 망하거나 죽지 않고 살 수 있겠니 (Trans: Can You Live and Not Be Destroyed or Dead), portrays a love story between two unlikely lovers, who live during one of the most turbulent and uncertain times in Korean history. It moreover notably recreates the city scenes of colonial Seoul (then called Gyeongseong; 경성) in a scale that was not attempted before. The two lovers are played by a famous actor named Heil Park (박해일) and an actress named Hyesoo Kim (김혜수).

Jiwoo Jeong, in my opinion, did a good job in capturing the atmosphere marked by hidden ironies and contradictions present in Korea during that time. I particularly loved the scene where the couple slowly travels on a street car while the darkness ominously engulfs all around it. The movie starts with a comical twist but becomes very serious in the end.

Perhaps this was to be expected and appropriate.