A Beautifully Melancholy "Flower Rain"

"kizunaworld.org" was initiated by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Tomoyasu Hirano. Under the concept of "doing everything one can as an individual," the project widely gathers and offers works from artists both in Japan and overseas who support the initiative, soliciting donations. This activity continues to provide ongoing support, connecting individual sentiments beyond its second year.

The 26th work is a collaboration that combines visuals created by Italian filmmaker Giuseppe La Spada with music by Mr. Sakamoto.

Faintly graduated pink visuals──As the focus gradually sharpens, it becomes clear it's a close-up of cherry blossoms. Mr. Sakamoto's piano then begins to layer over it. For most Japanese people, this title would immediately be read as "Hana no Ame" (Flower Rain). A title that evokes beauty, yet also a sense of melancholy... one could say it's a visual work reflecting La Spada's state of mind.

La Spada describes the work: "My heart is filled with sadness when I think about what happened in Tohoku. In Japanese, there's a word 'kurū' (to go mad), but to me, it sounds like 'kuru' (to dance). The actions of people fraught with madness. As if cherry petals are dancing around that madness."




The work operates on a donation system where any amount from ¥1,000 (1 unit) to ¥20,000 (20 units) can be donated via PayPal for download. The entirety of the collected donations (excluding payment processing fees) is equally distributed to five representative organizations in the fields of "medical care," "children," "food," "housing," and "energy" as "support needed now" in the affected areas, with donations made quarterly.




〈Donation Recipients〉

"Doctors Without Borders Japan" | Medical activities and pharmaceutical procurement, focusing on mental healthcare in Ohtsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture.

"Children's Music Revival Fund" | Instrument repair and provision, and support for music activities in educational institutions.

"Sunrise Genkimura Project" | Support delivering rice to the elderly living in temporary housing.

"Voluntary Architects Network Shigeru Ban / Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami Support Project" | Support through the installation of simple partition systems for evacuation shelters.

"Institute for Energy Economics and Energy Policy - Connection & Warmth Project" | Support for disaster-stricken areas through solar, solar thermal, and biomass energy.