At last his shinkansen train arrived at
Nagoya Station. Takashi Kinoshita picked up his violin case and bag and stepped
down onto the platform. He had not told anyone that he would return to Nagoya
that day, because he did not like to be surrounded by his fans, newspapermen,
and TV reporters. He had had more than enough of camera flashes in New York,
London, and Paris. His performance had been labeled “God’s fiddling.”
While Takashi was walking on the platform, he wore his hat low over his mustached
face so that no one would identify him. He returned to Japan after a 20 year
absence. He had left Nagoya for New York at the age of 17. He had won the first
prize in the Tokyo International Violin Competition and received a grant to
study the violin in New York. Since that time he had not returned to Japan.
He took a subway to visit his former music professor
at Chubu University of Arts. He thought some passengers would notice him. He
hated too much commotion around him but deep in his mind he wanted some people
to notice him. To hear them say, “Look, isn’t that Mr. Kinoshita, the famous violinist?” and pretend that he was not hearing them gave him satisfaction. However, the passengers were texting, reading books, talking with their friends, or taking a nap.
A little bit irritated at their indifference, he coughed intentionally. Nobody
paid attention to him. He thought, “People in Nagoya are all blind. Here I am, a
world famous violinist, and no one notices me. What country bumpkins!”
Soon he reached the Chubu University of Art. He
walked slowly towards the Music Department. Several students were walking
towards him, some with violin cases in their arms. “Surely, they will notice
me,” he said to himself and purposefully walked slowly with an erect posture. As
he was passing them, he looked at them hard. He even locked his eyes on one of
them, but they did not identify him.
Disappointed, he walked onto the Music Department campus. No one noticed him. He could not believe that he was walking on the music department campus.
He entered the university building, and walked along the corridor to the professor’s room, when he passed the music hall. At the entrance there were pamphlets which read that Ms. Kanako Yamada’s violin performance was to be held in 30 minutes. He knew the violinist. He had taught her violin when she visited him in New York two years before. He opened the door. Suddenly he remembered how he played the violin there just before leaving for New York. He almost heard the applause and
saw the bouquet of flowers given to him on that day. In the hall there were
hundreds of students waiting for the performance.
“I am her teacher, and yet nobody has paid attention to me. I will surprise them,” he thought. Before he noticed, he was standing at the wing of the stage. Nobody was there. The curtain was not drawn yet. Breathing deeply, he walked to the
center of the stage in front of the curtain expecting the audience’s surprised
voices and looks.But none of the student gasped nor looked surprised. Some were talking with their neighbors, some looking at the program pamphlets, and others using smartphones. He became angry. He thought, “Once I begin to play the violin, they will stop talking and listen to my beautiful music. Just you wait.” He began to play one of the most difficult violin pieces, “Carmen Fantasy” composed by Sarasate. No one noticed his performance. Combating tress and irritation he continued to play the violin. After playing for one minute, he stopped. He got angry, felt slighted, and went out of the hall.
“What cabbageheads! I’ll have to scold the dean of the Music Department. What is he teaching them?” he thought. It was incomprehensible for him that none of the
students paid attention to a great violinist like him.
He walked in long strides towards the main entrance of the Music Department building. When he approached the entrance, he saw a statue. The statue was playing the violin. “Who is this?” he wondered, and looked at the name plate. It read:
MR. TAKASHI KINOSHITA
THE GREATEST VIOLINIST JAPAN HAS EVER PRODUCED
February 20, 1970 – January 4, 2007
