The Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania and the Sembazuru Centre for Japanese Studies invite you to take part in the 6th edition of the Japanese Culture Day on Thursday 7 November 2024, from 6 p.m., 21 Memorandum Street, 21 Memorandum Street. Special guest is the artist Chiyo Hagiwara (Japan) who will give two recitals. The programme will begin with a senzosho recital followed by a piano recital꞉ Carl Filtsch, Joseph Filtsch The senzosho recital given by pianist Chiyo Hagiwara at the opening of the "Japanese Culture Day" event is a first in Romania. Chiyo Hagiwara graduated from the Tokyo College of Music. Her encounter with Romania gave her not only an introduction to the works of Carl Filtsch with the help of his experts Csiky Boldiszar and Csiky Boldiszar Jr. but also the opportunity to study music composition with the great master Csiky Boldiszar in Târgu-Mureș. In recent years, the Japanese pianist's profile has been complemented by that of a top senzonshō performer, interpreting her own compositions or contemporary music in this manner. Senzonshō 千尊鐘 - literally translated "1000 bells of gratitude", is a concept created by Chiyo Hagiwara to denote a personal, unique style of performance using Kujo Orin Buddhist bells, which produce sound by striking with a stick; Kujo Orin was a manufacturer of Buddhist altar accessories from the early 20th century. On this occasion, the Japanese performer will present the Transylvanian Ethnographic Museum with a taiguruma (golden amulet toy) made by Kaori Moriyama, a craftsman at the Miyaji Studio of Toys for the Imperial Shrine of Kagoshima, the only manufacturer of this kind of religious toy in contemporary Japan.

Rodica Frențiu, director of the Sembazuru Centre for Japanese Studies: In 2010, Chiyo Hagiwara debuted piano recitals in Tokyo dedicated to the Transylvanian genius Carl Filtsch (1830-1845), the favourite disciple of Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt, an absolute premiere in Japan, so that today, for the Japanese public, whether classical music specialists or amateurs, the name of pianist Chiyo Hagiwara is closely linked to that of Carl Filtsch.

As the first interpreter of Carl Filtsch in Japan, the CD released by Chiyo Hagiwara in June 2016, entitled "The musical universe of Chopin's favourite disciple, the young genius composer Carl Filtsch", reached the top of the Billboard Japanese album charts for 2 consecutive weeks in April 2017. And the following CD dedicated to the composer in 2018 was chosen as the 2nd album of the moment by the Japanese classical music magazine "Rekōdo geijutsu or The Art of Recording". In the same year, Chiyo Hagiwara was invited to several cities in Romania for a concert tour with a programme centred on Carl Filtsch, which was very well received by the critics. In 2023, Chiyo Hagiwara was a special guest at the "Carl Filtsch Music Days" organised in Sebeș, the birthplace of the Transylvanian composer, where she was awarded the Distinction of Excellence by the city in recognition of Chiyo Hagiwara's achievements in promoting Carl Filtsch's name around the world, and in spring this year the Japanese pianist was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Sebeș.

Opening speech꞉ Mr Tatsuo Kitagawa, Counsellor (Embassy of Japan in Romania), Mr Rareș Moldovan, Dean (Faculty of Letters, UBB), Moderators꞉ Tudor Sălăgean, Rodica Frențiu.