On Playing the Piano at STAY BANK SANRIKU

In a corner of the shopping district behind the "Sanria" shopping center in Ofunato, there stands a charming 101-year-old reinforced concrete building that was originally constructed as the former Kesen Bank. This is "STAY BANK SANRIKU," a complex that serves as both a museum for disaster artifacts and a cafe-restaurant.

In September of the seventh year of Reiwa (2025), I visited this place as a customer for the first time, and since they were looking for performers while waiting for food, I volunteered. Since then, I have performed about four times (or nearly 20 stages, if you count by stage) as one of the disaster-affected piano players at their dinner-inclusive performance events.

The piano I play is one that was in the gymnasium of Toni Elementary School in Kamaishi City and was damaged by the tsunami. When the owner of STAY BANK SANRIKU discovered it, it was placed upside down on a dolly inside the gymnasium after the Self-Defense Forces had finished clearing the debris. It was likely placed that way to drain the water. The keys were hardened with salt and not a single note could be pressed. Because of this, it was repaired while keeping as many of the original parts as possible, returned to the temporary school building of Toni Elementary School once, and even played for the school song accompaniment. Later, with the relocation of the school, it was decided to be discarded, and it became the property of the owner, leading to the present day.

The feel of playing it is, as expected, different from a normal piano. Many keys have clear resistance when struck, making them difficult to press. Some notes have lingering echoes that do not fade. Other notes are mixed with metallic sounds, and even with the pedal, the sound does not sustain but instead fades away with a raspy quality. One black key came off during a performance in May of the eighth year of Reiwa (2026) while playing a glissando, and I reattached it with Cemedine (since then, black key glissandos have been sealed).
To produce a sound that is worth listening to, one must consciously strike the keys from directly above, capturing the core. However, I feel the most important thing is to always be prepared for the fact that no matter how much I try, the sound might not come out as expected, and to play while adapting to that. A damaged piano inevitably has a narrower range of tonal control. If you try to force a sound and strike the keys unnecessarily hard, an unintended violence will dwell in the sound.

Given these factors, the songs I want to play on this piano naturally narrow down in terms of both technique and spirit. I will write down my impressions of some of the pieces I have actually played on this disaster-affected piano.

・Intermezzo Op. 118-2 (Brahms)
This is a piece I have been playing for over 10 years, and it is the one I pull out whenever I am at a loss for what to perform. It is an introverted, deeply lyrical work that I love.
There are two points worth noting regarding performing it on the disaster-affected piano.
First, the "C" part, which serves as the turning point of the piece's "A-B-C-B-A" structure, is composed of chords that sound like a silent prayer. It is in this part that the texture of the disaster-affected piano's damage is most revealed. A wounded prayer. How to make that harsh resonance heard within the music? I am going through trial and error every time I perform it.
Also, this disaster-affected piano is extremely difficult to play the F# note one octave above middle C. The sound is metallically raspy and does not sustain even with the pedal. This note is the highest note of the final phrase and is also accented. It is the final crest of a gentle swell. I play it as if tracing a non-existent curve with a dotted line, immersing myself deeply in the flow of the phrase and releasing my wishes beyond the key that does not sound.

・Largo (Chopin)
This is a short mass composed based on the melody of the song "Boze, cos Polske (God, Save Poland)." It was composed while the composer's homeland of Poland was being invaded by Russia.
A sense of gravity is required for every note, and conversely, because heavy keystrokes are permitted, I feel it is very well-suited for performance on the disaster-affected piano in terms of touch. Also, the disaster-affected piano is placed in a hall-like space made of reinforced concrete, and the reverberation is extremely strong and direct. In that respect, too, the sound is given a strong sense of expansion, and the solemnity of the prayer is amplified. I apologize for tending to make the customers stop eating, but I ask for your patience for about two minutes, thinking of it as a time for prayer.

・Impromptu Op. 90-3 (Schubert)
Throughout the piece, the right hand opens into octaves, bringing out the main melody with the little finger from within the arpeggios. It is a structure that allows you to immerse yourself in a three-dimensional effect, where the inner voice harmony shifts rapidly behind the main melody that drifts like a deep breath. Because vertical keystrokes are difficult when the right hand is always open, the compatibility with this piano is very poor. Even so, this is the song I play most often on the disaster-affected piano. This is because the musical style is extremely meditative and can function as a medium to broadcast the state of the piano, the performer's state of mind, and the dialogue between the piano and the performer.
I place my center of gravity on the right little finger playing the main melody, and while thinking of Fujiko Hemming's tone, I consciously strengthen the weight of the keystrokes and the singing heart. I detect and suppress as quickly as possible any tendency for the consciousness to lean toward the main melody, causing the arpeggios and the left-hand bass to become disordered. Even so, I proceed while regulating my breathing so that the phrase rides on a large, gentle flow. I move forward while paying attention to my whole body and mind. It is a bit like the feeling of walking on a muddy swamp or forest residue with poor footing.
Because mastering this work on the disaster-affected piano is difficult and yet a rewarding challenge, it is a piece I want to continue playing.

・Merry-Go-Round of Life (Joe Hisaishi)
This is a piece that the owner considers the "required song" for the disaster-affected piano. The sheet music included in piano magazines is divided into a main melody and accompaniment, allowing the accompaniment to be played on the piano and the main melody to be played in a session with various other instruments. The goal is that if there is someone who can play the piano accompaniment, a session can be immediately established with customers who can play various instruments. So far, I have had sessions as a piano accompanist with violin, Aerophone (an electronic instrument that can produce the sounds of various instruments), alto saxophone, and cello.
I think it is an exquisite selection—famous, pop, and yet deep. While not stopping the fun melody, it reflects the overlapping of time within people.
The space at STAY BANK SANRIKU has exposed concrete surfaces and displays the remains of disaster-affected pianos that cannot be played. When night falls and the natural light disappears, the minimal warm-colored lighting makes the colors and shapes of objects look very sharp. I feel that performing in such an environment has a sense of immersion, and the empathy of the session also deepens.