"The Emperor of the Keyboard: Motonari Iguchi and His Clan"

2022/08/18

Last year, two Japanese pianists won prizes at the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition, and newspapers wrote, "Japan has finally come this far." However, Mitsuko Uchida had already won second prize at the 8th competition in 1970.

At the center of it all was Motonari Iguchi. Hidekazu Yoshida memorialized him, saying, "He was a rare individual, possessed by a demon." Despite starting late at the age of 16, Iguchi graduated at the top of his class from the Tokyo Music School (now Tokyo University of the Arts). After studying abroad, he was the only one capable of mastering Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor." He was called "The Emperor" due to his popularity, which combined a large physical presence, the intimidating pressure of speaking the truth without hesitation, and kindness.

With as many as 3,000 disciples, he enjoyed such prosperity that it was said, "If you are not of the Iguchi school, you are not a pianist." The late Hiroko Nakamura, a graduate of this Juku, was also a student of Iguchi.

At age 35, he was awarded the Imperial Art Academy Award. During the war, he was involved in auditory training for submarine identification with the rank of major. However, perhaps because he criticized it, he was drafted as a private second class—the lowest rank in the army—carrying night soil buckets. After the war, he was branded a war criminal at his alma mater and resigned. Later, he co-founded the "Music School for Children" with Hideo Saito and Hidekazu Yoshida.

The success of this school led to growing calls for a high school music department, and it was Hideo Edo of Mitsui Fudosan, a parent, who took action. According to Edo, Keio was the first to be approached about opening the school in 1951. However, the Juku was in a state of continued chaos, with the Hiyoshi Campus requisitioned by the GHQ, and in the end, Toho Girls' High School took it on. The first class of the music department consisted of 50 students, including four men such as Seiji Ozawa.

Iguchi's lessons involved shouting and even physical discipline, but he earned the deep trust of parents, and his students went on to the world stage. Sales of pianos in Japan also peaked during this era.

Alongside superhuman achievements such as concerts spanning from classical to contemporary music and the editing of the 49-volume "Complete World Music Collection," he spent his days indulged in alcohol and fine dining, and had scandalous romances in his later years.

The taller the tree, the deeper and longer its shadow. Honor, downfall, and turmoil. This giant lived everything possible for a human being. Over a six-year serialization, I visited 150 people involved across the country, and by tracing his footsteps, I was able to live through the era of Motonari Iguchi.

"The Emperor of the Keyboard: Motonari Iguchi and His Clan"

Yoshie Nakamaru

Chuokoron-Shinsha

632 pages, 3,300 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.