MARCH "LIGHT OF MARCUS ISLAND " Op.149（2014）

I composed this piece in December 2014 in response to a commission from the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force，Tokyo. It was first performed under the baton of the band’s director，Hiroyuki Tezuka，on 15 February 2015.
Located 1,860 kilometres south-east of Tokyo and with a circumference of barely six kilometres，tiny Marcus Island is Japan’s easternmost point. However，the exclusive economic zone attached to this island extends over 430,000 square kilometres，an area equivalent to 1.2 times Japan’s total national territory. This sea area is a rich repository of rare earth and has come into focus in recent years for that reason. There is no regular air or sea transport available to the island，making it impossible for ordinary people to visit，but there is a regular deployment of members of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force engaged both on protecting this rich maritime zone and on providing support for the employees of the Meteorological Agency whose task is to observe weather conditions on the island.
Life in such an isolated location is no doubt full of hardship. My intention in composing this piece was to provide a message of support to the members of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force charged with protecting the national territory and plentiful seas in the spot in Japan where the sun rises the earliest.

JBA Shitaya Award (2016)