Today, we held Master Idaki Shin’s final piano concert of the year at Mitaka City Arts Center, Kaze-no Hall. Yesterday marked one year since his discharge from hospital and his return to life, His words, “Today is the New Year,” have stayed deeply in my heart as I eagerly awaited this concert. The message was “First Love,” which came as a great surprise, as it was something I could never have anticipated. What was conveyed was also something I learned for the first time. When I reflect on the possibility that human beings may live their entire lives without recognizing what is truly occurring within themselves, it fills me with indescribable feelings. Yet through today’s concert, I experienced “first love” in the true sense, and felt joy and gratitude that from here, everything can truly begin. The sound of the piano was like pure white snow—it was snow as well as light—and my body grew warm. I was enveloped in comfort so profound that nothing could compare. Although I was not consciously thinking of Christmas Eve, I continuously felt the presence of Jesus Christ. In the presence of a sacred being, my life felt soothed and purified, and I sensed a deep reassurance that here, I could live. I also experienced the state before something was born, and the very moment of birth itself. I felt it might be “the mysterious female.” To experience that “first love” might be “the mysterious female” left me utterly astonished, while at the same time my heart was filled with the joy of a beginning. The final single note was astonishing. As I continued to follow that one sound, it connected far into the distance. Even after the sound had disappeared, a path remained, leading far beyond, and I was able to soar. I had desperately wanted to understand how to live in the new year, and it became firm: this is where I shall live. I offer my deepest gratitude for a life in which such an experience is possible. I will work so that we can share this experience with many more people, and I will think and act daily to create a path through which people all over the world can experience this together. Sharing this concert with many people is my greatest joy and happiness. On this Christmas Eve, I am filled with gratitude for having been able to gather with everyone and share such a profound experience. I pray that the energy of this concert reaches people throughout the world. Also, I sincerely pray that peace may come to the world as soon as possible, and the world will become a place where humanity may live in peace and happiness. Thank you very much.