On the starting day of April, it was rainy in Tokyo. We held “A Day of Encounter” at Hoshi-no Hall of the Mitaka City Arts Center. We presented a screening of “From Reika to the Legends of Koguryo Rediscovered,” along with my own program, “Keiko Koma—Poetry and Talk”. Watching “From Reika to the Legends of Koguryo Rediscovered” on a large screen offered an opportunity to learn and absorb many great things. I was deeply grateful to have been given such an irreplaceable and precious time, and I sincerely appreciate how fortunate I am to be able to have such experiences in life. Today, we screened the “Legends of Koguryo Rediscovered” concert we performed in Tehran, Iran. In Iran, where music was prohibited under Islamic law and women were not allowed to appear on stage, permission was granted by the Vice President, allowing me to stand on stage and recite improvised poetry at the “Legends of Koguryo Rediscovered.” Although it had also been forbidden by law for men to listen to women performing on stage, this too was permitted, and both men and women attended together. I heard that this was the first such occasion since the Revolution. Through the music of Master Idaki Shin, it became an opportunity newly to understand the history and spirit of Iran, and I felt deeply grateful that at this very time I could have an experience that allowed me better to understand the country. I sensed that the situation in Iran would surely change. I feel that if human beings have the sensitivity to perceive reality as it is, the world will begin to change. I see that if there are many people who perceive it, the truth will naturally reveal itself, and falsehood will appear as falsehood and collapse. Today’s screening made me realize how essential it is to see the truth. I have come to understand that, in my daily life, too, it is crucial to cultivate a sensitivity that can perceive what is real, and so I wish to continue expressing my deepest wishes as they are each day while refining my inner state.
Today’s experience allowed me to recognize what I must do and marked a new beginning. I feel deep sorrow and cannot bear a world in which irrational and unreasonable things prevail. At the root of my being is a strong desire to do something about it. I cannot find meaning in being alive if I lived buried within such an irrational world. I sincerely wish to change, no matter what, the world in which human lives are sacrificed. I intend to express the preciousness of human life more and more from now on. I realized that this is not a time to remain silent or still. The beginning of April has become a starting point for discovering what I must do, and I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart. Thank you very much.