Fumiyasu Sato talks to the audience in this photograph taken in January.
With his guitar and harmonica, Sato appeared at events at nursing care homes for elderly people, institutions for disabled people, cafeterias and many other venues, including parties at private house.
Sato used the stage name Bun Sun. The kanji for "Fumi" in Sato's first name can be read "Bun," while "Sun" referred to "Sunday," meaning that every day is Sunday for retired people. "Sun" could also be construed as "san," which for males means "Mr."
He used to play popular school or children's songs, and served as a host of events organized by the association. As host, he was good at entertaining visitors as he was able to use the conversational skills he developed as a salesman.
As his popularity increased, Sato found himself playing at more than 60 events a year. At an event held at one welfare facility, a man who had been suffering from aphasia for many years started singing when Sato played school songs.
On August 9, however, Sato suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage and fell into a coma that evening. He died shortly after. His 67-year-old wife, Yoshie, said that shortly before the stroke, Sato had said, "I'm going out for a while." He collapsed while preparing for a performance at a party.
With his death, the association lost the leader of the organizing committee of its fifth annual autumn concert. However, the association did not need to hold a formal discussion to decide to use the event as a memorial concert for Sato.
At the event, eight bands and one vocalist, all closely associated with Sato, will perform. At the end of the event, all players and the audience will sing "Sen no Kaze ni Natte" (A Thousand Winds), accompanied by a recording of Sato playing the harmonica and guitar.
"Sato started out as a musician at the age of 60, and practiced almost every day," Yoko Kikuchi, 52, a member of the vocal group In The Wind, said. "I recognized his progress each time he played. He taught us our efforts would never be wasted."
The concert will be held Monday from 1 p.m. at the Koriyama Kokaido in Koriyama.
© The Yomiuri Shimbun.
September 13, 2008
JAPAN: Memorial concert planned for man who entertained elderly, disabled
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TOKYO (The Yomiuri Shimbun), September 13, 2008:
Musicians in Fukushima Prefecture will hold a memorial concert Monday for a folk musician who devoted the last seven years of his life to entertaining elderly and disabled people with his guitar and harmonica.
Fumiyasu Sato, who died of a stroke last month at the age of 67, worked as a salesman for a major automaker until he retired at 60. He left Akita Prefecture where he worked for the company and returned to Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, where he had his home.
It was then that he decided to take up music again in the hope of bringing joy to disabled and elderly people on a voluntary basis.
Sato began practicing the folk guitar he played when he was younger and joined the Fukushima Folk Song Association, based in Koriyama. He also practiced on the harmonica his father had left him when he died. Sato was 4 years old at the time.
Fumiyasu Sato talks to the audience in this photograph taken in January.
With his guitar and harmonica, Sato appeared at events at nursing care homes for elderly people, institutions for disabled people, cafeterias and many other venues, including parties at private house.
Sato used the stage name Bun Sun. The kanji for "Fumi" in Sato's first name can be read "Bun," while "Sun" referred to "Sunday," meaning that every day is Sunday for retired people. "Sun" could also be construed as "san," which for males means "Mr."
He used to play popular school or children's songs, and served as a host of events organized by the association. As host, he was good at entertaining visitors as he was able to use the conversational skills he developed as a salesman.
As his popularity increased, Sato found himself playing at more than 60 events a year. At an event held at one welfare facility, a man who had been suffering from aphasia for many years started singing when Sato played school songs.
On August 9, however, Sato suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage and fell into a coma that evening. He died shortly after. His 67-year-old wife, Yoshie, said that shortly before the stroke, Sato had said, "I'm going out for a while." He collapsed while preparing for a performance at a party.
With his death, the association lost the leader of the organizing committee of its fifth annual autumn concert. However, the association did not need to hold a formal discussion to decide to use the event as a memorial concert for Sato.
At the event, eight bands and one vocalist, all closely associated with Sato, will perform. At the end of the event, all players and the audience will sing "Sen no Kaze ni Natte" (A Thousand Winds), accompanied by a recording of Sato playing the harmonica and guitar.
"Sato started out as a musician at the age of 60, and practiced almost every day," Yoko Kikuchi, 52, a member of the vocal group In The Wind, said. "I recognized his progress each time he played. He taught us our efforts would never be wasted."
The concert will be held Monday from 1 p.m. at the Koriyama Kokaido in Koriyama.
© The Yomiuri Shimbun.
Fumiyasu Sato talks to the audience in this photograph taken in January.
With his guitar and harmonica, Sato appeared at events at nursing care homes for elderly people, institutions for disabled people, cafeterias and many other venues, including parties at private house.
Sato used the stage name Bun Sun. The kanji for "Fumi" in Sato's first name can be read "Bun," while "Sun" referred to "Sunday," meaning that every day is Sunday for retired people. "Sun" could also be construed as "san," which for males means "Mr."
He used to play popular school or children's songs, and served as a host of events organized by the association. As host, he was good at entertaining visitors as he was able to use the conversational skills he developed as a salesman.
As his popularity increased, Sato found himself playing at more than 60 events a year. At an event held at one welfare facility, a man who had been suffering from aphasia for many years started singing when Sato played school songs.
On August 9, however, Sato suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage and fell into a coma that evening. He died shortly after. His 67-year-old wife, Yoshie, said that shortly before the stroke, Sato had said, "I'm going out for a while." He collapsed while preparing for a performance at a party.
With his death, the association lost the leader of the organizing committee of its fifth annual autumn concert. However, the association did not need to hold a formal discussion to decide to use the event as a memorial concert for Sato.
At the event, eight bands and one vocalist, all closely associated with Sato, will perform. At the end of the event, all players and the audience will sing "Sen no Kaze ni Natte" (A Thousand Winds), accompanied by a recording of Sato playing the harmonica and guitar.
"Sato started out as a musician at the age of 60, and practiced almost every day," Yoko Kikuchi, 52, a member of the vocal group In The Wind, said. "I recognized his progress each time he played. He taught us our efforts would never be wasted."
The concert will be held Monday from 1 p.m. at the Koriyama Kokaido in Koriyama.
© The Yomiuri Shimbun.
