Echoes Across Time: A Visit to a Restoration Shop in Japan

By Boaz Kirschenbaum, RPT Rhode Island Chapter

Japan is best summed up as a crossroads of the very old and the very new. But leave your preconceived ideas about Japanese culture and Japanese pianos behind. Much of what I thought I knew about Japanese attitudes (and especially Japanese pianos) was changed by a singular experience, in a small atelier, on the road less traveled. The setting is Kojo Gakki, Ltd., a country shop in an outof-the-way Japanese province, run by a father and son who are truly passionate about their work.Try to picture The Piano Shop on the Left Bank but in the Far East. The Kojos are piano men. They are old-schoolwith their employees help, they do it all, from buying, selling, and restoring to moving and tuning. They know how to get the hard jobs done. Hamburg Steinway Concert Academy. Mamoru has said that he has a sense of being on a mission to preserve pianos for future generations. From what I played, he and his son both have an ear for the sound of pre-war European and American pianos. I read on their Web site after our visit that what they call their sound model for pre-war pianos is pre-war Bechstein. That was exactly my impression of the tones I heard in their salon. They also called one of their recent concerts Piano Sounds Over Time. Apropos, as we will soon nd out. So where are these fellows, exactly? My wife Sakikos family (parents, sister, and brother) live on the southern island of Ky!sh!, in one of Japans smaller cities, Kumamoto, a castle town. Ky!sh! is quite different from Honsh! (the central island where Tokyo and Hamamatsu, along with most of Japans population of 100 million, are located). Ky!sh! has a laid-back, relaxed feel and is known for its mountain hot springs.

Rural scene on the drive to the workshops outside Kumamoto.

L: Mamoru Kojo. R:Yasuhiro Kojo. In the background is a restored 1903 prototype Yamaha upright.

Mamoru-san, the elder Kojo, has been working on and dealing in pianos for many years. He is now semi-retired, having turned the familys Steinway piano dealership over to his son, Yasuhiro-san, a Yamaha factory-trained tuner. Yasuhiro has now been tuning for over 20 years, and also attended the

Sakiko remembered hearing about a rebuilding shop before she moved to the U.S. in 2004. I thought, Rebuilding? Dont Japanese people reject the old stuff and get rid of used pianos? Yes and no. As with many things here, you realize that sometimes we in the West have a very generalized view of the Japanese.Yes, some Japanese love the latest technology. But many Japanese still have a reverence for the past and for its symbols. In contrast to what you may have heard, Japanese consumers actually do buy used cars and used pianos. The Kojo rm, in business for 35 years, is also a dealer for Yamaha and Schimmel in addition to Steinway & Sons.They were an agent for Steingraeber & Shne until recently, when it became more difcult to import them. This really piqued my interestI had thought Japanese piano customers liked a certain sound, and that was denitely not the sound I had in mind! I thought to myself, these people are quite something they like Steingraebers.This was the rst key in unlocking my
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stereotype of Japanese Piano Tone. In addition to selling new pianos from their in-town, modern showroom, they restore older pianos at the country workshop. Most of these pianos are repaired for clients, or to sell in the showroom. But a few have been restored for the sake of preserving Japanese piano-making history. The Kojo patriarch, Mamoru-san, has long had a dream of a museum for old pianos. I believe introductions open doors that might seem closed in Japan. I thought we might need an appointment, but when Sakiko calls the workshop they simply tell us to come anytime. I think the fact that she is from Kumamoto helps quite a bit. A local connection is always a great ice-breaker. I regret not bringing business cards in Japanese, as it is traditional to exchange cards on the rst meeting, but in the end it didnt matterthese fellows proved to be quite relaxed. It turns out the workshop is way out in the countryside, on a back road, away from the city, in the foothills leading up to Mt.Aso and the mountains around Kumamoto.Thankfully it is a beautiful early-spring day, sunny and warm. The workshop is surrounded by farms, rolling hills, and at this time of year (late February), plum blossoms. The rst thing I notice is the high-tech truck-mounted cranemuch smaller than piano cranes we use. The truck is a late-model Isuzu atbed that has been retrotted. I quickly learn these guys arent kidding around with the moves.

old bass string winding machine. I have only seen a couple of these before, and this is one of the largest. It used to be at the Yamaha factory. It was previously automated, but Yamaha later adapted it for manual use. One of the staff technicians winds bass strings.There are actions everywhere, even a smallYamaha organ (looks to be pre-war)and then they ask me about New York Steinways. Turns out they are rebuilding a 1970s Model F 40 NY Steinway console which they have already renished. Apparently NewYork Steinways have special cachet in Japan, and this is no exceptionwhen they tell me what they sold the last one for, my jaw visibly drops. We start talking about nding old pianos, and maybe well do business togetheranother strange thing, because from what I heard, to even get to that level of conversation you have to get to know a Japanese businessperson, establish a relationship, court each other. It might take days, weeks or months, but these guys are so relaxed and direct.After all I am still a stranger to them, and a foreigner. But even with the language barrier and a translator, its like talking to colleagues I already know and trust. I nd out later that their style is rare in Japan.

Yamaha factory bass string machine.

The Kojo Piano shops moving crane.This truck is a lot smaller than it looks.

In the late afternoon winter light, everything looks romantic and beautiful. The elder Kojo, Mamoru-san, shufes out to greet us, and a few workmen poke their heads out of the dark workshop.Who are these strangers? We make introductions, talk about our shared Steinway connection, and go inside. Everyone is in a pretty good moodits a Saturday, nice weather, time to knock off soon, maybe go home and have basashi for dinner, some sh"ch! to drink. Inside the rst workshop bay they are cleaning the strings and case on an old Kawai KG-2 jacked up on an antique scissor-jack lift.We are shown the renishing booth with double vents and turbine, and then proceed into the workbench area which looks like most piano workshops.Then I notice a huge
24 Piano Technicians Journal / May 2011

Steinway Model F renished soundboard and rebronzed cast iron plate.

We get a little distracted. There are many pianos in this little shop, and we all have questions for each other. I am trying hard not to wear out my welcome early. This is not a seminar,

and I am not here to learn their secrets or tricks per se. I just want to hear their work and maybe see some old pianos. We head out of the workshop, pass a storage area full of old uprights and benches, and proceed up the stairs to the museum. Next to a good-sized storage area lled with newer Yamaha grands, I see a separate, sealed-off salon, a small pair of glass doors, through which I see red carpet, a low ceiling, and black pianos in soft but direct lighting. It looks like a time warp, maybe a storage room from the 1950s.There are few decorations save for some commemorative posters on the walls and a stand containing an informative placard next to each piano.We remove our shoes, as is Japanese custom, and we head inside. The room is about thirty feet square.There is a false wall on one end where piano posters and old piano catalogs are hung. Behind this screen is a little hallway with a couple of big windows looking out on the adjacent farm. The old catalogs are greatthey are illustrated with line drawings, and they even include pricesthe No. 3 grand in the 1933 catalog cost 2,250. (This might have been around $250 at the time.) I am told these catalog pages are actually digital scans, but soon Mamoru-san fetches an original early 20th-century Yamaha piano catalog from his archive, and it is thrust into my hands, a piece of history in mint condition. I am told it is one of only two still in existence in Japan. I am nervousI dont want to contaminate it. I quickly hand it back after looking at a page or two.They treat it very gently and tell me they dont bring it out much.Why does my visit warrant special treatment, I wonder?

ibly high-end work, or some benefactor? It turns out it is all a labor of love. Yamaha supports this museums mission and has helped with some technical matters (well get to those in a minute), but they are in the business of selling new pianos, not operating a museum. From what I can see the nishes are awless hand-rubbed gloss lacquer. The plates have been beautifully rebronzed. These pianos have original pinblocks and soundboards but have been restrung.The actions have new hammers (Yamaha or Abel) and some new action parts, with traditional rebalancing performed. This is restorationnot preservationbut also not redesign or remanufacture.

1933 Yamaha No.3 grand.

[A note here on Japanese history, which is usually described in eras: Meiji 1868 -1912,Taisho 1912 - 1926, Showa 1926 -1989.The Kojo shop advertises that they restore Meiji to Showa pianos.They offer a total overhaul service, but they do not do pinblocks (unless they have to) or new soundboards. Japan has a fairly humid climate which helps preserve these two components.] On the adjacent wall is a quartet of exquisitely restored Yamaha uprights, possibly some of the oldest known restored Yamaha uprights in Japan. First is a Showa-era full upright, circa 1920s. This has a plain black case, but is still beautiful with nicely rounded arms and corners. I play a few notes and am pleasantly surprised at the rich soundnot too loud, but not delicatewarm, round, with a light action. It sounds just like an old Bechstein upright. I immediately love this pianos tone. Mamoru-san in the museum. In the middle of the wall are a pair of Taisho-era full upThe middle of the room is openeasier to set up chairs rights from the teens. We are now going back in time, to late for concerts. On one side of the room are a couple of very old unrestored uprights. One is a Steinberg from Berlin, and Victoriana. These have gold ligree, one has brass candelabra, in the corner is a 160-cm 1925 Grotrian-Steinweg grand, and both have one-piece, awless ivory keytops. Each has a also unrestored. The centerpiece, lling half of the back wall completely different feel, touch and tone colora light action next to the Grotrian, is a completely restored seven-foot 1933 on one, a heavy action on the otherbut each has a uniquely Model No. 3Yamaha grand with double legs. (Before the letter beautiful singing, bell-like tone. They sound like older Gerseries, i. e., Model C7,Yamaha used numbers to indicate their man pianos, too. In the corner is the pice de rsistance: the Meiji-era upright. model types.) This piano is one of the rst pianos Yamaha ever assemNext to the No. 3 is a 1939 No. 20 medium grand, also bled. It has no serial number or model number, so they call it fully restored. These two pianos are in showroom condition. I start thinking, did Yamaha pay these guys to do this incred- the Meiji-era prototype, since it was likely built around 1903.
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It too has ligree, candelabra, and a beautiful black lacquered case, but there is something else to it. Sitting at the keyboard, I feel as though I have been given a ticket back to the old Japan. It has smaller-sized keyboard (almost like a cabaret piano) and a compass of 73 keys. Theres also a folding music desk arrangement, the type that folds up into the case in reverse. It has the old Yamaha organ logo on the fallboard.

these are Yamaha pianos, because in a way they arent at all. I ask Yasuhiro later what kind of hammers they use, and we get into an interesting discussion about hammer types, what Abel is doing, what do American technicians use, etc. He is very keen on hammer felt and wants to try cold-pressed (he has not tried them yet), so I agree to send him samples. I know that cold-pressed felt will really help them get the sound they like without having to needle all day. I also nd out from Yasuhiro that he heard Yamaha uses cold-pressed in the new CFX concert grand.This should be really interesting news to conrm.

The upright pianos.

The Meiji prototype is one of the projects where Yamaha helped out directly.There was a commemorative poster made, a concert, etc.TheYamaha factory also made up a set of one-off custom hammers for this specic piano. I sit down and play a bitthe piano is very delicate and round sounding. It is quite lovely, perfect for Debussy or Chopin. I play some jazz on it and that works.You can easily get the Bill Evans kind of color out of it. They really sound like cold-pressed hammers, and as I play,I start wondering if its the hammers, or the scale, or the belly. Maybe I need to listen some more. We sit and chat some more; strong coffee is brought up by one of the workmen. I wander over to the big seven-foot No. 3 grand for the second time, but this time I sit down to play. I improvise jazz for a while, play some chromatics, and I cannot resist grinningit sounds like the old Steinways, not like a big modern Yamaha! The tuning has a bit more stretch in the bass, a little less stretch in the treble, and a near-perfect temperament. It has not been tuned that recently but still sounds great, probably because the room is very stable.The action balancing feels good toorm, not too easy, unlike modern Yamahas. Everything any of us wants in this size piano is just there. I also play the No. 20, the living room grand, which sounds just like a Steinway Mbell treble, nice tenor, bass a little bit out of balance.Another beautifully rebuilt piano, and it represents The Kojos work well. It shows that these fellows know how to voice appropriately for each size and style. I conclude that with these pianos, its not any one component that makes the sound, but the combination of old, ne, stable spruce, the correct hammer voicing, and keeping the original scale design. It is so strange to think that
26 Piano Technicians Journal / May 2011

The Meiji-era prototype.

I talk about my connection to PTG, and ask if I have permission to write this article.The two Kojos seem surprised by my request and both bow to me, saying arigato gozaimas (Thank you greatly). We take a group picture and wrap up our meeting with some tool talk. Yasuhiro-san wants me to help him nd an old Hale tuning leverhe likes American toolsand he shows me his voicing tools. I feel the weight in my hand (he has three different handles, all are heavy except the single needler), honored that a master voicer is treating me with such respect. He wants to know what I use, so I tell him, and he nods in understanding.We can relate easily, even with a translator. We all bow deeply, the sign of respect in Japan, and I realize after three months of bowing hundreds of times, this ritual now resonates stronger with me than it did before.Yasuhirosan says he learned a lot from me today. But I think am the one who has learned the mostabout Japanese piano culture, two piano men, and the idea that even without knowing each others spoken language, we can still nd the old piano sound. Special thanks to the Kojo family for their hospitality, and to the Isomichis for driving,navigation, and patience during our visit in February 2011. The Kojo workshop Web site (in Japanese): www.kojogakki.co.jp/kousakoujou/koujou/koujou.htm Boaz Kirschenbaum, RPT, is the proprietor of Cherry Tree Piano Service on Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts. www.cherrytreepiano.com. We can report that none of the people and places mentioned were directly affected by the tragic earthquake and tsunami that occurred in Japan shortly after this article was written. !