Chapter 1

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The Encounter​

This interview covers Asaka’s early years with Takemitsu--—how they first met, their respective battles with tuberculosis (a disease that reached nearly epidemic proportions in Japan), then the first years of their marriage in Senzoku-Ike (a town favored by members of the NHK Symphony Orchestra) and Takemitsu's first work for NHK Radio. Near the conclusion Asaka recounts several famous episodes in Takemitsu’s life--—the piano sent by Mayuzumi as a gift, Takemitsu’s meeting with Stravinsky, and his friendship with art critic Shūzō Takiguchi, one of many vital interactions that Takemitsu had with people outside of music. The interview begins on what may be a quintessentially Japanese note, namely the precise manner in which people address one another.