Musical Poem “Grave of the Fireflies” Performance to be held at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Main Hall on Saturday, November 8, 2025

Performance of the musical poem “Grave of the Fireflies” to be held at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Main Hall on Saturday, November 8, 2025 ​
DAF Inc. Press Release: October 24, 2025 Performance of the musical poem “Grave of the Fireflies” to be held at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Main Hall on Saturday, November 8, 2025 Momo Asakura & Daiki Kobayashi to perform at Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo
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Next month, on November 8th, a symphony reading performance of the musical poem “Grave of the Fireflies” will be held at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Main Hall. “Grave of the Fireflies” is a work based on the author Nosaka Akiyuki’s wartime experiences (included in “American Hijiki/Grave of the Fireflies,” published by Shincho Bunko). The story follows the story of a 14-year-old brother (Seita) and his 4-year-old sister (Setsuko), who lose their parents in the flames of war and try to survive alone in the chaos surrounding the end of the war, only to face death before their dreams are fulfilled. The animated film “Grave of the Fireflies” (1988, produced by Studio Ghibli) has been screened around the world and continues to receive high praise as an animated film that conveys the sorrow of war. In September 2023, a musical poem, “Grave of the Fireflies,” composed by contemporary music master Yoshio Mamiya (who passed away in 2024) and consisting of an orchestral performance and a reading of the film’s music, was realized at the Hyogo Performing Arts Center in Nishinomiya, the setting of the film. The concert was subsequently covered by many media outlets, and there has been a strong demand for a repeat performance. This autumn, marking 80 years since the end of World War II and 10 years since the death of Akiyuki Nosaka, the musical poem “Grave of the Fireflies” will be brought to life with a diverse cast, including Momo Asakura (as Setsuko) and Daiki Kobayashi (as Seita), two of the leading voice actors of the next generation. Still images of famous scenes from the animated film “Grave of the Fireflies” are projected on a screen above the stage, accompanied by the melodies of the Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo. Japan’s leading soprano Hiroko Koda will appear, singing “Honeys’ Inn,” a song from the film that prays for the rebirth of life, with the Yokohama Boys and Girls Choir. Grave of the Fireflies, a musical poem that graces the late autumn art scene, will demonstrate new possibilities for theatrical art through the fusion of music, recitation, and video.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/170862/6/170862-6-f20aed5f0d0126a7e9fc652d3ed34eb0-1280×720.jpg From left: Momo Asakura, Daiki Kobayashi, Hiroko Koda Message from Momo Asakura I am very happy to have been given the precious opportunity to play Setsuko in such an important work as “Grave of the Fireflies” and to read aloud accompanied by orchestral music. At the same time, I feel the weight of this responsibility and a sense of responsibility. I hope that the story of Setsuko and her sister, who lost their parents in the war and desperately tried to survive together, will provide a small opportunity for those of us living today to think about peace.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/170862/6/170862-6-0601fcc98e1ee51430b550b61189df48-1920×1080.jpg (C) Akiyuki Nosaka/Shinchosha, 1988
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/170862/6/170862-6-48d20791693a8816bd58cb330d86a0b9-1920×1080.jpg (C) Akiyuki Nosaka / Shinchosha, 1988 Performance Overview ◆Organizer: RENAISSNCE CLASSICS ◆Sponsor: The Asahi Shimbun ◆Original Story: “Grave of the Fireflies” by Akiyuki Nosaka (included in “American Hijiki/Grave of the Fireflies,” published by Shincho Bunko) ◆Date, Time & Venue: Tokyo: Saturday, November 8, 2025, performance begins at 6:30 PM (doors open at 5:30 PM), Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Main Hall ◆Composition: Yoshio Mamiya ◆Arrangement & Conductor: Kosuke Yamashita ◆Direction & Composition: Shanghai Taro ◆Orchestra: Pacific
Philharmonia Tokyo ◆Cast: Momo Asakura (stage reading, role of Setsuko) Daiki Kobayashi (stage reading, role of Seita) Izumi Maruoka (onstage reading, mother and aunt at evacuation site) Hiroko Koda (soprano) ◆Chorus: Yokohama Boys and Girls Choir ◆Performance official site: https://classics-festival.com/rc/performance/hotarunohaka_2025/ ◆Performance works • Yoshio Mamiya (arranged by Kosuke Yamashita): Musical Lyrics for “Grave of the Fireflies” • Yoshio Mamiya (arranged by Kosuke Yamashita): “Main Theme of the Japan World Exposition” ~For the Official Feature-Length Documentary Film of the Osaka Expo~, “The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun” O. Respighi: Siciliana (Ancient Dances and Arias Suite No. 3 for Lute) • Henry Lawley Bishop: The Inn at the End of the Earth and More *The songs performed may be subject to change. ◆Contact Us Pacific Concert Management 03-3552-3831 (10:00-18:00)