作者简介:大门高子,日本籍,日本和平友好团体——紫金草合唱团团长。2001年至今曾12次率紫金草合唱团访问南京、泰州等地,在侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆、南京大学、南京理工大学、南京晓庄学院、南京师范大学泰州学院等多地演唱《紫金草组曲》并与青年学生进行交流,为促进中日友好作出了重要贡献。

大门高子女士与紫金草合唱团的团员们为伫立在侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆和平广场上的紫金草女孩铜像献上祈祷和平的千纸鹤

　　2015年12月13日,我从日本来到南京,代表紫金草合唱团,出席了第二届南京大屠杀死难者国家公祭日活动,庄严肃穆的仪式令我深受震撼。当警报声响起时,我的眼前又浮现出了当年日军的暴行,和这些年我们在南京所经历的令人感动的一切,情不自禁地流下了热泪……

　　紫金草,中文学名为“二月兰”。1995年,我在《朝日新闻》上读到一篇报道,文中称,茨城县出生的老兵山口诚太郎把1939年从南京紫金山下带回国的一种紫色的小野花取名为“紫金草”,战后怀着对战争的反省和对和平的祈愿,他和家人将此花的花种播撒到日本全国各地,并在1985年的筑波世界科技博览会上向观众分发了100万小袋花种,还附上了说明:“和平之花紫金草”。

　　我被这个真实的故事深深打动,与作曲家大西进先生合作,于1998年创作了由12首组曲构成的《紫金草的故事》,被日本音乐界誉为“第一部反省侵华战争,呼吁和平”的合唱作品,被日本各地的合唱团争相传唱。

2017年4月大门高子女士（上排右二）与紫金草合唱团团员们参加悼念南京大屠杀死难者的清明祭活动

　　2001年3月,经中国驻日本大使馆牵线,我率领200名由日本各地合唱团团员组成的“日本紫金草合唱团”首次访问了南京,面向包括多名南京大屠杀幸存者在内的南京市民演唱了《紫金草的故事》,用歌声表达对战争的忏悔,引起了较大的社会反响。

　　15年来,我与大约1000人次的紫金草合唱团团员,自费访问了南京30多次,在南京大学、南京理工大学、晓庄学院、金陵老年大学等院校进行了多场交流演出,受到了大家的热烈欢迎,中央电视台《实话实说》和《讲述》也为我们制作了专题节目介绍。现在,南京就宛如我的故乡般让我感到无比亲切。

　　从去年12月开始,南京广电集团还在网络上发起了“紫金草行动”,无论是谁,只要是真心愿意维护和平的人,都可以在网上申请一枚紫金草徽章,至今已有30多万人佩戴上了徽章,其中不乏很多知名人士。我想,之所以人们如此认可“紫金草精神”,是因为不管是中国人民,还是日本人民,都不愿再经受战争和灾难带来的苦痛。

　　现在,以演唱和平之歌——《紫金草组曲》为中心的合唱团已经遍布日本全国,在博多、大阪、奈良、东京、千叶、茨城、金泽、仙台等地均有我们的团员积极地为推进中日友好而努力,当然,“紫金草”能够家喻户晓,也是与中国人民,尤其是南京人民能够一直以宽大的胸怀和满腔的热情支持我们密不可分的。

　　紫金草合唱团的团员们在亲身体验了人文绿都南京的自然风物与社会人情之后,都深深地爱上了南京以及生活在这片土地上的人们。15年来,我们不仅仅是站在舞台上歌唱,还在舞台下与各领域的人们进行了沟通与交流,所以我们深知南京市民们的热情与友善。在所住酒店附近的公园,我们与市民一起晨练散步;在中山陵音乐台,我们与市民合唱团共同载歌载舞;在观摩了精彩传统表演的省昆剧院,在与青年合唱团交流的江苏演艺集团排练场,在与南京大学的年轻学生一起攀登的紫金山……我们在所到之处都用自己的歌声与同样热爱和平与生命的南京市民进行了心灵相通的交流。今年的公祭仪式一结束,我又一次来到了南京理工大学,与等候在二月兰花丛中的师生们又一起高歌《和平的花紫金草》,其中还有10年前与我们同台演出过的同学,他们已经毕业了,也专程赶回了学校,与他们久别重逢,令我感到无比的激动和喜悦。我们演唱的时候,还有许多观众一直在认真地倾听,唱完后都不忍离去,继续在现场用歌声与我们进行交流。那个场景非常感人。

　　时至今日,一想起15年前第一次在南京参观纪念馆时,中国游客投向自己的冰冷目光,我依然会感到内心隐隐作痛,无处容身。我多么希望,在有笑脸和歌声的地方,永不会再发生带来憎恨和愤怒的战争!

　　此次访问南京,让我再次感到,以“不忘历史面向未来”为宗旨的音乐交流,可以如此温暖和充实人们的内心。我们作为“和平的使者”被中国的新闻媒体大量报道,我还欣喜地发现,在南京,紫金草已成为和平的象征,家喻户晓,《紫金草的故事》也被收入了苏教版五年级的《品德与社会》教科书中。

　　这一切不禁让我感到,紫金草在过去的15年间茁壮成长,已经在人们的心中深深地扎下了根。

　　我想,无论是在日本,还是在南京,紫金草现在都已是花繁叶茂,并将一直茁壮地生长下去。

　　热爱歌唱,热爱和平,热爱南京!这就是我,以及我们紫金草合唱团团员们的心声!

　　我十分希望,自己也能够像紫金草之花那样,虽然微小,但为了中日友好,继续鲜艳地、顽强地盛开下去……

　　译文

My aspiration

—Story of Peace Flower

OKADO Takako (Japan)

On December 13, 2015, as a representative of Purple Grass Choir, I came to Nanjing from Japan, attending China’s second national memorial day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre. I was shocked by the solemn ceremony. When thealarm sounded, the atrocities of the Japanese army and the moving things we experienced in Nanjing these years rose before me, and I could not hold back my tears.

Purple Grass is “February Orchid”(Orychophragmus violaceus) in Chinese. In 1995, an article in Asahi Shimbun stated that, Ibaraki Yamada, a veteran of Ibaraki Prefecture, named a smallpurple wildflowertaken back from Nanjing in the Purple Mountain in 1939 as “Purple Grass”. After the Sino-Japan war in the 1930s-1940s, with his reflection on the war and his pledge to peace, Yamada and his family sowed the flower to all parts of Japan. In 1985, he even gave away one millionpouches of the flower seed to the audience at the Tsukuba World Science and Technology Expo with a note: Peace Flower—Purple Grass.

Deeply impressed by this true story, in 1998, I collaborated with the composer Takashi Nishimura to create the “The Story of Purple Grass”, composed of 12 suites. It is praised by Japan’s music industryas thefirst choir work reflectingon invasionof China and calling for peace, popular in choirs all over Japan.

In March 2001, guided by theChinese Embassy in Japan, I led the Japanese Purple Grass Choir composed of 200 choir members from all over Japan to visit Nanjing for the first time. We sang The Story of Purple Grass before Nanjing citizens, includingthe survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, expressing our condolences. It aroused great social response.

Over the past 15 years, I have visited Nanjing over 30 times with about 1,000 Purple Grass Choir members at our own expense. We conducted many exchange performances at universities such as Nanjing University, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University and Jinling Old University. Nanjing citizens warmly welcomed us, and the CCTV shows such as “Tell It Like It Is”and “Story”introduced us in featureprograms. Now, Nanjing is just like my second hometown, making me fell gracious.

Since December last year, Nanjing Radio & Television Group has launched the “Purple Grass Movement”on theInternet. No matter who you are, as long as you genuinely maintainpeace, you can apply for a badge of purple grass online. Up to now, more than 300,000 people have worn the badges, many of who are celebrities. I think the reasonwhy peopleacknowledgethe spirit of Purple Grass is that neither the Chinese nor the Japanese are going to withstandthe pain caused by the war and disasters.

At present, the choirs singing the song of peace—“Purple Grass Suite”have spread all over Japan. Our members are active to facilitate China-Japan friendship in many cities such as Hakata, Osaka, Nara, Tokyo, Chiba, Ibaraki, Kanazawa and Sendai. Frankly, The publicity of Purple Grass in Japan is inseparable from the Chinese people, especiallyNanjing people, who have supported us with a broad mind and enthusiasm.

The members of the Purple Grass Choir deeply fell in love with Nanjing and the peoplelivingin this land after theyhad personally experienced thenatural beautyand socialsentimentof Nanjing. For 15 years, we have not only sung on the stage, but also communicated with peoplein variousfields. Therefore, we know well the enthusiasm and friendlinessof Nanjing citizens. In the park near the hotel we lived, we went for a walk in the morningwith citizens. In the music hall of the Sun Yat-sen’s Tomb, we sang and danced togetherwith citizens. We watched the traditional performanceof the Kunqu Opera in the Jiangsu Kunqu Opera Theater, we communicated with Chinese youths in the rehearsal session of Jiangsu Performing Arts Group, and we went hike with students of Nanjing University in the Purple Mountain…We use our singing voice to interactwith Nanjing citizens who also love peace and life. When this year’s memorial ceremonyended, I once again came to Nanjing University of Science and Technology. Together with the teachers and students in the February orchids, I sang the peace song. Among them, some have graduated and they performed with us 10 years ago. I felt extremelyexcited and delighted after knowing that they made a special trip back to school. While we were singing, many audiences listened attentively, and did not want to leave. They continued to communicate with us in the singing. The scene was very touching.

Today, when I think of the cold eyes of Chinese tourists in my first visit to the Massacre Memorial Hall, I still feel pain in my heart. How I wish there would be no hatred and anger in places of smile and songs!

This visit to Nanjing made me realize that the music exchange with the purposeof remembering historyfor the futurecan be so warm and enrichpeople’s heart. We are covered by the Chinese news media as “the messengerof peace”. We are delighted to find that in Nanjing, Purple Grass has become a symbolof peace and is known to all, and its story is also included in the Morality and Societytextbook of the fifth grade of primary school.

All these make me feel that in the past 15 years, Purple Grass has thrived and deeply rooted in people’s heart.

I think that, whether it is in Japan or in Nanjing, Purple Grass is now flourishing, and will continue to thrive.

Love singing, love peace and love Nanjing! This is the aspirationof me and all other members of Purple Grass Choir!

I hope that I will be able to bloom like the Purple Grass. Even though we are small, we will continue, for the sake of friendshipbetween China and Japan, to bloom brightly and tenaciously…