Faculty of Letters ・Professor Takao Ito gave a lecture on the theme of "Beethoven and Hiroshi Takada"

On October 26, 2025, a cultural lecture hosted by the Third Civilization Society was held at a venue in Saitama Prefecture, and Professor Takao Ito of the Faculty of Letters of our university gave a lecture on the theme of "Beethoven and Hiroshi Takada."

This lecture was planned to commemorate the republication of Romain Rolland's "Beethoven" (translated by Hiroshi Takada) by Romain Rolland as a selected book of the Third Civilization Society, and to commemorate the translator of the book, sculptor Hiroatsu Takada. Professor Ito, who wrote the commentary on the book, was invited as a lecturer.

Hiroaki Takada (1900–1987) was born in Yatago Village, Kashima District, Ishikawa Prefecture (now Iwaya Town, Nanao City), and went to France to work internationally as a sculptor. He is also known for interacting directly with Romain Rolland and witnessing Roland and Gandhi's press conference.

Higashimatsuyama City, located in central Saitama Prefecture, is home to many of Takada's works, including the "Takasaka Sculpture Promenade - Takada Hiroatsu Sculpture Group." For this reason, the lecture was held at a venue in the surrounding area of Higashimatsuyama City. A message was sent to the lecture by Higashimatsuyama City Mayor Koichi Morita, and many guests attended, including Higashimatsuyama City Board of Education Superintendent Isao Yoshizawa.

In addition, at the "Beethoven and the Song of Joy" exhibition held at Soka University in 2024, the founder, Professor Daisaku Ikeda, exhibited materials that transcribed Takada's translation of "Beethoven" in his youth, attracting attention. This is also one of the reasons for this reprint and lecture planning.

The lecture introduced the historical background of how Hiroatsu Takada translated Rolland's "Beethoven" at the age of 26, and how he had direct contact with Rolland in the 1930s and witnessed his meeting with Gandhi. He also spoke about how Beethoven's philosophy of "Durch Leiden Freude (Joy through Suffering)" was passed down to Rolland, Takada, and the founder, drawing great interest from the audience.

After his lecture, Professor Ito said the following:
"The spiritual solidarity surrounding Hiroatsu Takada, Romain Rolland, and Beethoven goes beyond the biography of one artist and is connected to the question of how to protect human dignity. I was honored to be able to give this lecture in Higashimatsuyama City, which has a deep connection to Takada, and it was a great pleasure to be able to share this theme with the city's residents."