Roland DG Sponsors Photographic Exhibition and Concert Celebrating 400 Years of Japan/Spain Relations

Barcelona, Spain, August 22, 2014 – Roland DG Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers and 3D devices, announced the firm's sponsorship of the recent Hasekura no Michi (The Road of Hasekura) photographic exhibit held in Madrid, Spain as well as the concert finale which concluded the year-long celebration of 400 years of Japan/Spain relations.

2013 marked the 400th anniversary of the Keicho Embassy, a voyage from Japan to Spain that initiated mutual relations between the two countries and was headed by Hasekura Tsunenaga, a samurai retainer of Date Masamune, ruler of the Sendai Domain. As a joint celebration between Japan and Spain, both countries hosted a variety of cultural activities from June of 2013 through July of this year, with efforts spanning the fields of culture, government, economy, science, tourism and education.

For the Hasekura no Michi photographic exhibition, photographer Teruo Sekiguchi revisited the journey taken by Hasekura 400 years ago, from Ishinomaki to Mexico, Spain and Italy. The exhibit toured Japan from October 2013 to June 2014, including receptions held in Sendai, Ishinomaki, Nagoya and Tokyo. From July 15 to August 15, the exhibit was held in the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. All photographic works and display banners were printed on Roland digital inkjet printers, including the SOLJET PRO4 XR-640.

The closing concert was attended by distinguished guests from both Japan and Spain at the Teatro Real Opera House in Madrid. The theme of the concert was "The Grand Dream of Samurai Hasekura" composed of three acts: "Homecoming," "Death and return to heaven," and "The Samurai's Great Dream." Pianist Mine Kawakami performed along with flamenco guitarist Canizares and the Coro Santa Maria de Coria del Rio.

Jorge Calvo, Executive Officer of Roland DG Corporation and Director of Spain subsidiary Roland DG EMEA, S.L. commented on the occasion, "It has been a great honor to provide our printing technology for this special event to further benefit the development of relations between our two countries."

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  Teatro Real Opera House

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  A scene from the finale concert

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  Sekiguchi's photographic work and banners on exhibit at the Bellas Artes de San Fernando

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  Photographer Sekiguchi's work on display

Note on the order of Japanese names: For the historical names, such as Date Masamune and Hasekura Tsunenaga, we have followed the common practice of listing the family name first and then the given name. In the case of modern-day Japanese names, the given name is written first followed by the family name.

Contacts:

Roland DG Corporation
Marketing Communications Section
+81 (0)53-484-1201
E-Mail：rdg-globalpr@rolanddg.co.jp