The piano, made by the predecessor of instrument manufacturer Yamaha, was in a home located about one mile from the bomb's epicenter; though impaled by shards of glass, it remained upright. Its female owner, now 79, had been working then at a weapons plant in Hiroshima. She realized two years ago that Yagawa could fix her piano, which required repair on about half of its keyboard.
Children's book author Miyoko Matsutani has now adapted their story to a fictional work in which the piano's owner uses the instrument to communicate the sadness of war.
Since repairing it, Yagawa has organized performances on the piano in over 100 locations throughout Japan, calling it "a treasure for us to show the importance of peace."