Japanese Billionaire Going to Space Buys Ultra-Rare $8.75 Million Stradivarius Violin for the World
By Ryan General
October 4, 2018
A Japanese billionaire recently purchased one of the world’s most expensive violins so he can share it with musicians around the world.
Known as an avid supporter of the arts, Yusuke Maezawa, CEO of popular fashion retailer Zozotown, has been busy shopping around auction houses for paintings and musical instruments.
Maezawa made international headlines last month after Elon Musk announced that he will be the very first space tourist to go to the moon via SpaceX’s Big Falcon Rocket sometime in 2023. Maezawa even revealed his plans to invite artists from different fields to join him.
Now Marsawa is on the news again for acquiring a 1717 Stradivarius Hamma, one of the rarest violins in the world.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, he showed off the exquisite instrument via a series of images and even a video of him playing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
According to pricing website Kakaku.com, a violin of this kind is sold for 1,000,000,000 Japanese yen ($8,750,000) but can fetch up to over $15 million in private dealings, Soranews24 reports.
Maezawa wrote on his Instagram post that he doesn’t plan to keep the violin for himself but intends to share it to others around the globe. He noted that the idea is to allow different local musicians to help enrich children’s awareness of classical music. Sites like Fiddlersguide also has buying advice on the equipment you’ll need to get started.
Maezawa wrote on his Instagram post that he doesn’t plan to keep the violin for himself but intends to share it to others around the globe. He noted that the idea is to allow different local musicians to help enrich children’s awareness of classical music. Sites like Fiddlersguide also has buying advice on the equipment you’ll need to get started.
But while Maezawa’s intentions sounded noble, many Japanese netizens criticized him for the purchase, alleging that it is nothing more than a PR tactic.
“I feel kind of bad for the violin… I wish the owner was someone who could play it, instead,” one commenter wrote.
“Hey, if you can afford to take trips to the Moon and buy a ridiculously-priced violin, why don’t you pay more of the courier fees for shipping from ZOZOTOWN?” another netizen chimed in.
“This is a nice gesture, but I’d rather he think about his employees’ wages,” wrote another.
“I really wish people wouldn’t buy something so precious on a whim. This instrument should be in the hands of someone truly deserving of it, and definitely not just someone who has a lot of money,” one commented.
At least one netizen defended Maezawa’s pricey violin purchase.
At least one netizen defended Maezawa’s pricey violin purchase.
“You can tell from all the complaints in this comment section how broke Japan is. I can’t comprehend why you guys care so much about how he spends his money. He used his own cash to buy it, and that’s that,” the commenter wrote.
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