“Nippon Music Foundation” has officially changed its name to
“Sasakawa Music Foundation”

About Instrument Loan Project

Sasakawa Music Foundation launched the Instrument Loan Project in 1994 to make greater contributions towards the field of classical music. The Foundation has now come to own 21 instruments made by Antonio Stradivari and Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù and loans them gratis to young promising musicians and internationally active musicians regardless of their nationalities.

INSTRUMENT LOAN 2026 Flyer

Application for Instrument Loan 2026

Loan Category	A	B	C
Instrument	Violin	Violin	Violin
Eligibility	35 years old or under as of 1 September 2026		Must have a specific purpose of activities (e.g. Recording, Competition, Anniversary/Special/Debut Concert, etc.)
	―	Performing mainly in Japan
	*Applicants can apply for both A and B at the same time
Loan Period	2-7 years *The total possible loan period in Category A and B must be up to 7 years The loan period will be announced at the time of the result notification		Up to 1 year The loan period will be announced at the time of the result notification
Application Period	Sunday 1 March - Wednesday 15 April 2026 *Closes at 12:00 a.m. on 15 April 2026 (JST)		Sunday 1 February - Sunday 15 February 2026 *Closes at 12:00 a.m. on 15 February 2026 (JST)
Evaluation	Evaluation Determined based on the selection at the Instrument Loan Committee Meeting Separately evaluated		Separately evaluated
Result	In late August		To be notified about 1 month prior to the requested start date of the loan *Requires about 1 month for examination
Note	Re-applying for Category A, B, or C is possible during the loan in Category A or B		Re-applying for Category C is possible after 2 years from the end date of the loan for those whose loan in Category A, B, or C has terminated

Loan Application for Category C

Instrument：Violin
Eligibility：Must have a specific purpose of activities
(Recording, Competition, Anniversary Concert,
Special Concert, Debut Concert etc.)
Loan Period：Up to 1 year
(To be announced in the result notification)
Application Period：1 February - 15 February 2026
*Closes at 23:59 on 15 February 2026 (JST)

Other
Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition
Since 1997, Sasakawa Music Foundation has loaned the Stradivarius 1708 Violin "Huggins" to the Grand Prize winners of the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium held in Brussels.

Conditions and Notes for Instrument Loan Application

1．: The instrument player is required to sign the Loan Agreement with the Sasakawa Music Foundation.
If the instrument player is under 20 years of age, the legal guardian is required to sign the Loan Agreement (under 20) together with the instrument player.

2．: The loan instrument shall be designated by the Foundation.

3．: The collection and return of the loaned instrument must, in principle, take place at the Sasakawa Music Foundation office in Tokyo, and must be carried out by the instrument player in person.
If the instrument player is under 20 years of age, both the instrument player and the legal guardian must be present.
All related expenses such as travel and accommodation shall be borne by the instrument player.

4．: The loaned instrument must undergo a condition check every three months at one of the Foundation's designated workshops (a total of eight locations in Japan, Europe, and the United States).
All related expenses such as travel and accommodation shall be borne by the instrument player.

5．: The instrument player must handle the instrument appropriately in accordance with the Foundation's instructions. Guideline

ATA Carnet

1．: When taking the loaned instrument outside of Japan, the instrument player must complete customs procedures using the ATA Carnet*.
The instrument must be brought back to Japan within the one-year validity period of the ATA Carnet.
If the loan period exceeds one year, a new ATA Carnet will be issued.
All related expenses, such as travel and accommodation, shall be borne by the instrument player.

2．: When using the ATA Carnet, the instrument player must sign the Memorandum for the ATA Carnet with the Sasakawa Music Foundation. If the instrument player is under 20 years of age, the legal guardian shall sign the Memorandum for the ATA Carnet (under 20) (for instrument players under 20 years of age) together with the instrument player.

3．: There are restrictions on the countries to which the loaned instrument may be brought.

*Note: The ATA Carnet is an international customs document that provides duty and tax free customs clearance for temporary imports of professional goods into foreign countries based on the A.T.A. Convention.

STEP 1 2 3

Application
Screening
Result

STEP.1Application

Please read the following "Application Guideline" carefully and submit the application materials to the Foundation.

【Application Guideline】

Application form

Attachments *All materials must be in English

1．: Two Recommendation Letters

2．: Three Audiovisual Recordings (see the list of repertoire and details in the Application Guideline)

3．: Biography

4．: Schedule for the Past One Year and the Next One Year

5．: Performance Repertoire

6．: Photograph and Photo Credit

7．: Letter of Legal Guardian (for applicants under 20)

Send to Sasakawa Music Foundation Email loan@nmf.or.jp

Application
Screening
Result

STEP.2Screening (Instrument Loan Committee)

The Instrument Loan Committee is responsible for selecting recipients of the instruments. The Committee is composed of members representing Europe, the United States and Asia.

【Evaluation Rules】
An Instrument Loan Committee member shall not take part in the evaluation process of an applicant for whom they have written a Recommendation Letter or have instructed within the past two years.

Members

Count Yvan de Launoit	President of The Queen Elisabeth Competition, Belgium
Mari Fujiwara	Cellist
Sir Clive Gillinson, CBE	Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall
Koichiro Harada	Violinist, Specially Appointed Professor at Toho Gakuen School of Music and Tokyo College of Music, Faculty at the Manhattan School of Music
Shinichiro Ikebe	Composer
Kim Kashkashian	Violist, Professor of Chamber Music at New England Conservatory of Music, Artistic Director Music for Food
Ida Kavafian	Violinist, Violist, Nina von Maltzahn Chair in Violin Studies at The Curtis Institute of Music
Jonathan Nott	Conductor
Dmitry Sitkovetsky	Violinist, Conductor, Arranger