Beyond the Eternal [Theme song from filme"WORSHIP"]

"Beyond the Eternal" [Theme song from Film "Worship" ]


"Kuon no Kanata e" flows quietly through the location scenes filmed in Penang, Malaysia, as an insert song in the film WORSHIP Peace in the bottle.
This film is based on a true story, depicting the crew members of the heavy cruiser Haguro long celebrated as a "fortunate warship" and the prayers of the fallen heroes who now rest beneath the sea. Haguro sank in 1945 in the Strait of Malacca, off the coast of Penang, Malaysia.
Fumiko Kusabe, who wrote the lyrics, composed the music, and also served as screenwriter and producer of the film, is a descendant of Haguro's navigation officer. The memories and prayers of one who lost a beloved family member to the sea flow quietly at the heart of this work. The film was directed by Rena Masuyama, a female filmmaker who has traveled to over 70 countries around the world, continually advocating for world peace. The convictions and prayers of both Fumiko Kusabe and Rena Masuyama are deeply etched into this work.

The theatrical company Ateliedge, which produced the film, is one of Japan's leading theater companies, having staged the kamikaze musical OVER THE SILVER LINE every year since 2000. WORSHIP Peace in the bottle is the first feature-length film produced by Ateliedge, and has been screened at Yasukuni Shrine as an official memorial and commemorative work. The film has also been added to the video library of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Aegis destroyer JS Haguro which carries on the name of the original warship and has been viewed by its current crew members.
The film was also given a special screening at the WORLD FILM SPECIAL held in Hollywood, USA, where it was viewed by approximately 20 attendees including the Ambassador of the Malaysian Embassy. Moving audiences across borders and nationalities, WORSHIP Peace in the bottle resonated deeply with representatives from Malaysia the very nation whose waters cradle the wreck of Haguro and continues to share its message of remembrance and reconciliation, transcending time and borders, with the world.

An endless expanse of blue sea.
A horizon painted in the colors of the setting sun.
Beneath that tranquil landscape lie the many lives that were lost to war souls who never returned home.
This song was born as a prayer of requiem for those who sleep beneath the sea.
A female voice both achingly tender and crystal clear gently lifts the feelings that could never reach across time, transforming wordless prayers into melody. This is a song that tenderly embraces not only the grief of lives lost, but also the hope for peace that lies beyond.

The title word "Kuon" carries the meaning of "eternity" and "time that stretches on without end." Woven into this song is the wish that the lives lost beyond the horizon of the sea, and the feelings of those of us living today, might somehow be connected across time.
Within the story of WORSHIP Peace in the bottle, this song is not merely an insert track it is "another narrator," giving voice to the souls resting beneath the sea, resonating quietly and deeply in the hearts of all who watch.