First established in 1974 to promote musical culture in Japan, the Nippon Music Foundation is now best known for its Instrument Loan Project. Since 1994, the Foundation has been loaning its collection of fine Stradivarius and Guarneri instruments to promising young string players.

The Foundation has recently announced that it will change its name: it will now be known as the Sasakawa Music Foundation. It has also appointed a new President, Tamio Kano, who will join current Managing Directors Reiko Ishikawa and Yosuke Ishikawa in the running of the organization.

"Under the new name, we will continue to build upon our long-standing instrument loan project...and endeavor to further contribute to the promotion and advancement of musical culture as a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation," Kano wrote in a statement.

The instruments owned by the Foundation are some of the best on offer. Recently, the organization loaned the 1714 "Dolphin" Stradivarius to VC Artist Timothy Chooi.  Widely regarded as one of the three best surviving Stradivarius violins, the instrument spent decades in the hands of Jascha Heifetz.

"The Nippon Music Foundation is an extraordinary organization — incredibly generous, mission-focused, and deeply dedicated to ensuring these masterpieces are heard in concert halls rather than locked away," Chooi said upon receiving the loan.

The Foundation's collection comprises 21 string instruments in total (15 Stradivarius violins, 1 viola, 3 cellos, and 2 Guarneri del Gesù violins).

You can read a comprehensive description and history of all the instruments owned by the Foundation (in English and Japanese) here.