Just ran across this…kinda cool!

"A viola made in 1938 by Ivan W. Allison of Charleston, West Virginia, was amongst the gifts presented by President Trump yesterday to the new Emperor of Japan, who happens to be a keen viola player.

The instrument was sold to the US State Department by a violin shop in Little Rock, Arkansas, and presented to the Emperor in a custom case, alongside a photo of U.S. composer Aaron Copland.

In a message on his Facebook wall, Joe Joyner, owner of the Little Rock Violin Shop, said, ‘On April 30th I heard a news story that Japan’s Emperor Akihito was stepping down and that his son, Naruhito, would be taking his place. 24 hours later I received a call from the U.S. State Department seeking an American made viola to give as a diplomatic gift’."

thestrad.com/news/trump-gifts-viola-to-new-japanese-emperor/8994.article