Japanese violinist Yuzuko Horigome's routine trip home from Tokyo to Europe has become as dramatic as a Mahler symphony.

Her violin, a 1741 Guarneri valued at $1.2 million, has been seized by customs authorities in Germany, who are reportedly demanding 190,000 euros ($238,400) in import duty and possible payment of a fine before they give it back.

Officials confiscated Ms. Horigome's violin as she left Frankfurt airport last Thursday, citing a lack of proper ownership documents, according to the 54-year-old musician's Tokyo-based management agency, Artists Management M. Hirasa Ltd.

One week later, the instrument is still with the German authorities.

"I am incredibly sad and feel as though a part of my body and soul has been snatched away," Ms. Horigome, who lives in Belgium, said in a statement on Wednesday.

The German customs authority did not return a request for comment.

Ms. Horigome's violin, bought in Japan in 1986, was made by the 18th-century Italian master Josef Guarneri del Gesu, whose instruments are highly sought after for their sound quality and rarity.

The Tokyo native's career took off after she won the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels in 1980. In her 32-year career as a concert violinist, she has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic under the direction of leading conductors, including Claudio Abbado, Andre Previn and Kurt Masur.

Ms. Horigome said that she used to carry the necessary documentation for her instrument when she traveled, but left it at home for last week's fateful trip through Frankfurt.

She said she rushed to her home in Brussels the next day to get the document before submitting it to German customs, but her violin has not been returned.

Officials believe the instrument should have been declared, Ms. Horigome's agency said.

Ms. Horigome has since sought legal counsel. It is possible she may not have to pay the tax and further penalties if it can be established that the violin is an essential part of her livelihood.

"I'd like to ask the German government to return my instrument as soon as possible and to treat it in a way that would make musicians around the world feel they can travel without anxiety."

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