>Tetsuo Sakurai was born Toshizo Nagamine in 1924 in Myodo-zaki, a small village in Tsugaru in the far north of Japan’s main island of Honshu. Toshizo was the seventh son in a wealthy family that owned large apple orchards, and his early life was a comfortable one. A sensitive boy with a good sense of humor, Toshizo entered elementary school in 1931 and was popular with his fellow students.
>At 13, he exhibited the first symptoms of leprosy. Two years later, when he was studying for middle school entrance examinations, he was suddenly told by his father that he would have to give up his studies. At that point, he realized he would be leaving home and that life was about to take an altogether different course.
>At first, he received treatment in neighboring Hirosaki for 10 months but after he showed no improvement, his parents were obliged to have him quarantined in a sanatorium under Japan’s 1907 Leprosy Prevention Law (not repealed until 1996).
>They saw him off from Hirosaki Station as he departed for the town of Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture, more than 500 kilometers away from his home in Tsugaru. Although he felt utterly desolate, Toshizo did not want to upset his parents by crying in front of them over the enforced separation.
>At 17, Toshizo entered Kuryu Rakusenen, one of 13 sanatoria established by the Japanese government between 1909 and 1945, and was given the new name, Tetsuo Sakurai.
>Although called a sanatorium, those with mild symptoms were put to work on nearby farms, forced to do hard labor and nurse seriously sick patients. Despairing of their future, many patients took their own lives. Any attempting to escape were placed in solitary confinement as a warning to others.
>To cope with this harsh life, Tetsuo decided to devote himself to study and purchased a collection of Japanese literary classics. He was befriended by the educated daughter of a wealthy Kyoto restaurant owner who become Tetsuo’s mentor. Under this erudite teacher, he began studying topics such as theology, European philosophy, Buddhism and literature at the age of 19.
>At 21, he “married” a young woman named Masako. This marriage had no legal basis, but was recognized within the sanatorium. In those days, before they entered into such a union, male leprosy patients had to be sterilized. The procedure was not properly performed on Tetsuo, however. When Masako unexpectedly became pregnant, she was forced to have her baby aborted.
>Two years later, Masako died of leukemia. The following year, Tetsuo came down with high fever. By the age of 29, he lost his sight, all his fingers and the use of his vocal cords due to the disease.
>It would be many years before Tetsuo adjusted to his condition. Eventually, he joined a group for the blind and developed a passion for Japanese chess. Then, at the recommendation of Shigenobu Kobayashi, the sanatorium’s director, Tetsuo joined the poetry group. Listening to poetry turned him back onto to literature, and at the age of 57, he composed his first poem, whispered to a member of staff who wrote it down for him. He also began reading the Bible, and was baptized as a Catholic at the age of 60.
>In 1988, Tsugaru Lullaby, his first collection of poetry, was published. Two more volumes have followed.
>Another fateful encounter came when he adopted Chongmi Kim as his granddaughter. She was a third-generation Korean-Japanese, who later joined him on a trip to the Korean Peninsula, where his late wife spent her childhood. A life with Chongmi brought Tetsuo out of his confined studio, and he began to enjoy more of the fresh air.
>Tetsuo finally returned to his Tsugaru homeland in October 2001 at the invitation of his family. He spent only a few days there, but it was a time of great joy for him. A TV documentary about Tetsuo’s return to Tsugaru after 60 years was broadcast by Japan National Broadcasting Corp. in 2002 (OP pic), generating a huge viewer response.
>Tetsuo passed away on December 28, 2011. He is buried in the Nagamines’ graveyard in his native town of Tsugaru, Aomori Prefecture, surrounded by an apple orchard.
>mfw reading about japanese leprosy laws the more i get to know about japan the more i realize that the whole view of japan as a modern, wealthy country is nothing more than a facade
>get leprosy and transform into a hellish abomination >live a cursed life as something less than human >still do better with women than the average chan poster
based
Matthew Johnson
>virgin gamer >chad lepra poet
Brandon Reed
You should read about the untouchables(Burakumin) too. Japan is still very barbaric nation since they were never effectively civilized by the western powers.
Isaiah Lee
That's Nemesis
Lincoln James
I thought this was an atomic bomb survivor.
Parker Ward
so what are the poems about
Joshua Allen
Even la creatura japonés has fucked more women than you...
Jason Thompson
>whatcha lookin at, gaijin
Tyler Ortiz
Joy of fuckin bitches with a shriveled cock
Julian Cook
reminds me of John Merrick, the Elephant Man who was trapped in a body he did not deserve
Jayden Perez
It's actually a guide on how to pick up women when your face looks like an overcooked chicken
Caleb Ward
how did he live for so long with leprosy also I thought it was highly contagious how was he allowed out
William Anderson
It is snork from S.T.A.L.K.E.R?
Charles Moore
no it's the average russian creature
Jonathan Wright
>> 97868379 Thank God, i was thinking that is your mother.
Parker Perry
thanks
Landon Collins
>second world banter
Jason Flores
>Get bombed by Americans >Become el goblino dios mio, that is how they multiply...
Ayden Moore
>israelis can rea...
Liam Reyes
Stupid goy detected
Jeremiah Diaz
Leprosy is non-contagious. It is difficult to catch leprosy from other people.
Even this guy isn't a virgin lmao the absolute state of incels
Wyatt Richardson
>jews are particularly vulnerable to it Heh. You know I've eaten roadkill before but never got sick. Anyway them armadilllos and rabbits and shit have black plague, didn't know they had leprosy too. Fuck animals.
Isaiah Reyes
dios mio...
Camden Jones
based and redpilled
Aaron Lopez
This is only because you can instantly see that he badly lost the genetic lottery, he pretty much only got a wife out of pure pity. Also remember that this is Japan, and asian women in general are much kinder and willing to date physically unattractive guys.
Jason Howard
see
Easton Campbell
Actually now that i think about it, he pretty much only got a wife because he was lucky to be living in Japan. Take a look at the Elephant Man (Joseph Merrick) for example, not only did he never get a wife because he lost the genetic lottery just as badly as Tetsuo Sakurai, he was infact barely considered human by everyone around him.
Trust me it would've been the same lad, even today everyone outside asia would call this guy a disgusting freak. It's kind of similar to how smart kids in school tend to get bullied in the west but honored in China, Korea and Japan, not a weeb just saying the truth.
Isaac Cruz
yikes
Eli Price
Is this because of what I posted? Do you want me to kowtow and apologize now?
Bentley Cooper
It had to be a g*rman to give such a lame and useless comment
Jason Miller
It was under the impression that it is contagious, but nowhere near as much as it has been made out to be in previous centuries
Owen Williams
I feared as much, third-wave feminism needs to be eradicated.
>third-wave bad >first way good thats a common missconception all feminism is cancer it only caught on becouse men dont understand women and project onto them looking from an egalitarian perspective women dont even deserve the right to vote when looking at statistics (men contribute much more money in taxes throughout theire lives and serve in military to protect the country during war) not to mention a strong tendency to emocional thinking im not even baiting or merly pretending
It is contagious but 95% of the population are immune to it and cure was found in 1940 or some shit. It wont eat away your flesh but since you loose the feel in the infected area you're more proned to suffer a serious injury resulting in an amputation.
It's still a thing in poor tropical areas in africa, india and asia due to poor living conditions and healthcare.
Everything about Japanese culture and society seems very manufactured and "forced". Japanese people are pros when it comes to aesthetics, but Japanese culture lacks essence and depth. What I mean by that is that Japanese culture appeals to the senses (mainly sight more than anything), but rarely ever touches your soul deeply on an empathetic level.
Camden Davis
Nah, I admit I was being retarded, but it was worth it
Asher Reyes
Not even mad as i've went into monk mode, just saying the truth.
