My grandmother Kanamé was one of Taichirō’s first cousins. Although unions among such close relatives are naturally frowned upon today, in the past they were considered a matter of course, especially among those of higher social standing and the well-to-do.[1] Marriages in those days were often motivated by practical matters, such has inheritance and succession, with “love” seldom coming into the equation.
Kanamé’s parents ran a saké brewery and were relatively wealthy by the standards of the people in the region. Taichirō himself admitted years later that the only reason he had married his cousin was to have access to his uncle’s financing. In fact, it was Kanamé’s father who lent Taichirō the money to help him establish his clinic in Kurakata.
Kanamé had always dedicated herself to studying—be it the arts of flower arrangement, tea ceremony—so the prospect of marrying a doctor may have appealed to her.
When Taichirō returned from Tōkyō in 1912, my grandparents got married and settled down in Kurakata.
In the early days of their marriage, Kanamé worked hard to get along with her new neighbors and, more importantly, her in-laws. Before long, she had five children, the eldest being my father. Severe in temperament, yet honest—perhaps a little too honest at times—Kanamé’s weakness lay in her health and she suffered from an extreme sensitivity to the cold. The bigger her husband’s business grew, however, the more her health deteriorated until she could no longer bring the children up by herself. Eventually, they had to hire nannies, one to care for each child.
Despite the home being filled with noisy, cheerful children running about, enjoying their young, carefree lives, my grandparents were fond of their sober, simple and studious lives.
[1] In Japan, just as it is in 19 States, marriage between first cousins is not illegal.