Showa, Men Had It Tough 17: About the Family (Part 2)

This is the story of Tsugio (my father), who was born in a farming village in Kagoshima in the early Showa period and lived out his 82-year life there as a farmer.

Following previous discussions on his birth year, birthplace, father Kotaro (grandfather), mother Haru (grandmother), their marriage, and more, I have described the birth when Tsugio was born and the origin of the name Tsugio (meaning 'second man') given to their only child.

In the previous section, I wrote that 17 people from three households (in modern terms) were listed in the same family register, and I will continue to 'observe' that register.

Tsugio grew up in a family structure of 'parents and an only child,' which was extremely rare at the time. However, since 17 family members lived in very close proximity, it was quite different from the nuclear family or three-person family we think of today.

The oldest member of the family was Sue (born in the 2nd year of Tenpo, roughly 1831), who was Tsugio's grandmother. Kotaro's older brother and the third son, the head of the household Shotaro, had a wife Yoshi, eldest daughter Eda, eldest son Fujiichi, second son Takeji, third son Akira, fourth son Chūkichi, second daughter Fusae, and third daughter Tatsue (9 people). The wife of the fourth son Gentaro, Chiyo, had her 'marriage dissolved' due to her death in the 7th year of Taisho and is not listed as a member of this family register. Their children were second daughter Haru, second son Hiroji, and third daughter Aki (4 people; according to the previous family register, the eldest daughter and eldest son had died young). Then there were the 3 members of Kotaro's family, for a total of 17 people.

In other words, during Tsugio's childhood, there were 10 'cousins' living in almost the same place.

His father Kotaro himself married late and was almost of a grandfather's generation from Tsugio's perspective, so the same was likely true for his uncles and aunts. The same went for his 'cousins'; the oldest, Eda, was born in the 38th year of Meiji (1905), so from the perspective of Tsugio, who was born in the 3rd year of Showa (1928), it wouldn't have been strange to call her mother.

The other cousins were also from the Taisho generation, and even the closest cousin in age was born in the 13th year of Taisho. This means that Tsugio was the smallest among his cousins. Even though Tsugio was an only child, he was never alone at home; he must have grown up mixing with his cousins, playing with his older brothers and sisters, and learning things from them.

Even in an environment that was by no means materially wealthy, Tsugio must have grown up being cherished by those around him. In one respect, it also meant he was spoiled.