Dinner was a “two-part” affair, with the child and the father, and there was no particular home-cooked meal that I remember. There was no strict etiquette for meals. The Ishihara family’s dining table was a bit different,” recalls Yoshizumi Ishihara, 63, the second son of the four Ishihara brothers. He was a picky eater as a child and was nicknamed “Otoko,” meaning “man who leaves things behind. What did his father, Shintaro Ishihara, who was “not interested in raising children,” teach him? …… (Reporting and writing by Harue Yamanoi; Photography by Seiji Tonomura)
Father Shintaro did not provide nutrition education
Yoshizumi spent his childhood in Zushi City, Kanagawa Prefecture. He grew up with his brothers of different characters in a white mansion overlooking Zushi Bay, designed by his father, Shintaro Ishihara, a writer and politician. The massive iron doors open onto a grand marble stairwell. There was a guest salon and a manicured lawn garden where glamorous parties were held. His uncle, the Showa-era star Yujiro Ishihara, often visited the house. All of his siblings graduated from Keio University. The family is truly a magnificent one. One can only imagine the strict dining etiquette that their father must have instilled in them in the opulent dining room during their childhood. ……
But I don’t think that’s true! We hardly ever have dinner with our father, you know. He’s hardly ever home!” Ryozumi laughed. His essay “Ishihara Family People,” written about 25 years ago, drew attention for its recollections of the “two-part” dinner system. The four brothers and their mother, Noriko, ate first, and then the father, Shintaro, ate alone.
He said, “We grew up thinking that was normal. But when I went to stay at a friend’s house when I was a child, I was surprised to see the father dividing the dishes on his plate. I was so surprised. After we got married, I was also surprised to see my father-in-law washing dishes after having dinner at my wife’s parents’ house. I thought, ‘Wow, your father-in-law is very kind.’ I have almost no memory of home cooking. My mother, who took over for my father, who was always on the road, was also extremely busy, making rounds to the constituency to greet people.