Kyoji Watanabe, a critic who supported the writer Michiko Ishimure, who passed away four years ago, left many works that questioned modern Japan, including his representative work "Fumies of the Dead World", in Kumamoto City on the 25th. He died of old age at home.

he was 92 years old.

Kyoji Watanabe was born in Kyoto Prefecture and after graduating from a university in Tokyo, was involved in supporting the lawsuits brought by Minamata disease patients, which is said to be the origin of pollution, in Kumamoto, where his parents were from.



Mr. Watanabe, who founded and edited a literary magazine, met Michiko Ishimure, a writer who passed away four years ago, during his activities, and wrote "Kurumi Jodo", a representative work of Ms. Ishimure, which depicts the suffering of patients and their families. He supported his writing activities for half a century, including being involved in the editing of .



Mr. Watanabe writes about the Japanese people who lived from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period, based on the vast number of records of foreigners who visited Japan at that time. He left many works that question.



Watanabe died of old age at his home in Kumamoto on the 25th, according to his relatives.



he was 92 years old.

“Opened the way to relief for Minamata disease patients”

Writer Koji Yonemoto, who has been in contact with Kyoji Watanabe for many years, points out that it can be said that the work of the two of them with Michiko Ishimura paved the way for the relief of Minamata disease patients. .



Yonemoto said, "Mr. Watanabe played a role in explaining what Mr. Ishimure wrote in an easy-to-understand manner and delivering it to people, and in the struggle over Minamata disease, he supported the patients with words and gained support. Even after retiring from the struggle, he has continued to support Mr. Ishimure by making fair copies of almost all of his works. But he continued to write history from the perspective of 'little people', and I think Mr. Watanabe himself learned a lot from Mr. Ishimure."



He added, "I was really surprised to hear that he passed away because he was in good health. Mr. Watanabe had a strong desire to help Minamata disease patients. I think the history of Minamata disease is gradually fading, but Watanabe By tracing the history through the writings of Mr. and Mr. Ishimure, I think we can understand the suffering that patients continue to suffer, so I would like you to read the books."