Owner’s note
“Namiki House and Osamu Tezuka”
I would like to introduce Namiki House where Mr. Tezuka lived for three years and stories I have heard from my mother about Mr. Tezuka’s life while he lived here in Zōshigaya.
Namiki House was built by my grandfather Shinji in 1953, and is located on the approach to Zōshigaya Kishimojin Shrine. My grandfather was a victim of the Great Kanto Earthquake, and moved to Zōshigaya from Ryogoku, and around 1935 started a company that manufactured a model airplane using rubber band power. Then, he built a factory where the current Namiki House is located, and the tenement house along the approach (Namiki House Annex is actually the older building that was built in 1932.) During the war, the company seemed to be very busy because model airplane production was adopted as a primary school topic for the purpose of fostering aviation youth. After the war, the business was scaled down and, Namiki House was built after the factory was closed. I have heard that Mr. Tezuka was introduced to Namiki House by Mr. Hiroyasu Kato, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the magazine “Manga Shonen”, who was already living here.
Next, I would like to introduce an episode I have heard from my mother that tells us of his life and personality while living at Namiki House.
Mr. Tezuka seemed to be confused quite a bit living here by himself after leaving his family who was living in Takarazuka in Osaka.
At that time, a public bath was common for people living in apartments in Tokyo, but Mr. Tezuka seems to have not having gotten used to using public baths and was talking about it often. It seemed that the fact that he disliked public paths left a strong impression with my mother and after Mr. Tezuka moved to Hatsudai, and my mother took mails that were delivered to Namiki House for Mr. Tezuka over to Hatsudai, the first thing she asked was whether she could “see the bath at his new house” and had him show her the private bath.
In addition, my mother had cooked and served breakfast to Mr. Tezuka at his request, but the classic breakfast dish in Tokyo of “natto (fermented soy bean)” was something that Mr. Tezuka struggled with, having come from Kansai, and my mother struggled to cook him dishes he could eat.
As a story where one can catch a glimpse of Mr. Tezuka’s personality is a story that my mother, seeing the best-selling Mr. Tezuka working all night on his manga asked “Why do you work so hard?” to which he replied “The children are waiting for my manga.” and my mother was very impressed with this reply and told this episode to me many times.
Namiki House Manager
Hirokazu Isago