Passings

Koji Kibe, Author (1931-2008)

While he is not my blood relative as such, he was my aunt's husband. Koji Kibe was also a two-time finalist in the prestigious Akutagawa Literature Prize in 1982 and 1984. I never got to talk to him about literature, and now I am feeling this great remorse and regret as that would have been very interesting.

He died on the 2nd of Feb of heart failure. My father said it was a good way to die as he went suddenly with no warning. He didn't drink or smoke and was a very exemplary, healthy man so it came as a shock. But I can sort of understand my old man's take on it.

In his other life as Haruki Sumita, he was a lens designer for the now defunct Minolta. I have always stood by Minolta cameras because of this vague filial link. he also had one more fascinating link into Japanese lit.: He was the grandson of the man Noboru Sumita, who became the model for 'Badger' in Soseki Natsume's first novel 'Botchan'.
He's one of those people for whom I have nothing negative to say. The few times I met him in my childhood, he was a lovely uncle to me. He will be sorely missed.