On March 11, 2011, Yuko Tanno lost her son in the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. The city she calls home, Natori in Miyagi Prefecture, was ravaged. In memory of her son, she has continued to buy Weekly Shonen Jump each Monday.
According to Asahi, Tanno’s son Kota loved manga. He’d buy the latest Jump and read it with friends in his room. Kota was only 13 when he was swept away in a tidal wave.
After his body was discovered, Tanno thought the spirit of her son might wonder what happened in the newest issues of Jump.
First, Tanno put some copies in his casket. Then, she put some out on the Buddhist altar in their house dedicated to her son. Each week, she now buys the latest issue and has back ordered missing ones.
Tanno has since rebuilt her house, which was destroyed in the quake. She built a room for Kota, which is filled with his mementoes as well as shelves and shelves of Weekly Jump. One Piece is still in serialization. Haikyu!! debuted the year after the quake, but since her son was on the volleyball team, he might have enjoyed it. No doubt, he would — or, perhaps, is.
This year, Kota would be twenty years old.
Comments
2 responses to “Mother Buys Weekly Manga In Memory Of Her Deceased Son”
Cool, I’m sad now
Christ that’s depressing.
I hope she at least reads them…