A Brother Is A Stranger

Book excerpt: We in Japan have a saying, “A brother is the beginning of a stranger,” because on the father’s death the oldest brother acquires such absolute authority as the head of the family that the younger ones and he cannot easily be friends. After our father died, my eldest brother assumed the dictatorial authority of father, as sanctioned by Japanese law and custom. I wanted to live my own life, and I did; but I had to fight for it against the old Japanese tradition that superiors must benevolently govern their inferiors, and inferiors gratefully obey. I have experienced both bitter sorrows and bursting joys. May the young people of a new Japan obtain the happiness of my wife and myself without the struggle we have been through.—A Word From the Author, Toru Matsumoto