Shirakiku and Convoy - Funeral Stage for Kakuei Tanaka and Tanzan Ishibashi - 1973-1974

Shirakiku and Convoy - Funeral Stage for Kakuei Tanaka and Tanzan Ishibashi - 1973-1974

Incredible numbers of policemen and black cars had gathered in front of the Tsukiji Honganji Temple early in the morning. The leather shoes of the white-gloved honor guard clacked orderly on the cobblestones after the rain. I saw a man walking up to the altar through the gap between his peers who were silently holding up their cameras while holding up their press credentials. It was Kakuei Tanaka, the incumbent prime minister and the man who would act as chairman of the funeral committee for today's "state funeral-like" ceremony.

The subject of the ceremony was Ishibashi Tanzan. Although his cabinet was known for its short life and he was in office for only 65 days, he was a rare politician who spoke out against war and peace, taking pride in being a man of speech and a liberal. However, despite his innocent impression, the ceremony was too authoritative. The order for the dedicatory rifle, the intimidating procession, the words "From the Emperor and Empress" written on a garland of white chrysanthemums. Anyone could only think that this was not a joint funeral of the Cabinet and the Liberal Democratic Party, but rather a stage set that expressed the will of the nation. After offering flowers, Tanaka bowed and silently stepped down from the podium. Then, as if in response to his movement, police officers in plainclothes clapped their hands in unison, sending a signal. It was like a signal in a play. As I watched him get into the car, I suddenly thought to myself, "He looks like a thug being escorted a
way. The security was so well organized.

What was strange was the strange uniformity of the faces gathered in the hall. Even Tomomi Narita, the chairman of the Socialist Party, moved ceremoniously, as if he had arranged something. Even men with anti-establishment faces were absorbed into the "national" order that day. As I observed each of their expressions, I was convinced that this was not a funeral for the dead, but a form of "LDP rule. The only thing that struck me as odd was that the movements of the politicians who were still alive, rather than those who had died, were so unusually well organized.

And then there was Kakuei Tanaka. Every time I saw this man on the "stage," I was reminded of how much he manipulated the media and bureaucracy of this country. He still has a huge following, even though his "Japan Island Remodeling" plan has sent the economy into a frenzy and prices skyrocketing. But there was already a shadow behind it. In the whispers between reporters between the sound of camera shutters, information such as "It's only a matter of time before the Lockheed rumors become a reality" was mixed in. But on that day, Tanaka said nothing, showed no smile, and simply disappeared, quietly clad in the robe of "power.

As I covered his funeral, I couldn't help but think about what the nation is. A politician who spoke of freedom and peace was incorporated into the "state performance" after his death, regardless of his will. The man in charge of this staging was Kakuei Tanaka, a symbol of money and power. Ishibashi Tanzan's funeral was not just a memorial service. It was a theatrical performance by the state to justify itself.

Related Information

Ishibashi Tanzan died in April 1973, and his funeral was held at Tsukiji Honganji Temple as a "joint funeral of the Cabinet and the Liberal Democratic Party. The funeral service was chaired by then Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka. Among the attendees were Umekichi Nakamura (Speaker of the House of Representatives), Kenzo Kono (Speaker of the House of Councillors), Tomomi Narita (Chairman of the Socialist Party), and economic critic Kamekichi Takahashi.

At the time, Japan was suffering from a price frenzy in the aftermath of the first oil crisis in 1973, and the public investment policies of the Tanaka Cabinet were under intense criticism. Tanaka, on the other hand, still had a powerful faction and was keeping a close eye on the political world, but signs of the Lockheed affair surfaced from the end of 1974 to 1975, and he was arrested the following year in 1976.

Ishibashi Tanzan was a rare figure who maintained his pride as a public speaker and his anti-war and peace ideology despite being in office for only 65 days.