From Biting a Mantis Leg in Poverty to Facing Cancer — Torū Kazama’s Life Story

“I never imagined I would get cancer.”

Actor Toru Kazama (63) revealed on August 22, at the launch event for the nematode cancer test “N-NOSE” new service, that he had been diagnosed with pharyngeal cancer about three years ago. It was discovered during his annual endoscopy. Since it was caught early, he was discharged after about a week and is now fully recovered. However, he also voiced his concerns:

“Well, what I really fear is recurrence.”

Although Kazama went public with his cancer, he is also well known as a tough actor who endured an extremely poor childhood. In his book Binbo-damashii (Chuko Shinsho), he candidly wrote about his harrowing experiences. In an interview with this magazine right after the book’s release (April 29, 2016 issue), he shared a series of almost unbelievable episodes. Having overcome poverty, Kazama will surely be able to defeat cancer without fearing recurrence. Along with encouragement for Kazama, we would like to reprint his words from that interview below.

〈Since my parents divorced when I was five, I was raised by my grandparents. They were retired, so the three of us lived an extremely poor life, relying solely on their pension. 〉

〈The most delicious was the purple morning glory〉

The family lived in a rusted tin-roofed apartment in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture. It was a single six-tatami-mat room. Drafts seeped through the gaps, and when it rained, water leaked from the ceiling. Kazama had weak teeth, but even when severe cavities were pointed out during school dental checkups with the instruction “You need to see a dentist,” he couldn’t go.

〈The treatment costs were too much. I didn’t want to burden my grandparents. So I left my cavities until the teeth became loose, and once they wobbled, I would pull them out with pliers. Blood would come out, but I stuffed tissue in and endured it.〉

Because there was no food, he says he survived hunger by eating insects and weeds.

〈I was always hungry. One morning, while fidgeting in bed, a praying mantis wandered onto my pillow. I was so hungry I caught it and tried nibbling on its legs. Since people eat locust tsukudani, I thought mantises might be edible too—but it was bitter.

I also tried various grasses like dandelion and mitsuba. Some made my tongue go numb and couldn’t be eaten. But the weeds growing under the exhaust fans of yakiniku or yakitori restaurants had a faint meat flavor and were tasty. The most delicious of all was the purple morning glory. It was sweet and perfect for tempura. 〉

Kazama was popular with girls even in elementary school. On Valentine’s Day, he received more than 20 chocolates every year, which he divided into 365 portions to eat sparingly throughout the year.

〈I was scouted at age 20 and made my debut in the entertainment world, but my experiences of poverty stayed with me. Even when going abroad for location shoots, I could tell which foods were dangerous. While the staff would often get sick, I was always fine. I used to feel ashamed of being poor, but thanks to it, I gained the toughness needed to survive. 〉

Having endured a childhood where even daily food was uncertain, Kazama possesses a strength not found in ordinary people—and with that resilience, he will continue to thrive in the entertainment world.