Farewell ceremony held for author Jakucho Setouchi

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:05 JST, July 27, 2022

A farewell ceremony for popular author Jakucho Setouchi, who died last November at the age of 99, was held Tuesday at a Tokyo hotel.
The service was attended by about 280 people including other writers and editors.
The attendees mourned Setouchi, speaking of their love for her work in literature and as a Buddhist nun.

“I often heard her say, ‘Write that [as the theme].’ To an author, the job of writing continues no matter what happens in life. Her words will continue to give me encouragement in the future,’” said writer Keiichiro Hirano, who had a close friendship with Setouchi for more than 20 years.

“She always inspired me to live a brigher life,” singer Tokiko Kato said. “I’d like to keep on using her work as principles in my life.”

The ceremony concluded with a performance of the Awa-odori dance, the famed traditional dance in her native Tokushima. The performance was given by six people from the city who had met the writer.