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"Father, Mother… Kokichi Is Completely Exhausted and Can No Longer Run."
Some words become part of a nation's memory.

 

On January 9, 1968, Japan lost one of its greatest distance runners, Kokichi Tsuburaya (円谷幸吉), the bronze medalist in the marathon at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He was only 27 years old.

 

Today, many people remember him not only for his remarkable performance on the Olympic course, but also for the heartbreaking final sentence in his farewell letter:

 

"Father, Mother... Kokichi is completely exhausted and can no longer run."
The original Japanese reads:

 

父上様母上様
幸吉はもうすっかり疲れ切ってしまって走れません。
These words have become one of the most famous farewell messages in modern Japanese history.

 

Tsuburaya had become a national hero after winning Japan's only athletics medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The country expected him to return four years later at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and win gold. But injuries, relentless training, and the immense pressure of carrying a nation's hopes weighed heavily on him.

 

His farewell letter was extraordinary. Rather than expressing anger or resentment, it was filled with gratitude. He thanked his family for the meals they had prepared, for their love, and for the support they had given him throughout his life. Only at the very end did he admit that he simply had nothing left.

 

His final words were not about losing a race. They were about reaching the limits of both body and spirit.

 

Looking back nearly sixty years later, his story reminds us that even heroes have breaking points. Achievement and public admiration do not make a person invincible. Behind every medal, every record, and every success is a human being who also needs rest, understanding, and compassion.

 

Kokichi Tsuburaya's legacy is more than an Olympic bronze medal. It is a reminder that perseverance is admirable—but we must also recognize when someone has been carrying too much for too long.

 

Sometimes the strongest people are the ones who quietly say, "I can't run anymore."

 

 

PS: Physcial care is important, but the mental care should not be forgotten.