Who Was Jiro Shirasu?

A man whom the postwar GHQ called “the only Japanese who would not be obedient”, Jiro Shirasu. During the Allied Occupation of Japan, he was a close aide to Shigeru Yoshida and also served as chairman of Tohoku Electric Power and as an executive in many Japanese companies.

His father, Bunpei Shirasu, founded the trading company Shirasu Shoten and amassed great wealth through cotton trading (the company later went bankrupt due to the Showa financial crisis). Jiro Shirasu grew up in a wealthy family, was fluent in English, handsome, unconventional, and a man who stuck to his principles no matter who he was dealing with. His way of life continues to be celebrated in books and dramas even today.

They say “Heaven does not give two gifts,” but when it comes to Jiro Shirasu, I can’t help but think, “Heaven gave this man everything.”

A Man Admired by Men: Jiro Shirasu

From a young age, Jiro Shirasu was a passionate car enthusiast. While studying in England, he brought luxury cars to the racetrack and raced so much that people called him the “Oily Boy.” Even after turning 70, his passion for cars never faded. He drove his beloved Porsche 911 to many places, and his stylish mastery of the Porsche at an advanced age was admired by everyone who saw him.

He must have been quite popular.

My husband, too, has loved Jiro Shirasu for a long time and often says with a laugh, “My will is ‘No funeral. No posthumous Buddhist name.’” When he once went on a solo tour in the Kanto region, he made a point of visiting “the Shirasu residence in search of ‘principle.’” He even stopped by Buso-so.

(Apparently, he wants to live in a house like this Buso-so in his old age, lol)

From the perspective of Porsche enthusiasts, Jiro Shirasu, who could still confidently handle a Porsche at 70, must be a true role model. But then I learned that there actually is a Japanese man like Jiro Shirasu in today’s world! (My husband told me about him)

From Japan to Stuttgart in a 356

This man was featured in Nikkei Business Online. His name is Toshiyuki Suzuki, a Japanese man who drove his beloved 1953 Porsche 356 for 53 days, crossing eight countries and covering 15,463 km from Japan to Porsche’s headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.

* [Nikkei Business Online] A man in his sixties drives a 1953 Porsche to Germany

He is the president of the Porsche 356 Club of Japan, an officially recognized 356 owners’ club by Porsche headquarters. Suzuki-san had previously driven this 356 all the way to Hokkaido and Kyushu and had been planning this journey for about ten years.

“I’m half-retired since passing 60, and I thought if I waited until I was 70, my energy and strength would be tough to keep up, so now is the time.”

For this trip, Suzuki-san performed meticulous maintenance equivalent to an overhaul (Porsche still supplies parts for old models) and prepared spare parts before departing from his home in Chiba Prefecture. He set off from Sakaiminato port and traveled through Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany, covering eight countries. After 53 days, a large crowd gathered in front of the Porsche Museum at the finish line, where locals enthusiastically welcomed Suzuki-san.

I found Suzuki-san’s words truly inspiring:

“On a globe, Japan is just about the size of a pinky finger tip, and it’s boring to just go around inside that. Everyone says it’s far, but I always thought Stuttgart is just a short trip across the continent.”

Porsche AG officially honored Toshiyuki Suzuki’s achievement and is displaying his 356 at the Porsche Museum as part of a special 70th-anniversary exhibition running until January 6 next year.

What a wonderful story. Suzuki-san’s mindset and determination are amazing, and the fact that a Porsche 356 can still run flawlessly after 70 years is incredible. No matter how old we get, I think it’s wonderful to age simply and joyfully like this.