(born ; May 13, 1940 – January 9, 1968) was a Japanese athlete who competed mainly as a marathoner. Kokichi was also a 1st lieutenant in the

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force The , , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service branches. New military guidelines, announced in December 2010, direct ...

Running career

Tsuburaya competed at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

held in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, finishing sixth in the 10,000m event and lining up for the marathon as well, on the final day of competition. Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia won the race decisively, becoming the first man to defend his Olympic title in the event, having won in Rome in 1960, running barefoot. Tsuburaya entered the stadium second, but was overtaken on the final lap by the furious sprint of Britain's Basil Heatley and finished third, earning the bronze medal. Tsuburaya was mortified by the loss to Heatley, saying to fellow marathoner

Kenji Kimihara is a retired Japanese long-distance track event, long-distance runner. He competed in the marathon at the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympics and finished in eighth, second and fifth place, respectively. He won two gold medals in the marathon at the A ...

, "I committed an inexcusable blunder in front of the Japanese people. I have to make amends by running and hoisting the Hinomaru in the next Olympics, in Mexico". Shortly after the Tokyo Olympics, Tsuburaya suffered from an ongoing back problem, known as

lumbago Low back pain or lumbago is a common disorder involving the muscles, nerves, and bones of the back, in between the lower edge of the ribs and the lower fold of the buttocks. Pain can vary from a dull constant ache to a sudden sharp feeling. ...

. On January9, 1968, he committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

by slashing his wrist in his dormitory room where he had stayed during his training period for the Mexico City Olympics.

Suicide

Tsuburaya was found dead in his dorm room, holding on to his bronze medal. His suicide was an emotional reaction to the marriage of his longtime girlfriend, Eiko, to another man. Tsuburaya had wanted to marry Eiko, but his military bosses refused to consent to a marriage until after the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, and Eiko's parents had been unwilling to have her wait to marry until after the Games. In his suicide note, Tsuburaya paid thanks to his parents, siblings and trainers for their contributions, hoped his nieces and nephews would grow up well, and asked for forgiveness from his parents. He left two handwritten notes as explanation for why he took his life. His suicide note reads as such:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsuburaya, Kokichi 1940 births 1968 suicides 1968 deaths Athletes from Fukushima Prefecture 20th-century Japanese sportsmen Military personnel from Fukushima Prefecture Japan Ground Self-Defense Force personnel Japanese male long-distance runners Japanese male marathon runners Olympic male long-distance runners Olympic male marathon runners Olympic athletes for Japan Olympic bronze medalists for Japan Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Japan Championships in Athletics winners Japanese military personnel who died by suicide Suicides by sharp instrument in Japan People from Sukagawa