22. A Japanese Romance That Went Spectacularly Wrong
Japanese businessman and restaurateur Kichizo Ishida (1894 – 1936) had a reputation as a ladies’ man. Living up to that reputation turned him into the victim of a crime that gripped and terrified Japan. Ishida’s career began with an apprenticeship in a restaurant that specialized in eel dishes. At age 24, he opened the Yoshidaya Restaurant in Tokyo’s Nakano neighborhood, and it became a hit. By 1936, Ishida seems to have left the management of his business affairs to his wife, and dedicated himself to womanizing.
Early in 1936, he began a torrid love affair with a recently hired employee, Sada Abe (1905 – 1971). She had been a Geisha and former prostitute before she started working as an apprentice at Ishida’s restaurant. It did not take long after she was hired before her boss made advances, which she eagerly welcomed. The duo became infatuated with each other, and spent days in marathon sex sessions at hotels, not pausing even when maids came in to clean the rooms.
