Hansen’s Disease Survivor, 82, Resumes Storytelling at Japan Museum
Four elderly residents of a sanatorium in Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture, have resumed museum storytelling sessions after a decade-long pause. Satoshi Kasai, 82, says he now feels able to speak openly about the prejudice he faced as a patient with Hansen's disease, also known as leprosy.
Satoshi Kasai, 82, a former patient at a Hansen's disease sanatorium in Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture, is sharing his story with museum visitors after a decade-long pause in the program. This feature on Japan and Hansen's disease looks at survivors who hope to raise awareness of the prejudice patients faced.
Four elderly residents are taking part in the revived storytelling program at the Jyu-kanbo National Museum of Detention for Hansen's Disease Patients. The museum stands next to the National Sanatorium Kuriu Rakusenen. Sessions resumed in January, after visitors asked to hear directly from people affected by the disease.
"I want as many people as possible to understand the past and present of Hansen's disease," Kasai said.
The program had gone dormant as sanatorium residents aged and the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Kasai and three other residents in their 80s and 90s volunteered to take part, working with museum curators to prepare their accounts. Eight sessions had been held by the end of August.
A name changed to protect family
Born in Tochigi Prefecture, Kasai was diagnosed with Hansen's disease, also known as leprosy, at 14. He entered the sanatorium in April 1959 after graduating from junior high school.
Discrimination against patients was widespread. Kasai changed his surname to shield his family, but kept his given name. "If I'd changed my whole name, I felt I'd lose touch with my past," he said.
He responded well to treatment with the drug Promin and left the sanatorium two years later. He joined Japan's Self-Defense Forces, having found the job through a public employment office.
His symptoms returned after more than a year and a half of service, and he was forced to resign. "I was afraid of the shame I'd face if people found out about my illness," he recalled. "I had no choice but to give another reason for leaving."
Life in and out of the sanatorium
His health stayed unstable, and he moved in and out of the sanatorium. Outside, he spent many years as a truck driver, a job with relatively little contact with other people. When friends asked what he had done in Kusatsu, he said he had managed a traditional Japanese inn.
A lasting effect of the disease made his eyes water involuntarily, and children he did not know sometimes pointed at him. "I've always avoided places where people gather," he said quietly.
Kasai said he felt able to speak openly now because many of the relatives he once sought to protect had died. "With fewer parents and siblings left, there's hardly anyone I might cause trouble for anymore," he said.
Visitors hear the accounts firsthand
At a gathering in late August, Kasai spoke for nearly an hour to 10 visitors and answered questions about his life. "I want people to feel the presence of those who lived here and suffered because of Hansen's disease," he told them at the end.
Machiko Shimada, a 60-year-old part-time worker from Kodaira in Tokyo, said the experience left a powerful impression. "Hearing someone speak about what they actually went through makes a huge difference," she said.
Museum curator Maki Kamata, who organized the program, said she encouraged the storytellers to speak freely. Visitors could then experience the atmosphere of the sessions, including subtle changes in voices and moments when speakers struggled to find the right words.
