The Man Who Traded Identities

Daisuké Taniguchi escapes his family by adopting other names, but the trade leaves him isolated from the people who still want to find him.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Leaving the Inn Behind

A Second Son Departs A broken family tie After his father dies and the family offers little comfort, Daisuké cuts contact and leaves Gunma. The need for distance He does not seek a new life for wealth or adventure. He wants distance from a family that makes him feel unwanted.

A Register Exchange

A New Legal Name Meeting the broker’s world Daisuké enters the market for exchanged family registers and eventually receives the identity of Yoshihiko Sonézaki. A practical escape The new identity separates him from his family, though he cannot know in advance what kind of life the new name will bring.

Meeting Makoto Hara

A Life Passed On Two meetings Daisuké meets Hara while using the Sonézaki identity and tells him about his own troubled family past. A decision made freely Daisuké sees in Hara someone who might use the Taniguchi life well. He accepts the exchange, hoping his former life will become a gift rather than a burden.

Life as Sonézaki

Overwriting the Past A new self takes shape Daisuké says that memories and relationships fade when a person leaves and begins living under a different identity. A costly separation He does not return to his family even when his brother seeks him. His chosen distance gradually becomes a permanent absence.

Found but Not Returned

Meeting Kido The living man Daisuké meets Kido in Nagoya and confirms the exchanges, including Hara’s use of his identity. Refusing the old home He remains unwilling to see Kyoichi or return to the family inn. Discovery restores his existence to the case, but not to the family.

After the liver-donor crisis

After leaving his Osaka apartment

Before Hara moves to Town S

After Hara takes the Taniguchi register

March 2014