Kondo is Kondo

A Japanese immunologist was one of the winners of the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Professor Sakaguchi discovered a new class of T cells called regulatory T cells, which prevent immune cells from attacking our own body (source: japantimes.co.jp).

Behind every great man, there are many great men. Such a discovery does not fall from the sky—it is the persistent fruit of research built on previous discoveries.

My father contributed to one of the early discoveries related to T cells. His name is mentioned in medical dictionaries: K. Kondo. However, Kondo is a common name in Japan. For example, Marie Kondo, the author of The Joy of Tidying Up, whose books I have read and applied. When people ask if I’m related, I say no—far from it if you see the state of my clutter. Or Jo Kondo, the composer of the music for Super Mario Brothers. Is it a coincidence that we are both musicians?

Although the names are spelled the same, the common Kondo has a long "O" at the end, or rather an extra "U." こんどう or 近藤. Our family name is こんど (今渡), a very unique name originating in Hokkaido, or possibly even earlier from Hiroshima. But we don’t really know if it was read as Kondo back then.

When I explain my name to a Japanese person abroad, I always explain the kanji too. The response is always, "Oh, so it’s not 近藤, how rare!" It’s also not 今度, a commonly used word also pronounced Kondo. Without the "sanzui" (water) radical, it means “next.” How many jokes have I heard: "今度は今渡" (Kondo wa Kondo). This phrase became famous from a film, 「こんどはこんど。今は今」(Kondo wa Kondo. Ima wa ima) —which is mindfulness right there.

In this case, I am proud to be associated with my father, who contributed to an important discovery. But what if there is a famous criminal called Kondo? Then I quickly explain how we are not related...