It’s never simple to remember names at a party, but on Saturday in Tokyo, all 178 attendees were named Hirokazu Tanaka, shattering the previous record of 164 Martha Stewarts.
For the record attempt, Hirokazu Tanakas from all walks of life joined forces, including a three-year-old child, an 80-year-old, and even one who flew in from Hanoi.
As required by Guinness, they remained still in a crowded theatre for five minutes while donning identical T-shirts bearing their names until a representative from the organization announced a new record.
The judge announced, “Congratulations on your success!” to raucous applause.
It was a dream come true for 53-year-old Hirokazu Tanaka, who spent years making arduous efforts and made two unsuccessful attempts to bring his namesakes together.
He chuckled and added, “I never anticipated we would accomplish such a foolish record,” saying the Tanakas had “set an example of silliness.”
164 Martha Stewarts flooded the TV show set in New York in 2005, setting a Guinness World Record for the “biggest assemblage of persons with the same first and surname name.”
Tanaka’s quest for the achievement began in 1994 when he read about a baseball prodigy with the same name and experienced “thunderous excitement” at a word he had previously thought unremarkable.
He started feverishly looking out his namesakes around the country, forming the “Hirokazu Tanaka campaign,” a burgeoning network that even put out a wacky song honoring their odd bond.
I’m thankful for my parents.
Every guy in the group was given an alias to help them distinguish from one another. The founder Tanaka went by the name “Semi-Leader,” inspired by his hobbies, profession, and favorite dish.
On Saturday, the public was informed of the nicknames of each Hirokazu Tanaka, including “Sunglasses,” “Chewing Gum,” and “Triathlon.”
Being given a Guinness record solely for having my name on it is an odd experience, according to “Hot Pot” Tanaka.
The 21-year-old firefighter told AFP, “I would’ve believed the medal was designed to recognize a particular effort.
“I just want to thank my parents,”
The most recent time the Tanakas tried to defeat the Stewarts was in 2017, but only 87 people turned up.
Then Guinness stated that it doesn’t matter whether the Japanese characters used to write the name are slightly different in each instance as long as it is “Hirokazu Tanaka,” there was a ray of hope.
Systems engineer “Earring” Tanaka, 46, said, “It’s not like I had a big rivalry towards the Martha Stewarts.
Instead, even though we have never met, I would consider the Martha Stewarts our kindred spirits because they invented this record.
Sadly, not all of the Hirokazu Tanakas could attend the reunion.
According to Suzuko Tanaka, 75, his son Hirokazu passed away from COVID-19.
