Zenro Osawa ’57

Zenro Osawa died Oct. 10, 1998, of stomach cancer at his home in Tokyo.

After graduating from high school in Japan and spending two years at Lawrenceville polishing his English, Zenro joined the class in our freshman year. His father had done the same before joining his Princeton class. He joined Key and Seal, majored in history, joined Glee Club and was a chapel deacon. His senior roommates were P. Blue, S. Pertz, and H. Roegner.

After graduation, Zenro traveled in Europe before returning to Japan and in 1966 assumed the presidency of J. Osawa and Co., the family trading firm, founded in 1902. As Japanese department stores began to establish their own buying offices overseas, the pattern of importing changed, and the company was forced to declare bankruptcy. As part of the restructuring process, Zenro left the company to set up his own firm specializing in importing fine-quality loudspeakers. Zenro was a lifelong lover of music, particularly the music of Richard Strauss which he came to know during his European travels.

Although Zenro lived in Tokyo most of his life, he always insisted that he was really from Kyoto, the ancient capital. He had the easy, polished manners of an aristocrat and was a true gentleman.

Zenro leaves behind Mariko, his wife of 34 years, a daughter, and a son, to whom the class extends its sympathy.

The Class of 1957