SINGAPORE: The daughter of a longtime cobbler on Yishun Street, Taro-san, recently put up a sign that says her father has fallen ill. The 78-year-old Taro-san, whose real name is Yamaguchi Taro, suffered a fall lately and required hospitalization.
According to the sign his daughter Yoko put up, the cobbler uncle appears to have a number of serious health conditions. However, she said he’s “receiving the best care possible” and expressed the hope of seeing her father back at work at his bench at the Yishun Bus Interchange again.
Her father is suffering from rapidly progressing dementia, uncontrollable bowels, a fractured left hand, a stroke that affected his right side, mobility, and speech, and a lump in his throat that causes difficulty with swallowing. This last condition only allows him to receive nutrition through nostril milk feeds.
“We’re heartbroken to see him facing these health challenges, but we’re committed to supporting him every step of the way… Mr Taro-san has dedicated his life to his craft, and his passion for cobbling has touched countless lives.”
A 2014 piece in Mothership noted that Taro-san had worked as a cobbler for 21 years, working every day from 1:30 to 11:30 pm and only taking breaks during the Chinese New Year holidays. His daughters, then aged 35 and 39, were learning the trade from their father and had planned to set up shop for themselves.
The piece also mentioned that he is one of the few remaining in his trade and charged lower rates than commercialized shoe repair shops. The highest price he charged, however, was $450 for sewing leather soles on a pair of Louis Vuitton high-heeled shoes.
When a photo of Yoko’s post was shared on Reddit, commenters expressed sympathy for the cobbler’s condition, saying that they had been seeing him at the interchange at Yishun over the past decades and had hoped his recent absence was merely due to a holiday.
Others asked if there is a crowdfunding effort to help him or if there are other ways through which they can extend aid. “Get well soon, Taro-san,” several wrote.
His life and work were featured in a YouTube 2022 video from Warm Soup Films called “Sole Tradition: Yamaguchi Taro” below.
When the video was shared on Reddit, its creator wrote, “Thank you for sharing. I made this video with a few friends a couple of years back and he was so kind and patient in helping us film him. Wishing a speedy recovery for him.”
Featured photo on the left is from Warm Soup Films’s YouTube video. /TISG
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