Talk:Yutaka Taniyama

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I have not been able to verify that Yutaka Taniyama committed suicide by "leaping out of a window." Can anyone help me corroborate this statement?

I deleted the above phrase from the article, after finding the following sentence on page 186 of Fermat's Enigma, by Simon Singh, referring to Taniyama's death: "On the morning of Monday, November 17, 1958, the superintendent of his apartment found him dead in his room with a note left on his desk."

John M. Singleton

Cause of suicide...unknown?
Curious that you brought this up...I could not find anything relating to Taniyama's suicide, or even an autopsy report. Is it possible that committing suicide without a cause is not considered to be honorable and therefore is "hushed" up? I've also heard rumors that it was a fatal gunshot, but like the window rumor it is unsubstantiated.

--vnvlain


 * His suicide note does mention tiredness and hints at a bit more. As for suicide for unknown reasons being "dishonorable", well I doubt that. In early post-war Japan suicide for vaguely inexplicable or almost "fashionable" reasons were not unheard of.(Although his was more inexplicable than most as he was engaged and successful. Unless it was a secret suicide pact with his fiance, in which case it could be "romantic", but I've never heard that even suggested) Suicide was what brilliant young angst-driven people did because they were brilliant, young, and angst-driven. I'm exaggerating a bit, but Japan would've almost been unusual if they didn't have a bit of that as many nations do. In the US from the 1920s to 1950s poet-suicides were seen as romantic after a fashion. So much so there were even poems trying to explain the phenomenon of poet-suicides.


 * Depression (Goro Shimura says, and he should know). Charles Matthews 11:59, 5 November 2005 (UTC)

Has anyone found any sources as to HOW Taniyama Killed Himself
Has anyone had any Luck finding sources (newspapers or otherwise) which indicate how Taniyama killed himself? Obviously, a list of ways could have included poisoning, hanging, electric shock, etc... - But it would be strange if no newspapers mentioned the method/cause of his death.

AnInformedDude (talk) 23:08, 10 June 2013 (UTC)