Takashi Natsume's Father (夏目, Natsume) is a minor character of the Natsume's Book of Friends series.
He was the husband of Takashi Natsume's Mother and the son-in-law of Reiko Natsume. His wife died shortly after their son was born, so he raised him alone for a few years until he himself passed away. He first appeared alongside his wife in the only photograph their son has, and then later on in flashbacks.
Appearance[]
Natsume's father looks like a slender young man in his early to late twenties. He has short brown hair, and in Natsume's picture he's seen wearing a casual white shirt, with a blue jacket.
Personality[]
Not much is known about Natsume's father's personality, but from the little his son remember of him he seemed to have been a kind man and loving father. It is shown he would often put him on his lap and pat his head, and talk to him in a warm voice.[1]
History[]
There hasn't been much revealed about Takashi Natsume's father's family and his life. There seems to be some implications that he wasn't getting along with his relatives because of him taking on his wife's surname upon marrying her and the way most of them treated his son badly, but nothing has been made clear.
As an adult, he met and married Natsume's mother where he took her family name, 'Natsume.' Before or after that, the both of them bought a small house with a yard. Natsume's mother was very excited to have a garden, so she decided to surprise her husband by planting flowers there. They must have taken the only picture Natsume has of them around this period, as it was before he was born.
At some point, the couple had a son: Takashi Natsume. Shortly after that, his wife died of an unknown cause when thei child was still a baby, which is why Natsume doesn't remember anything about her.
After his wife's death, Natsume's father raised his son alone for a few years. Natsume says unlike his mother, he does have some memories about his father: he used to put him on his lap at their house's veranda and tell him that his mom had planted flowers at the garden, and how he wished to see them bloom together. Natsume's father also kept the scribbling that Natsume drew at the kitchen floor, even though the place could easily be seen.[1]
Natsume's father passed away when Natsume was very small, probably still a toddler; but like his wife how he died is unknown. After that, Natsume was passed around to other paternal relatives, as he didn't have any relatives on his mother's side, before he come to live with the Fujiwaras.
Plot[]

Takashi Natsume's picture of his parents
Takashi's father is first mentioned, where Takashi talks briefly of his parents to Tama, telling him how he doesn't know what "his real parents were like either," and how he often felt very sad until he came to this town, met people who loved him and how he doesn't feel sad anymore.[2]
When his old house finally get sold by his relatives, Takashi has to deal with the remnants of his grief; he remembers his father talking about how happy his mother was about their house' garden and her planting flowers there. He has only one picture of his parents that he couldn't bear to look at when he was a child, so he hid it in a book that he only now decide to dig up again. However, after going out with his friends, he lost it in the forest; but thanks to Kaname Tanuma's intervention, he realizes he cannot just repress his memories of his parents and have to deal with his grief properly, so he decides to go back to his old house. There are only flashbacks with his father, however, while his mom is only shown in the photo.[1]
Takashi decides to build a flower bed for Touko Fujiwara, which makes him think again about how his father used to say that his mother loved flowers. After he helps the five followers of Princess Shida and that she comes, he then ponders that the diorama's garden reminds him of the garden he used to watch with his father.[3]

Takashi Natsume remembering his dad taking him to a merry-go-round.
Takashi is still pondering over that painting of Reiko he saw at the exorcist auction, he tries to help the Homura village's cats and come across a merry-go-round which reminds him that his father took him to one once. He tries hard to remember that moment, but cannot; even so, he doesn't feel sad and is just happy he was able to gain the little memories he could. At the end, however, as the cats leaves he does manage to remember clearly his father as he gently smiled at him and took his hand while they left the merry-go-round; and this made him realize that the loving smile his father gave him at that time was the same he saw on Reiko's face in that painting.[4]
Relationships[]
Takashi Natsume's Mother[]
Although very little is known of Takashi's parents, his father did seem very fond of his wife, and they seemed to have a loving relationship. He seemed touched as he told Takashi about the flowers his wife had planted to surprise him and how excited she was about the garden, and how he wished the flowers would "keep blooming every year and forever." In the house, Takashi also seemed to have drawn a family picture of the three of them on the walls as a child, implying his father must have talked about his mother a lot for him to draw her even though he was a baby when she died.
Takashi's father deciding to take his wife's surname could also be seen as a particular sign of love and respect to her.
Reiko Natsume[]
Reiko died before meeting her son-in-law, and it is unknown what Takashi's father thought of her. He must however not have minded the rumors about her or her bad reputation as that didn't stop him from marrying her daughter, even despite the fact the rest of his family keep badmouthing her even after his death. He also didn't seem to mind taking on her family name upon marrying.
Tachibana[]
When he lived with his young son Takashi, he had Tachibana give Takashi candy from time to time. He then entrusted the key to the house to him, so that Takashi could return if he wished.
Takashi Natsume[]
Takashi's father raised Takashi alone for a few years before he died. Although Takashi barely remember him anymore, he seems to have done the best he could to take care of him until his own death; as his son still remember him warmly to this day and think of him as a loving father, to the point he heavily repressed his memories of him because they hurt too much.
Quotes[]
- "Takashi, look. Your mother planted those seeds for us. She wanted to to be happy."
- "I really hope they bloom this year, Takashi."
About Takashi's Parents[]
- "I don't remember my mom since she died after I was born. I remember a little about my dad. He raised me all on his own."
- "He lost a photo, a photo of his parents."
- "This is your Mom and Dad, right? They look like really nice people."
- "Bye, Dad."
Trivia[]
- Just like his wife, his given name and cause of death are unknown.
- As 'Natsume' was Reiko's family name that she kept her whole life, it seems that Takashi's father is the one who took his wife's surname upon marrying instead of the more common opposite. In Japan, this generally happens when the wife's family is from a wealthy family, that the family has a legacy to preserve and no male heir, or that the husband's family disowned him. It doesn't seem to entirely fit the Natsume family's case though, so the reason as to why Takashi's father decided to take his wife's surname is unknown.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Natsume's Book of Friends Volume 11: Chapter 44
- ↑ Natsume's Book of Friends Volume 12: Chapter 12
- ↑ Natsume's Book of Friends Volume 20: Chapter 81
- ↑ Natsume's Book of Friends Volume 31: Chapter 127