Toraichi Kono

Kono was born in Hiroshima[1] in 1888.[2] He grew up in Japan, before moving to Southern California by around 1904.[3] Kono pursued training both as an airplane pilot and as a lawyer.[1]

Kono met Charlie Chaplin and became his driver in 1916, and the two became friends.[3] Kono performed in Chaplin's 1917 film The Adventurer, playing Chaplin's chauffeur, mirroring his job in real life.[3] He appeared as Chaplin's driver in two of Chaplin's other films, but was not credited for his appearances.[1] Kono remained an employee and confidant of Chaplin's for the following 18 years.[1] Although how personally close they were is a matter of dispute, Kono's biographer Hiroyuki Ono cites letters addressed to Kono but meant for Chaplin as evidence that Kono served a role analogous to personal secretary or scheduler for Chaplin.[1]

Kono provided one of the few firsthand accounts of the events leading up to the mysterious death of Thomas Ince in 1924.[4]

In 1932, Chaplin went on a three-week trip to Japan with Sydney Chaplin, his brother and business manager, and Kono.[3] Because the political situation in Japan was extremely volatile, Kono has been credited with helping Charlie and Sydney Chaplin to travel more safely through the country.[3] They had a confrontation with members of the paramilitary Black Dragon Society, and shortly after they were with Takeru Inukai watching a sumo wrestling match when Inukai's father, prime minister Inukai Tsuyoshi, was assassinated by Black Dragon Society members.[3] Subsequent information suggested that Chaplin himself may also have been targeted for assassination.[1]

In 1934, Kono had an argument with Chaplin and Paulette Goddard, Chaplin's wife, which caused him to quit as Chaplin's valet.[1] Chaplin instead named him as the Japan representative of Chaplin's production company, United Artists, but Kono quit after a year.[1]

Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Kono was arrested by the FBI for alleged social connections to Japanese spies.[1] The FBI suspected that he was helping the Japanese navy to gather intelligence on U.S. battleships.[1][2] The Japanese military strike on Pearl Harbor occurred while the United States was attempting to deport Kono to Japan, at which point he was relocated to the Kooskia Internment Camp.[1][5] He was imprisoned until 1948.[1]

Kono returned to Hiroshima in the 1950s.[1] He died in 1971.[1]

In 2004, Kono's second wife made boxes of Kono's papers and photographs available to Kono's biographer, Hiroyuki Ono, enabling much more thorough research into Kono's life and his relationship to Chaplin.[1] Philip W. Chung also wrote a play, My man Kono, about Kono's life which will have its world premiere in 2025 in NYC.[6] In 2009, Hiroyuki Ono wrote a biography of Kono, called チャップリンの影: 日本人秘書高野虎市 (Shadow of Chaplin: Japanese Secretary Toraichi Kono).[7] Kono was also discussed in depth by Makino Mamoru in the book Chaplin among the ashes.[8]