A man in Japan who has four wives and two girlfriends – and aims to father 54 children – wants to become the “God of Marriage”.
Ryuta Watanabe, 36, who lives in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido, has not worked for 10 years and lives entirely on the salaries of his wives and girlfriends.
His wives are common-law in nature, recognised as partners in a marriage-like relationship without formal registration, based on long-term cohabitation and shared responsibilities.
Watanabe is already the father of 10 children and lives with two of them and three of his wives, Japan’s Shueisha Online reported.
He takes on the role of a house husband, cooking, doing housework and taking care of the children.
The household expenses, which are almost 914,000 yen (US$6,000) a month, are split between his wives and girlfriends.
Watanabe also has a fourth wife, who is 24 years old, but they are estranged. In addition, he met two girlfriends via social media platforms.
Six years ago, a depressed Watanabe who was living on welfare, was dumped by his girlfriend.
He said it was this that pushed him to start dating various women through dating apps.
Earlier this year, on the Japanese TV show Abema Prime, Watanabe said: “I just love women. As long as we love each other equally, there won’t be any problems.”
Watanabe also said that each of his wives has her own room, and he rotates sleeping with different wives every night.
He claimed to have sex more than 28 times a week, and said his wives never get jealous, instead, they get along well like friends.
Watanabe aims to break the record for the most children fathered in Japan, becoming a so-called God of Marriage.
Online sources indicate that Tokugawa Ienari, a shogun who died in 1841, fathered around 53 children with 27 concubines during his reign in the Edo Period.
Watanabe said: “I want to have 54 children so my name will go down in history. I’m still looking for new wives.”
Polygamy is illegal in Japan, meaning Watanabe cannot legally marry multiple women at once.
Watanabe’s unconventional family lifestyle has attracted attention on social media.
One person on YouTube said: “His kids will never be able to have a close relationship with their father because there are just too many of them.”
“I would never let my own children end up like this man,” said another.
However, a third took a different view: “They seem like a happy family. Respect their choices.”
I wonder if there's any desperation on the women side there. I've seen documentaries about women getting swindled because of their loneliness. I'll have to do some research.