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If there's ever a greater sense of finality at understanding the loss of something, it's seeing people posting photos and tributes of a funeral service. It has been reported that over 4,000 fans attended the two-day funeral services, which took place in Kyoto, Japan, at the Okazaki Betsuin Temple. High ranking Nintendo executives were in attendance, including Bill Trinen, Reggie Fils-Aime, Masahiro Sakurai, and Shigeru Miyamoto. Some touching tributes and eulogies were delivered by said guests, as well, with Nintendo releasing the eulogy given by Genyo Takeda, current acting Representative Director of Nintendo alongside Miyamoto.

As we gather here today for a joint funeral with Nintendo Co., Ltd. and Mr. Iwata's family, I would like to share my heartfelt condolences. President Iwata, allow me to call you Iwata-san, just as I always used to.

Iwata-san, you left us far too soon. Having just chaired our shareholders' meeting the other day on June 26, the news of your sudden death has left all the employees overcome with a deep sorrow. The late Yamauchi-san passed the baton to you in naming you the president of Nintendo in 2002, and the two Senior Managing Directors of the company, Shigeru Miyamoto and I, have been assisting and working alongside you. Being rather short-tempered myself, the thing that I am most deeply struck by is that you were a true leader in every sense of the word, overflowing with compassion for people. You always maintained a two-way dialogue, even with the next generation of employees, or with much younger members of the development and marketing teams, or with employees outside of Japan whose different customs and cultures can make communication challenging — sometimes even admitting your own mistakes to them. You demonstrated this through your belief that people could eventually come to understand one another, and your strong conviction that the best way for us to grow is through patient communication, even if it took several times, a dozen times or even seemingly endless discussion.

You succeeded in planting the seed in employees' hearts that, in order to solve an issue, there is a fundamental cycle whereby you make a hypothesis, execute the plan, see the result and then make adjustments, and by which you have caringly nurtured these seeds to sprout and mature into plants.

Until now, our successors and the younger generation would take a few first steps and then look back at you for guidance because they could not tell if they had chosen the right path. Today they cannot ask for your guidance anymore.

However, I am sure that they have already made the firm determination that they will continue on their own, making the hypothesis, executing the plan, seeing the results and reflecting on the results to improve and adjust by themselves.

In the face of your unbelievable passing it will surely take some time before we can emerge from this deep sorrow. Please know, however, that the seeds you have planted, and the plants that have sprouted will put forth small flowers as they bring smiles to the faces of people around the world, blossom into a grand flower bigger than even you, our leader, Iwata-san. Together with Miyamoto and others of our generation, we swear in our hearts that we will continue our efforts so that, someday, we can report and present to you the blossoming of these flowers. May you continuously watch over and guide us managers, our employees and your family.

On behalf of all of us, I would like to offer my heartfelt condolences and sincerest prayer. May you rest in peace, Iwata-san.

The amazing part is that these four thousand people attended the memorial service in spite of Typhoon Nangka raging near the temple that day. Photos of the service have been released, showing guests being inundated by heavy rains. Despite that, though, they were still able to show their last bits of love for a beloved Nintendo president, with Nintendo expressing gratitude to all of its fans for their care.

Thank you so much for honoring our late President Satoru Iwata with your kind condolences. Also, we'd like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who came to the wake or funeral in spite of bad weather and busy schedules. For all of your kindness, we humbly offer our thanks.

Thanks Mr. Iwata for delivering many fine hours of video gaming entertainment, you'll be sorely missed. Today, I finally understand, even though I don't want to understand.

Spoiler: Photos from service

 

[Bubbysaur]

RIP Iwata.

 

[WateredFire19]

He'll always be here in spirit.....

Well not on GBATemp.

We love you Mr. Iwata.
You will always have a place in our hearts.
Thank you for all the fun.
Rest In Piece

 

[TripleSMoon]

It's sad that he's dead, but this provides a good opportunity for Nintendo to turn around its horrible strategies. The leadership of the company has been incredibly bad for more than a decade.

I get what you're saying, but Nintendo's leadership is more than one man. There's no telling how much of those bad decisions were actually Iwata, and news over the past year or so has kind of hinted that HE was the risk taker with cool ideas, while the other old guard at Nintendo were constantly stubbornly stuck in their ways. This would certainly explain why Nintendo is essentially being dragged kicking and screaming into the modern age when it comes to online, etc.

 

[Ryukouki]

I get what you're saying, but Nintendo's leadership is more than one man. There's no telling how much of those bad decisions were actually Iwata, and news over the past year or so has kind of hinted that HE was the risk taker with cool ideas, while the other old guard at Nintendo were constantly stubbornly stuck in their ways. This would certainly explain why Nintendo is essentially being dragged kicking and screaming into the modern age when it comes to online, etc.

From what people have been telling me, yes, Iwata was the one that's actually been trying to get the company into the modern age since the board of directors at Nintendo are very... out of touch with reality. And given that Japan is a very hierarchical system, the way to get things implemented up the ladder requires a lot of pushing and based on interviews... they need huge majorities in order to get things moving.

So when I read all these posts saying that Iwata is majorly at fault... it's kind of ass backwards and silly because there's more to the company than one man, as you mentioned.

 

[TripleSMoon]

From what people have been telling me, yes, Iwata was the one that's actually been trying to get the company into the modern age since the board of directors at Nintendo are very... out of touch with reality. And given that Japan is a very hierarchical system, the way to get things implemented up the ladder requires a lot of pushing and based on interviews... they need huge majorities in order to get things moving.

So when I read all these posts saying that Iwata is majorly at fault... it's kind of ass backwards and silly because there's more to the company than one man, as you mentioned.

Thank you! "Board of directors" is the term I was looking for, but I couldn't remember for some reason.

 

[iamKHEEMchi]

I was watching his "Iwata Asks" and made the balloon fight my Display picture and cover for 10 days so that it will be a sign of respect to him as a person who innovated Nintendo and done so much amazing things for the Gaming World. I really salute you Mr Iwata. May you rest in peace.

 

[tony_2018]

For all the idiots talking shit about someone you don't know, just because he was the head of Nintendo, just stfu.....you know very little about what goes on in ANY headquarters/company/business.