How strange it is that a man whose invention may change the way the world uses money should be so mysterious and unknowable. The only record we have of Satoshi Nakamoto are antiseptic posts that he made between 2008 and 2012 relating to Bitcoin and the technologies and use cases around it. But even in these emotion-devoid posts, we can glean a lot about what type of personality he had. Our objective with Tales of Satoshi is to create a credible backstory for this amazing innovator. To do so, we “reverse engineered” his persona by using a variety of psychological frameworks, his work as quantitative measures of personal values, and general assumptions related to his upbringing in Japan’s relatively homogeneous society.
Drawing on the traditions of Japanese anime and manga, we have divided Satoshi’s life up into vignettes that help us understand the elements that make up his personality. Each vignette helps build a backstory of interwoven characters and events.
Blessing of the Yamabushi
After a traumatic injury at school, 12-year old Satoshi falls into emotionally difficult times. In an effort to figure out how she can help him, his mom, Toshiko, drags him off to meet a strange mountain monk in the Sengendo order. They both get more than they bargained for when the monk has a vision of Satoshi’s future.
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The Taxi Driver in Okayama
On yet another tiring temple visit with his mom in her unending quest for divine blessing, Satoshi has a curious interaction with a taxi driver and later, experiences a unique form of zen meditation, both of which trigger a realization as to how he can move past his troubled emotions.
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A Rabbit’s Wisdom in Nara
Satoshi was born in the Chinese year of the Rabbit, a modest animal with very desirable traits. For Satoshi, the 12-yearly cycle of Rabbit years also corresponds to major events in his life, and on a trip to Nara he learns from the nature spirits to pay attention and plan ahead for those years.
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A Crow’s Message in Kagoshima
For some, crows are associated with evil spirits, but for young Satoshi, a persistent crow in Kagoshima was able to provide an important key to unlocking his latent metaphysical powers.
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Does a Deviant Target make Hacking Legitimate?
At age 14, Satoshi is severely beaten by school bullies. In his anger and desire for safety, he devises a plan to get back at the leader. Although Satoshi manages to defeat his foe, he feels terrible about the moral compromises he had to make and wonders if the revenge was worth it.
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Fishing Your Way to University
Satoshi comes from a poor family and is destined to become a manual laborer like his Dad. He wants to escape the cycle of poverty by enrolling in one of the best computer science programs in Japan. Unfortunately, he cannot afford the expensive tuition. Will he have to dive into illegal activities to raise the cash?
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