Tsuyoshi Yamanaka (山中 毅, Yamanaka Tsuyoshi; 18 January 1939 – 10 February 2017) was a Japanese freestyle swimmer. He…
Tsuyoshi Yamanaka (山中 毅, Yamanaka Tsuyoshi; 18 January 1939 – 10 February 2017) was a Japanese freestyle swimmer. He competed in the 400 m, 1500 m and 4 × 200 m events at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won four silver medals; he also helped Japan win a bronze relay medal in 1964 by swimming in the heat, and placed fourth in the 4 × 200 m relay in 1956 and in the 1500m in 1960. At the 1960 Olympics, he swam the fastest leg in the 4 × 200 m relay, yet his team lost to the United States. Yamanaka won the 400 m and 1500 m events at the 1958 Asian Games. Yamanaka studied in college at the University of Southern California, where he broke the 200 m world record three times within two months in 1961. He set two more records over 200 m earlier in 1958–59, but this distance was not an Olympic event in those years. Yamanaka also set a world record over 400 m in 1959 and three world records in the 4 × 200 m relay in 1959 and 1963. Yamanaka graduated from Waseda University and later headed the Itoman Swimming School in Osaka. In 1983 he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. In 1995, he unsuccessfully ran for the House of Councillors. Yamanaka's coach used pebbles to communicate with him during the training sessions – whenever Yamanaka would relax the coach would throw a pebble in his back. After the training Yamanaka had to collect the pebbles from the pool bottom. Yamanaka died from pneumonia on 10 February 2017 in Tokyo, at the age of 78.
Famous People Born in the Year of the Rabbit
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Takeshi Terauchi (寺内タケシ, Terauchi Takeshi; 17 January 1939 – 18 June 2021), also known as Terry, was a Japanese…
Takeshi Terauchi (寺内タケシ, Terauchi Takeshi; 17 January 1939 – 18 June 2021), also known as Terry, was a Japanese instrumental rock guitarist. His preferred guitar was a black Mosrite with a white pickguard. His guitar sound was characterized by frenetic picking, heavy use of tremolo picking and frequent use of his guitar's vibrato arm. Terauchi started his career playing rhythm guitar at American military bases with ensembles like the Honshu Cowboys, and the country and Western act "Jimmie Tokita & His Mountain Playboys", which had bassist Chosuke Ikariya. In 1962 he formed his first group, The Blue Jeans, which released a debut album "Surfing" in 1963. In 1966 he left the group, citing exhaustion, and missed opening for the Beatles during their tour. In December 1966 he formed a new band, "The Bunnys", and released "Lets Go Terry!". In May 1967, he also established his own company named "Teraon". He won the "arrangement award" with the song "Let's Go Unmei" at the 9th Japan Record Awards in 1967. He left the Bunnys in 1968. He reformed the Blue Jeans in 1969 and the band was active until 2021. On November 26, 2008, Takeshi Terauchi and the Blue Jeans released the album Mr. Legend from King Records.
Hiroshi "Monsieur" Kamayatsu (かまやつひろし, Hiroshi "Monsieur" Kamayatsu; 12 January 1939 – 1 March 2017) was a Japanese…
Hiroshi "Monsieur" Kamayatsu (かまやつひろし, Hiroshi "Monsieur" Kamayatsu; 12 January 1939 – 1 March 2017) was a Japanese singer and guitarist born in Tokyo. He composed the music for Download, a direct-to-video anime release based on PC Engine games.
Tetsuya Chiba (千葉 徹彌 or ちばてつや, Chiba Tetsuya; born January 11, 1939) is a Japanese manga artist. Considered a major…
Tetsuya Chiba (千葉 徹彌 or ちばてつや, Chiba Tetsuya; born January 11, 1939) is a Japanese manga artist. Considered a major figure in the history of manga, many of his early titles are still in print due to continued popularity. He is most famous for his sports stories, having been described as "the biggest contributor to the rise of sports manga", in particular for works such as Ashita no Joe, his best known work, and Notari Matsutarō.
Yōhei Sasakawa (笹川 陽平, Sasakawa Yōhei; born 8 January 1939) is a Japanese businessman and diplomat. He's the World…
Yōhei Sasakawa (笹川 陽平, Sasakawa Yōhei; born 8 January 1939) is a Japanese businessman and diplomat. He's the World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination. He was chairman of the Nippon Foundation, Japan's largest charitable foundation, from 2005 to 2025. His father was the controversial businessman and politician Ryōichi Sasakawa.
Shiho Fujimura (藤村 志保 Fujimura Shiho, 3 January 1939 – 12 June 2025) was a Japanese actress. She was given a Special…
Shiho Fujimura (藤村 志保 Fujimura Shiho, 3 January 1939 – 12 June 2025) was a Japanese actress. She was given a Special Prize for her career at the 2008 Yokohama Film Festival. Fujimura died on 12 June 2025, at the age of 86.
Mitsuko Tokoro (所 美都子, Tokoro Mitsuko; January 3, 1939 – January 27, 1968), also known by her pen name Mimie Tomano…
Mitsuko Tokoro (所 美都子, Tokoro Mitsuko; January 3, 1939 – January 27, 1968), also known by her pen name Mimie Tomano, was a Japanese biologist and New Left activist remembered as one of the leading theorists of the apolitical and radically anti-hierarchical Zenkyōtō movement that carried out the 1968-69 Japanese student uprisings at universities across Japan.
Kunio Iwahashi (岩橋 邦雄, Iwahashi Kunio; born 3 January 1939) is a Japanese field hockey player. He competed at the 1960…
Kunio Iwahashi (岩橋 邦雄, Iwahashi Kunio; born 3 January 1939) is a Japanese field hockey player. He competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics and the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Hideo Usui (臼井 日出男, Usui Hideo; born 3 January 1939) is a retired Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party…
Hideo Usui (臼井 日出男, Usui Hideo; born 3 January 1939) is a retired Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who served as a member of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the National Diet. He served as Minister of Justice from 1999 to 2000.
Gotaro Yoshimura (吉村 剛太郎, Yoshimura Gōtarō; born January 3, 1939) is a former Japanese politician of the People's New…
Gotaro Yoshimura (吉村 剛太郎, Yoshimura Gōtarō; born January 3, 1939) is a former Japanese politician of the People's New Party and the Liberal Democratic Party, who served as a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Harbin in Manchukuo and graduate of Waseda University, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1992 after serving in the assembly of Fukuoka Prefecture for three terms.
Takashi Awamori (Japanese: 粟森喬 Awamori Takashi; 1 January 1939 – 24 March 2023) was a Japanese businessman and…
Takashi Awamori (Japanese: 粟森喬 Awamori Takashi; 1 January 1939 – 24 March 2023) was a Japanese businessman and politician. A member of the Japan Socialist Party, he served in the House of Councillors from 1989 to 1995. Awamori died on 24 March 2023, at the age of 84.
Kazuo Tomita (富田 一雄, Tomita Kazuo) (born 1939) is a Japanese swimmer and Olympic medalist. He participated at the 1960…
Kazuo Tomita (富田 一雄, Tomita Kazuo) (born 1939) is a Japanese swimmer and Olympic medalist. He participated at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, winning a bronze medal in 4 × 100 metre medley relay. He also previously participated at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.
Hajime Ogawa (Japanese: 小川元 Ogawa Hajime; 1 January 1939 – 15 October 2024) was a Japanese businessman and politician.…
Hajime Ogawa (Japanese: 小川元 Ogawa Hajime; 1 January 1939 – 15 October 2024) was a Japanese businessman and politician. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, he served in the House of Representatives from 1986 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2000. Ogawa died in Tokyo on 15 October 2024, at the age of 85.
Mitsuaki Yoshida (吉田 光昭, Yoshida Mitsuaki; born 1939) was a Japanese virologist known for identifying the molecular…
Mitsuaki Yoshida (吉田 光昭, Yoshida Mitsuaki; born 1939) was a Japanese virologist known for identifying the molecular structure of Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 responsible for Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.
Dōzen Ueno (上野道善, born 1939) is a Japanese Buddhist priest of the Kegon school. From 2007 to 2010, he served as the…
Dōzen Ueno (上野道善, born 1939) is a Japanese Buddhist priest of the Kegon school. From 2007 to 2010, he served as the 219th head priest (bettō) at Tōdai-ji. He currently presides as senior monk and is board chairman of the board of directors at Tōdaiji Gakuen.
Manji Fukushima is a male former table tennis player from Japan. In 1963 he won three gold medals in singles, doubles…
Manji Fukushima is a male former table tennis player from Japan. In 1963 he won three gold medals in singles, doubles, and team events in the Asian Table Tennis Championships.
Kazuhiko Aomoto is a Japanese mathematician who introduced the Aomoto-Gel'fand hypergeometric function and the Aomoto…
Kazuhiko Aomoto is a Japanese mathematician who introduced the Aomoto-Gel'fand hypergeometric function and the Aomoto integral. He was a professor at Nagoya University. In 1996 he received the Mathematical Society of Japan autumn prize for his research on complex integration.
Takashi Masuda (益田 隆司, MASUDA Takashi; born 1939) is a Japanese computer scientist. He was born in Hagi City, Yamaguchi…
Takashi Masuda (益田 隆司, MASUDA Takashi; born 1939) is a Japanese computer scientist. He was born in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture in 1939. Masuda graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1963, and received his MS degree in 1956 there. From 1956 to 1977, he worked at Hitachi's Central Research Center and then Systems Laboratory, studying from 1969 at Carnegie Mellon University's Computer Science School on a sabbatical. He received his PhD from University of Tokyo. His doctorate thesis was on the "Analysis and Evaluation of the Computer System Which Uses Virtual Memory". From 1977 Masuda taught at the College of Information Science in University of Tsukuba. In 1988 he moved to University of Tokyo's School of Science as a professor of computer science and became the dean of the (Graduate) School of Science there in 1995. He then moved to University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, as a professor in 2000 and became the president there in 2004. He retired from the university in 2008. From 2003 to 2005, Masuda served as president of the Information Processing Society of Japan. From 2008, he has served as an executive director of the Funai Foundation for Information Technology, which helps those who study abroad to get Ph.D.
Fujimoto Kazuko (藤本 和子; born 1939) is a Japanese essayist and translator.
Yoshio Sugimoto (杉本良夫, Sugimoto Yoshio; born December 7, 1939) is a sociologist based at La Trobe University…
Yoshio Sugimoto (杉本良夫, Sugimoto Yoshio; born December 7, 1939) is a sociologist based at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia, where he is currently Emeritus Professor.
Tokuji Izumi (泉 德治, Izumi Tokuji; born January 25, 1939) is a Japanese attorney (Special Counsel of TMI Associates). He…
Tokuji Izumi (泉 德治, Izumi Tokuji; born January 25, 1939) is a Japanese attorney (Special Counsel of TMI Associates). He was a career judge and a Justice of the Supreme Court of Japan. Following his retirement, Izumi participated in a public campaign against the re-election of two of his former colleagues, Justices Wakui and Nasu, in protest against the votes they had cast in an electoral malapportionment case.
Yukio Ota (太田幸夫, Ōta Yukio; 1939 – 18 August 2026) was a Japanese graphic designer best known for his work on the ISO…
Yukio Ota (太田幸夫, Ōta Yukio; 1939 – 18 August 2026) was a Japanese graphic designer best known for his work on the ISO 7010 exit sign and the pictorial language LoCoS.
Chizuko Tanaka is a Japanese athlete. She won the gold medal in the 800 metres event in the 1962 Asian Games.
Gashō Yamamura (山村 雅昭, Yamamura Gashō; 1939–1987) was a renowned Japanese photographer born in Osaka.
Shuhei Fujisawa (藤沢 周平, Fujisawa Shūhei) (26 December 1927 – 26 January 1997) was a Japanese author, whose real name…
Shuhei Fujisawa (藤沢 周平, Fujisawa Shūhei) (26 December 1927 – 26 January 1997) was a Japanese author, whose real name was Tomeji Kosuge. (小菅留治). Over fifty of his books were published through the course of his lifetime, including both full-length novels and short story anthologies. The focus of his writing was historical fiction. Before he became an author, he had been a business journalist and before that a high school teacher.
Ichirō Satake (佐武 一郎, Satake Ichirō) (25 December 1927 – 10 October 2014) was a Japanese mathematician working on…
Ichirō Satake (佐武 一郎, Satake Ichirō) (25 December 1927 – 10 October 2014) was a Japanese mathematician working on algebraic groups who introduced the Satake isomorphism and Satake diagrams. He was considered an iconic figure in the theory of linear algebraic groups and symmetric spaces. Satake was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1927, and received his Ph.D. at the University of Tokyo in 1959 under the supervision of Shokichi Iyanaga. He was a professor at University of California, Berkeley from 1968 to 1983. After retirement he returned to Japan, where he spent time at Tohoku University and Chuo University. He died of respiratory failure on 10 October 2014. Although they are often attributed to William Thurston, Satake was the first to introduce orbifold, which he did in the 1950s under the name of V-manifold. In Satake (1956), he gave the modern definition, along with the basic calculus of smooth functions and differential forms. He demonstrated that the de Rham theorem and Poincaré duality, along with their proofs, carry over to the orbifold setting. In Satake (1957), he demonstrated that the standard tensor calculus of bundles, connections, and curvature also carries over to orbifolds, along with the Chern-Gauss-Bonnet theorem and Shiing-Shen Chern's proof thereof.
Kunio Ogawa (小川 国夫, Ogawa Kunio; December 21, 1927 – April 8, 2008) was a Japanese novelist born in Fujieda, Shizuoka.…
Kunio Ogawa (小川 国夫, Ogawa Kunio; December 21, 1927 – April 8, 2008) was a Japanese novelist born in Fujieda, Shizuoka. Ogawa graduated from the Japanese literature department at Tokyo University. In 1957, he wrote a book titled Aporon no shima (Isles of Apollo) after travelling to the Mediterranean. The book received praise from the novelist Toshio Shimao, which helped launch Ogawa's writing career. His literary style is characterized by insightful exploration of nature and mankind, noted for being clear yet dense. He died on April 8, 2008, aged 80, in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Takashi Hiraoka (平岡 敬, Hiraoka Takashi; born 21 December 1927) is a Japanese retired politician who served as the Mayor…
Takashi Hiraoka (平岡 敬, Hiraoka Takashi; born 21 December 1927) is a Japanese retired politician who served as the Mayor of Hiroshima from 1991 to 1999.
Akihiko Onoda (小野田昭彦, Onoda Akihiko; December 16, 1927 – July 25, 1984), known professionally as Akihiko Hirata (平田昭彦…
Akihiko Onoda (小野田昭彦, Onoda Akihiko; December 16, 1927 – July 25, 1984), known professionally as Akihiko Hirata (平田昭彦, Hirata Akihiko), was a Japanese film actor. He is known for his work in the kaiju genre, including such films as King Kong vs. Godzilla, The Mysterians, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Terror of Mechagodzilla, and his most famous role of Dr. Daisuke Serizawa, the brilliant but disturbed young scientist in the original Godzilla, released in 1954. He starred in many movies, including two out of the three films of Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy.
Takashi Okamura (岡村崔, Okamura Takashi; 13 December 1927 – 4 February 2014) was a Japanese photographer who specialised…
Takashi Okamura (岡村崔, Okamura Takashi; 13 December 1927 – 4 February 2014) was a Japanese photographer who specialised in the photography of art. Okamura was born on 13 December 1927 in Kichijōji, Tokyo. He studied architecture at Nihon University from 1948. Okamura was a keen and proficient skier (skiing as a representative of Japan in Chamonix in 1959), and a photographer of skiing. In 1960 he became a professional photographer, also writing about photography and skiing. Okamura moved to Rome in 1965 and since that time has specialised in photographing buildings, frescos, and works of art, frequently contributing the photographs to lavishly produced books. Okamura died from lung cancer on 4 February 2014, at the age of 86.
Shintaro Tsuji (辻 信太郎, Tsuji Shintarō; born December 7, 1927) is a Japanese entrepreneur and former civil servant. He…
Shintaro Tsuji (辻 信太郎, Tsuji Shintarō; born December 7, 1927) is a Japanese entrepreneur and former civil servant. He is the founder and former-president of Sanrio, a merchandise company known for its characters, including Hello Kitty.
Keizo Yamada (山田 敬蔵, Yamada Keizō; January 30, 1927 – April 2, 2020) was a long-distance runner from Japan, who won the…
Keizo Yamada (山田 敬蔵, Yamada Keizō; January 30, 1927 – April 2, 2020) was a long-distance runner from Japan, who won the 1956 edition of the Fukuoka Marathon, clocking 2:25:15 on December 9, 1956. He represented his native country at the 1952 Summer Olympics, finishing in 26th place (2:38:11) and won the 1953 Boston Marathon. He retired on July 18, 2009. He was born in Odate, Akita.
Kikuo Takano (高野 喜久雄, Takano Kikuo; November 20, 1927 – May 1, 2006) was a Japanese poet and mathematician. He was born…
Kikuo Takano (高野 喜久雄, Takano Kikuo; November 20, 1927 – May 1, 2006) was a Japanese poet and mathematician. He was born on Sado Island in 1927. He graduated from Utsunomiya Agricultural College in 1948. He began to write poems from the day after Japan had ended its role in World War II. Being inspired from surrealism and Heidegger, he wrote poems that ask the meaning of being. He was part of the VOU and Arechi poetry groups, and was awarded the Attilio Bertolucci Award for his poetry. Takano also discovered a Machin-like formula for calculating pi.
Azuma Morisaki (森崎 東, Morisaki Azuma; 19 November 1927 – 16 July 2020) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter.
Shijuro Ogata (16 November 1927 – 14 April 2014) was a Japanese banker. He served as Director and as Vice President of…
Shijuro Ogata (16 November 1927 – 14 April 2014) was a Japanese banker. He served as Director and as Vice President of the Development Bank of Japan. He was married to United Nations diplomat Sadako Ogata.
Masahiro Mori (森 正洋, Mori Masahiro; November 14, 1927 – November 12, 2005) was a Japanese ceramic designer born in Saga…
Masahiro Mori (森 正洋, Mori Masahiro; November 14, 1927 – November 12, 2005) was a Japanese ceramic designer born in Saga Prefecture, Japan. The well known "G-type Soy Sauce Bottle" he designed in 1958 won the 1st Good Design Award in 1960 and its production and sales have continued until today (as of December 11, 2011). He won the Good Design Award more than 110 times in his life. In describing his design philosophy, he stated, "My pleasure as a designer is to conceive of forms for daily use, and to create pieces for production in the factory, so that many people can appreciate and enjoy using them". He worked to design ceramic dishes suitable for the Japanese lifestyle in post-World War II.
Yutaka Taniyama (谷山 豊, Taniyama Yutaka; 12 November 1927 – 17 November 1958) was a Japanese mathematician known for the…
Yutaka Taniyama (谷山 豊, Taniyama Yutaka; 12 November 1927 – 17 November 1958) was a Japanese mathematician known for the Taniyama–Shimura conjecture.
Sohei Miyashita (宮下 創平, Miyashita Sohei; 10 November 1927 – 7 October 2013) was a Japanese politician who served as…
Sohei Miyashita (宮下 創平, Miyashita Sohei; 10 November 1927 – 7 October 2013) was a Japanese politician who served as Minister of Health and Welfare from 1998 to 1999, Director-General of the Environmental Agency from 1994 to 1995 and Director-General of the Defense Agency from 1991 to 1992. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Miyashita served in the House of Representatives from 1979 to 2003.
Toshiya Eto (江藤 俊哉, Etō Toshiya; 9 November 1927 – 22 January 2008) was a Japanese violinist.
Mayumi Moriyama (森山 眞弓, Moriyama Mayumi; 7 November 1927 – 14 October 2021) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal…
Mayumi Moriyama (森山 眞弓, Moriyama Mayumi; 7 November 1927 – 14 October 2021) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature).
Hiroshi Yamauchi (Japanese: 山内 溥; 7 November 1927 – 19 September 2013) was a Japanese businessman and the third…
Hiroshi Yamauchi (Japanese: 山内 溥; 7 November 1927 – 19 September 2013) was a Japanese businessman and the third president of Nintendo, serving in the role from 25 April 1949 to 24 May 2002, and principal owner of the Seattle Mariners from 1992 until his death. Before joining Nintendo, he had strong familial connections; his great-grandfather, Fusajiro Yamauchi, founded the company, and was its first president, and his grandfather, Sekiryo Kaneda, was its second president. During his tenure, Nintendo was transformed from a Japanese manufacturer of hanafuda into a global conglomerate largely focused on manufacturing video game consoles and publishing video games. On the basis of this success, and his ownership of most of Nintendo's shares, he became considerably wealthy. In 2008, he was Japan's wealthiest person, with an estimated net worth of $7.8 billion. Even in 2013, with this figure having declined to $2.1 billion, he was the 13th richest person in Japan and the 491st richest in the world.
Hirotugu Akaike (赤池 弘次, Akaike Hirotsugu; IPA: [akaike çiɾotsɯɡɯ]; November 5, 1927 – August 4, 2009) was a Japanese…
Hirotugu Akaike (赤池 弘次, Akaike Hirotsugu; IPA: [akaike çiɾotsɯɡɯ]; November 5, 1927 – August 4, 2009) was a Japanese statistician. In the early 1970s, he formulated the Akaike information criterion (AIC). AIC is now widely used for model selection, which is commonly the most difficult aspect of statistical inference; additionally, AIC is the basis of a paradigm for the foundations of statistics. Akaike also made major contributions to the study of time series. In addition, he had a large role in the general development of statistics in Japan.
Toru Miyoshi (Japanese: 三好達 Miyoshi Tōru; 31 October 1927 – 6 March 2023) was a prominent Japanese jurist and political…
Toru Miyoshi (Japanese: 三好達 Miyoshi Tōru; 31 October 1927 – 6 March 2023) was a prominent Japanese jurist and political activist. He held the position of Chief Justice of Japan from 1995 to 1997. Miyoshi also served as the third president and later as honorary Chairman of Nippon Kaigi. He died in Tokyo on 6 March 2023, at the age of 95.
Park Tae-joon (Korean: 박태준; 24 October 1927 – 13 December 2011) was a South Korean business tycoon and politician who…
Park Tae-joon (Korean: 박태준; 24 October 1927 – 13 December 2011) was a South Korean business tycoon and politician who briefly served as the Prime minister of South Korea in 2000. His most renowned accomplishment includes founding of POSCO and growing it into one of the world's largest and most successful steel companies during his multi-decade tenure as chairman and CEO. For this, he was often called the "Korean Andrew Carnegie". Earlier in his life, he served in the South Korean Army and led several platoons during the Korean War and eventually reaching the rank of Major General. He also founded POSTECH (leading research university in Korea), the Pohang Steelers soccer team, and the POSCO TJ Park Foundation which was preceded by the Steel Scholarship Foundation. His pen name was Chungam.
Mizuho Suzuki (鈴木 瑞穂, Suzuki Mizuho; October 23, 1927 – November 19, 2023) was a Japanese actor. He was a drop-out of…
Mizuho Suzuki (鈴木 瑞穂, Suzuki Mizuho; October 23, 1927 – November 19, 2023) was a Japanese actor. He was a drop-out of Kyoto University. He died on November 19, 2023, at the age of 96.
Kan'ichi Kuroda (黒田 寛一, Kuroda Kan'ichi; October 20, 1927 – June 26, 2006) was a self-taught Japanese political…
Kan'ichi Kuroda (黒田 寛一, Kuroda Kan'ichi; October 20, 1927 – June 26, 2006) was a self-taught Japanese political philosopher and social theorist, associated with Trotskyism, who was deeply involved in far-left political movements. Nearly blind, Kuroda was affectionately nicknamed "The Blind Prophet" and "KuroKan" by his followers.
Noboru Baba (馬場のぼる, Baba Noboru; October 18, 1927 – April 7, 2001) was a Japanese manga artist and writer. He is best…
Noboru Baba (馬場のぼる, Baba Noboru; October 18, 1927 – April 7, 2001) was a Japanese manga artist and writer. He is best known for his long-running four-panel newspaper comic Baku-san and for the acclaimed children’s picture book series 11 Piki no Neko (Eleven Cats). Active from the postwar period through the late 20th century, Baba was often referred to as one of the “Three Crows of Children’s Manga,” alongside Osamu Tezuka and Eiichi Fukui.
Kotogahama Sadao (Japanese: 琴ヶ濵貞雄) (10 October 1927 – 7 June 1981) was a sumo wrestler from Kanonji, Kagawa, Japan. He…
Kotogahama Sadao (Japanese: 琴ヶ濵貞雄) (10 October 1927 – 7 June 1981) was a sumo wrestler from Kanonji, Kagawa, Japan. He reached the second highest rank of ōzeki in 1958. He was a tournament runner-up in the top makuuchi division on five occasions and earned seven kinboshi for defeating yokozuna when ranked as a maegashira. After his retirement in 1962 he became an elder in the Japan Sumo Association and worked as a coach at Sadogatake stable. He was offered the chance to take charge of the stable in 1974 but declined, preferring to remain as an assistant coach there until his death in 1981.
Toshio Masuda (舛田 利雄, Masuda Toshio; October 5, 1927 – August 26, 2026) was a Japanese film director, screenwriter and…
Toshio Masuda (舛田 利雄, Masuda Toshio; October 5, 1927 – August 26, 2026) was a Japanese film director, screenwriter and cinematographer. He developed a reputation as a consistent box office hit-maker. Over the course of five decades, 16 of his films made the yearly top ten lists at the Japanese box office—a second place record in the industry. Between 1958 and 1968 he directed 52 films for the Nikkatsu Company. Masuda was their top director of action films and worked with the company's top stars, including Yujiro Ishihara with whom he made 25 films. After the breakdown of the studio system, he moved on to a succession of big-budget movies including the American-Japanese co-production Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) and the disaster epic Prophecies of Nostradamus (1974). He worked on such anime productions as the Space Battleship Yamato series. His corporate drama Company Funeral (1989) earned him a Japanese Academy Award nomination and wins at the Blue Ribbon Awards and Mainichi Film Awards. In Japan, his films are well-remembered by fans and called genre landmarks by critics. He remains little known abroad save for rare exceptions of his post-Nikkatsu work such as Tora! Tora! Tora!. However, a number of his films were screened in a 2005 Nikkatsu Action Cinema retrospective in Italy, and a few have since made their way to the United States. In 2009, he helped produce Space Battleship Yamato: Resurrection.
Shinta Chō (Japanese: 長新太（ちょうしんた）; September 24, 1927 - June 25, 2005) was a Japanese children's author and…
Shinta Chō (Japanese: 長新太（ちょうしんた）; September 24, 1927 - June 25, 2005) was a Japanese children's author and illustrator. He won the Japan Picture Book Awards Grand Prize for Kyabetsu-kun (Cabbage Boy) in 1981.