Ryoei Saito (齊藤 了英, Saitō Ryōei; April 17, 1916 – March 30, 1996) was the honorary chairman of Daishowa Paper…
Ryoei Saito (齊藤 了英, Saitō Ryōei; April 17, 1916 – March 30, 1996) was the honorary chairman of Daishowa Paper Manufacturing in Japan. He was noted for his purchase of expensive art. Specifically, at consecutive auctions by Christie's and Sotheby's in New York in mid May 1990, Saito bought Van Gogh's Portrait of Dr. Gachet and a second, smaller version of Renoir's Bal du moulin de la Galette for $82.5 and $78.1 million, respectively. At the time, these were the two most expensive paintings sold, either at auction or through private sales. Taking inflation in account, they remained the two most expensive paintings until the private sale of Klimt's Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I in June 2006. It took 25 years before Saito's public auction price was broken, through the sale of Picasso's Les Femmes d'Alger ("Version O") at Christie's, New York, in May 2015. Saito died of a stroke six years after his acquisitions. Three years later, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, after failing to locate the Van Gogh for an exhibition, expressed concern that both paintings may have been cremated with the owner, since Saito had mentioned in the early 1990s, after having to pay $24 million in taxes for them, that it would be better to do so, in order to avoid colossal death duties for his children. Only in 2007 did it became publicly known that the painting had been sold in 1997 or 1998 to the Austrian-born investment fund manager Wolfgang Flöttl.
Famous People Born in the Year of the Dragon
Dragon: 1,993 people
Hidetoki Takahashi (高橋 英辰, Takahashi Hidetoki; April 11, 1916 – February 5, 2000) was a Japanese football player and…
Hidetoki Takahashi (高橋 英辰, Takahashi Hidetoki; April 11, 1916 – February 5, 2000) was a Japanese football player and manager. He managed Japan national team.
Tetsunosuke Onishi (大西 鐡之祐, Ōnishi Tetsunosuke; April 7, 1916 – September 19, 1995) was a professor of Waseda…
Tetsunosuke Onishi (大西 鐡之祐, Ōnishi Tetsunosuke; April 7, 1916 – September 19, 1995) was a professor of Waseda University, coach of the Japan national rugby union team and Waseda University Rugby Football Club. He has been described as a Japanese Carwyn James and was a coach of considerable achievements. He also served as a member of the Japanese Olympic Committee.
Gisiro Maruyama (丸山 儀四郎, Maruyama Gishirō; April 4, 1916 – July 5, 1986) was a Japanese mathematician, noted for his…
Gisiro Maruyama (丸山 儀四郎, Maruyama Gishirō; April 4, 1916 – July 5, 1986) was a Japanese mathematician, noted for his contributions to the study of stochastic processes. The Euler–Maruyama method for the numerical solution of stochastic differential equations bears his name. Maruyama was born in 1916 and graduated from Tohoku University, where he studied Fourier analysis and physics. He began his mathematical work with a paper on Fourier analysis in 1939. He became interested in probability theory through the study of Norbert Wiener's work. He was appointed Assistant professor at the Kyushu University in 1941. When Kiyosi Itô published his papers on stochastic differential equations in 1942, Maruyama immediately recognized the importance of this work and soon published a series of papers on stochastic differential equations and Markov processes. Maruyama is known in particular for his 1955 study of the convergence properties of the finite-difference approximations for the numerical solution of stochastic differential equations, now known as the Euler–Maruyama method. In harmonic analysis, he studied the ergodicity and mixing properties of stationary stochastic processes in terms of their spectral properties. Maruyama also studied quasi-invariance properties of the Wiener measure, extending previous work by Cameron and Martin to diffusion processes.
Takehiko Yanagi (born 28 March 1916, date of death unknown) was a Japanese field hockey player. He competed in the…
Takehiko Yanagi (born 28 March 1916, date of death unknown) was a Japanese field hockey player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1936 Summer Olympics. Yanagi is deceased.
Tokiko Iwatani (岩谷時子, Iwatani Tokiko; March 28, 1916 – October 25, 2013) was a Japanese lyricist, poet, and translator.…
Tokiko Iwatani (岩谷時子, Iwatani Tokiko; March 28, 1916 – October 25, 2013) was a Japanese lyricist, poet, and translator. Born Tokiko Iwatani (岩谷トキ子, Iwatani Tokiko) in Seoul, Korea, she moved with her family to Japan at the age of 5, where they settled in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. After attending schools in her hometown she entered the English Literature Department of Kobe College, and graduated in 1939. She then joined the publishing department of the Takarazuka Revue, where she became acquainted with the future star Fubuki Koshiji. When Koshiji decided to leave the revue in 1951 to join Tōei and become an actress and singer, Iwatani also quit the company, and moved to Tokyo with Koshiji, whose manager she was for about 30 years, until Koshiji died in 1980. After becoming a full-time independent lyricist in 1963, she wrote the lyrics to or translated over 3000 songs, for singers or groups including The Peanuts, Yūzō Kayama, Frank Nagai, Hiromi Go, and translated the lyrics of, among others, Hymne à l'amour, Save the Last Dance for Me, Million Roses, My Way, and the musicals Kiss Me, Kate, Anne of Green Gables – The Musical, Me and My Girl, and Les Misérables. In 2010 she established the Iwatani Tokiko Foundation, which awards the annual ¥3,000,000 yen Iwatani Tokiko Award. She died in October 2013 from pneumonia.
Tadashige Habe (Japanese: 波部 忠重, March 21, 1916 – December 29, 2001) was a Japanese malacologist and zoologist. He…
Tadashige Habe (Japanese: 波部 忠重, March 21, 1916 – December 29, 2001) was a Japanese malacologist and zoologist. He served as honorary president of the Malacological Society of Japan and honorary member of the Zoological Society of Japan. Habe was a leading figure in Japanese malacology during the latter half of the 20th century, describing over 1,600 taxa (families, genera, and species). He was also known for his mentorship of both professional and amateur researchers. Together with Tokubei Kuroda and Katsura Oyama, he co-authored Shells of Sagami Bay (1971), based on specimens collected by Emperor Shōwa.
Shōgyo Ōba (大場松魚, Ōba Shōgyo; March 15, 1916 – June 21, 2012) was a Japanese maki-e lacquer artist. He began practicing…
Shōgyo Ōba (大場松魚, Ōba Shōgyo; March 15, 1916 – June 21, 2012) was a Japanese maki-e lacquer artist. He began practicing the art of maki-e lacquerware in Kanazawa in 1945. Shōgyo was named a Living National Treasure of Japan in 1982 for his expertise in maki-e lacquerware. Shōgyo was born Ōba Katsuo on March 15, 1916, in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. His grandfather had established the family lacquer business. Shōgyo graduated from Ishikawa Prefectural Industrial School, where he studied painting and design. Shōgyo then became an apprentice of Matsuda Gonroku in Tokyo. He especially skilled in the technique of hyōmon, in which pieces of gold or silver cut lead are attached to decorative objects, often to round objects, such as vases, which can be difficult to apply this technique. Shogyo restored the gold and lacquer decorations of Chūson-ji Konjiki-dō. a 10th-century Buddhist temple in Hiraizumi, Iwate, in 1964. Shōgyo Ōba died on June 21, 2012, at the age of 96.
Shigeru Kurita (栗田 茂, Kurita Shigeru; March 15, 1916 – March 8, 1995), known by his pen name Junpei Gomikawa (五味川 純平…
Shigeru Kurita (栗田 茂, Kurita Shigeru; March 15, 1916 – March 8, 1995), known by his pen name Junpei Gomikawa (五味川 純平, Gomikawa Junpei), was a Japanese novelist. He is best known for his 1958 World War II novel The Human Condition (Ningen no joken), which became a best seller. The novel became the basis for Masaki Kobayashi's film trilogy The Human Condition as well as a radio drama. His eighteen-volume novel Men and War (Senso to ningen), formed the basis for Satsuo Yamamoto's 1970–1973 film trilogy of the same name.
Aida Yūji (会田 雄次; 5 March 1916 – 17 September 1997) was a Japanese historian specialising in the Renaissance. He was…
Aida Yūji (会田 雄次; 5 March 1916 – 17 September 1997) was a Japanese historian specialising in the Renaissance. He was active as a conservative thinker, commentator and major exponent of the Nihonjinron. He was born in Kyōto on 5 March 1916. He graduated from Kyoto University in 1940 and had his master's degree in history interrupted in 1943, when he was drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army. He participated in the Burma campaign of 1944 as an infantryman. He surrendered to the British Army at the war's end and was detained at a prisoner-of-war camp in the British colony of Burma. His experiences in the camp are described in his best-selling memoir, Aaron Shūyōjo (1962). Upon his repatriation in 1947, he began to teach at Kobe University. He was appointed full professor at Kyoto University's Humanities Department in 1952. He retired from the university in 1979, when he became an emeritus professor. He died of pneumonia on 17 September 1997.
Takeshi Araki (荒木 武, Araki Takeshi; 4 March 1916 – 15 June 1994) was a Japanese politician who served as the Mayor of…
Takeshi Araki (荒木 武, Araki Takeshi; 4 March 1916 – 15 June 1994) was a Japanese politician who served as the Mayor of Hiroshima from 1975 to 1991. In April 1947, he was elected as member of the Hiroshima city council, and as member of the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly in 1951.
Ichirō Arishima (有島 一郎, Arishima Ichirō; March 1, 1916 – July 20, 1987) was a Japanese comedian and actor. Nicknamed…
Ichirō Arishima (有島 一郎, Arishima Ichirō; March 1, 1916 – July 20, 1987) was a Japanese comedian and actor. Nicknamed "The Japanese Chaplin", he is best known outside Japan for his appearance as Tako, the promoter of King Kong in King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962).
Eiichi Kazama (風間 栄一, Kazama Eiichi; 19 February 1916 – 8 May 2001) was a Japanese wrestler. He competed in the men's…
Eiichi Kazama (風間 栄一, Kazama Eiichi; 19 February 1916 – 8 May 2001) was a Japanese wrestler. He competed in the men's freestyle lightweight at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Chen Chih-hsiung (Chinese: 陳智雄; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Tì-hiông; 18 February 1916 – 28 May 1963) was a Taiwanese independence…
Chen Chih-hsiung (Chinese: 陳智雄; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Tì-hiông; 18 February 1916 – 28 May 1963) was a Taiwanese independence activist.
Masaki Kobayashi (小林 正樹, Kobayashi Masaki; February 14, 1916 – October 4, 1996) was a Japanese filmmaker. He is best…
Masaki Kobayashi (小林 正樹, Kobayashi Masaki; February 14, 1916 – October 4, 1996) was a Japanese filmmaker. He is best remembered for directing the epic war trilogy The Human Condition (1959–1961), the samurai films Harakiri (1962) and Samurai Rebellion (1967), and the horror anthology epic Kwaidan (1964). Senses of Cinema described him as "one of the finest depicters of Japanese society in the 1950s and 1960s." Although overshadowed by other Japanese filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa and Yasujirō Ozu in his lifetime, his work has gained wider traction in the 21st century with several of his films being ranked as some of the greatest films ever made.
Tatsuo Hasegawa (長谷川 龍雄, Hasegawa Tatsuo, February 8, 1916 – April 29, 2008) was a Japanese automotive engineer, and…
Tatsuo Hasegawa (長谷川 龍雄, Hasegawa Tatsuo, February 8, 1916 – April 29, 2008) was a Japanese automotive engineer, and known as the development chief of the first Toyota Corolla. He built the base of the economy cars in Japan through the development of the Corolla and the Toyota Publica.
Kazoh Kitamori (北森 嘉蔵, Kitamori Kazō; 1916 – September 1998) was a Japanese theologian, pastor, author, professor, and…
Kazoh Kitamori (北森 嘉蔵, Kitamori Kazō; 1916 – September 1998) was a Japanese theologian, pastor, author, professor, and churchman. His most famous work in the West is The Theology of the Pain of God, which was published in 1946 in Japan and in the United States in 1965. He was a longtime professor at Tokyo Union Theological Seminary. He was, along with Kōsuke Koyama, a leading contributor to Protestant Christian theology from twentieth century Japan.
Roh Ogura (小倉 朗, Ogura Rō; January 19, 1916 – August 26, 1990) was a Japanese composer and writer.
Haruo Oka (岡晴夫, Oka Haruo; January 12, 1916 – May 19, 1970), real name Tatsuo Sasaki (佐々木 辰夫, Sasaki Tatsuo), was a…
Haruo Oka (岡晴夫, Oka Haruo; January 12, 1916 – May 19, 1970), real name Tatsuo Sasaki (佐々木 辰夫, Sasaki Tatsuo), was a Japanese ryūkōka singer. He studied music as an enka-shi or a street musician. At that time, he was encouraged by Taro Shoji in Ginza. He signed with King Records in 1938. He debuted with song "Kokkyō no Haru" (国境の春, lit. "Spring at the Border") in 1939. He married Kiyoko Okuda in 1940. In 1944, during the Pacific War, he was dispatched to Ambon Island, but soon returned due to sickness. After the war, his popularity grew, and he starred in Akogare no Hawaii kōro with Hibari Misora. However, he never performed at the Kohaku Uta Gassen partly because he attached importance to live performances.
Masaharu Taguchi (田口 正治, Taguchi Masaharu; January 9, 1916 – June 29, 1982) was a Japanese freestyle swimmer. At the…
Masaharu Taguchi (田口 正治, Taguchi Masaharu; January 9, 1916 – June 29, 1982) was a Japanese freestyle swimmer. At the 1936 Olympics, he won a gold medal in the 4 × 200 m relay, setting a new world record. In the individual 100 m race, he finished almost simultaneously with Masanori Yusa and Shigeo Arai and was placed fourth, although photographs suggest he was second. Taguchi graduated from Rikkyo University, later worked at a Daimaru department store and coached swimming at a local Daimaru swimming club. He was recruited 1961 to prepare the national swimming team for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Tōichi Katō (加藤 東一, Katō Tōichi; 6 January 1916 – 3 December 1996) was a Japanese painter in the Nihonga style and…
Tōichi Katō (加藤 東一, Katō Tōichi; 6 January 1916 – 3 December 1996) was a Japanese painter in the Nihonga style and board chairman of the Nitten, a significant Japanese art conference. He and his older brother, Eizō Katō, have a museum dedicated to their works in Gifu, Gifu Prefecture.
Hide Mineshima (峰島 秀, Mineshima Hide; born 1 February 1916) was a Japanese athlete. She competed in the women's discus…
Hide Mineshima (峰島 秀, Mineshima Hide; born 1 February 1916) was a Japanese athlete. She competed in the women's discus throw at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Sadao Wakizaka (1916 – 19 April 1945) was a Japanese field hockey player. He competed in the men's tournament at the…
Sadao Wakizaka (1916 – 19 April 1945) was a Japanese field hockey player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1936 Summer Olympics. He died during World War II.
Tatsuo Hori (堀辰雄, Hori Tatsuo; 28 December 1904 – 28 May 1953) was a Japanese translator and writer of poetry, short…
Tatsuo Hori (堀辰雄, Hori Tatsuo; 28 December 1904 – 28 May 1953) was a Japanese translator and writer of poetry, short stories and novels.
Seiichi Funahashi (舟橋聖一, Funahashi Seiichi; 25 December 1904 – 13 January 1976) was a Japanese writer of short stories…
Seiichi Funahashi (舟橋聖一, Funahashi Seiichi; 25 December 1904 – 13 January 1976) was a Japanese writer of short stories, novellas, novels and stage plays, active in the Shōwa period.
Sadayoshi Fujimoto (藤本 定義, Fujimoto Sadayoshi; December 20, 1904–February 18, 1981) was a Japanese baseball manager…
Sadayoshi Fujimoto (藤本 定義, Fujimoto Sadayoshi; December 20, 1904–February 18, 1981) was a Japanese baseball manager, most notably as the first manager of the Tokyo Kyojin, which was later renamed to the Yomiuri Giants. With the Kyojin, he won the Japanese Baseball League pennant seven times. He was also the manager of the Pacific Baseball Club (renamed to the Taiyo Robins during his tenure), the Hankyu Braves, and the Hanshin Tigers. Fujimoto is third all-time for Japanese baseball managers in terms of career wins, with 1,655. He was inducted to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
Saburo Yokozawa (横沢 三郎, Yokozawa Saburō) (1904–1995) is a Japanese former professional baseball manager and umpire. He…
Saburo Yokozawa (横沢 三郎, Yokozawa Saburō) (1904–1995) is a Japanese former professional baseball manager and umpire. He was involved in various iterations of Japanese professional baseball from 1929 through 1959.
Yoshio Sugino (杉野嘉男, Sugino Yoshio; December 12, 1904 – June 13, 1998) was a Japanese martial artist and film…
Yoshio Sugino (杉野嘉男, Sugino Yoshio; December 12, 1904 – June 13, 1998) was a Japanese martial artist and film choreographer.
Tazuko Sakane (坂根 田鶴子, Sakane Tazuko; December 7, 1904 – September 2, 1975) was a Japanese film director. She was…
Tazuko Sakane (坂根 田鶴子, Sakane Tazuko; December 7, 1904 – September 2, 1975) was a Japanese film director. She was Japan's first female director, followed by Kinuyo Tanaka. Her first feature film New Clothing (初姿 Hatsu Sugata, 1936) is known to be the first Japanese feature film directed by a woman. The majority of her films are educational nonfiction films produced by Manchukuo Film Association for Japanese immigrants and Manchu in Manchukuo. Her only known surviving film is Brides on the Frontier (開拓の花嫁 Kaitaku no Hanayome, 1943). She worked closely with Japanese Director Kenji Mizoguchi and was credited as an Editor and/or Assistant Director for over 15 films directed by him. While growing up, her father, a wealthy businessman, often took her to the cinema. She graduated from Nikkatsu Uzumaki Girls' School in 1929.
Ueda Masashi (上田仁) (December 4, 1904 – December 26, 1966) was a Japanese conductor, pianist, and bassoonist.
Munenori Akagi (赤城 宗徳, Akagi Munenori; December 2, 1904 – November 11, 1993) was a Japanese politician and historian…
Munenori Akagi (赤城 宗徳, Akagi Munenori; December 2, 1904 – November 11, 1993) was a Japanese politician and historian who served three times as Minister of Agriculture and once as Director of the Japan Defense Agency (now the Ministry of Defense).
Kikuko Kawakami (川上 喜久子, Kawakami Kikuko; 9 February 1904 – 26 October 1985) was a Japanese writer active during the…
Kikuko Kawakami (川上 喜久子, Kawakami Kikuko; 9 February 1904 – 26 October 1985) was a Japanese writer active during the Shōwa period of Japan. Her maiden name was Shinoda Kikuko.
Fumio Niwa (丹羽 文雄, Niwa Fumio; November 22, 1904 Japan, died April 20, 2005 in Musashino, Tokyo) was a Japanese…
Fumio Niwa (丹羽 文雄, Niwa Fumio; November 22, 1904 Japan, died April 20, 2005 in Musashino, Tokyo) was a Japanese novelist with a long list of works, the most famous in the West being his novel The Buddha Tree (Japanese Bodaiju, "The Linden", or "The Bodhi Tree", 1956). He was ordained as a Shin Buddhist priest in his youth, but abandoned the priesthood two years after his ordination.
Masao Koga (古賀政男, Koga Masao; November 18, 1904 – July 25, 1978) was a Japanese composer, mandolinist, and guitarist of…
Masao Koga (古賀政男, Koga Masao; November 18, 1904 – July 25, 1978) was a Japanese composer, mandolinist, and guitarist of the Shōwa era who was dubbed "Japan's Irving Berlin" by Universal Press Syndicate. His melancholy style, based upon Nakayama Shimpei's yonanuki scale, was popularly known in Japan as "Koga melody" (古賀メロディー, Koga merodī). He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure (Fourth Class) and the People's Honor Award for his contributions to Japanese music.
Isamu Noguchi (野口 勇, Noguchi Isamu; Japanese: [noꜜgɯtɕi isamɯ], English: ; November 17, 1904 – December 30, 1988) was…
Isamu Noguchi (野口 勇, Noguchi Isamu; Japanese: [noꜜgɯtɕi isamɯ], English: ; November 17, 1904 – December 30, 1988) was an American artist, furniture designer and landscape architect whose career spanned six decades from the 1920s. Known for his sculpture and public artworks, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Graham productions, Akari light sculptures, and furniture pieces, many of which are still manufactured and sold. His work is displayed at the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum in New York City as well as many other museums.
Takeo Doi (土井 武夫, Doi Takeo; 31 October 1904 – 24 December 1996) was a Japanese aircraft designer. He designed many…
Takeo Doi (土井 武夫, Doi Takeo; 31 October 1904 – 24 December 1996) was a Japanese aircraft designer. He designed many World War II fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. His most important work was the "Army Type 3 Fighter" (三式戦闘機, Sanshiki sentoki), a.k.a. Kawasaki Ki-61 "Hien" (飛燕, Hi-en) ("flying swallow") or "Tony". Also he was one of the chief designers of the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (NAMC) YS-11.
Katsuma Dan (團 勝磨, Dan Katsuma; October 16, 1904 – May 18, 1996) was a Japanese embryologist and cell biologist. He was…
Katsuma Dan (團 勝磨, Dan Katsuma; October 16, 1904 – May 18, 1996) was a Japanese embryologist and cell biologist. He was born in 1904 in Tokyo, the youngest son of Baron Dan Takuma, president of the Mitsui Gomei Kaisha Corporation. Takuma Dan was educated in the United States, graduating from MIT in 1878. He was one of the first foreign students to be educated at MIT and later, as president of the Japan Steel Works, he initiated and maintained close research ties with The Institute. After receiving his undergraduate degree in Japan, Katsuma Dan also came to the United States where he studied embryology with Prof. L.V. Heilbrunn at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition Dan worked and studied at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole (MBL) from 1931 to 1934, and later in 1936. It was here that he met his future wife (and longtime scientific collaborator) Jean M. Clark. Clark, who was also a student of Heilbrunn's, studied fertilization in marine invertebrates. The couple raised five children. They also maintained lasting ties to the MBL and returned often in later years as summer researchers and lecturers in embryology. In March 1932, while Dan was studying at the MBL, his father was assassinated in Japan by ultra-nationalist radicals in the 'League of Blood Incident'. Katsuma Dan returned to Japan in the late 1930s and worked at the Misaki Marine Biological Station in Morioso Bay. He and his students maintained a remarkable degree of scientific productivity during World War II. His spirit is reflected in a letter written after the war to a friend in the United States: “...ducking under bombs was not so bad. Rather it was a great excitement. Hide and seek at the expense of your life can't help being exciting. There was, however, an awful side to it too.” Near the end of the war the Japanese Navy took over the Misaki Marine Station and converted it into a base for miniature submarines. Although displaced, Dan and his students set up a crude laboratory nearby and continued their work. At the end of the war Dan posted a hand-written note on the door of Misaki, addressed to advancing US forces, in which he said: “... you can destroy the weapons and the war instruments but save the civil equipments [sic] for the Japanese students. When you are through with your job here notify to the university [sic] and let us come back to our scientific home.” The note was signed, “The last one to go.” The obvious humanity and the mention of American marine biological laboratories appealed to a US Naval officer who passed the note on to the MBL. It was later published in Time Magazine under the headline, “Appeal to the Goths”. Dan's scientific work focused on using marine invertebrates as model organisms to study fundamental questions in cell biology and embryonic development. He and his students focused on direct observation of cell behavior using light microscopy and discovered many of the fundamental aspects of fertilization, development, and morphogenesis (e.g., Dan and Okazaki, 1956). To settle a long-standing debate over the existence of the mitotic spindle, he encouraged his student, Shinya Inoué, to construct polarized light microscopes and look for evidence of organized polymer networks in living cells. And, together with Daniel Mazia, he was the first to isolate the mitotic apparatus and subject it to biochemical study. This work demonstrated conclusively the existence of the mitotic spindle and initiated the modern biochemical study of mitosis. Dan and his students also developed methods for measuring small, local movements of the cell surface during division. This enabled detailed, quantitative studies of the process of cell cleavage (cytokinesis). Based on this work, Dan proposed the novel idea that cell cleavage is driven directly by elongation of the mitotic spindle. That is, the spindle itself attaches to the cell surface via 'astral rays' (microtubules) and physically draws in the cleavage furrow (Dan, 1943). Subsequent work indicated that cleavage is actually driven by contraction of an actin filament network in the cortex rather than by expansion of the spindle but this idea was the forerunner of the current view of cytokinesis, in which interaction of spindle microtubules with the cell cortex determines the position of the cleavage furrow. Katsuma Dan was professor of zoology at the Tokyo Metropolitan University from 1949-1968. He also served as president of the university from 1964 until his retirement in 1972. Dan was president of both the Zoological Society of Japan and the Japanese Society of Developmental biologists. In 1976 he received the Second Order Imperial Medal, and in 1987 he received the Emperor's Award for Cultural Merit. A fellowship honoring Katsuma and Jean Clark Dan was established in 1979 for cultural exchange between the United States and Japan. Katsuma Dan died in 1996 in Osaka, Japan, at the age of 91.
Ken'ichi Enomoto (榎本 健一, Enomoto Ken'ichi; October 11, 1904 – January 7, 1970) was a popular Japanese singing comedian…
Ken'ichi Enomoto (榎本 健一, Enomoto Ken'ichi; October 11, 1904 – January 7, 1970) was a popular Japanese singing comedian, mostly known by his stage name Enoken (エノケン). A major innovator during his heyday, Enoken's stage shows, radio appearances, and film roles were a major influence within Tokyo theatre before World War II, and was a catalyst for the revival of comedy in the postwar period. Born in Aoyama, Tokyo, the son of rice cracker shop owners, Enomoto fell under the spell of such stars of the Asakusa Opera as Taya Rikizo and Fujiwara Yoshie, and in 1922 he made his stage debut at age 18 as a chorus member of the Asakusa Kinryukan Theatre. The Great Kantō earthquake of the following year dealt a great blow to the opera world in Tokyo, at which time Enomoto shifted to comic theatre. Playing small roles in various comedy productions, he returned to the Asakusa stage in 1929 as part of the troupe Casino Folies. The following year saw him launch his own troupe, Enoken Gekidan, which would firmly establish him as a leading figure in Tokyo theatrical circles. In 1934, he starred in the movie Enoken no Seishun Suikoden (Enoken's Tale of Youth's Folly), and gained national popularity. His subsequent film career saw him parody a whole parade of Japanese historical personages, including Kondō Isami and Sakamoto Ryōma, in a series of "jidai-geki" (historical dramas) and "chanbara" (samurai drama) films, including some directed by Kajirō Yamamoto, Nobuo Nakagawa and Akira Kurosawa. Enomoto became afflicted with necrosis of the right leg in the 1950s, which required amputation, curtailing his film and stage career. He did, however, make a legendary comeback at the Shinjuku Koma Theater 1963 wearing a prosthetic leg. He died in 1970, and is entombed in Hase Temple in Nishi-Azabu, Minato, Tokyo, on whose tombstone is inscribed "The King of Comedy".
Hashimoto Kunihiko (橋本國彦; also Qunihico Hashimoto) (September 14, 1904 – May 6, 1949) was a Japanese composer…
Hashimoto Kunihiko (橋本國彦; also Qunihico Hashimoto) (September 14, 1904 – May 6, 1949) was a Japanese composer, violinist, conductor, and musical educator.
Kinosuke Ebihara (海老原 喜之助, Ebihara Kinosuke; 13 September 1904 – 19 September 1970) was a Japanese painter. His work…
Kinosuke Ebihara (海老原 喜之助, Ebihara Kinosuke; 13 September 1904 – 19 September 1970) was a Japanese painter. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Kye Yong-mook (Korean: 계용묵; September 8, 1904 – August 9, 1961) was a South Korean writer.
Aya Kōda (幸田文, Kōda Aya; 1 September 1904 – 31 October 1990) was a Japanese writer of novels, short stories and essays.…
Aya Kōda (幸田文, Kōda Aya; 1 September 1904 – 31 October 1990) was a Japanese writer of novels, short stories and essays. She was the daughter of writer Rohan Kōda. Among her most noted works is the 1955 novel Nagareru.
General Minoru Genda (源田 実, Genda Minoru; 16 August 1904 – 15 August 1989) was an Imperial Japanese Navy…
General Minoru Genda (源田 実, Genda Minoru; 16 August 1904 – 15 August 1989) was an Imperial Japanese Navy flight-officer, JASDF general, and politician. Best known for helping to plan the Japanese 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, he served from 1959 to 1962 as the third Chief of Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
Taro Takemi (武見 太郎, Takemi Tarō; 7 August 1904 – 20 December 1983) was a Japanese physician who served as 11th…
Taro Takemi (武見 太郎, Takemi Tarō; 7 August 1904 – 20 December 1983) was a Japanese physician who served as 11th President of the Japan Medical Association for 25 years from 1957 to 1982, and also served as president of the World Medical Association from 1975 to 1976.
Meiji Hashimoto (橋本明治, Hashimoto Meiji) (1904-1991) was a Japanese Nihonga painter and designer. He received a…
Meiji Hashimoto (橋本明治, Hashimoto Meiji) (1904-1991) was a Japanese Nihonga painter and designer. He received a commission to paint a piece for the new Tokyo Imperial Palace. The piece titled “Sakura (cherry)” is a large painting measuring 2.74x2.5 metres. It is located on the cedar door of the east corridor of the Seiden hall. Opposite of it on the other side is “Kaede (maples)” by Hōshun Yamaguchi.
Toshio Ito (August 5, 1904 – July 6, 1991) was a Japanese anatomist and physician recognized for his discovery of…
Toshio Ito (August 5, 1904 – July 6, 1991) was a Japanese anatomist and physician recognized for his discovery of hepatic stellate cells, commonly known as Ito cells. His research provided significant insights into liver microanatomy and its role in hepatic blood flow regulation.
Kunio Itō (Japanese: 伊藤圀夫, Hepburn: Itō Kunio; 15 September 1904 – 21 December 1994), known by the stage name Koreya…
Kunio Itō (Japanese: 伊藤圀夫, Hepburn: Itō Kunio; 15 September 1904 – 21 December 1994), known by the stage name Koreya Senda (千田是也, Senda Koreya), was a Japanese theatre director, playwright, translator, and actor. He is known for founding the Haiyuza Theatre Company, and translating and directing the works of Bertolt Brecht in post-World War II Japan. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1936 and 1970.
Hideo Oguni (小国 英雄, Oguni Hideo; 9 July 1904 – 5 February 1996) was a Japanese writer who wrote over 100 screenplays.…
Hideo Oguni (小国 英雄, Oguni Hideo; 9 July 1904 – 5 February 1996) was a Japanese writer who wrote over 100 screenplays. He is best known for co-writing screenplays for a number of films directed by Akira Kurosawa, including Ikiru (1952), Seven Samurai (1954), Throne of Blood (1957), and The Hidden Fortress (1958).
Kōyō Ishikawa (石川 光陽, Ishikawa Kōyō; July 5, 1904 – December 26, 1989) was a Japanese photographer. As an officer of…
Kōyō Ishikawa (石川 光陽, Ishikawa Kōyō; July 5, 1904 – December 26, 1989) was a Japanese photographer. As an officer of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, he was one of the few known photographers of the immediate aftermath of the U.S. bombings of Tokyo in World War II, since strict regulations prohibited civilians from taking pictures of war damage.
Tadao Takayama (高山 忠雄, Takayama Tadao; June 24, 1904 – July 1, 1980) was a Japanese football player. He played for the…
Tadao Takayama (高山 忠雄, Takayama Tadao; June 24, 1904 – July 1, 1980) was a Japanese football player. He played for the Japan national team. He was also educator, namely principal of Hyogo Prefectural Kobe High School, professor at Mukogawa Women's University and superintendent of education of Takarazuka City.