1910s: 660 people
Ujitoshi Konomi (16 December 1912 – 5 March 1980) was a Japanese sport shooter who competed in the 1956 Summer…
Ujitoshi Konomi (16 December 1912 – 5 March 1980) was a Japanese sport shooter who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics. Hip hop artist UZI is Konomi's grandson.
Minoru Takita (Japanese: 滝田 実, 15 December 1912 – 9 December 2000) was a Japanese trade union leader. Born in the…
Minoru Takita (Japanese: 滝田 実, 15 December 1912 – 9 December 2000) was a Japanese trade union leader. Born in the Toyama Prefecture, Takita qualified as an electrical engineer at Takaoka Technical College, then worked at Nisshin Bõseki. In 1948, he became the chair of the union at Nisshin Bōseki, and also of the Japan Federation of Textile Workers' Unions (Zensen), to which it was affiliated. In 1954, he additionally became president of the All-Japan Trade Union Congress (Zenrō), serving until 1964, when it merged into the Japanese Confederation of Labour (Dōmei). Takita became a vice chair of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) in 1965, and in 1968 also became president of the ICFTU Asia and Pacific Regional Organisation. The same year, he became the president of the Dōmei. He resigned from the leadership of Zensen in 1971, becoming honorary president, and in 1972 he left the leadership of Dōmei. In retirement, Takita worked as an advisor to his former unions, and in 1981, he was awarded the First Class Great Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. He died in 2000.
Tetsuji Takechi (武智 鉄二, Takechi Tetsuji; 10 December 1912 – 26 July 1988) was a Japanese theatrical and film director…
Tetsuji Takechi (武智 鉄二, Takechi Tetsuji; 10 December 1912 – 26 July 1988) was a Japanese theatrical and film director, critic, and author. First coming to prominence for his theatrical criticism, in the 1940s and 1950s he produced influential and popular experimental kabuki plays. Beginning in the mid-1950s, he continued his innovative theatrical work in noh, kyōgen and modern theater. In late 1956 and early 1957 he hosted a popular TV program, The Tetsuji Takechi Hour, which featured his reinterpretations of Japanese stage classics. In the 1960s, Takechi entered the film industry by producing controversial soft-core theatrical pornography. His 1964 film Daydream was the first big-budget, mainstream pink film released in Japan. After the release of his 1965 film Black Snow, the government arrested him on indecency charges. The trial became a public battle over censorship between Japan's intellectuals and the government. Takechi won the lawsuit, enabling the wave of softcore pink films which dominated Japan's domestic cinema during the 1960s and 1970s. In the later 1960s, Takechi produced three more pink films. Takechi did not work in film during most of the 1970s. In the 1980s, he remade Daydream twice, starring actress Kyōko Aizome in both films. The first Daydream remake (1981) is considered the first theatrical hardcore pornographic film in Japan. Though Takechi is largely unknown in Japan today, he was influential in both the cinema and the theater during his lifetime, and his innovations in kabuki were felt for decades. He also helped shape the future of the pink film in Japan through his battles against governmental censorship, earning him the titles, "The Father of Pink" and "The Father of Japanese Porn."
Yasutake Funakoshi (舟越 保武, Funakoshi Yasutake; December 7, 1912 – February 5, 2002) was a Japanese sculptor and painter.
Shigeru Egami (江上 茂, Egami Shigeru; December 7, 1912 – January 8, 1981) was a pioneering Japanese master of Shotokan…
Shigeru Egami (江上 茂, Egami Shigeru; December 7, 1912 – January 8, 1981) was a pioneering Japanese master of Shotokan karate who founded the Shōtōkai style. He was a student of Gichin Funakoshi, who is widely recognized as the founder of modern karate.
Keisuke Kinoshita (木下 惠介, Kinoshita Keisuke; December 5, 1912 – December 30, 1998) was a Japanese film director and…
Keisuke Kinoshita (木下 惠介, Kinoshita Keisuke; December 5, 1912 – December 30, 1998) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. While lesser-known internationally than contemporaries such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujirō Ozu, he was a household figure in his home country, beloved by both critics and audiences from the 1940s to the 1960s. Kinoshita's films were marked by a sense of sentimentality, purity, and beauty, and often featured experimentation in both technique and subject matter. Kinoshita entered the film industry in 1933 as a film processor. He moved on to the position of camera assistant, then assistant director. In 1943, Kinoshita was promoted to director and released his first film, Port of Flowers. A prolific filmmaker, Kinoshita directed 43 films in the first 23 years of his career, and then five more after a stint in television production. Among his best known films are Carmen Comes Home (1951), A Japanese Tragedy (1953), Twenty-Four Eyes (1954), She Was Like a Wild Chrysanthemum (1955) and The Ballad of Narayama (1958).
Kozo Saeki (佐伯幸三, Saeki Kōzō) (4 December 1912 – 27 December 1972) was a Japanese film director.
Hajime Nakamura (中村 元, Nakamura Hajime; November 28, 1912 – October 10, 1999) was a Japanese Orientalist, Indologist…
Hajime Nakamura (中村 元, Nakamura Hajime; November 28, 1912 – October 10, 1999) was a Japanese Orientalist, Indologist, philosopher and academic of Vedic, Hindu and Buddhist scriptures.
Shūji Sano (佐野周二, Sano Shūji; October 10, 1912 – December 21, 1978) was a Japanese actor active from 1936 to 1977. A…
Shūji Sano (佐野周二, Sano Shūji; October 10, 1912 – December 21, 1978) was a Japanese actor active from 1936 to 1977. A popular star of the Shōchiku film studios, he is best known for his appearances in the films of Yasujirō Ozu, Keisuke Kinoshita, Heinosuke Gosho and Hiroshi Shimizu.
Kazuo Yamada (山田 一雄, Yamada Kazuo; 19 October 1912 – 13 August 1991) was a Japanese conductor and composer.
Lt. Col. Masataka Ida (井田 正孝, Ida Masataka; 5 October 1912 – 6 February 2004) was a young Lieutenant Colonel in the…
Lt. Col. Masataka Ida (井田 正孝, Ida Masataka; 5 October 1912 – 6 February 2004) was a young Lieutenant Colonel in the Military Affairs Section of the Japanese Ministry of War, at the end of World War II. He had been stationed on Formosa (Taiwan), but was ordered back to Tokyo early in 1945. Along with Major Kenji Hatanaka and a few others, he was one of the chief conspirators in the Kyūjō incident to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Kantarō Suzuki; they wished to see the institution of martial law under War Minister Korechika Anami. The plan changed, however, into a plot, engineered by Major Kenji Hatanaka, to seize the Imperial Palace and prevent the broadcast of the Emperor's surrender speech. Lt. Col. Ida took part in this plot only briefly, trying to talk Hatanaka out of it by the end. Not many know about his attempted 'coup', which, although it failed, came dangerously close to lengthening the war, and altering the face of modern history. Ida saw the surrender as suicide on the part of the nation as a whole, and as an attempt by the Cabinet members to save their own lives, with no regard for the nation's honor. He decided that the only way for the military to regain its honor, and apologize to the Emperor for being defeated was for them to commit mass suicide by seppuku. Failing that, he intended to commit seppuku himself. Upon being asked by Major Hatanaka, the creator of the plot, to join him, he replied that the plot offered no guarantee of success, and might even lead to a civil war. He refused to join the plot, opting instead to continue his preparations for suicide. Ida was convinced for a time to help Hatanaka, by asking for support from Lt. Gen. Takeshi Mori of the 1st Imperial Guards Division, and from the Eastern District Army. As he explained his reasoning to Mori, he became more and more passionate about going through with the plot. However, after Mori's refusal to support the uprising, and subsequent murder, and Ida's inability to gain the support of the Eastern District Army, he decided that the plan could never succeed. He went to the Imperial Palace to warn Hatanaka that the Eastern District Army was on their way to stop him, and that he should give up. Ida felt that there was no longer a chance for success, and the only honorable end to it could come from suicide. Convinced he had done all he could to dissuade Hatanaka, Ida went to tell War Minister Korechika Anami of the occupation of the Palace. Told that Anami was preparing to commit seppuku, Ida informed the Minister of his intentions to do the same. Anami insisted that he live on, that it was more courageous to work for the rebuilding of Japan than to commit suicide. Anami killed himself, and Ida was placed under watch to make sure he did not do the same. Following Anami's orders, Ida survived through the end of the war. Ida was court-martialed for his part in the coup, but managed to convince the court that he had genuinely tried to undo his mistake through his attempt to convince Hatanaka to give up on the plot. Post-war, he would be provisionally barred from public office. He would later become the head of the general affairs department for Dentsu, Japan's largest advertising agency. In 1955, he divorced and changed his name to Iwada.
Count Hirohide Fushimi (伏見 博英, Fushimi Hirohide; 4 October 1912 – 21 August 1943) of Japan, was a member of a…
Count Hirohide Fushimi (伏見 博英, Fushimi Hirohide; 4 October 1912 – 21 August 1943) of Japan, was a member of a collateral branch of the Japanese imperial family and a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy who was killed in the line of duty in World War II.
Motosaburo Masuyama (増山 元三郎, Masuyama Motosaburō; October 3, 1912 – 3 July 2005) was a Japanese statistician who…
Motosaburo Masuyama (増山 元三郎, Masuyama Motosaburō; October 3, 1912 – 3 July 2005) was a Japanese statistician who championed the ideas of R.A. Fisher and went on to influence the fields of quality control and biometrics.
Takaaki Hattori (Japanese: 服部高顯; October 1, 1912 – March 24, 1993) was the 9th Chief Justice of Japan (1979–1982). He…
Takaaki Hattori (Japanese: 服部高顯; October 1, 1912 – March 24, 1993) was the 9th Chief Justice of Japan (1979–1982). He was a graduate of the University of Tokyo. He was a recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun.
Shoichiro Takenaka (竹中 正一郎, Takenaka Shōichirō; 30 September 1912 – 4 April 1997) was a Japanese long-distance runner.…
Shoichiro Takenaka (竹中 正一郎, Takenaka Shōichirō; 30 September 1912 – 4 April 1997) was a Japanese long-distance runner. He competed in the men's 5000 metres at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Tomie Ōhara (大原 富枝; September 28, 1912 – January 27, 2000) was a Japanese novelist. She is best known for her novel A…
Tomie Ōhara (大原 富枝; September 28, 1912 – January 27, 2000) was a Japanese novelist. She is best known for her novel A Woman Called En.
Masao Harada (原田 正夫, Harada Masao; September 22, 1912 – January 22, 2000) was a Japanese athlete who competed mainly in…
Masao Harada (原田 正夫, Harada Masao; September 22, 1912 – January 22, 2000) was a Japanese athlete who competed mainly in the triple jump. In this event he won a silver medal at the 1936 Olympics. He won two more silver medals, in the long jump and triple jump, at the 1934 Far Eastern Championship Games.
Rihei Sano (佐野 理平, Sano Rihei; September 21, 1912 – March 26, 1992) was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan…
Rihei Sano (佐野 理平, Sano Rihei; September 21, 1912 – March 26, 1992) was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Sir Masaharu Matsushita (松下 正治, Matsushita Masaharu; September 17, 1912 – July 16, 2012), was a Japanese businessman…
Sir Masaharu Matsushita (松下 正治, Matsushita Masaharu; September 17, 1912 – July 16, 2012), was a Japanese businessman who served as the second President of Panasonic for sixteen years beginning in 1961. He was the son-in-law of Panasonic's founder, Konosuke Matsushita. Masaharu Matsushita has been credited with expanding Panasonic into a global brand during a time of high economic expansion in Japan.
Tomomi Narita (成田 知巳, Narita Tomomi; 15 September 1912 – 9 March 1979) was a Japanese politician who served as the…
Tomomi Narita (成田 知巳, Narita Tomomi; 15 September 1912 – 9 March 1979) was a Japanese politician who served as the chairman for the Japan Socialist Party from 1968 to 1977. He also served in a few other capacities, such as Chief of the Policy Deliberation Group and Secretary General.
Ishimoda Shō (石母田 正; 9 September 1912 – 18 January 1986), born in Sapporo, was a Japanese historian specializing in…
Ishimoda Shō (石母田 正; 9 September 1912 – 18 January 1986), born in Sapporo, was a Japanese historian specializing in ancient Japanese history, with a particular interest in the nature of the structural transition from the ancient to the medieval period. As an orthodox materialist, he was a lifetime member of the Communist Party, and influential Marxist scholar in the analyses on Japanese history conducted by members of the post-war Rekiken group. In the 1950s, after the success of the Chinese Communist Revolution in 1949, he espoused that model as the Asian alternative to Westernization, which had failed in Japan.
Ichiji Otani (大谷 一二, Otani Ichiji; August 31, 1912 – November 23, 2007) was a Japanese football player. He played for…
Ichiji Otani (大谷 一二, Otani Ichiji; August 31, 1912 – November 23, 2007) was a Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Katsumi Tezuka (手塚 勝巳, Tezuka Katsumi; born August 31, 1912, date of death unknown) was a Japanese actor. He is best…
Katsumi Tezuka (手塚 勝巳, Tezuka Katsumi; born August 31, 1912, date of death unknown) was a Japanese actor. He is best known for playing monsters in several Toho science fiction and horror films directed by Ishirō Honda.
Sohn Kee-chung (Korean: 손기정; Korean pronunciation: [son.kidʑʌŋ]; August 29, 1912 – November 15, 2002) was a Korean…
Sohn Kee-chung (Korean: 손기정; Korean pronunciation: [son.kidʑʌŋ]; August 29, 1912 – November 15, 2002) was a Korean Olympic athlete and long-distance runner. He became the first Korean to win a medal at the Olympic Games, winning gold in the marathon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He was born in the Korean Peninsula, but he was forced to compete as a member of the Japanese delegation because Korea was under Japanese rule at the time. Sohn set an Olympic record of 2 hours 29 minutes 19.2 seconds. Sohn competed under the Japanese name Kitei Son, as Korea was under Japanese occupation during his career.
Tsuneari Fukuda (25 August 1912 – 20 November 1994) was a Japanese playwright, translator, literary critic and public…
Tsuneari Fukuda (25 August 1912 – 20 November 1994) was a Japanese playwright, translator, literary critic and public intellectual. Born in Tokyo to a working-class family, Fukuda read English literature at Tokyo Imperial University. A scholar of D. H. Lawrence, he found his voice as a critic by contributing to literary magazines. Interested in theatre from a young age, Fukuda became associated with the shingeki genre of contemporary theatre, writing and producing numerous original plays, including The Man Who Stroked the Dragon (1952) and The Fuhrer is Still Alive! (1970), for which he was awarded the Yomiuri Prize and Grand Prize for Japanese Literature respectively. From the 1950s, he began a life-long endeavour to translate William Shakespeare's work into Japanese. He staged successful productions of these translations, starting with Hamlet in 1955, which set off a Shakespeare boom in Japan. Originally associated with the Bungakuza theatre company, he later broke away to found the Kumo and Subaru companies in 1963 and 1975 respectively. A contributor to popular magazines such as Bungei Shunjū, Chūō Kōron, and Shokun!, Fukuda became well-known to the Japanese public as a conservative intellectual from the 1950s. He opposed the post-war Japanese script reform, and was awarded another Yomiuri Prize for his book on the subject, My Japanese Language Classroom (1960). He criticised left-wing movements, such as the Anpo protests, and questioned the dominance of pacifism in post-war Japan. A supporter of individual liberty and freedom of expression, he rejected the politicisation of art, and expressed doubts about Japanese modernisation. From 1969, he began teaching at Kyoto Sangyo University, and in 1981, he became a member of the Japan Art Academy. After suffering more than a decade of declining health, he died at Ōiso in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1994.
Naoto Tajima (田島 直人, Tajima Naoto; August 15, 1912 – December 4, 1990) was a Japanese athlete who competed at the 1932…
Naoto Tajima (田島 直人, Tajima Naoto; August 15, 1912 – December 4, 1990) was a Japanese athlete who competed at the 1932 and 1936 Olympics. In 1932 he finished sixth in the long jump, while in 1936 he finished third in the long jump, behind Jesse Owens and Luz Long, and won the triple jump event, setting a world record at 16.00 m. This record stood until 1951, when Adhemar da Silva improved it by one centimeter. Raised in Iwakuni, Tajima graduated in economics from Kyoto Imperial University just prior to competing in the Olympics. His gold medal was Japan's last Olympic track and field gold medal until Naoko Takahashi won the women's marathon at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Tajima retired from competitive athletics in 1938 but maintained an administrative role as managing director of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations. He was also a member of the Japanese Olympic Committee, coached the Japanese athletics teams at the 1956 and 1964 Olympics, and worked as a lecturer at Chukyo University.
Hiroshi Negami (根上 博, Negami Hiroshi; 3 August 1912 – 1980) was a Japanese swimmer. He competed in the men's 400 metre…
Hiroshi Negami (根上 博, Negami Hiroshi; 3 August 1912 – 1980) was a Japanese swimmer. He competed in the men's 400 metre freestyle at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Masaki Iinuma (飯沼 壮貴, Iinuma Masaki; 27 November 1912 – December 1941) was a Japanese aviator. Iinuma was born in…
Masaki Iinuma (飯沼 壮貴, Iinuma Masaki; 27 November 1912 – December 1941) was a Japanese aviator. Iinuma was born in Toyoshina (now part of Azumino, Nagano Prefecture), and was a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Army flying school at Tokorozawa. At age 24 he gained fame as the pilot on the Kamikaze (神風号, Kamikaze-go), a Mitsubishi Ki-15 Karigane aircraft, (registration J-BAAI) sponsored by the newspaper Asahi Shimbun. It became famous on April 9, 1937, as the first Japanese-built aircraft to fly from Japan to Europe, making the flight between Tokyo and London, in time for the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The total elapsed time from departure from the Tachikawa Airfield was 94 hours, 17 minutes and 56 seconds, with actual flight time for the whole distance of 15,357 kilometres (9,542 mi) was 51 hours, 19 minutes and 23 seconds. The crew consisted of pilot Iinuma and navigator Kenji Tsukagoshi. The flight was the first Fédération Aéronautique Internationale record won by Japanese aviators. Iinuma later served as chief test pilot for the Kayaba Ka-1 autogyro from May 1941. Iinuma was killed in December 1941 at Phnom Penh airfield in French Indochina when, in a daze from hearing the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces, he accidentally walked into a spinning aircraft propeller. His death was officially reported as a military casualty.
Kenshi Togami (戸上 研之, Togami Kenshi; 1 August 1912 – 1986) was a Japanese athlete. He competed in the men's long jump…
Kenshi Togami (戸上 研之, Togami Kenshi; 1 August 1912 – 1986) was a Japanese athlete. He competed in the men's long jump at the 1936 Summer Olympics. His personal best in the long jump was 7.64 meters, achieved in 1938
Tōshirō Ishida (石田 東四郎, Ishida Tōshirō; August 1912 – June 25, 2009) was a former Japanese military employee. Drafted…
Tōshirō Ishida (石田 東四郎, Ishida Tōshirō; August 1912 – June 25, 2009) was a former Japanese military employee. Drafted in 1937, he was sent to China in order to gain information for the Imperial Japanese Army, but went missing, eventually being declared dead in 1963. He was found living in the Chinese province of Henan in 1993, suffering from amnesia, and returned to Japan that year. In 1993, a Hyogo-based civilian group got information about a Japanese man living in Henan Province. DNA testing identified the man as Ishida. He returned to Japan the same year. His family said Ishida had been suffering from amnesia after receiving a bullet wound to the head during the war. He died of pneumonia in 2009.
Yojiro Kimura (木村 陽二郎, Kimura Yōjirō; 1912–2006) was a Japanese botanist, known for his classification of…
Yojiro Kimura (木村 陽二郎, Kimura Yōjirō; 1912–2006) was a Japanese botanist, known for his classification of monocotyledons, and of Japanese species of Hypericum.
Rikkō Nakamura (中村 立行, Nakamura Rikkō; 1912–1995) was a renowned Japanese photographer.
Tadashi Nakayama (中山 正, Nakayama Tadashi; July 26, 1912, Tokyo Prefecture – June 5, 1964, Nagoya) was a mathematician…
Tadashi Nakayama (中山 正, Nakayama Tadashi; July 26, 1912, Tokyo Prefecture – June 5, 1964, Nagoya) was a mathematician who made important contributions to representation theory.
Hideo Itokawa (糸川 英夫, Itokawa Hideo; July 20, 1912 – February 21, 1999) was a pioneer of Japanese rocketry, popularly…
Hideo Itokawa (糸川 英夫, Itokawa Hideo; July 20, 1912 – February 21, 1999) was a pioneer of Japanese rocketry, popularly known as "Dr. Rocket," and described in the media as the father of Japan's space development. The near-Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa was named in honor of Itokawa, and is notable as the target of the Hayabusa mission.
Kosho Uchiyama (内山 興正, Uchiyama Kōshō; 1912 – March 13, 1998) was a Sōtō Zen monk, origami master, and abbot of…
Kosho Uchiyama (内山 興正, Uchiyama Kōshō; 1912 – March 13, 1998) was a Sōtō Zen monk, origami master, and abbot of Antai-ji near Kyoto, Japan. Uchiyama was author of more than twenty books on Zen Buddhism and origami, of which the best known in the Western World are Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice and How to Cook Your Life: From the Zen Kitchen to Enlightenment.
Churyo Sato (Japanese: 佐藤 忠良, Hepburn: Satō Chūryō; 1912 – 2011) was a Japanese sculptor and painter. He was born in…
Churyo Sato (Japanese: 佐藤 忠良, Hepburn: Satō Chūryō; 1912 – 2011) was a Japanese sculptor and painter. He was born in Miyagi Prefecture and grew up in Hokkaido. In 1932 he moved to Tokyo to become a painter. Becoming influenced by Aristide Maillol and Charles Despiau, Sato decided to specialize in sculpture. He graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. From 1934 on, Sato spent the next seventy years making art works primarily from bronze to much acclaim. He was a dedicated artist working from 8 am until 8 pm every day and died on 30 March 2011 at the age of 98.
Paek Ki-haeng (Korean: 백기행; 1 July 1912 – 7 January 1996), known by his art name Paek Sŏk (백석) was a North Korean poet.…
Paek Ki-haeng (Korean: 백기행; 1 July 1912 – 7 January 1996), known by his art name Paek Sŏk (백석) was a North Korean poet. He was born in Chŏngju in North Pyongan Province, and started his journalist career at The Chosun Ilbo in 1934. He published his first poem "Chŏngju Fortress" (정주성, Jeongjuseong) on 31 August 1935 issue of Chosun Ilbo. On 20 January next year, he published a collection of the poems he had written entitled Deer (사슴, Sasŭm). Even though Deer contained 33 poems, many of which were new, seven of them were already published in magazines or newspapers in slightly different forms. Until 1948, he published about 60 more pieces, but is not believed to have produced another poetry book. In South Korea, the publication of his works was strictly prohibited for a while because he was labelled as a North Korean poet and a communist. However, since 1987 when a collection of his works (poems and essays) were first introduced after the Korean War, he has been widely re-evaluated by scholars and critics. He is now regarded as having opened a new face of Korean socialist modernism with a group of literary writers. In 2007, he was listed by the Korean Poets' Association among the ten most important modern Korean poets.
Morita Shiryū (June 24, 1912 – December 1, 1998) was a postwar Japanese artist who revolutionized Japanese calligraphy…
Morita Shiryū (June 24, 1912 – December 1, 1998) was a postwar Japanese artist who revolutionized Japanese calligraphy into a global avant-garde aesthetic. He was born in Toyooka, Hyōgo, Japan with the name Morita Kiyoshi (森田清). About 1925, he adopted the art name Morita Shiryū (森田子龍). "Shiryū" (子龍) translates a "dragon child". Around 1937, he moved to Tokyo to study calligraphy under Ueda Sōkyū (上田桑鳩). In 1943, he returned home, and five years later, he moved to Kyoto City to immerse himself in its art community. He was a founding member of the Bokujinkai ('Group of People of the Ink'), an association of calligraphy artists who envisioned to bring the art of calligraphy to the position of international prominence. He edited the monthly journal Bokubi (墨美, Beauty of Ink) from 1951 to 1981. He participated in meetings and exhibitions of the cross-genre study and discussion group Gendai Bijutsu Kondankai (現代美術懇談会, Contemporary Art Discussion Group, short: ゲンビ Genbi). While at the Bokujinkai, Morita launched artistic and intellectual exchange with many prominent international abstract artists including Franz Kline, Pierre Soulages, Pierre Alechinsky, and Walasse Ting. Ryu chi Ryu (Dragon Knows Dragon) from 1964 is an example of Morita's large scale (42.8 x 86 inch) calligraphic paintings that incorporate unusual materials (aluminum flake pigment in polyvinyl acetate medium, yellow alkyd varnish on paper), and are devoid of textural meaning.
Toshinobu Onosato (June 8, 1912 – November 30, 1986) was a Japanese printmaker. His work frequently included geometric…
Toshinobu Onosato (June 8, 1912 – November 30, 1986) was a Japanese printmaker. His work frequently included geometric shapes like circles, rectangles, and triangles, leading to his reputation as a pioneer of scientifically oriented design.
Tomoe Yamashiro (山代巴, Yamashiro Tomoe; June 8, 1912 – November 7, 2004) was a Japanese novelist, and activist.
Okuda Genso (奥田元宋) (6 July 1912 – 15 February 2003) was one of the most famous Nihonga painters of the Showa era. He…
Okuda Genso (奥田元宋) (6 July 1912 – 15 February 2003) was one of the most famous Nihonga painters of the Showa era. He gave his name to a red pigment "Genso red".
Jirō Nitta (新田 次郎, Nitta Jirō; June 6, 1912 – February 15, 1980) is the pen name of Japanese historical novelist and…
Jirō Nitta (新田 次郎, Nitta Jirō; June 6, 1912 – February 15, 1980) is the pen name of Japanese historical novelist and meteorologist Hiroto Fujiwara (藤原 寛人, Fujiwara Hiroto). He was born in an area that is now part of the city of Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.
Shikama Tokio (鹿間時夫) (1912–1978) was a Japanese vertebrate palaeontologist. Considered the leading Japanese figure in…
Shikama Tokio (鹿間時夫) (1912–1978) was a Japanese vertebrate palaeontologist. Considered the leading Japanese figure in the field in the immediate pre- and post-war years, species he described include Yabe's giant deer (Sinomegaceros yabei).
Ryūtarō Ōtomo (大友柳太朗, Ōtomo Ryūtarō) (5 June 1912 – 27 September 1985) was a Japanese film and television actor most…
Ryūtarō Ōtomo (大友柳太朗, Ōtomo Ryūtarō) (5 June 1912 – 27 September 1985) was a Japanese film and television actor most famous for his starring roles in jidaigeki. In 1936, he made his debut in movies with the film Aozura Roshi. Overall Ryūtarō Ōtomo appeared in more than 100 movies. He ended his life by leaping from the top of a building in 1985. His final appearance in the film was Tampopo directed by Juzo Itami in 1985.
Kaoru Morimoto (森本薫, Morimoto Kaoru; 4 June 1912 – 6 October 1946) was a Japanese playwright, screenwriter and…
Kaoru Morimoto (森本薫, Morimoto Kaoru; 4 June 1912 – 6 October 1946) was a Japanese playwright, screenwriter and translator. He is famous for his critically acclaimed play A Woman's Life (Onna no isshō), which became one of the most often performed plays in post-war Japan.
Norio Taniguchi (谷口 紀男, Taniguchi Norio; May 27, 1912 – November 15, 1999) was a professor of Tokyo University of…
Norio Taniguchi (谷口 紀男, Taniguchi Norio; May 27, 1912 – November 15, 1999) was a professor of Tokyo University of Science. He coined the term nano-technology in 1974 to describe semiconductor processes such as thin film deposition and ion beam milling exhibiting characteristic control on the order of a nanometer: nano-technology "mainly consists of the processing of separation, consolidation, and deformation of materials by one atom or one molecule." Taniguchi started his research on abrasive mechanisms of high precision machining of hard and brittle materials. At Tokyo University of Science, he went on to pioneer the application of energy beam techniques to ultra precision materials processing; these included electro discharge, microwave, electron beam, photon (laser) and ion beams. He studied the developments in machining techniques from 1940 until the early 1970s and predicted correctly that by the late 1980s, techniques would have evolved to a degree that dimensional accuracies of better than 100 nm would be achievable.
Princess Deokhye of Korea (Korean: 덕혜옹주; Japanese: 徳恵姫, Tokue-hime; 25 May 1912 – 21 April 1989) was the last princess…
Princess Deokhye of Korea (Korean: 덕혜옹주; Japanese: 徳恵姫, Tokue-hime; 25 May 1912 – 21 April 1989) was the last princess of the Korean royal family. She was born on 25 May 1912, at Changdeok Palace, in Seoul, as the youngest daughter of Emperor Gojong from his concubine, then known as Yang Gwi-in. After her birth, Gojong bestowed the royal title Boknyeong on Lady Yang. Deokhye was not formally recognized as a princess by Japan because she was not the daughter of a Queen. In 1917, she was officially recognized as a princess by the Japanese government and her name was also formally entered into the imperial family's registry. Her father loved her greatly and established the Deoksugung Kindergarten for her in Junmyungdang (준명당), Hamnyeong Hall. Girls her age from noble families attended the kindergarten. In South Korea, she is called Deokhye Ongju, not Gongju. Gongju refers to the daughters of the Queen, and Ongju refers to the daughters of concubines.
Jiro Yamagishi (山岸二郎, Yamagishi Jirō; 23 May 1912 – 30 January 1997) was an amateur tennis player from Japan who…
Jiro Yamagishi (山岸二郎, Yamagishi Jirō; 23 May 1912 – 30 January 1997) was an amateur tennis player from Japan who competed primarily in the 1930s. He was ranked World No 8 in 1938.
Tetsuo Imai (今井 哲夫, Imai Tetsuo; 20 May 1912 – 27 December 1987) was a Japanese middle-distance runner. He competed in…
Tetsuo Imai (今井 哲夫, Imai Tetsuo; 20 May 1912 – 27 December 1987) was a Japanese middle-distance runner. He competed in the men's 3000 metres steeplechase at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Isao Hayashi (林伊佐緒, Hayashi Isao; May 11, 1912 – September 29, 1995) was a Japanese popular music and military music…
Isao Hayashi (林伊佐緒, Hayashi Isao; May 11, 1912 – September 29, 1995) was a Japanese popular music and military music singer and composer. He took part in the Japan's famous year-end show Kōhaku Uta Gassen eleven times. One of the well-known songs composed by him is the military song "Shussei Heishi o Okuru Uta" (出征兵士を送る歌; "Song for Giving Warriors a Send-off").