Yoshinori Yagi (八木 義徳, Yagi Yoshinori; October 21, 1911 – November 9, 1999) was a noted Japanese author. Yagi was born…
Yoshinori Yagi (八木 義徳, Yagi Yoshinori; October 21, 1911 – November 9, 1999) was a noted Japanese author. Yagi was born in Muroran, Hokkaidō, and graduated from Waseda University in 1938 with a degree in French literature. In 1944 he became employed in the chemical industry in Manchuria. As a writer, he was a devotee of Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Takeo Arishima, and received the 1944 Akutagawa Prize for 劉廣福 Ryūkanbu and the 1976 Yomiuri Prize for Kazamatsuri. Some of his materials are now exhibited in Muroran's Literature Museum. His Dharma name was Keiunin Zuishin Gitoku Koji (景雲院随心義徳居士).
Famous People Born in 1910s
1910s: 660 people
Hideki Shingō (新郷 英城, Shingō Hideki; 10 October 1911 – 27 November 1982) was a fighter pilot officer in the Imperial…
Hideki Shingō (新郷 英城, Shingō Hideki; 10 October 1911 – 27 November 1982) was a fighter pilot officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. He participated in various battles and campaigns throughout the Pacific War and survived the war.
Akira Hatano (秦野 章, Hatano Akira; 10 October 1911 – 6 November 2002) was Japanese politician who served as a Minister…
Akira Hatano (秦野 章, Hatano Akira; 10 October 1911 – 6 November 2002) was Japanese politician who served as a Minister of Justice from 1982 to 1983, under Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone. He served in the House of Councillors from 1974 to 1986. Hatano was born in Fujisawa, Kanagawa. Before entering politics he was a police officer, serving as superintendent general of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department from 1967 to 1970. Hatano ran for Governor of Tokyo in 1971, but he was defeated by incumbent Governor Ryokichi Minobe. Hatano was known to be a friend of Kakuei Tanaka.
Akitake Kōno (河野 秋武, Kōno Akitake; 8 October 1911 – 17 March 1978) was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than…
Akitake Kōno (河野 秋武, Kōno Akitake; 8 October 1911 – 17 March 1978) was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than sixty films from 1943 to 1973.
Shigeaki Hinohara (日野原 重明, Hinohara Shigeaki; 4 October 1911 – 18 July 2017) was a Japanese physician. In 1941, he…
Shigeaki Hinohara (日野原 重明, Hinohara Shigeaki; 4 October 1911 – 18 July 2017) was a Japanese physician. In 1941, he began his long working association with St. Luke's International Hospital in central Tokyo and worked as a medical doctor throughout the wartime firebombing of the city. From 1990 he served as the hospital's honorary director. He was also Sophia University's Grief Care Institute director emeritus. He was honorary chairman of the Foundation Sasakawa Memorial Health Cooperation. Hinohara is credited with establishing and popularizing Japan's practice of annual medical checkups.
Taketani Mitsuo (武谷 三男; October 2, 1911 – April 22, 2000) was a prominent Japanese theoretical physicist and Marxist…
Taketani Mitsuo (武谷 三男; October 2, 1911 – April 22, 2000) was a prominent Japanese theoretical physicist and Marxist intellectual. He published his Doctrine of the Three Stages of Scientific Development in 1936. This was the first Japanese contribution to the philosophy of science. He was jailed in 1938 following making contributions to the Marxist journal Sekai Bunka (World Culture). However, following the intervention of Yoshio Nishina, he was released into the custody of his professor, Hideki Yukawa.
Rinzō Shiina (椎名 麟三 Shiina Rinzō; born 大坪 昇 Noboru Ōtsuka; 1 October 1911 – 28 March 1973) was a Japanese writer…
Rinzō Shiina (椎名 麟三 Shiina Rinzō; born 大坪 昇 Noboru Ōtsuka; 1 October 1911 – 28 March 1973) was a Japanese writer, novelist, short story writer and playwright. Shiina's best known works were written after 1950. His writing focused on the spiritual poverty of post-occupation Japan.
Hisatada Otaka (Japanese: 尾高尚忠; 26 September 1911 – 16 February 1951) was a Japanese composer and conductor. He was the…
Hisatada Otaka (Japanese: 尾高尚忠; 26 September 1911 – 16 February 1951) was a Japanese composer and conductor. He was the conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra from 1942 to 1951. Otaka was born in Japan and studied in musical arts early, however he dropped out of high school and moved to Vienna for six years for conducting and composing, during his studies in Vienna he became friends with Andrzej Panufnik and started composing works. In 1940, Otaka moved back to Japan where he took the role as conductor for the NHK Symphony Orchestra, become a music teacher and compose most of his significant works such as his Symphony and Cello Concerto, however his life came to an abrupt end at the age of 39, leaving an unfinished Flute Concerto rewrite which one of his students, Hikaru Hayashi, would take on and complete. When Otaka died he left behind three children, all of whom play his work regularly particularly the youngest son Tadaaki Otaka. In 1953, the NHK Symphony Orchestra created the Otaka Prize, which is named after Hisatada Otaka for his role in helping the orchestra. Otaka had written one of the first Japanese cello concertos and the first Japanese flute concerto, the latter being played regularly as Otaka's most famous work.
Jirō Shiizaki (椎崎 二郎, Shiizaki Jirō; 30 September 1911 – 15 August 1945) was a lieutenant colonel in the Imperial…
Jirō Shiizaki (椎崎 二郎, Shiizaki Jirō; 30 September 1911 – 15 August 1945) was a lieutenant colonel in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He served as a member of the staff of the domestic affairs section of the Military Affairs Bureau's War Affairs Section. Shiizaki was one of several members of that staff to participate in a coup (the Kyūjō incident) in the early morning of 15 August 1945, the day the Emperor would declare Japan's surrender. The coup was organized primarily by Major Kenji Hatanaka, and though quite a number of men were involved in the plot at one point or another, Shiizaki was one of the few to be involved in the climactic action; the rebels, with the help of the First Imperial Guard Division, seized the Imperial Palace, essentially held emperor Hirohito under house arrest, and sought to destroy the phonographic recordings which had been made of the emperor's surrender speech. Around seven o'clock on the morning of August 15, the plot began to fall apart. General Shizuichi Tanaka, commander of the Eastern District Army, arrived at the Palace and harangued the conspirators on their duty to their country, and demanding that the dishonor brought by their treason could only be absolved through seppuku. Shiizaki, along with a number of others, committed ritual suicide that morning, on the grounds of the Imperial Palace.
Miyoji Ieki (家城巳代治, Ieki Miyoji; 10 September 1911 – 22 February 1976) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter.…
Miyoji Ieki (家城巳代治, Ieki Miyoji; 10 September 1911 – 22 February 1976) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He often made adolescents the protagonists of his films, which addressed political themes through personal drama. His most noted works include Stepbrothers (1957) and Naked Sun (1958).
Kōzaburō Yoshimura (吉村 公三郎, Yoshimura Kōzaburō; 9 September 1911 – 7 November 2000) was a Japanese film director.
Yoshie Katsurada (Japanese: 桂田 芳枝, 3 September 1911 – 10 May 1980) was a Japanese mathematician specializing in…
Yoshie Katsurada (Japanese: 桂田 芳枝, 3 September 1911 – 10 May 1980) was a Japanese mathematician specializing in differential geometry. She became the first Japanese woman to earn a doctorate in mathematics, in 1950, and the first to obtain an imperial university professorship in mathematics, in 1967.
Kōmei Abe (安部幸明, Abe Kōmei; 1 September 1911 – 28 December 2006) was a neo-classical Japanese composer who specialized…
Kōmei Abe (安部幸明, Abe Kōmei; 1 September 1911 – 28 December 2006) was a neo-classical Japanese composer who specialized in string quartets. He performed both as cellist and clarinetist.
Shizuo Kakutani (角谷 静夫, Kakutani Shizuo; August 28, 1911 – August 17, 2004) was a Japanese and American mathematician…
Shizuo Kakutani (角谷 静夫, Kakutani Shizuo; August 28, 1911 – August 17, 2004) was a Japanese and American mathematician, best known for his eponymous fixed-point theorem.
Watari Handa (半田 亘理, Handa Watari; 22 August 1911 – 1948) was an officer and ace fighter pilot in the Imperial Japanese…
Watari Handa (半田 亘理, Handa Watari; 22 August 1911 – 1948) was an officer and ace fighter pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific theater of World War II. In aerial combat over China and the Pacific, he was officially credited with having destroyed 13 enemy aircraft. On 13 May 1942, as a member of the Tainan Air Group based at Lae, New Guinea, Handa asked fellow Tainan ace Saburō Sakai to lend him his wingman, Toshiaki Honda, for a reconnaissance mission over Port Moresby. During the mission, the Japanese pilots were ambushed by enemy P-39 fighters and Honda was shot down and killed. Broken in spirit by Honda's death, Handa soon developed tuberculosis and was evacuated to Japan. After fighting the disease for six years, Handa died in 1948, telling his wife on his deathbed, "I have fought bravely all my life, but I could never forgive myself for having lost Sakai's wingman at Lae."
Katsuhiko Haida (1911–1982) was a Japanese film actor and music composer. He played an important role in the 1951 film…
Katsuhiko Haida (1911–1982) was a Japanese film actor and music composer. He played an important role in the 1951 film Tokyo File 212. He also appeared in The Burning Sky, and Escapade From Japan. His brother is Yukihiko Haida, and they formed the Nihon Ukulele Association together.
Admiral Ryuichi Itaya (板谷 隆一, 20 August 1911 – 1 September 1991) was a Japanese naval officer who served in the…
Admiral Ryuichi Itaya (板谷 隆一, 20 August 1911 – 1 September 1991) was a Japanese naval officer who served in the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second World War. After a brief stint in the post-war Japanese Coast Guard and Safety Security Force he joined the newly formed Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) in 1954. During his service in the JMSDF Itaya held a variety of command and staff positions including serving as the seventh Maritime Chief of Staff from 1966 till his appointment as the fifth Chairman of the Joint Staff Council of the Japan Self-Defense Force, a position he held from 1969 till his retirement in 1971.
Shihachi Fujimoto (藤本 四八, Fujimoto Shihachi; 1911–2006) was a Japanese photographer. In 1938, he helped found the…
Shihachi Fujimoto (藤本 四八, Fujimoto Shihachi; 1911–2006) was a Japanese photographer. In 1938, he helped found the Seinen Hodo Shashin Kenkyukai (Youth Reportage Photography Research Association), which was formed with the support of Photo Times. Fujimoto's works are in the permanent collection of the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography. Iida City Museum runs a photographic contest, Fujimoto Shihachi Shashin Bunka-shō (藤本四八写真文化賞), in his honour.
Ai Kume (久米 愛, Kume Ai; July 7, 1911 – July 14, 1976) was one of the first three women in Japan to become lawyers.
Shunpei Hashioka (Japanese: 橋岡 俊平; born July 7, 1911, in Osaka, Japan – August 7, 1978) was a Japanese-Chinese boxer…
Shunpei Hashioka (Japanese: 橋岡 俊平; born July 7, 1911, in Osaka, Japan – August 7, 1978) was a Japanese-Chinese boxer who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. In 1936 he was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the bantamweight class after losing his fight to Stig Cederberg.
Noguchi Fujio (野口 富士男, Noguchi Fujio; 4 July 1911 - 22 November 1993) was the pen-name of a novelist in Shōwa period…
Noguchi Fujio (野口 富士男, Noguchi Fujio; 4 July 1911 - 22 November 1993) was the pen-name of a novelist in Shōwa period Japan, known primarily for his biographical works and works on literary history. His real name was Fujio Hirai. Noguchi was born in Kōjimachi, Tokyo, and studied at Keio University. His first published work was a novel about the pathos in the lives of common people, Kaze no keifu ("Genealogy of the Wind", 1940). In the post-World War II period, he turned to works biography and literary history, with Tokuda Shusei den ("Biography of Tokuda Shusei", 1965) about the noted author. This was followed by Kurai yoru no watashi ("Myself on a Dark Night", 1969), describing the literary world in Japan during the 1920s and 1930s. His biography of Nagai Kafu Waga Kafu ("My Kafu", 1969), was awarded the Yomiuri Prize. In 1981 he was awarded the Japan Art Academy Prize, and in 1986, he published Kanshokuteki Shōwa bundan shi ("An Impressionistic History of Shōwa Literature").
Toyo Shibata (柴田 トヨ, Shibata Toyo; June 26, 1911 – January 20, 2013) was a bestselling Japanese poet.
Kunio Nakagaki (中垣 國男, Nakagaki Kunio; 24 June 1911 – 2 April 1987) was a Japanese Minister of Justice. He was a…
Kunio Nakagaki (中垣 國男, Nakagaki Kunio; 24 June 1911 – 2 April 1987) was a Japanese Minister of Justice. He was a pro-death penalty activist and approved the executions of 33 people, including Matsuo Fujimoto and Ri Chin'u, who became the basis for the film Death by Hanging. On 11 September 1962, he commanded Fujimoto's execution and he was executed three days after. He also attempted to execute Sadamichi Hirasawa, but failed. Hirasawa was not executed, and died on 10 May 1987.
Choko Mabuchi (馬淵 テフ子, Mabuchi Chōko; 5 June 1911 – 23 February 1985) is a Japanese female pilot, and a pioneer of…
Choko Mabuchi (馬淵 テフ子, Mabuchi Chōko; 5 June 1911 – 23 February 1985) is a Japanese female pilot, and a pioneer of overseas flight among female pilots along with Kiku Nishizaki. Her experience as a pioneer female pilot served as the basis for the lead character, played by Yōko Asaji, in the popular NHK Asadora TV series Kumo no jūtan in 1976.
Shigeko Kagawa (28 May 1911 – 27 August 2026) was a Japanese supercentenarian who was Japan's oldest living person from…
Shigeko Kagawa (28 May 1911 – 27 August 2026) was a Japanese supercentenarian who was Japan's oldest living person from the death of Miyoko Hiroyasu on 29 July 2025 until her death on 27 August 2026.
Minoru Kawabata (川端実, Kawabata Minoru; born on May 22, 1911, died on June 29, 2001) was a Japanese artist. Kawabata is…
Minoru Kawabata (川端実, Kawabata Minoru; born on May 22, 1911, died on June 29, 2001) was a Japanese artist. Kawabata is best known for his color field paintings. Between 1960 and 1981, Kawabata had 11 solo shows at the prominent Betty Parsons Gallery in New York. At the 31st Venice Biennale in 1962, Kawabata’s work was exhibited in the Japan Pavilion alongside that of four other Japanese artists. Kawabata has had solo exhibitions at the Everson Museum of Art in 1974, the Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura in 1975, the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto and Ohara Museum of Art in 1992, and Yokosuka Museum of Art in 2011. Kawabata’s works are in the collection of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Artizon Museum, Everson Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, the Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura & Hayama, the Museum of Modern Art, São Paulo, the National Museum of Art, Osaka, the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, the Newark Museum of Art, Ohara Museum of Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokosuka Museum of Art, among others.
Tanie Kitabayashi (北林谷栄, Kitabayashi Tanie; May 21, 1911 – April 27, 2010) was a Japanese actress and voice actress.…
Tanie Kitabayashi (北林谷栄, Kitabayashi Tanie; May 21, 1911 – April 27, 2010) was a Japanese actress and voice actress. Born Reiko Ando in Tokyo, she began as a stage actress. Kitabayashi was a founding member of the famed Mingei Theatre Company, founded in 1950. Early in her career, she became well known for portraying older women. In 1960, she won best actress awards at the 10th Blue Ribbon Awards and at the Mainichi Film Awards for Kiku to Isamu. She also won the Japan Academy Prize for best actress in Rainbow Kids (1991), a film that also earned her honors from the Mainichi Film Awards and from Kinema Junpo. She died on April 27, 2010, of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital. She was 98.
Toshiko Karasawa (Japanese: 柄沢とし子; 7 May 1911 – 2 December 2013) was a Japanese politician for the Japanese Communist…
Toshiko Karasawa (Japanese: 柄沢とし子; 7 May 1911 – 2 December 2013) was a Japanese politician for the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) and labor activist. Born in Sapporo on the island Hokkaido, Karasawa graduated from Sapporo Kita High School in 1929, and served two terms as a representative for her party for the House of Representatives, in 1946 and 1949, before retiring soon after. Karasawa died of natural causes on 2 December 2013, aged 102, at a health care facility in Toyama, Toyama.
Ishirō Honda (Japanese: 本多 猪（い）四（し）郎（ろう）, Hepburn: Honda Ishirō; 7 May 1911 – 28 February 1993) was a Japanese…
Ishirō Honda (Japanese: 本多 猪（い）四（し）郎（ろう）, Hepburn: Honda Ishirō; 7 May 1911 – 28 February 1993) was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 46 feature films in a career spanning five decades. He is acknowledged as the most internationally successful Japanese filmmaker prior to Hayao Miyazaki and one of the founders of modern disaster film, with his films having a significant influence on the film industry. Despite directing many drama, war, documentary, and comedy films, Honda is best remembered for directing and co-creating the kaiju genre with special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya. Honda entered the Japanese film industry in 1934, working as the third assistant director on Sotoji Kimura's The Elderly Commoner's Life Study. After 15 years of working on numerous films as an assistant director, he made his directorial debut with the short documentary film Ise-Shima (1949). Honda's first feature film, The Blue Pearl (1952), was a critical success in Japan at the time and would lead him to direct three subsequent drama films. In 1954, Honda directed and co-wrote Godzilla, which became a box office success in Japan and was nominated for two Japanese Movie Association awards. Because of the film's commercial success in Japan, it spawned a multimedia franchise, recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest-running film franchise in history, that established the kaiju and tokusatsu genres. It helped Honda gain international recognition and led him to direct numerous tokusatsu films that are still studied and watched today. After directing his eighth and final Godzilla film in 1975, Honda retired from filmmaking. However, Honda's former colleague and friend, Akira Kurosawa, would persuade him to come out of retirement in the late 1970s and act as his right-hand man for his last five films.
Ichiko Teiji (市古 貞次, 1934–2004) was a Japanese literary medievalist and University of Tokyo professor. He is best known…
Ichiko Teiji (市古 貞次, 1934–2004) was a Japanese literary medievalist and University of Tokyo professor. He is best known for his research on otogi-zoshi. He was the first director of the National Institute of Japanese Literature and received an Order of Culture in 1990.
Ei-Q (瑛九, Eikyū; April 28, 1911 – March 10, 1960, in English occasionally "Q. Ei" or "Ei Kyu") was a Japanese artist…
Ei-Q (瑛九, Eikyū; April 28, 1911 – March 10, 1960, in English occasionally "Q. Ei" or "Ei Kyu") was a Japanese artist who worked in a variety of media, including photography and engraving. He came to the forefront of the Japanese avant-garde with his 1936 collection of photo-dessins, a fusion of photograms and paintings. He also founded several art organizations, including the Democratic Artists Association.
Mibuchi Shinzaburō (三淵 震三郎; 11 April 1911 – 20 March 1989) was a Japanese businessman who worked in the insurance…
Mibuchi Shinzaburō (三淵 震三郎; 11 April 1911 – 20 March 1989) was a Japanese businessman who worked in the insurance industry.
Tokiharu Abe (阿部 宗明, Abe Tokiharu; 3 April 1911 – 9 August 1996) was a Japanese ichthyologist and a government official…
Tokiharu Abe (阿部 宗明, Abe Tokiharu; 3 April 1911 – 9 August 1996) was a Japanese ichthyologist and a government official of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Ryōichi Kuroda (黒田了一, Kuroda Ryōichi; 16 March 1911 – 24 July 2003) was a Japanese jurist and politician from Suita…
Ryōichi Kuroda (黒田了一, Kuroda Ryōichi; 16 March 1911 – 24 July 2003) was a Japanese jurist and politician from Suita, Osaka.
Itaro Nakajima (13 March 1911 – 1993) was a Japanese sprinter. He competed in the men's 200 metres, the men's 4 x 100…
Itaro Nakajima (13 March 1911 – 1993) was a Japanese sprinter. He competed in the men's 200 metres, the men's 4 x 100 meters relay, and the men's 4 x 400 meters relay events at the 1932 Summer Olympics events at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Uzō Nishiyama (西山 夘三, Nishiyama Uzō; 1 March 1911 – 2 April 1994) was a Japanese modernist architect, city planner, and…
Uzō Nishiyama (西山 夘三, Nishiyama Uzō; 1 March 1911 – 2 April 1994) was a Japanese modernist architect, city planner, and architectural scholar. He is noted for his application of methods of scientific research to the study of architecture and urban planning. Nishiyama served as a professor at Kyoto University for over 25 years, and produced a number of seminal writings on architectural theory. The Uzo Nishiyama Memorial Library in Kyoto, which specializes in works relating to architecture and urban planning, is named after Nishiyama.
Kenichi Kuriyagawa (栗谷川健一, Kuriyagawa Ken'ichi; 28 February 1911 – 12 August 1999) was a Japanese painter and graphic…
Kenichi Kuriyagawa (栗谷川健一, Kuriyagawa Ken'ichi; 28 February 1911 – 12 August 1999) was a Japanese painter and graphic designer. He is known for tourism posters depicting Hokkaido, for designing the flag and emblem of Hokkaido Prefecture adopted in 1967, and for founding the first design school in Hokkaido. The Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art has described him as the "father of Hokkaido design".
Tarō Okamoto (岡本 太郎, Okamoto Tarō; February 26, 1911 – January 7, 1996) was a Japanese artist, art theorist, and…
Tarō Okamoto (岡本 太郎, Okamoto Tarō; February 26, 1911 – January 7, 1996) was a Japanese artist, art theorist, and writer. He is particularly well known for his paintings, public sculptures, and murals, his theorization of traditional Japanese culture, and his avant-garde artistic practices.
Daisuke Katō (加東 大介, Katō Daisuke; February 18, 1911 – July 31, 1975) was a Japanese actor. He appeared in over 200…
Daisuke Katō (加東 大介, Katō Daisuke; February 18, 1911 – July 31, 1975) was a Japanese actor. He appeared in over 200 films, including Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Yojimbo, and Ikiru. He also worked repeatedly for noted directors such as Yasujirō Ozu, Mikio Naruse and Kenji Mizoguchi.
Yoshio Kodama (児玉 誉士夫, Kodama Yoshio; February 18, 1911 – January 17, 1984) was a Japanese right-wing ultranationalist…
Yoshio Kodama (児玉 誉士夫, Kodama Yoshio; February 18, 1911 – January 17, 1984) was a Japanese right-wing ultranationalist and a prominent figure in the rise of organized crime in Japan. The most famous kuromaku, or behind-the-scenes power broker, of the 20th century, he was active in Japan's political arena and criminal underworld from the 1930s to the 1970s, and became enormously wealthy through his involvement in smuggling operations.
Tsutomu Miura (三浦 つとむ, Miura Tsutomu; 1911 - October 27, 1989) was a Japanese linguist born in Tokyo. He studied…
Tsutomu Miura (三浦 つとむ, Miura Tsutomu; 1911 - October 27, 1989) was a Japanese linguist born in Tokyo. He studied language as expression from contentism and criticized formism and functionism, like structural linguistics or the theory of generative grammar. He regarded Tokieda's theory, also known as "Gengo Katei Setsu"(Language-as-a-Process Theory), as "the world highest standard theory" and created his original language theory based on Tokieda's theory.
Toshio Yodoi (淀井 敏夫, Yodoi Toshio; February 15, 1911 – February 14, 2005) was a Japanese sculptor, and a pioneer of…
Toshio Yodoi (淀井 敏夫, Yodoi Toshio; February 15, 1911 – February 14, 2005) was a Japanese sculptor, and a pioneer of Japanese modern and contemporary arts. In 1994, he was officially recognized by the Japanese government as a "Person of Cultural Merit" and in 2001, the Order of Culture was conferred.
Yoshitaka Takeda (武田義孝, Takeda Yoshitaka; 15 February 1911 – August 1943) was a Japanese gymnast. He competed at the…
Yoshitaka Takeda (武田義孝, Takeda Yoshitaka; 15 February 1911 – August 1943) was a Japanese gymnast. He competed at the 1932 Summer Olympics and the 1936 Summer Olympics. He died of kidney disease in August 1943.
Aiko Kawasaki (1911–1936), also known as Chika Sagawa (左川 ちか, Sagawa Chika), was a Japanese avant-garde poet.
Keiko Minami (南 桂子, Minami Keiko; 12 February 1911 – 1 December 2004) was a Japanese artist, aquatint engraver, and…
Keiko Minami (南 桂子, Minami Keiko; 12 February 1911 – 1 December 2004) was a Japanese artist, aquatint engraver, and poet. She is best known for her pictograph-like aquatints with a whimsical, childlike aesthetic.
Masaaki Tanaka (田中 正明, Tanaka Masaaki) (February 11, 1911 – January 8, 2006) was a Japanese author notable for his book…
Masaaki Tanaka (田中 正明, Tanaka Masaaki) (February 11, 1911 – January 8, 2006) was a Japanese author notable for his book What Really Happened in Nanking: The Refutation of a Common Myth, which denies that the Nanjing Massacre as traditionally understood took place. Originally written in Japanese in 1987, an English version was published in 2000 in response to Iris Chang's book, The Rape of Nanking.
Doshin So (宗道臣, Sō Dōshin) (born Michiomi Nakano (中野道臣, Nakano Michiomi)), (1911–1980) was a Japanese soldier and…
Doshin So (宗道臣, Sō Dōshin) (born Michiomi Nakano (中野道臣, Nakano Michiomi)), (1911–1980) was a Japanese soldier and martial artist. He is most known as the creator and founder of Shorinji Kempo and the doctrine Kongo Zen (金剛禅, Kongō Zen). Practitioners of Shorinji Kempo refer to him as Kaiso, Japanese for "the founder".
Takako Irie (入江 たか子, Irie Takako; 7 February 1911 – 12 January 1995) was a Japanese film actress. Born in Tokyo into…
Takako Irie (入江 たか子, Irie Takako; 7 February 1911 – 12 January 1995) was a Japanese film actress. Born in Tokyo into the aristocratic Higashibōjō family (her birth name was Hideko Higashibōjō (東坊城 英子, Higashibōjō Hideko)), she graduated from Bunka Gakuin before debuting as an actress at Nikkatsu in 1927. She became a major star, even starting her own production company, Irie Productions, in 1932. One of Kenji Mizoguchi's silent film masterpieces, The Water Magician, was produced at that company with Irie starring. She appeared in many advertisements, as well as on fans and other commercial goods. Irie was also the subject of a folding screen painting by Nihonga artist Nakamura Daizaburō, which appeared in the 1930 Teiten (Imperial Exhibition), and which is today in the collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art; toy dolls were also produced based on this image. In the postwar period, Irie became known as a "ghost cat actress" (bakeneko joyū) for appearing in a series of kaidan (ghost story) movies. One of her late memorable roles was in Akira Kurosawa's Sanjuro, where she plays Mutsuta's wife, the lady who warns Sanjuro (Toshirō Mifune) that "the best sword stays in its scabbard". Her husband, Michiyoshi Tamura, was a film producer. Their daughter, Wakaba Irie, is also an actress. Irie's brother, Yasunaga Higashibōjō, was a film director and screenwriter.
Haruo Maekawa (前川 春雄, Maekawa Haruo; February 6, 1911 – September 22, 1989), also romanized as Mayekawa, was a Japanese…
Haruo Maekawa (前川 春雄, Maekawa Haruo; February 6, 1911 – September 22, 1989), also romanized as Mayekawa, was a Japanese businessman, central banker, the 24th Governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ).
Mitsuo Nakamura (中村 光夫, Nakamura Mitsuo; 5 February 1911 – 12 July 1988) was the pen-name of a writer of biographies…
Mitsuo Nakamura (中村 光夫, Nakamura Mitsuo; 5 February 1911 – 12 July 1988) was the pen-name of a writer of biographies and stage-plays, and a literary critic active in Shōwa period Japan. His real name was Koba Ichirō.