Gengo Matsui ( 松井源吾, Matsui Gengo, 1920-1996) was a prominent Japanese structural engineer and professor at Waseda…
Gengo Matsui ( 松井源吾, Matsui Gengo, 1920-1996) was a prominent Japanese structural engineer and professor at Waseda University. Throughout his career, he collaborated with several renowned Japanese architects including Kiyonori Kikutake (1928–2011), Kisho Kurokawa (1934–2007), Toyo Ito (born 1941), and Shigeru Ban (born 1957). Gengo Matsui was active both in academia and in practice through his research lab at Waseda University and through his structural design office O.R.S., namely. He is best known for the structural design of several iconic buildings of Japanese metabolism like the Nakagin Capsule Tower (1972), the Osaka Expo Tower (1970), and the Miyakonojo Civic Center (1966). The ability to work at different scales and using different materials allowed Matsui creating a dense network of interdisciplinary collaborations and a wide range of different projects. In the early 1960s, his experiments with reinforced concrete also in collaboration with the architect Kikutake led to the patenting of the void slab system in Japan, a novel cast-in-situ slab system still largely used today in Japan. Towards the end of his career, Matsui engaged with Shigeru Ban's paper architecture series, developing design solutions in such a way to activate cardboard elements as actual load-bearing elements. Matsui also engaged in research related to wood joinery and modular steel structures, such as Toyo Ito's Silver Hut or Kikutake's Osaka Expo Tower. Among architects and collaborators, Matsui was known for consistently using photoelasticity to understand and explain the behavior of structures. He used photoelastic experiments both as a visual tool to investigate force flows within structural members as well as a tool to communicate structural design ideas to architects. After Matsui retired from Waseda University, the Matsui Gengo Prize for structural design was established. A total of 15 honorable contributions to the field of structural design were awarded with the Matsui Gengo Prize between 1991 and 2005. Among the winners were the Irish structural engineer Peter Rice for his work on the Kansai International Airport (awarded in 1995) and the British Sri Lankan engineer Cecil Balmond for his work on the Ito-Balmond Serpentine Pavilion (awarded in 2003).
Famous People Born in 1920s
1920s: 838 people
Hiroshi Ogawa may refer to: Hiroshi Ogawa (second baseman) (小川 博; born 1940), former Japanese professional player…
Hiroshi Ogawa may refer to: Hiroshi Ogawa (second baseman) (小川 博; born 1940), former Japanese professional player Hiroshi Ogawa (shortstop) (小川 史; born 1960), former Japanese professional player Hiroshi Ogawa (pitcher) (小川 博; born 1962), Japanese baseball player and convicted criminal Hiroshi Ogawa (politician) (小川 洋; 1949 – 2021), Japanese governor of Fukuoka Prefecture Hiroshi Ogawa (animator) (小川 博司; 1950 or 1951 – 2013), Japanese animator Hiroshi Ogawa (cross-country skier) (小川 弘; born 1944), Japanese Olympic skier
Shōji Ōtake (大竹 省二, Ōtake Shōji; 15 May 1920 - 2 July 2015) was a Japanese photographer famous for portraits and nudes.…
Shōji Ōtake (大竹 省二, Ōtake Shōji; 15 May 1920 - 2 July 2015) was a Japanese photographer famous for portraits and nudes. Ōtake was born in Yokosuka (which later became Ōsuka, then Kakegawa), Shizuoka on 15 May 1920, the oldest son of a father who worked in the sake industry and a mother who performed on the koto and (transverse) flute. The boy's mother died when he was six, and he moved to the house of his father's elder sister, his younger brother moved to another house, both in Yokosuka, while his father tried and failed in the transportation industry and quickly moved to Tokyo. A year later, the boy moved to the house of a rich family, still in Yokosuka. He started at school, quickly showing an aptitude for drawing, gaining a special mention in a national contest. Shōji moved to Tokyo with his father in 1928, living in Nippori with his father's new wife. He became a keen photographer when very young. Ōtake joined the army, but was able to work as a photographer. In 1947 he managed to attach himself to GHQ, for which he photographed singers and actresses at the Ernie Pyle Theatre. From 1949 he became involved in a succession of photographic organizations, as he continued work as a photojournalist. Starting in 1951, he spent five years photographing classical and other musicians from around the world during their stays in Japan; these photographs were published in Asahi Camera and in 1955 were collected in the highly praised book World Musicians. He was also publishing nude photographs in the magazines Camera and Photo Art. From the 1950s through the 1970s, Ōtake moved to become the top photographer of women in Japan. For five years from 1971, Ōtake photographed housewives and "OL" nude (sometimes together with their babies or small children, also nude) on Nippon Television; this work too was later collected into books. By the 1980s, Ōtake's fame and commercial success as a portraitist and photographer of nudes had eclipsed his earlier and very different work. Republication within the volume dedicated to him of the series "Shōwa Shashin Zenshigoto" (1982), and the publication the following year of Haruka naru uta, brought it great acclaim. Besides photography, Ōtake has also worked as television screenwriter and an essayist. As a photographer, he remained active into his late 80s. Among the photographers who have trained under Ōtake are Mineko Orisaku and Sanae Numata.
Jiro Kawakita (川喜田 二郎, Kawakita Jirō) was an ethnographer, a pioneer in participation of remote Nepalese villagers in…
Jiro Kawakita (川喜田 二郎, Kawakita Jirō) was an ethnographer, a pioneer in participation of remote Nepalese villagers in researching their problems, resulting in practical benefits of potable water supplies and rapid rope-way transport across mountain gorges. He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1984. He is reported as the author of KJ method for organizing notes, also termed affinity walls in UX Research. He viewed the method as an alternative to Western quantitative methods in ethnography. Kawakita established the non-profit organisation Institute for Himalayan Conservation Japan.
Mitsuko Mori (森 光子, Mori Mitsuko; May 9, 1920 – November 10, 2012), real name Mitsu Murakami (村上美津, Murakami Mitsu)…
Mitsuko Mori (森 光子, Mori Mitsuko; May 9, 1920 – November 10, 2012), real name Mitsu Murakami (村上美津, Murakami Mitsu), was a Japanese actress.
Yukio Nishimoto (西本 幸雄, Nishimoto Yukio; 25 April 1920 – 25 November 2011) was a Japanese baseball player and manager.…
Yukio Nishimoto (西本 幸雄, Nishimoto Yukio; 25 April 1920 – 25 November 2011) was a Japanese baseball player and manager. He played for the Mainichi Orions from 1950 to 1955. In nearly 500 games for the Orions, he batted .244 and was on the field for the Orions winning the 1950 Japan Series. As a manager he won eight Pacific League pennants for three different teams: Daimai Orions, Hankyu Braves, and the Kintetsu Buffaloes. Only one other person has won pennants for three different teams since Nishimoto. However, his clubs lost in the Japan Series each time, earning him the nickname "Great Tragic Leader". Nishimoto was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988. He died of heart failure on 25 November 2011 at the age of 91.
Kim Hyung-suk or Kim Hyung-seok (Korean: 김형석; Hanja: 金亨錫; born April 23, 1920) is a North Korean-born South Korean…
Kim Hyung-suk or Kim Hyung-seok (Korean: 김형석; Hanja: 金亨錫; born April 23, 1920) is a North Korean-born South Korean writer, philosopher, & professor emeritus of Yonsei University. He taught as a professor at the Department of Philosophy of Yonsei University from 1954 to 1985. He became professor emeritus of the same school after his retirement in 1985. He was a visiting professor at the University of Chicago and Harvard University. He is the author of a few best-selling books which include Solitude (고독이라는 병) (1960) and The Discourse between Eternity and Love (영원과 사랑의 대화) (1961). He turned 100 in Korean age in 2019.
Shōtarō Yasuoka (安岡 章太郎, Yasuoka Shōtarō; May 30, 1920 – January 26, 2013) was a Japanese writer.
Yoshibayama Junnosuke (Japanese: 吉葉山 潤之輔; April 3, 1920 – November 26, 1977), real name Ikeda Junnosuke (池田 潤之輔), was a…
Yoshibayama Junnosuke (Japanese: 吉葉山 潤之輔; April 3, 1920 – November 26, 1977), real name Ikeda Junnosuke (池田 潤之輔), was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Atsuta District, Hokkaido. He was the sport's 43rd yokozuna. He suffered a number of injuries and only won one tournament championship, but was a popular wrestler. He was a runner-up five times, and earned three special prizes and two gold stars in his top division career. After his retirement in 1958 he revived and led the Miyagino stable until his death in 1977.
Hiroshi Akutagawa (芥川比呂志, Akutagawa Hiroshi; 30 March 1920 – 28 October 1981) was a Japanese stage and film actor and…
Hiroshi Akutagawa (芥川比呂志, Akutagawa Hiroshi; 30 March 1920 – 28 October 1981) was a Japanese stage and film actor and director. In his 30 years spanning career, he appeared in numerous stage productions and films by directors such as Shirō Toyoda, Tadashi Imai, Heinosuke Gosho, Akira Kurosawa and Nagisa Ōshima.
Tetsuharu Kawakami (川上 哲治, Kawakami Tetsuharu; March 23, 1920 – October 28, 2013) was a Japanese baseball player and…
Tetsuharu Kawakami (川上 哲治, Kawakami Tetsuharu; March 23, 1920 – October 28, 2013) was a Japanese baseball player and manager, known for his red bat, and his nickname dageki no kamisama (打撃の神様, "the God of Batting/Hitting"). He was a professional player for 18 years, winning the batting title five times, two home run crowns, three RBI titles, and had six titles for the most hits in a season. He was the MVP of the 1953 Japan Series. He was the first player in Japanese pro baseball to achieve 2,000 hits and was named the league's MVP three times. As manager of the Yomiuri Giants from 1961 to 1974, he led the Giants to eleven championships, with nine of them being in consecutive years; his teams never lost a Japan Series with him as a manager. He has the most Japan Series championships as a manager. Kawakami was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1965.
Katsuko Saruhashi (猿橋 勝子, Saruhashi Katsuko; March 22, 1920 – September 29, 2007) was a Japanese geochemist who created…
Katsuko Saruhashi (猿橋 勝子, Saruhashi Katsuko; March 22, 1920 – September 29, 2007) was a Japanese geochemist who created tools that let her take some of the first measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in seawater. She later showed evidence of the dangers of radioactive fallout and how far it can travel. Along with this focus on safety, she also researched peaceful uses of nuclear power. Her other major area of significance involved raising the number and status of women scientists, especially in Japan. She established both the Society of Japanese Women Scientists and the Saruhashi Prize, which is awarded annually to a female scientist who serves as a role model for younger women scientists. Among her other honors, she was the first woman elected to the Science Council of Japan, to earn a doctorate in chemistry from the prestigious University of Tokyo, and to win the Miyake Prize for Geochemistry.
Kita Rentarō (北廉太郎) (also known as Kita Kan (紀多寛); born Kita Koretsugu (紀太惟次); March 20, 1920 – September 16, 1940) was…
Kita Rentarō (北廉太郎) (also known as Kita Kan (紀多寛); born Kita Koretsugu (紀太惟次); March 20, 1920 – September 16, 1940) was a Japanese ryūkōka singer. He was popularly known as Kitaren (キタレン). Tending towards delinquency in adolescence, Kita dropped out of school in 1936 and began to train as a boxer. His father's death soon after, as well as encouragement from Kikuchi Tansui, caused him to pursue singing as a vocation instead. In 1937, Kita made his recording debut on Taihei Records; he moved to the Japanese branch of Polydor Records the following year. After initial success, his career stalled. He died from leukemia in 1940 after a rapid decline in his health.
Flight Petty Officer Third Class Hajime Toyoshima (豊嶋 一, Toyoshima Hajime; 29 March 1920 – 5 August 1944) was a…
Flight Petty Officer Third Class Hajime Toyoshima (豊嶋 一, Toyoshima Hajime; 29 March 1920 – 5 August 1944) was a Japanese airman in World War II. His A6M Zero was the first of that type to be recovered relatively intact on Allied territory (after those recovered after the attack on Pearl Harbor) when he crash landed on Melville Island, Northern Territory, Australia. Toyoshima was the first Japanese prisoner of war to be captured in Australia. In August 1944, while a POW in rural New South Wales, Toyoshima was one of the instigators of the Cowra breakout, sounding a bugle to signal the commencement of the escape, and died during the fight.
Takeo Doi (土居 健郎, Doi Takeo; March 17, 1920 – July 5, 2009) was a Japanese academic, psychoanalyst and author.
Kōhan Kawauchi (川内 康範, Kawauchi Kōhan); February 26, 1920 – April 6, 2008), also known as Yasunori Kawauchi, was a…
Kōhan Kawauchi (川内 康範, Kawauchi Kōhan); February 26, 1920 – April 6, 2008), also known as Yasunori Kawauchi, was a Japanese screenwriter who created various tokusatsu series, including the first, Moonlight Mask, in 1958. He was originally from Hakodate, Hokkaido. His series Warrior of Love Rainbowman (1972) is considered to be an inspiration for Go Nagai's Cutie Honey. Other tokusatsu shows he created include Seven Color Mask (1959) and Messenger of Allah (1960). He also wrote the screenplay for Seijun Suzuki's Tokyo Drifter.
Gorō Azumaya (東屋 五郎, Azumaya Gorō; February 26, 1920– July 8, 2010) was a Japanese mathematician who introduced the…
Gorō Azumaya (東屋 五郎, Azumaya Gorō; February 26, 1920– July 8, 2010) was a Japanese mathematician who introduced the notion of Azumaya algebra in 1951. His advisor was Shokichi Iyanaga. At the time of his death he was an emeritus professor at Indiana University.
Moritake Kimura (Japanese: 木村 盛武, Hepburn: Kimura Moritake; 1920 – September 6, 2019) was a Japanese non-fiction…
Moritake Kimura (Japanese: 木村 盛武, Hepburn: Kimura Moritake; 1920 – September 6, 2019) was a Japanese non-fiction writer. He is best known for his investigation of the Sankebetsu brown bear incident, which caused the greatest damage in the history of Japanese animal damage.
Tsuguhiro Hattori (服部 受弘; February 23, 1920 – December 6, 1991) was a prominent Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball…
Tsuguhiro Hattori (服部 受弘; February 23, 1920 – December 6, 1991) was a prominent Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball player who excelled as a pitcher and was the first Chunichi Dragons pitcher to reach 100 wins. He played with the Dragons franchise his entire career. His number 10 jersey is one of only two retired by the team.
Ishigaki Rin (石垣 りん; February 21, 1920 – December 26, 2004) was a Japanese poet, most famous for her poem "Nameplate."…
Ishigaki Rin (石垣 りん; February 21, 1920 – December 26, 2004) was a Japanese poet, most famous for her poem "Nameplate." She was known as the "bank clerk poet" because all of her writing was done on the side of her job as a clerk at the Industrial Bank of Japan, and her work frequently appeared in her employer's newsletter. Like her friend and contemporary Ibaragi Noriko, she was openly critical of environmental devastation, war, and nuclear power. Some of her poems are used in Japanese language textbooks, and she is therefore one of the best-known contemporary poets in Japan.
Koichi Yaguchi (矢口 洪一, Yaguchi Kōichi; February 20, 1920 – July 25, 2006) was the 11th Chief Justice of Japan…
Koichi Yaguchi (矢口 洪一, Yaguchi Kōichi; February 20, 1920 – July 25, 2006) was the 11th Chief Justice of Japan (1985–1990). He was graduate of Kyoto University. He was a recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia flowers.
Ryogo Kubo (久保 亮五, Kubo Ryōgo; February 15, 1920 – March 31, 1995) was a Japanese mathematical physicist, best known…
Ryogo Kubo (久保 亮五, Kubo Ryōgo; February 15, 1920 – March 31, 1995) was a Japanese mathematical physicist, best known for his works in statistical physics and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics.
Toyoko Yoshino (吉野トヨ子, Yoshino Toyoko; 23 April 1920 – 24 January 2015) was a Japanese discus thrower. She competed at…
Toyoko Yoshino (吉野トヨ子, Yoshino Toyoko; 23 April 1920 – 24 January 2015) was a Japanese discus thrower. She competed at the 1952, placing fourth, and the 1956 Summer Olympics. From 1949 until 1956 she became Japanese champion eight times in a row.
Kenzō Okuzaki (Japanese: 奥崎 謙三, Hepburn: Okuzaki Kenzō; 1 February 1920 – 16 June 2005) was a former Imperial Japanese…
Kenzō Okuzaki (Japanese: 奥崎 謙三, Hepburn: Okuzaki Kenzō; 1 February 1920 – 16 June 2005) was a former Imperial Japanese Army soldier, writer, actor, anti-monarchist and anarchist. He was known for an attempted assault on Emperor Shōwa, and his starring role in the documentary The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (1987).
Machiko Hasegawa (長谷川町子, Hasegawa Machiko; January 30, 1920 – May 27, 1992) was a Japanese manga artist and one of the…
Machiko Hasegawa (長谷川町子, Hasegawa Machiko; January 30, 1920 – May 27, 1992) was a Japanese manga artist and one of the first female manga artists. She started her own comic strip, Sazae-san, in 1946. It reached national circulation via the Asahi Shimbun in 1949, and ran daily until Hasegawa decided to retire in February 1974. All of her comics were printed in Japan in digest comics; by the mid-1990s, Hasegawa's estate had sold over 60 million copies in Japan alone.
Kanzen Teruya (1920–2004) was an Okinawan physician who contributed much to the Okinawan medical world in post-World…
Kanzen Teruya (1920–2004) was an Okinawan physician who contributed much to the Okinawan medical world in post-World War II days. He reported a mass Cycas revoluta (sago palm) poisoning in people living on Miyako-jima island in 1956. He later became a professor at the University of the Ryukyus (1978–1985).
Koichi Tohei (藤平光一, Tōhei Kōichi) (20 January 1920 – 19 May 2011) was a 10th Dan aikidoka and founder of the Ki Society…
Koichi Tohei (藤平光一, Tōhei Kōichi) (20 January 1920 – 19 May 2011) was a 10th Dan aikidoka and founder of the Ki Society and its style of aikido, officially Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido (literally "aikido with mind and body unified"), but commonly known as Ki-Aikido.
Makoto Kumada (熊田 誠, Kumada Makoto; 17 January 1920 – 28 June 2007) was a Japanese chemist and was a Professor of…
Makoto Kumada (熊田 誠, Kumada Makoto; 17 January 1920 – 28 June 2007) was a Japanese chemist and was a Professor of Chemistry first at Osaka City University until his retirement in 1983 at Kyoto University in Japan. In 1972, Kumada's group reported nickel-catalyzed cross coupling reactions nearly concurrently with the Corriu group working in France. The Kumada coupling now bears his name. In an interview after the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was announced, Nobel Committee member Jan Bekvall (professor at Stockholm University) said: "If Professor Kumada been alive, he could have won this year's Nobel Prize for his work in developing cross-coupling."
Tal-su Kim (金達寿、キム・タルス/キムダルス、김달수, Kimu Darusu/Tarusu) was a Korea-born, Japan-raised writer. He is considered the…
Tal-su Kim (金達寿、キム・タルス/キムダルス、김달수, Kimu Darusu/Tarusu) was a Korea-born, Japan-raised writer. He is considered the "founding father" of Resident Korean literature. He was born in Masanhoewon-gu. Although he spent most of his life in Japan, many of his literary works are set in Korea and explore the injustices of colonial rule and its painful aftermath.
Osamu Hayaishi MJA (早石 修, Hayaishi Osamu; January 8, 1920 – December 17, 2015), was a Japanese biochemist…
Osamu Hayaishi MJA (早石 修, Hayaishi Osamu; January 8, 1920 – December 17, 2015), was a Japanese biochemist, physiologist, and military physician. He discovered Oxygenases at the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases, National Institutes of Health in 1955. Citing his "outstanding and pioneering contributions to biomedical sciences and enzymology," the Wolf Foundation awarded Hayaishi the 1986 Wolf Prize in Medicine "for his discovery of the oxygenase enzymes and elucidation of their structure and biological importance". Hayaishi was President of International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from 1973 to 1976.
Shinnen Tagaya (多賀谷 真稔, Tagaya Shinnen; 20 January 1920 – 9 April 1995) was a Japanese politician. He graduated from…
Shinnen Tagaya (多賀谷 真稔, Tagaya Shinnen; 20 January 1920 – 9 April 1995) was a Japanese politician. He graduated from Waseda University in 1943 and became general secretary of the Central Executive Committee of the Japan Socialist Party in December 1977.
Takeji Iwamiya (岩宮 武二, Iwamiya Takeji; 1920–1989) was a Japanese photographer particularly known for his depiction of…
Takeji Iwamiya (岩宮 武二, Iwamiya Takeji; 1920–1989) was a Japanese photographer particularly known for his depiction of architecture, gardens, and Japanese crafts.
This is a list of Japan international footballers – Japanese association football players who have played for the Japan…
This is a list of Japan international footballers – Japanese association football players who have played for the Japan national football team as recorded by the Japan Football Association.
Yukio Inokuma (born 2 January 1920, date of death unknown) was a Japanese sports shooter. He competed at the 1952…
Yukio Inokuma (born 2 January 1920, date of death unknown) was a Japanese sports shooter. He competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics, 1956 Summer Olympics and 1960 Summer Olympics. Inokuma is deceased.
Tadaaki Hayashi (林 忠明, Hayashi Tadaaki) was a Japanese international table tennis player.
Masato Ide ( 井 手 雅人, い で ま さ と, Ide Masato?), born on January 1, 1920, in Saga, Japan and died on July 17, 1989, was a…
Masato Ide ( 井 手 雅人, い で ま さ と, Ide Masato?), born on January 1, 1920, in Saga, Japan and died on July 17, 1989, was a Japanese screenwriter and novelist.
Kim Yong-ik (Korean: 김용익; May 15, 1920 – April 11, 1995), also known as Yong Ik Kim, was an early Korean–American…
Kim Yong-ik (Korean: 김용익; May 15, 1920 – April 11, 1995), also known as Yong Ik Kim, was an early Korean–American writer. His works were primarily in English but also translated into other languages such as German and Korean.
Ko Nakamura (中村 コウ, Nakamura Kō; born April 23, 1920, date of death unknown) was a Japanese discus thrower. Nakamura…
Ko Nakamura (中村 コウ, Nakamura Kō; born April 23, 1920, date of death unknown) was a Japanese discus thrower. Nakamura competed the 1936 Summer Olympics, placing fourth. In 1935 she became Japanese champion. Nakamura is deceased.