Chiura Obata (小圃 千浦, Obata Chiura; November 18, 1885 – October 6, 1975) was a well-known Japanese American artist and…
Chiura Obata (小圃 千浦, Obata Chiura; November 18, 1885 – October 6, 1975) was a well-known Japanese American artist and popular art teacher. A self-described "roughneck", Obata went to the United States in 1903, at age 17. After initially working as an illustrator and commercial decorator, he had a successful career as a painter, following a 1927 summer spent in the Sierra Nevada, and was a faculty member in the Art Department at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1932 to 1954, interrupted by World War II, when he spent a year in an internment camp, where he acted as the founding director of the art school at the Topaz incarceration camp in 1942. He later emerged as a leading figure in the Northern California art scene and as an influential educator, teaching at the University of California, Berkeley, for nearly twenty years. After his retirement, he continued to paint and to lead group tours to Japan to see gardens and art.
Famous People Born in 1885
1885: 52 people
Aijiro Tomita (富田 愛次郎, Tomita Aijirō; 5 December 1885 – 3 November 1954) was a Japanese politician who served as…
Aijiro Tomita (富田 愛次郎, Tomita Aijirō; 5 December 1885 – 3 November 1954) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from January 1937 to November 1938. He was governor of Mie Prefecture from 1935 to 1937.
Tetsugorō Yorozu (萬 鉄五郎, Yorosu Tetsugorō; November 17, 1885 – May 1, 1927) was a Japanese painter, noted for his work…
Tetsugorō Yorozu (萬 鉄五郎, Yorosu Tetsugorō; November 17, 1885 – May 1, 1927) was a Japanese painter, noted for his work in introducing the Avant-garde trend, especially cubism into Japanese yōga (Western-style) painting in the early 20th century.
Hōei Nojiri (野尻 抱影, Nojiri Hōei; November 15, 1885 – October 30, 1977) was a Japanese essayist and astronomer. He was a…
Hōei Nojiri (野尻 抱影, Nojiri Hōei; November 15, 1885 – October 30, 1977) was a Japanese essayist and astronomer. He was a brother of the novelist Nojiri Haruhikoˀ, whose pen name was Osaragi Jirō. In 1930 he coined the Japanese word Meiōsei (冥王星, "Star of the King (God) of the Underworld") for the then-newly-discovered dwarf planet Pluto. The name was then borrowed into Chinese and Korean.
Tomoyuki Yamashita (山下 奉文, Yamashita Tomoyuki; 8 November 1885 – 23 February 1946; also called Tomobumi Yamashita) was…
Tomoyuki Yamashita (山下 奉文, Yamashita Tomoyuki; 8 November 1885 – 23 February 1946; also called Tomobumi Yamashita) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Yamashita led Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya and Battle of Singapore. His conquest of Malaya and Singapore in 70 days earned him the sobriquet "The Tiger of Malaya". He was assigned to defend the Philippines from the advancing Allies later in the war. Although he was unable to prevent the superior Allied forces from advancing, despite dwindling supplies and Allied guerrilla action, he was able to hold on to part of Luzon until after the formal surrender of Japan in August 1945. Under Yamashita's command, at least 350,000 to 450,000 were killed. Yamashita was in overall command during the Sook Ching massacre, the Rape of Manila, and other atrocities. After the war, Yamashita was tried for war crimes committed by troops under his command during the Japanese defense of the occupied Philippines in 1944. Yamashita denied ordering those war crimes and said that he did not have knowledge that they occurred. Conflicting evidence was presented during the trial concerning whether Yamashita had implicitly affirmed commission of these crimes in his orders and whether he knew of the crimes being committed. The court eventually found Yamashita guilty and he was executed in February, 1946. The ruling against Yamashita – holding the commander responsible for subordinates' war crimes as long as the commander did not attempt to discover and stop them from occurring – came to be known as the Yamashita standard.
Keisuke Fujie (藤江 恵輔, Fujie Keisuke; 8 November 1885 – 27 February 1969) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in…
Keisuke Fujie (藤江 恵輔, Fujie Keisuke; 8 November 1885 – 27 February 1969) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. Fujie's wife was the daughter of Prime Minister Kantarō Suzuki.
Kōji Sakai (酒井 鎬次, Sakai Kōji; 4 November 1885 – 2 March 1973) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army…
Kōji Sakai (酒井 鎬次, Sakai Kōji; 4 November 1885 – 2 March 1973) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War
Satoyasu Iimori (19 October 1885 – 13 October 1982) was a Japanese analytical chemist and a pioneer of radiochemistry.…
Satoyasu Iimori (19 October 1885 – 13 October 1982) was a Japanese analytical chemist and a pioneer of radiochemistry. He is so called "the father of radiochemistry in Japan", for his establishment of and contribution to the study of radiochemistry which was not developed at that time in Japan. He was an honorary research member of the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN) and also an honorary member of the Chemical Society of Japan as well as the Society of the Analytical Chemistry of Japan. After his retirement as a researcher, he became interested in the synthesis of artificial gemstones.
Akiko Miyazaki (宮崎 燁子, Miyazaki Akiko; née Yanagiwara; October 15, 1885 – February 22, 1967), known by her pen name…
Akiko Miyazaki (宮崎 燁子, Miyazaki Akiko; née Yanagiwara; October 15, 1885 – February 22, 1967), known by her pen name Byakuren Yanagiwara (柳原 白蓮, Yanagiwara Byakuren), was a Japanese poet and novelist. She is best known for the Byakuren incident. She was one of the Three Beauties of Taishō period.
Masasue Suō (周防 正季, Suō Masasue; October 8, 1885 – June 20, 1942) was a Japanese physician, the director of the Sorok…
Masasue Suō (周防 正季, Suō Masasue; October 8, 1885 – June 20, 1942) was a Japanese physician, the director of the Sorok Island Sanatorium in Korea. He completed the world's biggest leprosy facility, Sorok Island Sanatorium, hospitalizing 6000 patients. He was assassinated by a patient while rushing to a morning ceremony. Forced segregation of leprosy patients, inhumane treatments towards patients, and antipathy against colonial rule were behind the assassination.
Mineichi Koga (古賀 峯一, Koga Mineichi; 25 September 1885 – 31 March 1944) was a Japanese Marshal Admiral and…
Mineichi Koga (古賀 峯一, Koga Mineichi; 25 September 1885 – 31 March 1944) was a Japanese Marshal Admiral and commander-in-chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet.
Suzuki Bunji (鈴木 文治; 4 September 1885 – 12 March 1946) was a Japanese politician and labor activist. He founded the…
Suzuki Bunji (鈴木 文治; 4 September 1885 – 12 March 1946) was a Japanese politician and labor activist. He founded the Yūaikai, an organization for laborers.
Shigeru Yoshida (吉田 茂, Yoshida Shigeru; 2 September 1885 – 9 December 1954) was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician in…
Shigeru Yoshida (吉田 茂, Yoshida Shigeru; 2 September 1885 – 9 December 1954) was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician in the Empire of Japan, serving as a member of the House of Peers, Chief Cabinet Secretary, governor of Fukuoka Prefecture and twice as a cabinet minister.
Mamoru Oguma (Japanese: 小熊 捍; August 24, 1885 – September 10, 1971) was a Japanese entomologist and geneticist. He held…
Mamoru Oguma (Japanese: 小熊 捍; August 24, 1885 – September 10, 1971) was a Japanese entomologist and geneticist. He held the degree of Doctor of Agriculture and is best known for his pioneering work in insect morphology and human genetics.
Bokusui Wakayama (若山 牧水, Wakayama Bokusui; August 24, 1885 – September 17, 1928) was the pen-name of Shigeru Wakayama…
Bokusui Wakayama (若山 牧水, Wakayama Bokusui; August 24, 1885 – September 17, 1928) was the pen-name of Shigeru Wakayama (若山 繁, Wakayama Shigeru), a Japanese author noted for his poetry in pre-World War II Japan.
Sazō Idemitsu (出光 佐三, Idemitsu Sazō; August 22, 1885 – March 7, 1981) was a Japanese businessman and founder of the…
Sazō Idemitsu (出光 佐三, Idemitsu Sazō; August 22, 1885 – March 7, 1981) was a Japanese businessman and founder of the petroleum company Idemitsu Kosan. He graduated from Kobe University (then Kobe Koto Shogyo Gakko). He was also an art collector, especially fond of Sengai Gibon and of Georges Rouault. He is the father of the Japanese experimental video artist, Mako Idemitsu.
Teijirō Toyoda (豊田 貞次郎, Toyoda Teijirō; August 7, 1885 – November 21, 1961) was a career naval officer who served as…
Teijirō Toyoda (豊田 貞次郎, Toyoda Teijirō; August 7, 1885 – November 21, 1961) was a career naval officer who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1941 and as admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
Nichidatsu Fujii (藤井 日達, Fujii Nichidatsu; August 6, 1885 – January 9, 1985) was a Japanese Buddhist monk, and founder…
Nichidatsu Fujii (藤井 日達, Fujii Nichidatsu; August 6, 1885 – January 9, 1985) was a Japanese Buddhist monk, and founder of the Nipponzan-Myōhōji order of Buddhism. He is best known for his decision in 1947 to begin constructing Peace Pagodas in many locations around the world as shrines to world peace. Fujii was born into a peasant family in the wilderness of the Aso Caldera. At the age of 19, he was ordained a monk in the unusually ascetic and intellectual tradition of Hōon-ji in Usuki, Ōita. He started missionary activities in Manchuria in 1917, but the Great Kanto earthquake made him return to Japan in 1923. After reading Nichiren's declaration that the Lotus Sutra would one day be preached in India, he decided to go there. He arrived in Calcutta in January 1931 and walked throughout the town chanting the daimoku and beating a drum, a practice known as gyakku shōdai. In 1933, he met Mahatma Gandhi at his ashram in Wardha. Gandhi was honored by his presence, and added the daimoku to his ashram's prayers. He also gifted a small statue of Three Wise Monkeys to Gandhi. During World War II and despite the dangers to himself he declared himself in favour of pacifism and went round Japan actively promoting it. He later recollected: "The Pacific war raged ever more brutally. I could no longer...keep silent about the war, in which people were killing one another. Thus I traveled through the whole of Japan and preached resistance against the war and [advocated] the prayer for peace. It was a time in which any person who only spoke about resistance to the war, would go to prison because of that alone".
Mokutarō Kinoshita (木下 杢太郎, Kinoshita Mokutarō; August 1, 1885 – October 15, 1945) was the pen-name of a Japanese…
Mokutarō Kinoshita (木下 杢太郎, Kinoshita Mokutarō; August 1, 1885 – October 15, 1945) was the pen-name of a Japanese author, dramaturge, poet, art historian and literary critic, as well as a licensed doctor specializing in dermatology during Taishō and early Shōwa period Japan. His other pen names included Hori Kason (堀花村), Chika Isshakusei (地下一尺生), Sōnan (葱南) and others. As professor of dermatology and a noted leprosy researcher, he served at four universities (South Manchuria Medical College, Aichi Medical College, Tohoku Imperial University, Tokyo Imperial University).
Ho Hon (Korean: 허헌; 22 July 1885 – 16 August 1951) was a Korean independence activist and politician of the Japanese…
Ho Hon (Korean: 허헌; 22 July 1885 – 16 August 1951) was a Korean independence activist and politician of the Japanese colonial period and early years of North Korea. As a lawyer, he defended independence activists along with Lee In and Kim Byong-ro. In September 1948, following the official proclamation on the establishment of North Korea in the northern part of the Korean peninsula, he was elected a delegate to the first convocation of the Supreme People's Assembly, the unicameral parliament of North Korea. He also served as the President of Kim Il Sung University. While working as a reunification activist, he drowned in the Chongchon River in August 1951. He was also the father of Ho Jong-suk, a female activist and a politician in North Korea.
Reikichi Kita (北 昤吉, Kita Reikichi, 21 July 1885 – 5 August 1961) was a Japanese philosopher, educator, political…
Reikichi Kita (北 昤吉, Kita Reikichi, 21 July 1885 – 5 August 1961) was a Japanese philosopher, educator, political commentator, and politician. He served eight terms in the House of Representatives and was a founder of Tama Art University. He also served as Policy Research Council Chairman of the Japan Liberal Party. He was the younger brother of Ikki Kita, one of the main ideologues of the February 26 Incident.
Morita Fukui (July 14, 1885 – December 27, 1965) was the first Commissioner of Baseball in Japan. (Matsutarō Shōriki…
Morita Fukui (July 14, 1885 – December 27, 1965) was the first Commissioner of Baseball in Japan. (Matsutarō Shōriki, media mogul and owner of the Yomiuri Giants, was instrumental in the formation of Nippon Professional Baseball in 1949–1950, and acted unofficially as the league's first commissioner in 1950.) A lawyer, prosecutor, politician, Fukui was sworn in as Commissioner in 1951.
Gunji Koizumi (小泉 軍治, Koizumi Gunji; 8 July 1885 – 15 April 1965), known affectionately by colleagues as G.K., was a…
Gunji Koizumi (小泉 軍治, Koizumi Gunji; 8 July 1885 – 15 April 1965), known affectionately by colleagues as G.K., was a Japanese master of judo who introduced this martial art to the United Kingdom, and came to be known as the 'Father of British Judo.' He was the founder of the Budokwai, a pioneering Japanese martial arts society in England. Koizumi helped establish the British Judo Association, and founded the European Judo Union. He held the rank of 8th dan in judo. Koizumi's apparent suicide in 1965 shocked the worldwide judo community.
Tadashi Yanada (梁田貞; 1883–1959) was a Japanese composer. His music was performed at Seijo Elementary School.
Michiji Tajima (Japanese: 田島道治) (July 2, 1885 – December 2, 1968) was a Japanese businessman and educator. He was Grand…
Michiji Tajima (Japanese: 田島道治) (July 2, 1885 – December 2, 1968) was a Japanese businessman and educator. He was Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Office (June 5, 1948 – May 31, 1949) and continued as Grand Steward of its successor, the Imperial Household Agency (June 1, 1949 – December 16, 1953). He graduated from the University of Tokyo. Documents written by Tajima and made public by the Japanese broadcaster NHK in 2019 suggest that Emperor Hirohito sought to apologize to the Japanese people for the damage caused during World War II. These include 18 notebooks, as well as a 1948 draft for an apology speech written in preparation for Japan gaining independence from Allied occupation in April 1952, which included phrases such as "deep shame" due to "my fault" (for the war). However, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida sought to avoid all mention of the war by Hirohito, and the passage referencing the emperor's "remorse" was dropped altogether.
Zenmaro Toki (土岐 善麿 Toki Zenmaro; June 8, 1885 – April 15, 1980) was a Japanese Naturalist tanka poet. After initially…
Zenmaro Toki (土岐 善麿 Toki Zenmaro; June 8, 1885 – April 15, 1980) was a Japanese Naturalist tanka poet. After initially taking up tanka in his teens, he studied under Kun'en Kaneko, and when in attendance at Waseda University he socialized with other notable Naturalist poets such as Bokusui Wakayama. Later, he earned the respect of the famous poet Takuboku Ishikawa, with whom he corresponded until the latter's death in 1912.
Kawabata Shotarō (川端 昇太郎; 6 June 1885 – 10 April 1966), later known as Kawabata Ryūshi (川端 龍子; Japanese pronunciation…
Kawabata Shotarō (川端 昇太郎; 6 June 1885 – 10 April 1966), later known as Kawabata Ryūshi (川端 龍子; Japanese pronunciation: [ka.wa.ba.ta (|) ɾʲɯꜜː.ɕi],), was a Japanese Nihonga artist active during the Taishō and Shōwa periods.
Chōshin Chibana (知花 朝信, Chibana Chōshin; 5 June 1885 – 26 February 1969) was an Okinawan martial artist who developed…
Chōshin Chibana (知花 朝信, Chibana Chōshin; 5 June 1885 – 26 February 1969) was an Okinawan martial artist who developed Kobayashi Shōrin-ryū karate based on what he had learned from Ankō Itosu. He was the last of the pre-World War karate masters, also called the "Last Warrior of Shuri" He was the first to establish a Japanese ryu name for an Okinawan karate style, calling Itosu's karate "Shorin-Ryu" (小林流 or "the small forest school") in 1929.
Kansuke Naka (中 勘助, Naka Kansuke; 22 May 1885 – 3 May 1965) was a Japanese novelist and essayist. Naka was born in…
Kansuke Naka (中 勘助, Naka Kansuke; 22 May 1885 – 3 May 1965) was a Japanese novelist and essayist. Naka was born in Tokyo. He lived in Hiratsuka from 1926 to 1932, and he was evacuated to Shizuoka Prefecture during World War II, but otherwise he spent most of his life in Tokyo. He married Kazuko Shimada in 1942. Naka was one of the students taught by Natsume Sōseki at the University of Tokyo before Sōseki gave up teaching to write for the newspaper Asahi Shimbun. It was Sōseki who arranged the serial publication in that paper of Naka's first novel Gin no saji ("The Silver Spoon"), a nostalgic depiction of his childhood and teens. The novel was published from 1911 to 1913 and translated in 1976 by Etsuko Terasaki. It is popular in Japan and is an account of life in Tokyo at the beginning of the 20th century during the Meiji era, replete with historical details as well as a contemporary sense of isolation; it follows Naka's psychological journey from childhood to adulthood. Naka also wrote Inu ("The Dog", 1922) and Rōkan (a collection of poems, 1935). Naka was praised by Tetsurō Watsuji, a leading critic, and also by Zhou Zuoren, for his rare willingness to criticize Japanese nationalists.
Soemu Toyoda (豊田 副武, Toyoda Soemu; 22 May 1885 – 22 September 1957) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy in…
Soemu Toyoda (豊田 副武, Toyoda Soemu; 22 May 1885 – 22 September 1957) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II.
Suiko Sugiura (17 May 1885 – 16 February 1960) (or 杉浦翠子 in Japanese, すぎうら すいこ in kana), born Midori Iwasaki, was a…
Suiko Sugiura (17 May 1885 – 16 February 1960) (or 杉浦翠子 in Japanese, すぎうら すいこ in kana), born Midori Iwasaki, was a Japanese poet.
Naokuni Nomura (野村 直邦, Nomura Naokuni; 15 May 1885 – 12 December 1973) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy…
Naokuni Nomura (野村 直邦, Nomura Naokuni; 15 May 1885 – 12 December 1973) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and briefly served as Navy Minister in the 1940s.
Hideo Nagata (長田 秀雄, Nagata Hideo) (13 May 1885 – 5 May 1949) was a poet and playwright in Shōwa period Japan. He also…
Hideo Nagata (長田 秀雄, Nagata Hideo) (13 May 1885 – 5 May 1949) was a poet and playwright in Shōwa period Japan. He also was a scriptwriter. Born in Tokyo, Nagata was the son of a Shinto priest at the Kikuchi Jinja. Interested in literature and poetry from an early age, he developed his own style of modern poetry and was ranked alongside Kitahara Hakushu and Kinoshita Mokutaro by the literary magazine Myōjō ("Bright Star"). He later turned his creative talents to the modern theater, and then to the relatively new medium of cinema. He died in 1949, and his grave is at the Somei Cemetery in Sugamo, Tokyo.
Saneatsu Mushanokōji (武者小路 実篤(實篤), Mushanokōji Saneatsu; 12 May 1885 – 9 April 1976) was a Japanese novelist…
Saneatsu Mushanokōji (武者小路 実篤(實篤), Mushanokōji Saneatsu; 12 May 1885 – 9 April 1976) was a Japanese novelist, playwright, poet, artist, and philosopher active during the late Taishō and Shōwa periods of Japan. Later on in life he requested that the pronunciation of his surname (as far as was concerned) be changed from the usual Mushanokōji, to Mushakōji, but without much success. He was nicknamed Musha and Futo-o by his colleagues.
Yaeko Nogami (野上 弥生子, Nogami Yaeko; 6 May 1885 – 30 March 1985) was the pen-name of a novelist of the Shōwa period…
Yaeko Nogami (野上 弥生子, Nogami Yaeko; 6 May 1885 – 30 March 1985) was the pen-name of a novelist of the Shōwa period Japan. Her maiden name was Kotegawa Yae.
Dakotsu Iida (飯田 蛇笏, Iida Dakotsu; 26 April 1885 – 3 October 1962) was a Japanese haiku poet from what is now part of…
Dakotsu Iida (飯田 蛇笏, Iida Dakotsu; 26 April 1885 – 3 October 1962) was a Japanese haiku poet from what is now part of the city of Fuefuki, Yamanashi, Japan. Commonly referred to as Dakotsu, his real name was Takeji Iida (飯田 武治, Iida Takeji). He trained under Kyoshi Takahama, and was a frequent contributor to such haiku journals as Hototogisu (magazine) and Unmo . He was chief editor of Unmo until his death, upon which his son, the prominent haiku poet Ryuta Iida, took over as the editor of Unmo.
Matsutarō Shōriki (正力 松太郎, Shōriki Matsutarō; 11 April 1885 – 9 October 1969) was a Japanese media proprietor and…
Matsutarō Shōriki (正力 松太郎, Shōriki Matsutarō; 11 April 1885 – 9 October 1969) was a Japanese media proprietor and politician. He was the owner of the Yomiuri Shimbun, founder of the Yomiuri Giants and the Nippon Television Network Corporation. After a career as a police officer, Shoriki acquired the bankrupt Yomiuri Shimbun in 1924. Under his management it would become one of the major newspapers in Japan. Shoriki also popularised professional baseball in Japan during this time and founded the Yomiuri Giants. After the war Shoriki was arrested as a war criminal, but the charges were dropped in 1947. He founded Japan's first commercial television station, Nippon Television Network Corporation in 1952. Shoriki also became a prominent supporter of nuclear power in Japan. In 1955 he was elected to the House of Representatives. Shoriki became the first chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission under Prime Minister Ichiro Hatoyama and Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission under Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi. For his varied activities he received several appellations, such as the "father of Japanese professional baseball," the "father of Japanese private broadcasting" and the “father of Japanese nuclear power”.
George Masa (1885 – 1933) was a Japanese photographer and advocate for the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains…
George Masa (1885 – 1933) was a Japanese photographer and advocate for the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Appalachian Trail. Born in Tokyo and raised with the name Shoji Endo, he moved to Asheville and was known variously as G. M Iizuka, George M. Iizuka, Masahara Iizuka, etc. before adopting George Masa as his professional name. Masa lived and worked in the United States as a businessman and professional photographer. His photographs of the mountains “played a large role” in the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In 2018 Masa was inducted into the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame in recognition of his mapping and trail work on behalf of the Appalachian Trail.
Nagayo Motoori (sometimes spelled Motohori) (本居 長世; 4 April 1885 – 14 October 1945) was a Japanese composer.
Kinnosuke Ogura (born Sakata, Yamagata, 1885 – 1962, Japanese: 小倉金之助) was a Japanese mathematician and historian of…
Kinnosuke Ogura (born Sakata, Yamagata, 1885 – 1962, Japanese: 小倉金之助) was a Japanese mathematician and historian of mathematics. He graduated in 1905 from Tokyo College of Science (now Tokyo Science University), and was a lecturer there from 1910 to 1911. He was assistant at the Department of Mathematics of the new Tohoku Imperial University from 1911 to 1917, and received his Ph.D. in 1916 with a thesis on trajectories in the conservative field of force. He did research in France for two years, from 1919 to 1922. He was an Invited Speaker of the ICM in 1920 at Strasbourg. Ogura was a researcher from 1917 to 1937 at the Shiomi Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (antecedent of the Faculty of Science, Osaka Imperial University). He was appointed in 1940 as Chief Director of Tokyo College of Science. In 1946 he was elected President of the Association of Democratic Scientists of Japan. Ogura died in 1962. His Collected Works appeared in eight volumes in 1974.
Yoshikazu Uchida (内田 祥三, Uchida Yoshikazu; February 23, 1885 – December 14, 1972) was a Japanese architect and…
Yoshikazu Uchida (内田 祥三, Uchida Yoshikazu; February 23, 1885 – December 14, 1972) was a Japanese architect and structural engineer. He designed many buildings on the campus of the University of Tokyo, and served as the 14th president of the university.
Zengo Yoshida (吉田 善吾, Yoshida Zengo; 14 February 1885 – 14 November 1966) was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial…
Zengo Yoshida (吉田 善吾, Yoshida Zengo; 14 February 1885 – 14 November 1966) was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Tatsunosuke Takasaki (高碕達之助, Takasaki Tatsunosuke; 7 February 1885 – 24 February 1964) was a Japanese…
Tatsunosuke Takasaki (高碕達之助, Takasaki Tatsunosuke; 7 February 1885 – 24 February 1964) was a Japanese businessman-politician.
Hajime Tanabe (田辺 元, Tanabe Hajime; February 3, 1885 – April 29, 1962) was a Japanese philosopher of science…
Hajime Tanabe (田辺 元, Tanabe Hajime; February 3, 1885 – April 29, 1962) was a Japanese philosopher of science, particularly of mathematics and physics. His work brought together elements of Buddhism, scientific thought, Western philosophy, Christianity, and Marxism. In the postwar years, Tanabe coined the concept of metanoetics, proposing that the limits of speculative philosophy and reason must be surpassed by metanoia. Tanabe was a key member of what has become known in the West as the Kyoto School, alongside philosophers Kitarō Nishida (also Tanabe's teacher) and Keiji Nishitani. He taught at Tōhoku Imperial University beginning in 1913 and later at Kyōto Imperial University, and studied at the universities of Berlin, Leipzig, and Freiburg in the 1920s under figures such as Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. In 1947 he became a member of the Japan Academy, and in 1950 he received the Order of Cultural Merit.
Haru Wazaki (Japanese: 和崎ハル; 1 February 1885 – 30 December 1952) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first…
Haru Wazaki (Japanese: 和崎ハル; 1 February 1885 – 30 December 1952) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
Seison Maeda (前田 青邨, Maeda Seison; January 27, 1885 – October 29, 1977) was the art-name of a nihonga painter in the…
Seison Maeda (前田 青邨, Maeda Seison; January 27, 1885 – October 29, 1977) was the art-name of a nihonga painter in the Taishō and Shōwa periods of Japan. His legal name was Maeda Renzō. He is considered one of the greatest contemporary Japanese painters, and one of the leaders of the Nihonga movement.
Hakushū Kitahara (北原 白秋, Kitahara Hakushū; 25 January 1885 – 2 November 1942) is the pen-name of Kitahara Ryūkichi (北原…
Hakushū Kitahara (北原 白秋, Kitahara Hakushū; 25 January 1885 – 2 November 1942) is the pen-name of Kitahara Ryūkichi (北原 隆吉), a Japanese tanka poet active during the Taishō and Shōwa periods of Japan. He is regarded as one of the most popular and important poets in modern Japanese literature.
General Seishirō Itagaki (板垣 征四郎, Itagaki Seishirō; 21 January 1885 – 23 December 1948) was a Japanese military officer…
General Seishirō Itagaki (板垣 征四郎, Itagaki Seishirō; 21 January 1885 – 23 December 1948) was a Japanese military officer and politician who served as a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II and War Minister from 1938 to 1939. He was a disciple of Kanji Ishiwara and his ideas were strongly influenced by his apocalyptic Buddhist beliefs, being firmly convinced of the idea of a "Final War" in which Japan would unite the entire world into a single nation, resulting in an era of true peace, regeneration and harmony. Itagaki was a main conspirator behind the Mukden Incident and held prestigious chief of staff posts in the Kwantung Army and China Expeditionary Army during the early Second Sino–Japanese War. Itagaki became War Minister but fell from grace after Japanese defeat in the Soviet–Japanese border conflicts. Thereafter, he served as general for several field armies until surrendering Japanese forces in Southeast Asia in 1945. Itagaki was ultimately convicted of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and executed in 1948.
Ozaki Hōsai (尾崎 放哉; 20 January 1885 – 7 April 1926) was the haigo (haikai pen name) of Ozaki Hideo, a Japanese poet of…
Ozaki Hōsai (尾崎 放哉; 20 January 1885 – 7 April 1926) was the haigo (haikai pen name) of Ozaki Hideo, a Japanese poet of the late Meiji and Taishō periods of Japan. An alcoholic, Ozaki witnessed the birth of the modern free verse haiku movement. His verses are permeated with loneliness, most likely a result of the isolation, poverty and poor health of his final years.
Ōsugi Sakae (Japanese: 大杉 栄; 17 January 1885 – 16 September 1923) was a Japanese anarchist writer and social critic of…
Ōsugi Sakae (Japanese: 大杉 栄; 17 January 1885 – 16 September 1923) was a Japanese anarchist writer and social critic of the Taishō period. His thought centered on individualism, direct action, and the "expansion of the ego" as philosophical underpinnings for social and personal revolution. Born into a military family, Ōsugi was expelled from military school for insubordination and turned to language studies and radical politics in Tokyo. After a series of prison terms between 1906 and 1910, which he considered his "real education," he emerged as a leading voice in the Japanese anarchist movement. Through his journals, such as Kindai shisō (Modern Thought) and Rōdō undō (The Labor Movement), he introduced the works of European thinkers like Peter Kropotkin, Georges Sorel, and Henri Bergson to Japan, synthesizing their ideas into his own philosophy. His advocacy of free love and his controversial personal life, which included simultaneous relationships with three women, led to a violent attack against him in 1916 and his temporary ostracism from the socialist movement. Ōsugi became a key figure in the Japanese labor movement, advocating for syndicalism and workers' autonomy while strongly criticizing both state authority and the emerging Bolshevism. In the chaotic aftermath of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, Ōsugi, his partner and fellow anarchist Itō Noe, and his six-year-old nephew were arrested by a squad of military police led by Captain Amakasu Masahiko. They were beaten and strangled, their bodies disposed of in a well. Their murders, known as the Amakasu Incident, became a symbol of state violence against radicals during the period.