Yoshio Nishina (仁科 芳雄, Nishina Yoshio; December 6, 1890 – January 10, 1951) was a Japanese physicist who was called…Yoshio Nishina (仁科 芳雄, Nishina Yoshio; December 6, 1890 – January 10, 1951) was a Japanese physicist who was called "the founding father of modern physics research in Japan". He led the efforts of Japan to develop an atomic bomb during World War II.
Shizuo Yokoyama (横山 静雄, Yokoyama Shizuo; 1 December 1890 – 6 January 1961) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial…Shizuo Yokoyama (横山 静雄, Yokoyama Shizuo; 1 December 1890 – 6 January 1961) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II, who is noted for his role in the Battle of Manila, the single largest urban battle ever fought by American forces, during the final days of World War II.
Kojin Kozu (神津 港人, Kōzu Kōjin; 21 December 1889 – 7 April 1978) was a Japanese painter. His work was part of the…Kojin Kozu (神津 港人, Kōzu Kōjin; 21 December 1889 – 7 April 1978) was a Japanese painter. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Kumazawa Hiromichi (熊沢 寛道; December 18, 1889 – June 11, 1966), also known as the "Kumazawa emperor", was a Japanese…Kumazawa Hiromichi (熊沢 寛道; December 18, 1889 – June 11, 1966), also known as the "Kumazawa emperor", was a Japanese businessman and Buddhist priest from Nagoya who publicly disputed the legitimacy of Emperor Hirohito's bloodline in the period shortly after the end of the Second World War. He claimed to be the 19th direct descendant of Emperor Go-Kameyama. In 1946–1947, Hiromichi was only the first of roughly nineteen men who put themselves forward as Japan's rightful Emperor. As a direct descendant of the Southern Court emperors of the Nanboku-chō period, he argued that Emperor Hirohito was illegitimate. He pointed out that Hirohito's entire line is descended from the Northern Court emperors. He produced a koseki detailing his bloodline back to Emperor Go-Daigo in Yoshino, but his claims and rhetoric failed to inspire anything other than sympathy. Hiromichi's claims ultimately remained unsubstantiated.
Girō Senoo (妹尾 義郎, Seno'o Girō; 1890–1961) was a Japanese Nichiren Buddhist and Marxist. He founded the short lived…Girō Senoo (妹尾 義郎, Seno'o Girō; 1890–1961) was a Japanese Nichiren Buddhist and Marxist. He founded the short lived Shinkō Bukkyō Seinen Dōmei (Youth League for Revitalizing Buddhism, 1931–1936). Seno was involved in the political dissidence in the Empire of Japan and founded the Japanese Youth League for Revitalizing Buddhism. In 1933 he wrote: "I was born into a Shinshu family and brought up in pious nenbutsu surroundings. At twenty-one, though, a grave illness struck and I was forced to leave school. From then until I was thirty, I was literally at the brink of death. Perhaps it is fate that I should be brought back to life by the different outlook of Nichiren. That philosophy has since been for me the sole truth. For twenty and more years I devoted myself to studying and spreading it, so diligently as to forget sleep itself. Though physically still weak, I would push forward to fulfilling the Buddhist calling. However, the result was that I came to question the whole religious establishment itself. I found myself with no other possibility than to oppose it."
Shōji Nishimura (西村 祥治, Nishimura Shōji; 30 November 1889 – 25 October 1944) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese…Shōji Nishimura (西村 祥治, Nishimura Shōji; 30 November 1889 – 25 October 1944) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
Kazuo Aoki (青木 一男, Aoki Kazuo; 28 November 1889 – 25 June 1982) was a bureaucrat and cabinet minister in the Empire of…Kazuo Aoki (青木 一男, Aoki Kazuo; 28 November 1889 – 25 June 1982) was a bureaucrat and cabinet minister in the Empire of Japan, serving as Minister of Finance, and Minister of Greater East Asia.
Marquis Nagamichi Kuroda (黒田 長礼, Kuroda Nagamichi; 24 November 1889 – 16 April 1978) was a Japanese ornithologist. His…Marquis Nagamichi Kuroda (黒田 長礼, Kuroda Nagamichi; 24 November 1889 – 16 April 1978) was a Japanese ornithologist. His works included Ducks of the World (1912), Geese and Swans of the World (1913), Birds of the Island of Java (2 Volumes, 1933–36) and Parrots of the World in Life Colours (1975). He described the crested shelduck in 1917. He also worked on the distinction between the auks and petrels and the special characteristics of shearwaters that foraged underwater.
Teiichi Suzuki (鈴木 貞一, Suzuki Teiichi; 16 December 1888 – 15 July 1989) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial…Teiichi Suzuki (鈴木 貞一, Suzuki Teiichi; 16 December 1888 – 15 July 1989) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army, a minister of state, and member of the House of Peers. A close associate of Hideki Tojo, he helped to plan Japan's wartime economy.
Jinichi Kusaka (草鹿 任一, Kusaka Jin'ichi; 7 December 1888 – 24 August 1972) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy…Jinichi Kusaka (草鹿 任一, Kusaka Jin'ichi; 7 December 1888 – 24 August 1972) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Fellow Admiral Ryūnosuke Kusaka was his cousin.
Mizuno Senko (3 December 1888 – 31 May 1919) (水野仙子 in Japanese, or みずの せんこ in kana) was a Japanese writer, born Tei…Mizuno Senko (3 December 1888 – 31 May 1919) (水野仙子 in Japanese, or みずの せんこ in kana) was a Japanese writer, born Tei Hattori. In her short career, she was published as a novelist, story writer, essayist, and journalist.
Takitarō Minakami (水上 滝太郎, Minakami Takitarō; 6 December 1887 – 23 March 1940) was the pen-name of Abe Shōzō, a…Takitarō Minakami (水上 滝太郎, Minakami Takitarō; 6 December 1887 – 23 March 1940) was the pen-name of Abe Shōzō, a Japanese novelist and literary critic active during the Shōwa period of Japan.
Naruhiko, Prince Higashikuni (東久邇宮稔彦王, Higashikuni-no-miya Naruhiko Ō; 3 December 1887 – 20 January 1990) was a member…Naruhiko, Prince Higashikuni (東久邇宮稔彦王, Higashikuni-no-miya Naruhiko Ō; 3 December 1887 – 20 January 1990) was a member of the Japanese imperial family and general of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) who served as the prime minister of Japan from 17 August 1945 until his resignation two months later on 9 October. He is the only member of the Japanese imperial family to head a cabinet, and Japan's shortest-serving prime minister, serving for only 54 days. Born in Kyoto, Prince Higashikuni was a son of Prince Kuni Asahiko and married Toshiko, Princess Yasu, a daughter of Emperor Meiji, thus making him an uncle-in-law of Emperor Hirohito. He graduated from the Army Academy and War College, and studied military tactics in France from 1920 to 1926. Upon his return to Japan, he was promoted to general in 1930 and held several military posts, including as commander of the General Defense Command from 1941 to 1944. Prince Higashikuni's appointment as prime minister following the war reflected a hope that his prestige as an imperial prince would help to unite the defeated country. He presided over the signing of the surrender on 2 September 1945 and the disbandment of the armed forces before resigning in opposition to an order by the Allied occupation authorities to abolish the Peace Preservation Law. He became a commoner after the abolition of the princely houses in 1947, and later formed a Buddhist sect. He is the longest-lived of Japan's premiers, dying in 1990 at the age of 102.
Takurō Matsui (松井 太久郎; December 3, 1887 – June 10, 1969) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during…Takurō Matsui (松井 太久郎; December 3, 1887 – June 10, 1969) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Matsui commanded the Western District Army between July 15, 1938, and March 9, 1940. He received command of the 5th Japanese Division on October 15, 1940, which fought at that time in China in the Second Sino-Japanese War. On December 8, 1941, his division landed on the beaches of Southern Thailand and fought with success in the Malayan campaign and the following Battle of Singapore. On May 11, 1942, he was replaced at the head of the division by Lieutenant General Yamamoto Tsutomi. On March 18, 1943, he became Chief of Staff of the China Expeditionary Army, a post he would hold until February 1, 1945, when he became commander of the Thirteenth Army, posted in the lower Yangtze River, until the end of the war.
Kiichi Matsuda (松田 喜一, Matsuda Kiichi; December 1, 1887 – July 30, 1968) was a Japanese professor of agriculture who…Kiichi Matsuda (松田 喜一, Matsuda Kiichi; December 1, 1887 – July 30, 1968) was a Japanese professor of agriculture who lived in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto, during the Taishō and Shōwa periods. Over 48 years, he taught farming techniques to 3,600 students at Matsuda Farm, his private school, and forty thousand people attended his lectures during that time.
Masaharu Homma (本間 雅晴, Homma Masaharu; November 27, 1887 – April 3, 1946) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial…Masaharu Homma (本間 雅晴, Homma Masaharu; November 27, 1887 – April 3, 1946) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Homma commanded the Japanese 14th Army, which invaded the Philippines and perpetrated the Bataan Death March. After the war, Homma was convicted of war crimes relating to the actions of troops under his direct command and executed by firing squad on April 3, 1946.
Seiichi Kita (喜多 誠一, Kita Seiichi; December 20, 1886 – August 7, 1947) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, who…Seiichi Kita (喜多 誠一, Kita Seiichi; December 20, 1886 – August 7, 1947) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, who commanded the Japanese First Area Army from September 1944 until the end of World War II. He died as a prisoner in the Soviet Union.
Prince Kuniyuki Tokugawa (徳川圀順, Tokugawa Kuniyuki; 13 December 1886 – 17 November 1969) was the 13th head of the Mito…Prince Kuniyuki Tokugawa (徳川圀順, Tokugawa Kuniyuki; 13 December 1886 – 17 November 1969) was the 13th head of the Mito branch of the Tokugawa clan and the President of the House of Peers in the Diet of Japan.
Shūmei Ōkawa (大川 周明, Ōkawa Shūmei; 6 December 1886 – 24 December 1957) was a Japanese nationalist and writer, known for…Shūmei Ōkawa (大川 周明, Ōkawa Shūmei; 6 December 1886 – 24 December 1957) was a Japanese nationalist and writer, known for his publications on Japanese history, philosophy of religion, Indian philosophy, and colonialism. Ōkawa advocated a form of Pan-Asianism which promoted Asian solidarity as a cover for Japanese imperialism and beliefs in Japanese racial supremacy. He co-founded the Japanese radical nationalist group Yūzonsha, and in 1926 he published his most influential work: Japan and the Way of the Japanese (Nihon oyobi Nihonjin no michi), which was so popular that it would be reprinted 46 times by the end of World War II. Ōkawa was also involved in a number of attempted coups d'état by the Japanese military, including the March Incident. After his arrest following the March incident, Ōkawa was protected by the intervention of General Kazushige Ugaki, and received a sentence of five years in prison, of which he served two years. He continued to publish numerous books and articles, helping popularize the idea that a "clash of civilizations" between the East and West was inevitable, and that Japan was destined to be the liberator and protector of Asia against the United States and other Western nations. In the Tokyo tribunal after the end of World War II, Ōkawa was prosecuted as a class-A war criminal based on his role as an ideologue. The Allies described him as the "Japanese Goebbels", and of the twenty-eight people indicted with this charge, he was the only one not a military officer or government official. The case against him was dropped when he was found mentally unfit to stand trial. Ōkawa's writings were used in the final verdict as part of the evidence for the crime of conspiracy to commit aggression.
Masakazu Kawabe (河辺 正三, Kawabe Masakazu; 5 December 1886 – 2 March 1965) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army.…Masakazu Kawabe (河辺 正三, Kawabe Masakazu; 5 December 1886 – 2 March 1965) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He held important commands in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, and during World War II in the Burma Campaign and defense of the Japanese homeland late in the war. He was also the elder brother of General Torashirō Kawabe.
Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita (藤田 嗣治, Fujita Tsuguharu; 27 November 1886 – 29 January 1968) was a Japanese-French painter.…Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita (藤田 嗣治, Fujita Tsuguharu; 27 November 1886 – 29 January 1968) was a Japanese-French painter. After studying Western-style painting in Japan, Foujita travelled to Paris, where he encountered the international modern art scene of the Montparnasse neighbourhood and developed an eclectic style that borrowed from both Japanese and European artistic traditions. With his unusual fashion and distinctive figurative style, Foujita reached the height of his fame in 1920s Paris. His watercolour and oil works of nudes, still lifes, and self-portraits were a commercial success and he became a notable figure in the Parisian art scene. Foujita spent three years traveling through South and North America before returning to Japan in 1933, documenting his observations in sketches and paintings. Upon his return home, Foujita became an official war artist during World War II, illustrating battle scenes to raise the morale of the Japanese troops and citizens. His oil paintings won him acclaim during the war, but public perception of him became mixed following the Japanese defeat. Without significant prospects in the post-war Japanese art scene, Foujita returned to France in 1950, where he would spend the rest of his life. He received French nationality in 1955 and converted to Catholicism in 1959. His latter years were spent working on the frescoes for a small, Romanesque chapel in Reims that he had constructed. He died in 1968, shortly after the chapel officially opened. In France, Foujita is remembered as part of the années folles of the 1920s, but public opinion of him in Japan remains mixed due to his monumental depictions of the war. Retrospective exhibitions organized since 2006 in Japan have sought to establish Foujita's place in Japanese twentieth-century art history.
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.
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.
Yoriyasu Arima (有馬 頼寧, Arima Yoriyasu; 17 December 1884 – 9 January 1957) was a Japanese politician before and during…Yoriyasu Arima (有馬 頼寧, Arima Yoriyasu; 17 December 1884 – 9 January 1957) was a Japanese politician before and during World War II. His wife was the daughter of Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa.
Seibo Kitamura (北村 西望, Kitamura Seibō; 16 December 1884 – 4 March 1987) was a Japanese sculptor. He is known as the…Seibo Kitamura (北村 西望, Kitamura Seibō; 16 December 1884 – 4 March 1987) was a Japanese sculptor. He is known as the sculptor of the 10-meter-tall Peace Statue in Nagasaki Peace Park. He is most often referred to as "Seibo".
Kiyoaki Saibara (1884–1972) and his father Seito Saibara are credited with much of the success of the Texas Gulf Coast…Kiyoaki Saibara (1884–1972) and his father Seito Saibara are credited with much of the success of the Texas Gulf Coast rice crop. Born in Japan, Saibara came to Webster, Texas on his father's orders to help begin a rice crop. Saibara was the first Japanese person to gain United States citizenship in Texas. He and his first wife Shimoyo had six children. A historical marker was erected in Webster in honour of Seito and Kiyoaki.
Isei Otsuka (大塚 惟精, Ōtsuka Isei, 11 December 1884 – 6 August 1945) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of…Isei Otsuka (大塚 惟精, Ōtsuka Isei, 11 December 1884 – 6 August 1945) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from April to June 1945. He was also governor of Tochigi Prefecture (1924–1926), Fukuoka Prefecture (1926–1927) and Ishikawa Prefecture (1927). He was killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Shōji Nishikawa (Japanese: 西川 正治, Nishikawa Shōji, 5 December 1884 – 5 January 1952) was a Japanese physicist and a…Shōji Nishikawa (Japanese: 西川 正治, Nishikawa Shōji, 5 December 1884 – 5 January 1952) was a Japanese physicist and a founding father of crystallography in Japan.
Heizo Kanayama (金山 平三, Kanayama Heizō; 18 December 1883 – 15 July 1964) was a Japanese painter. His work was part of…Heizo Kanayama (金山 平三, Kanayama Heizō; 18 December 1883 – 15 July 1964) was a Japanese painter. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Morihei Ueshiba (植芝 盛平, Ueshiba Morihei; December 14, 1883 – April 26, 1969) was a Japanese martial artist and founder…Morihei Ueshiba (植芝 盛平, Ueshiba Morihei; December 14, 1883 – April 26, 1969) was a Japanese martial artist and founder of the martial art of aikido. He is often referred to as "the founder" Kaiso (開祖) or Ōsensei (大先生/翁先生), "Great Teacher". The son of a landowner from Tanabe, Ueshiba studied a number of martial arts in his youth, and served in the Japanese Army during the Russo-Japanese War. After being discharged in 1907, he moved to Hokkaido as the head of a pioneer settlement; here he met and studied with Takeda Sōkaku, the headmaster of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu. On leaving Hokkaido in 1919, Ueshiba joined the Ōmoto-kyō movement, a Shinto sect, in Ayabe, where he served as a martial arts instructor and opened his first dojo. He accompanied the head of the Ōmoto-kyō group, Onisaburo Deguchi, on an expedition to Mongolia in 1924, where they were captured by Chinese troops and returned to Japan. The following year, he had a profound spiritual experience, stating that, "a golden spirit sprang up from the ground, veiled my body, and changed my body into a golden one." After this experience, his martial arts technique became gentler, with a greater emphasis on the control of ki. Ueshiba moved to Tokyo in 1926, where he set up what would become the Aikikai Hombu Dojo. By this point he was comparatively famous in martial arts circles, and taught at this dojo and others around Japan, including in several military academies. In the aftermath of World War II the Hombu dojo was temporarily closed, but Ueshiba had by this point left Tokyo and retired to Iwama, and he continued training at the dojo he had set up there. From the end of the war until the 1960s, he worked to promote aikido throughout Japan and abroad. He died from liver cancer in 1969. After Ueshiba's death, aikido continued to be promulgated by his students (many of whom became noted martial artists in their own right). It is now practiced around the world.
Shin'ichi Sagami (佐上 信一, Sagami Shin'ichi; 19 December 1882 – 29 November 1943) was a Japanese Home Ministry bureaucrat…Shin'ichi Sagami (佐上 信一, Sagami Shin'ichi; 19 December 1882 – 29 November 1943) was a Japanese Home Ministry bureaucrat who served as governor of Okayama Prefecture, Nagasaki Prefecture, and Kyoto Prefecture, and as the 21st Director-General of the Hokkaidō Agency.
Yusaku Yokoyama (Japanese: 横山 有策, Hepburn: Yokoyama Yūsaku; December 18, 1882 – April 2, 1929) was a Japanese scholar…Yusaku Yokoyama (Japanese: 横山 有策, Hepburn: Yokoyama Yūsaku; December 18, 1882 – April 2, 1929) was a Japanese scholar of English literature. Professor at Waseda University.
Kubushiro Ochimi (16 December 1882 – 23 October 1972; in Japanese, 久布白落実, or くぶしろ おちみ in kana) was a Japanese religious…Kubushiro Ochimi (16 December 1882 – 23 October 1972; in Japanese, 久布白落実, or くぶしろ おちみ in kana) was a Japanese religious leader, temperance activist, and feminist. She was president of the Japanese Women's Christian Temperance Union, and general director of the Women's Suffrage League in Japan.
Shigenori Tōgō (東郷 茂徳, Tōgō Shigenori; 10 December 1882 – 23 July 1950) was Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Empire…Shigenori Tōgō (東郷 茂徳, Tōgō Shigenori; 10 December 1882 – 23 July 1950) was Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Empire of Japan at both the start and the end of the Pacific War. He also served as Minister of Colonial Affairs in 1941, and assumed the same position, renamed the Minister for Greater East Asia, in 1945.
Chū Kudō (工藤忠, Kudō Chū; December 10, 1882 – December 18, 1965), real name Tetsusaburō Kudō (工藤鉄三郎, Kudō Tetsusaburō)…Chū Kudō (工藤忠, Kudō Chū; December 10, 1882 – December 18, 1965), real name Tetsusaburō Kudō (工藤鉄三郎, Kudō Tetsusaburō), was a Japanese continental rōnin and Lieutenant General in the Manchukuo Imperial Army. He served as aide-de-camp and chief of the bodyguard of Emperor Puyi.
Santōka Taneda (種田 山頭火, Taneda Santōka; December 3, 1882 – October 11, 1940) was the pen-name of Shōichi Taneda (種田 正一…Santōka Taneda (種田 山頭火, Taneda Santōka; December 3, 1882 – October 11, 1940) was the pen-name of Shōichi Taneda (種田 正一, Taneda Shōichi), a Japanese author and haiku poet. He is known for his free verse haiku—a style which does not conform to the formal rules of traditional haiku.
Kooyu Fujii (藤井 浩佑, Fujii Kooyu; 29 November 1882 – 15 July 1958) was a Japanese sculptor. His work was part of the…Kooyu Fujii (藤井 浩佑, Fujii Kooyu; 29 November 1882 – 15 July 1958) was a Japanese sculptor. His work was part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Ikuma Arishima (有島 生馬, Arishima Ikuma; November 26, 1882 – September 15, 1974) was the pen-name of Arishima Mibuma, a…Ikuma Arishima (有島 生馬, Arishima Ikuma; November 26, 1882 – September 15, 1974) was the pen-name of Arishima Mibuma, a Japanese novelist and painter active in the Taishō and Shōwa period. He also used Utosei and then Jugatsutei as alternative pen names.
Goyō Hashiguchi (橋口 五葉, Hashiguchi Goyō; December 21, 1880 – February 24, 1921) was a Japanese artist. At the forefront…Goyō Hashiguchi (橋口 五葉, Hashiguchi Goyō; December 21, 1880 – February 24, 1921) was a Japanese artist. At the forefront of the shin-hanga ("new prints") movement, a revival of ukiyo-e, he designed fourteen woodblock prints which are regarded as masterpieces of the genre.
Hitoshi Yamakawa (Japanese: 山川 均, Yamakawa Hitoshi; 20 December 1880 – 23 March 1958) was a Japanese socialist…Hitoshi Yamakawa (Japanese: 山川 均, Yamakawa Hitoshi; 20 December 1880 – 23 March 1958) was a Japanese socialist intellectual, activist, and theorist. He was a central figure in the early Japanese socialist movement and a co-founder of the first Japanese Communist Party in 1922. After breaking with the party a year later, he became the leader of the Rōnō-ha (Labor-Farmer Faction), a dissident group of Marxist thinkers who challenged the Comintern's thesis that Japan required a two-stage revolution. Born in Kurashiki into a family that had lost its wealth and status, Yamakawa developed a strong anti-authoritarian streak and a sense of social alienation during his youth. After dropping out of Dōshisha, a Christian school where he was first exposed to socialist ideas, he was imprisoned for lèse-majesté in 1900. This experience proved transformative, and he emerged a dedicated revolutionary. Yamakawa joined the Japan Socialist Party in 1906 and, under the influence of Kōtoku Shūsui, became a leading advocate of anarcho-syndicalism. Following another prison term after the Red Flag Incident of 1908 and a period of withdrawal, he returned to activism in 1916. The Russian Revolution led him to embrace Leninism, and in 1922 he helped establish the Japanese Communist Party. He developed the doctrine of "Yamakawaism," which called for a mass-based, legal proletarian party rather than a small, secretive vanguard, leading to the dissolution of the first JCP in 1924. In 1927, he led the Rōnō-ha in a definitive split from the JCP, initiating the highly influential "Japanese capitalism debate". Yamakawa and his faction argued that Japan was an advanced capitalist country requiring a direct, one-stage socialist revolution, a position that placed them in direct opposition to both the JCP and the Comintern. After World War II, he helped establish the Socialist Association (Shakai-shugi Kyōkai (社会主義協会)), which became a powerful left-wing force within the new Japan Socialist Party. He remained a major figure in the socialist movement until his death in 1958.
Mitsusada Umetani (2 December 1880 – 27 September 1936) was a Japanese Home Ministry and Police Bureau government…Mitsusada Umetani (2 December 1880 – 27 September 1936) was a Japanese Home Ministry and Police Bureau government official. He was born in Hyōgo Prefecture. He was a graduate of the University of Tokyo. He was governor of Yamanashi Prefecture (1923–1924) and Nagano Prefecture (1924–1926).
Hu Hanmin (traditional Chinese: 胡漢民; simplified Chinese: 胡汉民; pinyin: Hú Hànmín; Jyutping: Wu4 Hon3 Man4; 9 December…Hu Hanmin (traditional Chinese: 胡漢民; simplified Chinese: 胡汉民; pinyin: Hú Hànmín; Jyutping: Wu4 Hon3 Man4; 9 December 1879 – 12 May 1936) was a Chinese philosopher and politician who was one of the early conservative right-wing faction leaders in the Kuomintang (KMT) during revolutionary China.
Kafū Nagai (永井 荷風, Nagai Kafū; 3 December 1879 – 30 April 1959) was a Japanese writer, editor and translator. His…Kafū Nagai (永井 荷風, Nagai Kafū; 3 December 1879 – 30 April 1959) was a Japanese writer, editor and translator. His novels Geisha in Rivalry and A Strange Tale from East of the River are noted for their depictions of life of the demimonde in early 20th-century Tokyo.
Rokuzan Ogiwara (荻原 碌山, Ogiwara Rokuzan; 1 December 1879 – 22 April 1910) was a sculptor active in Meiji period Japan.…Rokuzan Ogiwara (荻原 碌山, Ogiwara Rokuzan; 1 December 1879 – 22 April 1910) was a sculptor active in Meiji period Japan. His real name was Morie Ogiwara (荻原 守衛, Ogiwara Morie). He is regarded as one of the pioneers of modern western-style bronze sculpture in Japan.
Otávio Maeda (born Mitsuyo Maeda [Japanese: 前田 光世]; November 18, 1878 – November 28, 1941) was a Japanese and Brazilian…Otávio Maeda (born Mitsuyo Maeda [Japanese: 前田 光世]; November 18, 1878 – November 28, 1941) was a Japanese and Brazilian judōka, catch wrestler, and prizefighter who is considered one of the fathers of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. He was commonly known by the nickname Conde Koma. Maeda was the head of the second generation of Kodokan judōka, and was integral to the martial art's expansion into the United States during the 1900's. Along with Soshihiro Satake, he pioneered judo in Brazil, the United Kingdom, and other countries during the following decades, eventually becoming a naturalized Brazilian citizen and a promoter of Japanese immigration to Brazil. Maeda was fundamental to the development of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, including through his teaching of Carlos Gracie and others of the Gracie family. His accomplishments led to him being called the "toughest man who ever lived".
Seiji Noma (野間 清治; 1878–1938) was a Japanese writer and publisher who was the founder of Kodansha, a leading publishing…Seiji Noma (野間 清治; 1878–1938) was a Japanese writer and publisher who was the founder of Kodansha, a leading publishing company, which his family still wholly own today. He was the founder and publisher of many well-known newspapers and magazines.
Yosano Shō (与謝野 志やう; née Hō (鳳); 7 December 1878 – 29 May 1942), known by her pen name Yosano Akiko (Shinjitai: 与謝野 晶子…Yosano Shō (与謝野 志やう; née Hō (鳳); 7 December 1878 – 29 May 1942), known by her pen name Yosano Akiko (Shinjitai: 与謝野 晶子, Kyūjitai: 與謝野 晶子, Japanese pronunciation: [jo.sa.no (|) aꜜ.kʲi̥.ko]), was a Japanese author, poet, feminist, pacifist, and social reformer, active in the late Meiji era as well as the Taishō and early Shōwa eras of Japan. She is one of the most noted, and most controversial, post-classical female poets of Japan.
Viscount Masatoshi Ōkōchi (大河内正敏, Ōkōchi Masatoshi; December 6, 1878 – August 29, 1952) was a Japanese physicist and…Viscount Masatoshi Ōkōchi (大河内正敏, Ōkōchi Masatoshi; December 6, 1878 – August 29, 1952) was a Japanese physicist and business executive. He was the third director of the Riken Institute, a position which he assumed in 1921 and held for 25 years. During this period, he was notable for establishing the Riken Konzern, a zaibatsu of companies which focused on utilizing Riken's research results to produce commercial products.
Hisakatsu Yabe (Japanese: 矢部 長克, December 3, 1878 – June 23, 1969) was a Japanese paleontologist and geologist. He is…Hisakatsu Yabe (Japanese: 矢部 長克, December 3, 1878 – June 23, 1969) was a Japanese paleontologist and geologist. He is from Tokyo and is a graduate of the University of Tokyo. He was an emeritus professor at Tohoku University. Yabe contributed to the development of geology in Japan. In 1918, He advocated Itoigawa-Shizuoka Tectonic Line.
