Motoshi Okuma (大熊 元司, Ōkuma Motoshi, December 17, 1941 – December 27, 1992) was a Japanese professional wrestler. He is…Motoshi Okuma (大熊 元司, Ōkuma Motoshi, December 17, 1941 – December 27, 1992) was a Japanese professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), Japan Wrestling Association (JWA), International Wrestling Enterprise (IWE) and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). During most of his career he teamed with Great Kojika.
Yoshinobu Nishizaki (西崎 義展, Nishizaki Yoshinobu; 18 December 1934 – 7 November 2010) was a Japanese film producer best…Yoshinobu Nishizaki (西崎 義展, Nishizaki Yoshinobu; 18 December 1934 – 7 November 2010) was a Japanese film producer best known as one of the two co-creators of the anime series Space Battleship Yamato. He was sometimes credited as Yoshinori Nishizaki. He was born in 1934 and graduated from the Nihon University Art Department. He also founded the studio Academy Productions which produced Space Battleship Yamato as well as the 1980 anime series; Space Emperor God Sigma for Toei Company.
Isao Matsuoka (松岡 功, Matsuoka Isao; born December 18, 1934) is a longtime studio executive and former chairman of Toho…Isao Matsuoka (松岡 功, Matsuoka Isao; born December 18, 1934) is a longtime studio executive and former chairman of Toho Co., Ltd., serving as Chairman for 14 years until his retirement in 2009. He had previously served as President and worked for the company for over 50 years having joined in 1957. He currently serves as chairman emeritus of Toho, honorary chairman of the Japan Academy Film Prize Association, and a director of the Kawakita Memorial Film Foundation. Isao's father, Tatsuro Matsuoka (Kobayashi), was the second son of Toho founder Ichizō Kobayashi, and as such, was adopted into the Matsuoka family upon his marriage to Setsuko Matsuoka, daughter of Ichizō's business partner and member of Diet, Junkichi Matsuoka. Tatsuro also served as Toho's president following the death of his older brother Fusao. A graduate of the prestigious Konan University, Isao is credited with helping establish Toho as the preeminent film production, distribution and exhibition company in Japan with his revolutionary and innovative reforms following his promotion to president in 1977, and named as the 10th most powerful person in the Japanese film industry by Première Magazine Japan in 2001. Established in 1932, Toho is known internationally for its Godzilla series and the Akira Kurosawa classics Kagemusha and Ran produced under Matsuoka's leadership. Isao has also been honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards by CineAsia in 1998 and the National Association of Theatre Owners at ShoWest in 2007, the FIAPF Award for outstanding achievement in film at the 2009 Asia Pacific Screen Awards, and the Special Merit Award by the Japan Association of Theatre Owners on 2015. Born in Ashiya, Hyōgo, Isao played tennis at university and represented Japan in the 1956 Davis Cup. He married Chinami Shizuka, a star of the Takarazuka Revue, with whom he had 2 sons, Hiroyasu Matsuoka, who followed his father into the film business and succeeded Isao to serve as the 15th President and CEO of Toho in 2022, and Shuzo Matsuoka, a former professional tennis player and current sports commentator.
Susumu Taira (平良進, Taira Susumu; 18 December 1934 – 27 January 2024) was a Japanese actor. He was born in Okinawa, and…Susumu Taira (平良進, Taira Susumu; 18 December 1934 – 27 January 2024) was a Japanese actor. He was born in Okinawa, and his credits include Nabbie's Love (1999), and Churasan. Taira was born in the former city of Hirara, Okinawa which was merged with other settlements in 2005 to become the city of Miyakojima, Okinawa. Taira was married to actress Tomi Taira. He died at his home in Ginowan, Okinawa, on 27 January 2024, at the age of 89.
Teruji Kogake (小掛照二, Kogake Teruji; December 18, 1932 – May 9, 2010) was a Japanese triple jumper and sports…Teruji Kogake (小掛照二, Kogake Teruji; December 18, 1932 – May 9, 2010) was a Japanese triple jumper and sports administrator. He set a low-altitude world record in the triple jump in 1956 at the Japanese Olympic Trials, and finished eighth at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics while having an ankle injury. He retired early from the sport and became the track and field coach for the Japanese Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF), leading teams to the Olympics from 1964 to 1992. His selection decisions in the marathon were the subject of national debate in 1988 and 1992. He later became the vice president of both the JAAF and the Japanese Olympic Committee. He was decorated with a third class Order of the Rising Sun in 2005 for his contribution to athletics in Japan.
Tsuneo Sato (佐藤 恒夫, Satō Tsuneo; 18 December 1925 – 16 September 1992) was a Japanese speed skater. He competed in two…Tsuneo Sato (佐藤 恒夫, Satō Tsuneo; 18 December 1925 – 16 September 1992) was a Japanese speed skater. He competed in two events at the 1952 Winter Olympics.
Rimhak Ree (Korean: 이임학; December 18, 1922 – January 9, 2005), alternatively Im-hak Ree, was a Korean Canadian…Rimhak Ree (Korean: 이임학; December 18, 1922 – January 9, 2005), alternatively Im-hak Ree, was a Korean Canadian mathematician. He contributed in the field of group theory, most notably with the concept of the Ree group in (Ree 1960, 1961).
Tatsuo Matsumura (松村 達雄, Matsumura Tatsuo; 18 December 1914 – 18 June 2005) was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more…Tatsuo Matsumura (松村 達雄, Matsumura Tatsuo; 18 December 1914 – 18 June 2005) was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 70 films from 1959 to 2004 and performed in several editions of the film series Otoko wa Tsurai yo. He graduated from Hosei University. He made his debut in movies with the film Otome no inori directed by Shin Saburi in 1959.
Hajime Kaneko (兼子 一, Kaneko Hajime; 1906–1973) was a Japanese jurist noted for his contributions to the law of civil…Hajime Kaneko (兼子 一, Kaneko Hajime; 1906–1973) was a Japanese jurist noted for his contributions to the law of civil procedure. Kaneko was appointed professor at the University of Tokyo in 1931, and left the chair in 1950 to practice law. His writings contributed to the dogmatic structure of civil procedure, and his textbook System of Civil Procedure Law (民事訴訟法体系; Minji soshōhō taikei) (1954) was very influential in teaching and legal practice.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
