Sadaharu Oh (Japanese: 王貞治, Ō Sadaharu; born May 20, 1940), also known as Wang Chen-chih (simplified Chinese: 王贞治…
Sadaharu Oh (Japanese: 王貞治, Ō Sadaharu; born May 20, 1940), also known as Wang Chen-chih (simplified Chinese: 王贞治; traditional Chinese: 王貞治; pinyin: Wáng Zhēnzhì), is a Chinese-Japanese former professional baseball player and manager who is currently the chairman of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Oh played for 22 consecutive seasons, all of them for the Yomiuri Giants. He holds the world career home run record at 868, over 100 more than MLB record holder Barry Bonds. Oh batted and threw left-handed and primarily played first base. Originally signed with the powerhouse Giants in 1959 as a pitcher, Oh was soon converted to a full-time hitter. Under the tutelage of coach Hiroshi Arakawa, Oh developed his distinctive "flamingo" leg kick. It took Oh three years to blossom, but he went on to dominate Nippon Professional Baseball. He was a 15-time home run champion and was named to the Central League All-Star team 18 times. More than just a power hitter, Oh was a five-time batting champion and won the Japanese Central League's batting triple crown twice. With Oh at first base, the Yomiuri Giants won 11 Japan Series championships, including 9 in a row from 1965 to 1973. Oh was named the Central League's Most Valuable Player nine times, including having the rare honor of winning Central League MVP while not on the team that won the season's pennant, which he did twice, in 1964 by virtue of breaking NPB's single season home run record with 55 home runs, a record that would stand until 2013 when Wladimir Balentien set a new record with 60 home runs that season, and 1974, when he earned his second batting Triple Crown in a row. Oh and Balentien are the only Central League players to win the Central League MVP while not on the pennant winning team the years that they won MVP. In addition to the world career home run record, Oh set many other NPB batting records, including runs batted in (RBI) (2,170), slugging percentage (.634), bases on balls (2,390), and on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) (1.080). In 1977, Oh became the first recipient of the People's Honour Award, and he became the second baseball player to receive the Order of Culture in 2025. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994. After retiring as a player, Oh served as the Giants' manager from 1984 to 1988. He also managed the Fukuoka Daiei/Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks from 1995 to 2008. He was the manager of the Japanese national team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, which defeated Cuba for the championship. He is currently the chairman of the Hawks.
Famous People Born on May 20
May 20: 69 people
Yuko Tojo (東條 由布子, Tōjō Yūko; 20 May 1939 – 13 February 2013) was a Japanese ultra-nationalist politician, Imperial…
Yuko Tojo (東條 由布子, Tōjō Yūko; 20 May 1939 – 13 February 2013) was a Japanese ultra-nationalist politician, Imperial Japanese apologist, and brief political aspirant. She was the granddaughter of convicted war criminal Hideki Tojo.
Teruo Yajima (矢島 輝夫, Japanese: Yajima Teruo; May 20, 1939 – April 2, 1999) was a Japanese writer. He was born and…
Teruo Yajima (矢島 輝夫, Japanese: Yajima Teruo; May 20, 1939 – April 2, 1999) was a Japanese writer. He was born and raised in Tokyo, and studied French literature at Waseda University. After dropping out of university, he worked as an editor of Weekly Manga Action. As a disciple of Takaaki Yoshimoto, he wrote for Yoshimoto's magazine "Shikô (試行: Trial)". In the 1970s, his novel "Mô hitotsu no seikatsu (Another Life)" was nominated for The Akutagawa Prize. William Faulkner and Oe Kenzaburo had a big influence on his novels.
Mamoru Ozaki (尾崎 護, Ozaki Mamoru; 1935 – 27 May 2026) was a Japanese bureaucrat.
Yukio Takefuta (竹蓋 幸生) (May 20, 1935 – April 30, 2014) was a Japanese English education scholar. Professor Emeritus of…
Yukio Takefuta (竹蓋 幸生) (May 20, 1935 – April 30, 2014) was a Japanese English education scholar. Professor Emeritus of Chiba University, he devoted his life to the study and research of English phonetics, English education, and systems engineering, thus advancing English education in Japanese institutions of higher education. He served as a board member for universities and academic societies. He was awarded the Senior Fourth Rank (Shoshii) and the Order of the Sacred Treasures in 2014 for his notable contributions to the scientific approach to learning. He developed an English education integrated system known as "Three-step Auditory Comprehension Approach" (3 Step System). This system included Computer-assisted Language Learning (CALL) materials based on the concept or system of multilateral feedback. When compared to traditional methods, the learner outcomes for the "Three-step Auditory Comprehension Approach" verified positive learning experiences, resulting in it being used in higher education institutions throughout Japan. Takefuta and three research collaborators were awarded The Japan Association for Language Education & Technology Academic Prize in 2007 for the development, application, and evaluation of the system, "Three-step Auditory Comprehension Approach."
Makoto Ueda (上田 真, Ueda Makoto; 1931 – August 19, 2020) was a professor emeritus of Japanese literature at Stanford…
Makoto Ueda (上田 真, Ueda Makoto; 1931 – August 19, 2020) was a professor emeritus of Japanese literature at Stanford University. Ueda won the Japan–U.S. Friendship Commission Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature in 1996 for his translated anthology Modern Japanese Tanka (Columbia University Press, 1996).
Yasushi Nagao (長尾 靖, Nagao Yasushi; 20 May 1930 – 2 May 2009) was a Japanese photojournalist. He became the first…
Yasushi Nagao (長尾 靖, Nagao Yasushi; 20 May 1930 – 2 May 2009) was a Japanese photojournalist. He became the first Japanese to win the Pulitzer Prize for his 1960 photograph capturing the moment Inejirō Asanuma, chairman of the Japan Socialist Party, was stabbed to death.
Kōshū Itabashi (板橋 興宗, Itabashi Kōshū; 1927 – 5 July 2020) was a Sōtō Zen master who was the 23rd abbot of Sojiji…
Kōshū Itabashi (板橋 興宗, Itabashi Kōshū; 1927 – 5 July 2020) was a Sōtō Zen master who was the 23rd abbot of Sojiji, abbot of Gotanjoji in Takefu, Fukui, and abbot of Daijoji in Kanazawa, Ishikawa all in Japan. He was born in Tagajo, Miyagi in 1927. He graduated from the Naval Academy of Japan in 1945. He also graduated in religious studies at Tohoku University in 1953. He became a Sōtō Zen monk according to Genshū Watanabe. He was trained in Sojiji and he studied under Giyen Inoue in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka. He succeeded Ryūtan Matsumoto in Daijoji and became Tanto Roshi of Sojiji leading monks. He became Godo Roshi of Sojijisoin, abbot of Daijoji. He also devised chair Zazen. He was elected vice abbot of Sojij, and became the 23rd abbot of Sojiji and Sotozen Superintendent Master (Kancho) in 1998. He retired as abbot of Sojiji in 2002. He became abbot Sojijisoin. And he was revived Gotanjoji.
Mitsuo Aida (相田みつを, Aida Mitsuo; 20 May 1924 – 17 December 1991) was a Japanese poet and calligrapher known as The Poet…
Mitsuo Aida (相田みつを, Aida Mitsuo; 20 May 1924 – 17 December 1991) was a Japanese poet and calligrapher known as The Poet of Zen. His work was influenced by Zen Buddhism and he is known for his works, Ningen damono (Because I'm Human), Okagesan (Our Debt to Others), and Inochi ippai (Live a Full Live).
Seikichi Toguchi (渡口 政吉, Toguchi Seikichi; May 20, 1917 in Naha City, Okinawa, Japan – August 31, 1998 in Tokyo) was…
Seikichi Toguchi (渡口 政吉, Toguchi Seikichi; May 20, 1917 in Naha City, Okinawa, Japan – August 31, 1998 in Tokyo) was the founder of Shorei-kan karate.
Hideko Maehata (前畑 秀子, Maehata Hideko; May 20, 1914 – February 24, 1995) was a Japanese breaststroke swimmer. She was…
Hideko Maehata (前畑 秀子, Maehata Hideko; May 20, 1914 – February 24, 1995) was a Japanese breaststroke swimmer. She was the first Japanese and Asian woman to win a gold medal in the Olympics. Maehata was born in Hashimoto, Wakayama, as the daughter of a tofu producer and as a child learned to swim in the Kinokawa River. In the fifth grade of elementary school, she set an unofficial youth record for the 50-meter breaststroke. She went on to win numerous competitions, and was sponsored to attend a women’s boarding school in Nagoya which specialized in swimming, but the sudden death of her parents in 1931 forced her to return home. Yet she was selected for the Japanese Olympic swimming team for the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and won the silver medal in the 200 m breaststroke event. She lost to Clare Dennis a mere 0.1 of a second. During the post-Olympic celebration after her return to Japan, she stated that she was considering to retire from competitive swimming due to family issues, but then Tokyo mayor Hidejirō Nagata reportedly asked her why she did not bring back a gold medal. Over the next four years, Maehata trained very hard, and set a new world record for the 200-meter breaststroke on September 30, 1933. During the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Maehata competed in a dead heat against the reigning German national champion, Martha Genenger, winning the gold medal for the Women's 200 m breaststroke by over one second. Despite the time difference, the race was broadcast live in Japan by NHK Radio. In 1937, Maehata married Masahiko Hyodo, a professor of the medical school of Nagoya University, and retired from competition. She was awarded the Purple Ribbon of Merit by the Japanese government in 1964 and inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1979. She had a cerebral hemorrhage in 1983, which killed both her parents, but recovered. In 1990 she was designated a Person of Cultural Merit, the first sportswoman in Japan to receive such an honor. She died of acute renal failure in 1995.
Tetsuo Imai (今井 哲夫, Imai Tetsuo; 20 May 1912 – 27 December 1987) was a Japanese middle-distance runner. He competed in…
Tetsuo Imai (今井 哲夫, Imai Tetsuo; 20 May 1912 – 27 December 1987) was a Japanese middle-distance runner. He competed in the men's 3000 metres steeplechase at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Kazuto Ishida (Japanese: 石田和外; May 20, 1903 – May 9, 1979) was a Japanese jurist who served as Chief Justice of the…
Kazuto Ishida (Japanese: 石田和外; May 20, 1903 – May 9, 1979) was a Japanese jurist who served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Japan from 1969 to 1973. He was a practitioner of kendo. He was a graduate of the University of Tokyo. As an associate justice in the mid-1960s, Ishida penned a dissenting opinion in a Grand Bench decision limiting criminal prosecution of labor leaders. This was a contributing factor to his appointment as Chief Justice by Prime Minister Eisaku Sato in 1968, in an attempt to give the court more conservative leadership at a time when Japan saw massive radical student demonstrations. One of Ishida's final decisions, in 1973, expanded police powers to punish demonstrators. Ishida's court was the first in a line of conservative Supreme Court benches that continued into the early 21st century. After his tenure as Chief Justice, Ishida became chairman of the All Japan Kendo Federation. He also became the first chairman of the Eirei ni Kotaeru Kai (英霊にこたえる会, Society to Honour the War Dead), which supports Yasukuni Shrine, in June 1976. Ishida formed the National Congress to Achieve Legislation of the Gengo System in order to establish a law formalizing the system of imperial era names. Ishida was a recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun.
Hideo Shima (島 秀雄, Shima Hideo; 20 May 1901 – 18 March 1998) was a Japanese engineer and the driving force behind the…
Hideo Shima (島 秀雄, Shima Hideo; 20 May 1901 – 18 March 1998) was a Japanese engineer and the driving force behind the building of the first bullet train (Shinkansen). Shima was born in Osaka in 1901, and educated at the Tokyo Imperial University, where he studied Mechanical Engineering. His father was part of a group of officials that had built up Japan's emerging railroad industry.
Jo Iimura (飯村 穣, Iimura Jō; 20 May 1888 – 21 February 1976) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in the Pacific…
Jo Iimura (飯村 穣, Iimura Jō; 20 May 1888 – 21 February 1976) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in the Pacific War.
Michio Yuzawa (湯沢三千男, Yuzawa Michio; 20 May 1888 – 21 February 1963) was a bureaucrat and cabinet minister in early…
Michio Yuzawa (湯沢三千男, Yuzawa Michio; 20 May 1888 – 21 February 1963) was a bureaucrat and cabinet minister in early Shōwa period Japan.
Chieko Takamura (高村 智恵子, Takamura Chieko; May 20, 1886 – October 5, 1938) was a Japanese artist.
Majikina Ankō (真境名 安興; 20 May 1875 - 28 December 1933) was a Japanese scholar who specialized in the history of…
Majikina Ankō (真境名 安興; 20 May 1875 - 28 December 1933) was a Japanese scholar who specialized in the history of Okinawa. Alongside Iha Fuyū and Higashionna Kanjun, he was considered one of the pioneers of modern Okinawan studies.
Kiryū Yūyū (Japanese: 桐生悠々; May 20, 1873 – September 10, 1941), born as Kiryū Masaji (桐生 政次), was a Japanese journalist…
Kiryū Yūyū (Japanese: 桐生悠々; May 20, 1873 – September 10, 1941), born as Kiryū Masaji (桐生 政次), was a Japanese journalist and activist. He worked as the editor-in-chief for The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun (1910–1914; 1928–1933) and Shin Aichi (now the Chunichi Shimbun; 1914–1924.) He is known for being a "rebellious journalist" for his criticism of the Japanese military and totalitarianism in Japan during the late Taishō and early Shōwa period. Born in Kanazawa, he attended the Fourth Higher School alongside his friend Shūsei Tokuda. During his younger years, he was an aspiring novelist. Shortly before graduating from Tokyo Imperial University, Faculty of Law, he gave up being a novelist following advice from Roan Uchida. He became the editor-in-chief of Shimotsuke Shimbun in 1902 and worked as a journalist for Osaka Mainichi Shimbun and Osaka Asahi Shimbun. He is known for his editorials such as the "Rōshū Daha-ron: Nogi Shōgun no Junshi" and "Kantō Bōkū Dai-enshū o Warau". Shortly after he resigned from The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun in 1933, he launched the bi-monthly magazine Tazan no Ishi, where he published anti-military and anti-fascist articles until his death in 1941. The magazine was heavily censored by the military.