Issei Sagawa (佐川 一政, Sagawa Issei; 26 April 1949 – 24 November 2022) also known as Pang or the Kobe Cannibal, was a…
Issei Sagawa (佐川 一政, Sagawa Issei; 26 April 1949 – 24 November 2022) also known as Pang or the Kobe Cannibal, was a Japanese lust murderer, cannibal, and necrophiliac known for the killing of Renée Hartevelt in Paris in 1981. He murdered Hartevelt and then mutilated, cannibalized, and performed necrophilia on her corpse over several days. In France, Sagawa was judged to be legally insane and ordered to be held indefinitely in a mental institution. After a few years, he was deported to Japan, where psychologists from Matsuzawa Hospital examined him and unanimously concluded that he was sane. He therefore had to be released from the hospital in 1986. Since the criminal case in France had been closed and the court records were not made available to the Japanese authorities, Sagawa was not again put on trial and spent the rest of his life a free man. While this was widely criticized as an example of obstruction of justice, he became a minor celebrity in Japan and made a living through the public's interest in his crime.
Famous People Born on April 26
April 26: 64 people
Yoshiko Tōma (当摩 好子, Tōma Yoshiko; born 26 April 1949) is a Japanese politician from Ōmuta, Fukuoka. Having graduated…
Yoshiko Tōma (当摩 好子, Tōma Yoshiko; born 26 April 1949) is a Japanese politician from Ōmuta, Fukuoka. Having graduated from Keio University, Tōma was elected to Tokorozawa City Council in 1979. She ran unsuccessfully for the Tokorozawa mayoral election in 1991 and for the national lower house election in 1996 before she was elected to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly in 1999. Elected as mayor of Tokorozawa in October 2007, Tōma became the first woman to hold that post.
Yasuko Konoe (近衛 甯子, Konoe Yasuko; born 26 April 1944), formerly Princess Yasuko of Mikasa (甯子内親王, Yasuko Naishinnō)…
Yasuko Konoe (近衛 甯子, Konoe Yasuko; born 26 April 1944), formerly Princess Yasuko of Mikasa (甯子内親王, Yasuko Naishinnō), is the first child of Takahito, Prince Mikasa, and Yuriko, Princess Mikasa. She married Tadateru Konoe on 16 December 1966. As a result, she gave up her imperial title and left the Japanese imperial family, as required by law.
Midori Suzuki (鈴木 みどり, Suzuki Midori; April 28, 1941 – July 23, 2006) was a Japanese media educator, feminist and media…
Midori Suzuki (鈴木 みどり, Suzuki Midori; April 28, 1941 – July 23, 2006) was a Japanese media educator, feminist and media researcher. She was professor of Media Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto from 1994 until her death. Suzuki was known for her work on media literacy, especially several seminal textbooks and the over one hundred workshops, symposia and media watch projects that she facilitated. She also introduced overseas research to Japan, for example through translations of work by Jerry Mander, Catharine MacKinnon, David Buckingham) and the Ontario Teacher's Association. Suzuki was an active member of the World Association of Christian Communication, a co-founder and core member of the Asian Network of Women in Communication, a long-term member of the International Association of Media and Communications Research, and on the International Exchange Committee of the Japan Society for Studies in Journalism and Mass Communication（日本マス・コミュニケーション学会). She also participated in UNESCO-sponsored research and projects, and was involved in the Global Media Monitoring Project (1994, 2000 and 2005), for which she served as a steering committee member and a Japanese liaison. Although Suzuki had received her master's degree in mass communications from Stanford University in 1966, she soon became critical of the mass communications research approach, especially its inherent view of people as 'passive receivers' or consumers of information. She instead began to develop a citizen-centered approach. Through her work with the Forum for Citizen's Television and Media (FCT), which she co-founded in 1977, she focused on informed criticism of commercial television programming, especially for children, as well as of gender stereotypes and other misconceptions and biases found in the mainstream Japanese media. Suzuki noted that "critical is creative" and saw media literacy as part of a bigger vision for media democratization. An early advocate for communication rights in Japan, she championed an active role for citizens in media society, including in policy making.
Tsurugamine Akio (26 April 1929 – 29 May 2006), real name Akio Fukuzono, was a sumo wrestler from Aira, Kagoshima…
Tsurugamine Akio (26 April 1929 – 29 May 2006), real name Akio Fukuzono, was a sumo wrestler from Aira, Kagoshima, Japan. His highest rank was sekiwake. He was twice runner-up in a tournament and won 14 special prizes, including a record ten for Technique, and earned ten gold stars for defeating yokozuna. After his retirement he was the head of Izutsu stable and coached two of his sons, Sakahoko and Terao, to the top division.
Masatarō Shimizu (清水 正二郎, Shimizu Masatarō; 26 April 1925 – 23 May 1994), known by his pen name Koshi Kurumizawa (胡桃沢…
Masatarō Shimizu (清水 正二郎, Shimizu Masatarō; 26 April 1925 – 23 May 1994), known by his pen name Koshi Kurumizawa (胡桃沢 耕史, Kurumizawa Kōshi), was a Japanese writer of detective fiction during the Shōwa era.
Tomoyuki "Yūkō" Tanaka (Japanese: 田中 友幸（ともゆき）, Hepburn: Tanaka Tomoyuki; April 26, 1910 – April 2, 1997) was a Japanese…
Tomoyuki "Yūkō" Tanaka (Japanese: 田中 友幸（ともゆき）, Hepburn: Tanaka Tomoyuki; April 26, 1910 – April 2, 1997) was a Japanese film producer, best known as the creator of Godzilla. He produced most of the installments in the Godzilla series, beginning in 1954 with Godzilla and ending in 1995 with Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. He was one of the most prolific Japanese producers of all time, having worked on more than 200 films, including over 80 tokusatsu films and six of Akira Kurosawa's films, notably Yojimbo and Kagemusha.
Kagamitarō Konkō (金光 鑑太郎, Konkō Kagamitarō; 26 April 1909 – 10 January 1991) was a Japanese Konkōkyō leader…
Kagamitarō Konkō (金光 鑑太郎, Konkō Kagamitarō; 26 April 1909 – 10 January 1991) was a Japanese Konkōkyō leader, calligrapher, poet, cultural leader, and educator. Konkō founded the Konkō Library and was the first library director. From 1954 to 1990, he advised the Japan Library Association. From 1973 to 1990, he advised the Boy Scouts of Nippon. Hiroki Kōsai of Saji Observatory, who had a good relationship with him, named asteroid 4526 Konko 1982 KN1 and 11254 Konkohekisui (18 February 1977 list[A]) in his honor.
Yamamoto Kenkichi (山本 健吉; 1907-1988) was the pen-name of Ishibashi Teikichi, a Japanese writer and literary critic. As…
Yamamoto Kenkichi (山本 健吉; 1907-1988) was the pen-name of Ishibashi Teikichi, a Japanese writer and literary critic. As a critic he wrote notable studies of Shishōsetsu as well as of the poet Kakinomoto no Hitomaro. He has been referred to as supportive of Shishōsetsu in an orthodox way. He is mainly known as "...the mid to late twentieth century's greatest scholar of Japanese haiku and related literature. He made a particular study of the development of the system of seasonal topics and season words, and single-handedly compiled the haikai saijiki (haikai almanacs) and kiyose (season word guides). They are all still in print today and widely used by renku as well as haiku poets. (Unlike many such books, Prof. Yamamoto's guides always indicate the parts of the seasons, an important feature for renku poets.) In Japanese scholarly publishing, senior scholars are often called upon as supervising editors over large, complex projects edited by teams of younger scholars. Among other projects, Prof. Yamamoto served in this capacity for the ground-breaking six-volume Eigo Saijiki / An English & American Literary Calendar (1968-70), which examined our literature through the lens of the Japanese season word system. He was a senior editor on the five-volume Nihon Dai Saijiki ('Japan Great Saijiki', 1981-83), an encyclopedic, fully color-illustrated work that still sets the standard for such books. He also wrote a five-volume series called Yamamoto Kenkichi Haiku Tokuhon ('The Kenkichi Yamamoto Haiku Readers'), published posthumously. The individual volumes have titles like 'What is Haiku?', 'A Haiku Commentary Saijiki', 'The Modern Haiku Poets', 'The Heart and Laws of Haikai', and 'The Haiku Environment', each exploring its subject clearly and thoroughly." While working on the Nihon Dai Saijiki, Prof. Kenkichi Yamamoto selected 500 season words (out of the 16,000 included) as the 'Essential Season Words'. For each of these, he wrote the main entry, describing in detail their origins and histories in the tradition. Later, he collected these same season words for the Kihon Kigo 500-Sen ('The Essential Kigo--500 Selections', 1986), which has become a classic." This selective list, "The five hundred essential Japanese season words", translated by William J. Higginson and Kris Young Kondo (also edited by Higginson, is considered a standard by western haiku researchers and poets.
Tomu Uchida (Japanese: 内田吐夢, Hepburn: Uchida Tomu; 26 April 1898 – 7 August 1970), born Tsunejirō Uchida (内田常次郎), was a…
Tomu Uchida (Japanese: 内田吐夢, Hepburn: Uchida Tomu; 26 April 1898 – 7 August 1970), born Tsunejirō Uchida (内田常次郎), was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Uchida chose the stage name Tomu, a transliteration of the English Tom, written in Kanji characters meaning "to spit out dreams".
Seiichi Naruse (成瀬 正一, Naruse Seiichi; 26 April 1892 – 13 April 1936) was a Japanese writer and researcher of French…
Seiichi Naruse (成瀬 正一, Naruse Seiichi; 26 April 1892 – 13 April 1936) was a Japanese writer and researcher of French Romanticism. He was a professor of French literature at Kyushu University. He is known as the first Japanese having a friendship with Romain Rolland and also known as a collaborator with Kōjirō Matsukata in collecting paintings and sculptures for the Matsukata Collection of the National Museum of Western Art in Ueno, Tokyo.
Ch'oe Namsŏn (Korean: 최남선; April 26, 1890 – October 10, 1957), also known by the Japanese pronunciation of his name Sai…
Ch'oe Namsŏn (Korean: 최남선; April 26, 1890 – October 10, 1957), also known by the Japanese pronunciation of his name Sai Nanzen, was a Korean historian, political activist, poet, and publisher who was best remembered as a leading member of the Korean independence movement.
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.
Nishimura Shigeki (西村 茂樹; 26 April 1828 – 18 August 1902) was a Japanese educator and leader of the Meiji Enlightenment…
Nishimura Shigeki (西村 茂樹; 26 April 1828 – 18 August 1902) was a Japanese educator and leader of the Meiji Enlightenment during the Meiji period. He also went by his pen-name of Nishimura Hakuo. He wrote more than 130 books and over 200 articles in his long literary career. Born to the family of the samurai chief administer to the daimyō of Sakura domain, Shimōsa Province (present-day Chiba Prefecture), Nishimura was originally a Confucian scholar, but he studied rangaku as well. He supported the Tokugawa bakufu against the Meiji Restoration, but was so highly regarded that the new Meiji government recruited him to assist in the movement to educate the Japanese public on the western world. He was a founding member of the Meirokusha with Mori Arinori, and contributed numerous articles to the Meiroku Zasshi journal, on a wide range of topics, including on the relevance of ethics to government, a comparison of world government systems and world economic systems. Nishimura established his own intellectual society in 1876 to stress moral values. This became the Nihon Kodoka (Japan Society for Expansion of the Way), which proved to be a great success. The society promoted the belief that a reassertion of Japan's traditional moral values was necessary to strength Japan in the modern world. Nishimura believed that the Meiji government should serve a purpose to the people of Japan. He thought the government was superficial and should be rigid and clear in its laws. (In comparison to the Meiji government constantly changing their policies.) He was appointed to the House of Peers in 1890.