March 30: 54 people
Senka Akatsuki (暁千華, Akatsuki Senka) is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to Marvelous That's Women Pro…
Senka Akatsuki (暁千華, Akatsuki Senka) is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling. She is also known for working with various promotions of the Japanese independent scene such as Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling.
Yuki Joseph Nakajima (中島 佑気 ジョセフ, Nakajima Yuki Joseph; born 30 March 2002) is a Japanese sprinter who specializes in…
Yuki Joseph Nakajima (中島 佑気 ジョセフ, Nakajima Yuki Joseph; born 30 March 2002) is a Japanese sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. He competed in the 400 metres at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, where he qualified for the semi-final. He competed at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, in Tokyo, Japan, running a personal best and Japanese national record 44.44 seconds in his heat before qualifying for the 400 metres final, placing sixth overall. He also ran at the championships in the men's 4 x 400 metres relay.
Kilala Inori (禱 キララ, Inori Kirara; born March 30, 2000) is a Japanese actress. Her most notable roles to date are the…
Kilala Inori (禱 キララ, Inori Kirara; born March 30, 2000) is a Japanese actress. Her most notable roles to date are the supporting roles of Imajo in the horror and suspense film Immersion, and Akiko Nakazono in the Apple TV+ Korean historical drama, Pachinko.
Takumi Sasaki (佐々木 匠, Sasaki Takumi; born March 30, 1998) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a…
Takumi Sasaki (佐々木 匠, Sasaki Takumi; born March 30, 1998) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Malaysia Super League club Negeri Sembilan.
Michiko Tōyama (當山美智子, born March 30, 1996 in Okinawa, Japan), also known as Michi, is a Japanese J-pop singer.…
Michiko Tōyama (當山美智子, born March 30, 1996 in Okinawa, Japan), also known as Michi, is a Japanese J-pop singer. Produced by Elements Garden, Michi began her career with her debut single, "Cry for the Truth/Secret Sky", which served as the opening and ending theme songs to the anime television series Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers. Her second single "Checkmate!?" peaked at #51, and was used as the opening song to Dagashi Kashi. Her third single, "Realistic!", was used as the first ending theme to the anime Kuromukuro. She released her first album called "Sprint for the Dreams" on September 21, 2016. Michi was a guest at the 2016 Anime Expo and was a guest at Otakon 2016. Her song "I4U" was used as the ending theme to the 2017 anime television series Tsugumomo. Her song "Soranetarium" (ソラネタリウム) was used as the opening theme to the 2018 anime television series The Girl in Twilight.
Hayato Ikegaya (池ヶ谷 颯斗, Ikegaya, Hayato; born 30 March 1992) is a Japanese footballer who plays for fifth-tier Kantō…
Hayato Ikegaya (池ヶ谷 颯斗, Ikegaya, Hayato; born 30 March 1992) is a Japanese footballer who plays for fifth-tier Kantō Soccer League club Toho Titanium.
Kan Usuki (臼杵 寛, Usuki Kan; born 30 March 1991) is an idol, musician, pin artist belonging to Yoshimoto Creative…
Kan Usuki (臼杵 寛, Usuki Kan; born 30 March 1991) is an idol, musician, pin artist belonging to Yoshimoto Creative Agency. He is part of the multi-active unit Infini and is the drummer of the pop rock band Spin Cross. Previously, he was in charge of tsukkomi for a ikemen stage unit L.A.F.U. and the comedy duo d Button.
Daichi Kitakata (Japanese: 北方大地, Kitakata Daichi; born March 30, 1991) is a Japanese mixed martial artist, currently…
Daichi Kitakata (Japanese: 北方大地, Kitakata Daichi; born March 30, 1991) is a Japanese mixed martial artist, currently competing in the strawweight division of Pancrase, where he is the former Strawweight King of Pancrase. As of January 3, 2022, he is ranked as the second best strawweight in the world by Fight Matrix. Fight Matrix furthermore ranks him as the tenth best strawweight in the history of the sport.
Hiroki Kawano (河野 広貴, Kawano Hiroki; born 30 March 1990 in Sagamihara, Kanagawa) is a Japanese former football player…
Hiroki Kawano (河野 広貴, Kawano Hiroki; born 30 March 1990 in Sagamihara, Kanagawa) is a Japanese former football player who played as a forward or winger. He made over 300 appearances over a 16-year career, playing for Tokyo Verdy, FC Tokyo, Sagan Tosu and finishing his career at Nankatsu SC.
Makoto Mimura (三村 真, born March 30, 1989) is a Japanese former footballer who played as a forward.
Minoru Hata (畑 実, Hata Minoru; born 30 March 1989) is a Japanese footballer who plays for Kagoshima United FC.
Takahito Kudo (工藤 隆人, Kudo Takahito; born March 30, 1981 in Kuroishi, Aomori) is a retired Nippon Professional Baseball…
Takahito Kudo (工藤 隆人, Kudo Takahito; born March 30, 1981 in Kuroishi, Aomori) is a retired Nippon Professional Baseball player. He played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Yomiuri Giants, Chiba Lotte Marines and Chunichi Dragons over a 14-year professional career.
Kaori Takahashi (高橋 馨, Takahashi Kaori; born 30 March 1974) is a Japanese former synchronized swimmer who competed in…
Kaori Takahashi (高橋 馨, Takahashi Kaori; born 30 March 1974) is a Japanese former synchronized swimmer who competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Makoto Nagano (長野 誠, Nagano Makoto; born March 30, 1972, in Kitakata, Miyazaki) (sometimes known as the World's…
Makoto Nagano (長野 誠, Nagano Makoto; born March 30, 1972, in Kitakata, Miyazaki) (sometimes known as the World's Strongest Fisherman) is a Japanese commercial fisherman, captain, and musician. He is captain of his vessel F/V Konpira Maru 50 (第50金比羅丸), and was previously captain of the F/V Konpira Maru 28 (第28金比羅丸). He is regularly seen on the Japanese television show Sasuke (Ninja Warrior) where he was one of the "SASUKE All-Stars," a group of favored competitors who were thought to possess the greatest potential in completing the obstacle courses. He can also be seen on the lesser known spinoff to Ninja Warrior, Viking: The Ultimate Obstacle Course, where he was one of few competitors to make it to the final round. Winning in the 17th Sasuke competition (2006) he is the second of only four victors of the competition. By the time he retired in July 2017, he had competed in 26 versions of Sasuke, and has since competed in a 27th version in 2020.
Yayoi Urano (浦野 弥生, Urano Yayoi; born 30 March 1969) is a retired Japanese Wrestler and Judoka. She won six gold medals…
Yayoi Urano (浦野 弥生, Urano Yayoi; born 30 March 1969) is a retired Japanese Wrestler and Judoka. She won six gold medals and one silver medal in three weight classes (65, 70, and 75 kg) at the World Wrestling Championships from 1990 to 1996.
Fuyumi Sakamoto (坂本 冬美, Sakamoto Fuyumi; born March 30, 1967, in Kamitonda, Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture…
Fuyumi Sakamoto (坂本 冬美, Sakamoto Fuyumi; born March 30, 1967, in Kamitonda, Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese female enka singer under EMI Music Japan.
Hikaru Kotobuki (ことぶき 光, Kotobuki Hikaru; born 1964) is a Japanese musician known for his work with Susumu Hirasawa…
Hikaru Kotobuki (ことぶき 光, Kotobuki Hikaru; born 1964) is a Japanese musician known for his work with Susumu Hirasawa (P-Model), and Jun Togawa. In the early 1980s, Kotobuki joined Morio Agata's tour as a keyboard player and guitarist. After Agata's tour, Kotobuki and Agata formed a band which they called the Yukiyama Brothers. During his time with the Yukiyama Brothers, he played the keyboard on Shigeru Izumiya's tour. Kotobuki joined the band P-Model in 1987, which was formed by Susumu Hirasawa. In his time with P-Model, he played the keyboard as well. Hikaru Kotobuki played many concerts and released music videos with P-Model. Unfortunately recordings from this time only survive as live video sound sources. The band took a four-year break, but came back together in 1991 under the name Thaw P-Model. Kotobuki resigned in 1993 in order to travel through Asia, which he eventually did for several years. Returning briefly from Cambodia in late 1993 he formed Phnonpenh MODEL, in order to join the Errors of P-Mania cover band contest - a contest for P-Model cover bands held for three years. Originally formed as a joke, the band has continued sporadically to this day and have released three studio albums and live CDs from their shows in Paris, Berlin and Tokyo. Key members are Hikaru Kotobuki, Lion Merry (ex-Yapoos and Metrofarce) and Masaaki Taniguchi. He also performs as a solo act with a backing band. In 2016 Kotobuki was involved in a memorial concert for Isao Tomita, where a live orchestra was blended with the synthetic performer Hatsune Miku to perform Tomita's work. Kotobuki had previously worked with Tomita on his 2012 Ihatov Symphony, which was the work performed at the memorial concert.
Yukiyoshi Yamano (山野 之義, Yamano Yukiyoshi; born 30 March 1962) is a Japanese politician, who serves as a governor of…
Yukiyoshi Yamano (山野 之義, Yamano Yukiyoshi; born 30 March 1962) is a Japanese politician, who serves as a governor of Ishikawa Prefecture.
Yōko Ogawa (小川 洋子, Ogawa Yōko; born March 30, 1962) is a Japanese writer. Her work has won every major Japanese…
Yōko Ogawa (小川 洋子, Ogawa Yōko; born March 30, 1962) is a Japanese writer. Her work has won every major Japanese literary award, including the Akutagawa Prize and the Yomiuri Prize. Internationally, she has been the recipient of the Shirley Jackson Award and the American Book Award. The Memory Police was also shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020. Some of her most well known works include The Memory Police, The Housekeeper and the Professor, The Diving Pool and Hotel Iris.
Daniel Kahl (born March 30, 1960, in Monrovia, California) is an American foreign television personality (gaijin…
Daniel Kahl (born March 30, 1960, in Monrovia, California) is an American foreign television personality (gaijin tarento) and entrepreneur in Japan. He is famous for speaking fluent Yamagata-ben, the dialect of Yamagata Prefecture, a predominantly rural area. He mainly works as a television reporter for human interest stories in Japan, such as travel and gourmet programs. Following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in eastern Japan on 11 March 2011, Kahl was active in relief efforts in the affected areas, hauling food, supplies and equipment for fishermen. He also helped in combating the spread of false information regarding the spread of radiation in Fukushima after the nuclear accident there.
Yoriko Mekata (目加田 頼子, Mekata Yoriko) (born March 30, 1960) is a Japanese television announcer for NHK.
Katsuya Kodama (児玉 克哉, Kodama Katsuya; March 10, 1959 – October 2021 ) was a Japanese peace researcher and sociologist…
Katsuya Kodama (児玉 克哉, Kodama Katsuya; March 10, 1959 – October 2021 ) was a Japanese peace researcher and sociologist who specializes in the research on non-violent peace activism, the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, refugee issues, foreign workers, and peace-building. He is a current Secretary-General of International Peace Research Association, former professor and vice president at Mie University and former vice president of International Social Science Council at UNESCO.
Masako Bandō (坂東 眞砂子, Bandō Masako; March 30, 1958 – January 27, 2014) was a Japanese novelist. She was awarded the…
Masako Bandō (坂東 眞砂子, Bandō Masako; March 30, 1958 – January 27, 2014) was a Japanese novelist. She was awarded the prestigious Naoki Prize in 1996 for the novel Yamahaha.
Makoto Katamine (March 30, 1956 – September 25, 2023) was a Japanese politician and educator. He served two terms as…
Makoto Katamine (March 30, 1956 – September 25, 2023) was a Japanese politician and educator. He served two terms as mayor of Iizuka, Fukuoka Prefecture.
Buichi Terasawa (Japanese: 寺沢 武一, Hepburn: Terasawa Buichi; March 30, 1955 – September 8, 2023) was a Japanese manga…
Buichi Terasawa (Japanese: 寺沢 武一, Hepburn: Terasawa Buichi; March 30, 1955 – September 8, 2023) was a Japanese manga artist. His most famous works include Goku Midnight Eye and Cobra.
Tadashi Mihara (三原 正, Mihara Tadashi; born 30 March 1955) is a Japanese former professional boxer who competed as a…
Tadashi Mihara (三原 正, Mihara Tadashi; born 30 March 1955) is a Japanese former professional boxer who competed as a light middleweight throughout his career. Mihara began his boxing career when he was a third grader of the high school. He won the title of the All-Japan Amateur Boxing Championships in the light middleweight division in 1977. He also got the group title of the university league as a captain of the Nihon University boxing club. He experienced 38 matches during his amateur career; winning 28 (15 by knockout) and losing 10. After that, as a professional, Mihara fought 25 times between 1978 and 1985; winning 24 (15 by knockout) and losing 1. He won his first title in his fifth contest as a professional, beating Jae-Keum Lim for the OPBF title, a belt that he defended six times until he returned it. In June 1981, he won via a fifth-round knockout, in the undercard of Ayub Kalule vs. Sugar Ray Leonard, at the Reliant Astrodome, Houston. Since Leonard vacated the title after this, Mihara fought against Rocky Fratto for the vacant WBA world junior middleweight title in Rochester, New York on November 7, 1981. Mihara knocked him down by his right cross in the fourth round, and won the title via a majority decision. Judge Harold Lederman scored the fight a draw. Afterwards he said of Mihara, "There's no doubt that he's got a good jaw. He really got tagged a couple of times. I thought Fratto was going to knock him out." He lost his title after suffering a knockout during his first defence, against Davey Moore at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on February 2, 1982. His lumbago became chronic from these days. Following this loss, Mihara won the Japanese junior middleweight title and defended it six times until June 1984, then returned it. He fought for a final time in March 1985, beating Tricky Kawaguchi by a unanimous decision.
Kōji Tosa (土佐 浩司, Tosa Kōji; March 30, 1955) is a Japanese retired professional shogi player who achieved the rank of…
Kōji Tosa (土佐 浩司, Tosa Kōji; March 30, 1955) is a Japanese retired professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 8-dan.
Kōshū Tani (谷 甲州, Tani Kōshū; born March 30, 1951 in Itami, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese science fiction…
Kōshū Tani (谷 甲州, Tani Kōshū; born March 30, 1951 in Itami, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese science fiction writer. He graduated from the Osaka Institute of Technology, and worked as a volunteer in Nepal and the Philippines. He made his professional debut with the story 137th Mobile Brigade in 1979 while still in Nepal. He is known mostly for his hard science fiction works, for which he won the Seiun Award three times (twice for Best Novel, and once for Best Short Story), and the Nitta Jirō Culture Award once. He is a member of the Mystery Writers of Japan, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan, the Space Authors Club, and an associate member of the Hard SF Laboratory. Tani currently lives in Komatsu in Ishikawa Prefecture.
Yutaka Ikejima (池島ゆたか, Ikejima Yutaka; or 池嶋ゆたか; born March 30, 1948) is a Japanese film director, actor, and producer.…
Yutaka Ikejima (池島ゆたか, Ikejima Yutaka; or 池嶋ゆたか; born March 30, 1948) is a Japanese film director, actor, and producer. Considered the most successful filmmaker in the pink film genre in the 2000s, his films are popular with traditional pink film audiences, fans of cinema, and with critics. Because of his prolific contributions to the pink film he has earned the nickname "Mr. Pink".
Haruo Takahashi (Japanese: 高橋春男, Hepburn: Haruo Takahashi; March 30, 1947 – January 12, 2024) was a Japanese manga…
Haruo Takahashi (Japanese: 高橋春男, Hepburn: Haruo Takahashi; March 30, 1947 – January 12, 2024) was a Japanese manga artist and animator. Takahashi was known for working on Tiger Mask, Silver Fang and Inspector Gadget. In 1984, he won the 30th Bungei Shunju Manga Award for "Cho-san Ism".
Satoko Tsushima (津島 里子, Tsushima Satoko; 30 March 1947 – 18 February 2016), known by her pen name Yūko Tsushima (津島 佑子…
Satoko Tsushima (津島 里子, Tsushima Satoko; 30 March 1947 – 18 February 2016), known by her pen name Yūko Tsushima (津島 佑子 Tsushima Yūko), was a Japanese fiction writer, essayist and critic. Tsushima won many of Japan's top literary prizes in her career, including the Izumi Kyōka Prize for Literature, the Noma Literary New Face Prize, the Noma Literary Prize, the Yomiuri Prize and the Tanizaki Prize. The New York Times called Tsushima "one of the most important writers of her generation." Her work has been translated into over a dozen languages.
Tatsuo Sasaki (佐々木 達夫; born March 30, 1944) is a Japanese percussionist, playing timpani, xylophone and marimba. He…
Tatsuo Sasaki (佐々木 達夫; born March 30, 1944) is a Japanese percussionist, playing timpani, xylophone and marimba. He became a naturalized American citizen and lives in San Diego, California.
Junichi Yamaguchi (born 30 March 1940) is a Japanese field hockey player. He competed in the men's tournament at the…
Junichi Yamaguchi (born 30 March 1940) is a Japanese field hockey player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Junichi was a key official of the Nagano Olympic bid committee, which spent approximately $14 million to entertain the 62 International Olympic Committee (IOC) members and many of their companions. The precise figures are unknown since Nagano, after the IOC asked that the entertainment expenditures not be made public, destroyed the financial records.
Chiyoko Shimakura (島倉 千代子, Shimakura Chiyoko) (30 March 1938 – 8 November 2013) was an Enka singer and TV presenter in…
Chiyoko Shimakura (島倉 千代子, Shimakura Chiyoko) (30 March 1938 – 8 November 2013) was an Enka singer and TV presenter in Japan. She was considered "the Goddess of Enka".
Yoshiko Sato (佐藤 喜子, Satō Yoshiko; born March 30, 1938) is a retired Japanese freestyle swimmer who won seven gold…
Yoshiko Sato (佐藤 喜子, Satō Yoshiko; born March 30, 1938) is a retired Japanese freestyle swimmer who won seven gold medals at the Asian Games in 1958–1962. She competed at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics in five sprint events in total with the best result of seventh place in the 4×100 m medley relay. Nationally Sato won four consecutive titles in the 100 m (1958–1961) and seven consecutive titles in the 200 m (1955–1961). From 1954 to 1962 she set 97 national records in freestyle events ranging from 50 to 1500 m, which remains an all-time record on its own. In 1963, Sato retired from competitions and next year married Yoshihiko Osaki, a fellow swimmer who also competed at the 1960 Olympics. She took his last name and since then is known as Yoshiko Osaki. She resumed competing in 1984, in the masters category. Since 1985 she took part in all World and Pan Pacific championships, winning 20 world and 17 Pan Pacific titles and setting 93 world records in the freestyle, butterfly and medley events. She also set 104 national masters records and won 123 national titles. In 2005, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, in the masters category. Her late husband was also an avid masters swimmer and chairman of the Japanese Masters Swimming Association. The couple had a son and two daughters.
Ikuo Kushiro MJA (久城 育夫, Kushiro Ikuo, born March 30, 1934, in Osaka Prefecture) is a Japanese petrologist, known for…
Ikuo Kushiro MJA (久城 育夫, Kushiro Ikuo, born March 30, 1934, in Osaka Prefecture) is a Japanese petrologist, known for his research in experimental petrology. His experiments on peridotites contributed significantly to the understanding of the formation of magma under mid-ocean ridges and island arcs.
Hiroshi Inoue (井上 浩, Inoue Hiroshi; March 30, 1932 – December 29, 1989) was a Japanese botanist specializing in…
Hiroshi Inoue (井上 浩, Inoue Hiroshi; March 30, 1932 – December 29, 1989) was a Japanese botanist specializing in bryology. Inoue's botanical publications are from Japan. He described or recognized many species of liverworts and edited the exsiccata Bryophyta selecta exsiccata.
Yoshimitsu Banno (坂野 義光, Banno Yoshimitsu; March 30, 1931 – May 7, 2017) was a Japanese film director, best known for…
Yoshimitsu Banno (坂野 義光, Banno Yoshimitsu; March 30, 1931 – May 7, 2017) was a Japanese film director, best known for the cult-classic Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), which he directed and co-wrote. Banno was a special guest at G-Fest XII in 2005. He was an executive producer on Legendary Pictures' Godzilla (2014), and has received posthumous executive producer credit for subsequent projects in the MonsterVerse. He died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage on May 7, 2017, at his home in Kawasaki at the age of 86. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) was dedicated to his memory along with Haruo Nakajima's.
Yōsuke Naka (中 庸助, Naka Yōsuke; born Kazuo Nakajima (中島 和男, Nakajama Kazuo) March 30, 1930 – October 20, 2023) was a…
Yōsuke Naka (中 庸助, Naka Yōsuke; born Kazuo Nakajima (中島 和男, Nakajama Kazuo) March 30, 1930 – October 20, 2023) was a Japanese actor from Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture. He is best known for his roles as Admiral Majin in Kamen Rider, Nobisuke Nobi in Doraemon, Ehrenberg in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Mulligan in Sohryuden: Legend of the Dragon Kings, and Nijūemon Tsuzureya (20 Emon) in 21 Emon.
Rō Takenaka (竹中労, Takenaka Rō; born Tsutomu, May 30, 1930 – May 19, 1991) was a Japanese author, journalist and…
Rō Takenaka (竹中労, Takenaka Rō; born Tsutomu, May 30, 1930 – May 19, 1991) was a Japanese author, journalist and cultural critic.
Seiji Tsutsumi (堤 清二, Tsutsumi Seiji; March 30, 1927 − November 25, 2013) was a Japanese businessperson, author and…
Seiji Tsutsumi (堤 清二, Tsutsumi Seiji; March 30, 1927 − November 25, 2013) was a Japanese businessperson, author and poet, also known by the pen names Takashi Tsujii (辻井 喬, Tsujii Takashi) and Ikuo Yokose (横瀬 郁夫, Yokose Ikuo).
Shigeichi Nagano (長野 重一, Nagano Shigeichi; March 30, 1925 – January 30, 2019) was a Japanese photographer. He won the…
Shigeichi Nagano (長野 重一, Nagano Shigeichi; March 30, 1925 – January 30, 2019) was a Japanese photographer. He won the Ina Nobuo Award in 1986 and had a major retrospective at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography in 2000.
Kan Ishii (Japanese: 石井 歓, Hepburn: Ishii Kan; 30 March 1921 in Tokyo, Japan – 24 November 2009 in Yokohama, Japan) was…
Kan Ishii (Japanese: 石井 歓, Hepburn: Ishii Kan; 30 March 1921 in Tokyo, Japan – 24 November 2009 in Yokohama, Japan) was a Japanese composer. His father, Baku Ishii, was a prominent Japanese ballet dancer, and his brother Maki Ishii was also a composer. His Symphonia Ainu won a prize at the 1958 Art Festival, inspiring him to do further work inspired by nationalist primitivism. His musical style appeals directly to the emotions, and shows the influence of Carl Orff. In addition to orchestral and vocal music, he has written extensively for the stage, including 6 operas, 3 ballets and 9 film scores, including the 1962 science-fiction film Gorath. Ishii accepted a position as professor at Shōwa College of Music in 1986.
Hiroshi Akutagawa (芥川比呂志, Akutagawa Hiroshi; 30 March 1920 – 28 October 1981) was a Japanese stage and film actor and…
Hiroshi Akutagawa (芥川比呂志, Akutagawa Hiroshi; 30 March 1920 – 28 October 1981) was a Japanese stage and film actor and director. In his 30 years spanning career, he appeared in numerous stage productions and films by directors such as Shirō Toyoda, Tadashi Imai, Heinosuke Gosho, Akira Kurosawa and Nagisa Ōshima.
Kansuke Yamamoto (Japanese: 山本 悍右; 30 March 1914 – 2 April 1987) was a Japanese Surrealist photographer, poet, editor…
Kansuke Yamamoto (Japanese: 山本 悍右; 30 March 1914 – 2 April 1987) was a Japanese Surrealist photographer, poet, editor, and publisher based in Nagoya. Eiko Aoki describes him as a driving force in Japan's avant-garde movement, producing innovative photographs with an uncompromising spirit. Photography historian Ryūichi Kaneko regards the establishment of the 1932 date of Yamamoto's photocollage The Developing Thought of a Human... Mist and Bedroom and as a landmark for understanding the formation and development of modern Japanese photography in the 1930s. Drawing on French Surrealist literature and periodicals, Yamamoto developed a practice that Amanda Maddox and John Solt discuss in terms of interpretation, translation, and dialogue rather than belated imitation of European models. Yamamoto's Surrealist practice also took the form of editing, translation, and publishing. Through Yoru no Funsui, which he founded and edited in 1938, he brought together poetry, photography, translations of French Surrealist writing, and reproduced drawings. The journal ceased publication in 1939 under pressure from the Special Higher Police (Tokkō), and Yamamoto was questioned about the political meaning of his Surrealist photography and poetry. He nevertheless continued Surrealist publishing under wartime conditions through Carnet Bleu, including a Japanese translation of an essay on photography by Philippe Soupault. Maddox argues that Yamamoto resisted pressure to strip Surrealism of provocation, politics, and thought. After the war, Yamamoto continued to pursue Surrealist ideas through collective activity and new photographic forms. He co-founded VIVI in 1947, which Maddox describes as an effort to keep the spirit of Surrealist ideology alive in the postwar period. Jelena Stojković traces Yamamoto's postwar photographic narratives from a pair of self-portraits made in 1949 to staged sequences of the 1950s, including My Thin-Aired Room (1956), in which he appeared as both actor and director. Stojković argues that these experiments made a direct link between Yamamoto's Surrealist background and emerging conceptual and performative uses of photography, and describes his work as a point of reference both for the prewar Japanese avant-garde and for the development of contemporary art and photography in Japan. Kaneko likewise rejects the accepted division of Yamamoto's career into separate prewar and postwar periods, arguing that his postwar work increased in complexity and strength and that modern Japanese photography, despite the interruption of war, should be reconsidered as a continuous and interconnected history. The 2001 retrospective Kansuke Yamamoto: Conveyor of the Impossible at Tokyo Station Gallery became a turning point in the later reassessment of Yamamoto's work. His work was subsequently featured in Japan's Modern Divide at the J. Paul Getty Museum in 2013 and Surrealism Beyond Borders at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Tate Modern in 2021–2022.
Shigeru Morita (Japanese: 森田茂, romanized: Morita Shigeru; 30 March 1907 – 2 March 2009) was a Japanese oil painter. His…
Shigeru Morita (Japanese: 森田茂, romanized: Morita Shigeru; 30 March 1907 – 2 March 2009) was a Japanese oil painter. His works were mainly centered on western-style paintings, and were exhibited multiple times across his career.
Mikio Oda (織田 幹雄, Oda Mikio; 30 March 1905 – 2 December 1998) was a Japanese athlete and the first Japanese Olympic…
Mikio Oda (織田 幹雄, Oda Mikio; 30 March 1905 – 2 December 1998) was a Japanese athlete and the first Japanese Olympic gold medalist. He was the first Asian Olympic champion in an individual event.
Masayoshi Ueki (植木 正義, Ueki Masayoshi; March 30, 1903 – March 31, 1983), known professionally as Chiezō Kataoka (片岡…
Masayoshi Ueki (植木 正義, Ueki Masayoshi; March 30, 1903 – March 31, 1983), known professionally as Chiezō Kataoka (片岡 千恵蔵, Kataoka Chiezō), was a Japanese film and television actor most famous for his starring roles in jidaigeki.
Kiyotada Sannosuke Ueshima (上島 三之助 清忠, Ueshima Sannosuke Kiyotada; 1893–1987) was a Japanese martial arts master who…
Kiyotada Sannosuke Ueshima (上島 三之助 清忠, Ueshima Sannosuke Kiyotada; 1893–1987) was a Japanese martial arts master who developed and founded the Kushin-ryu style of karate in Osaka, Japan.
Sanzō Nosaka (野坂 参三, Nosaka Sanzō; March 30, 1892 – November 14, 1993) was a Japanese writer, editor, labor organizer…
Sanzō Nosaka (野坂 参三, Nosaka Sanzō; March 30, 1892 – November 14, 1993) was a Japanese writer, editor, labor organizer, communist agent, politician, and university professor and a founder of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP). He was the son of a wealthy Japanese merchant, and attended Keio University. While in university, Nosaka became interested in social movements, and joined a moderate labor organization after graduation, working as a research staff member, and as a writer and editor of the organization's magazine. He traveled to Britain in 1919 to study political economy, where he deepened his studies of Marxism and became a confirmed communist. Nosaka was a founding member of the Communist Party of Great Britain, but his activity within British communist circles led to him being deported from Britain in 1921. After leaving Britain, Nosaka traveled through the Soviet Union (USSR). He returned to Japan in 1922, where he co-founded the Japanese Communist Party (JCP). Nosaka became a labor organizer, but was arrested twice by the Japanese government for his activities. After being released from prison a second time, Nosaka secretly returned to the USSR in 1931, where he became an agent of the Comintern. He traveled to the West Coast of the United States, where he worked as a spy from 1934 to 1938. After leaving the United States, Nosaka worked in China from 1940 to 1945, supporting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by encouraging and recruiting captured Japanese soldiers to support and fight for the Chinese communists against the Imperial Japanese Army, and coordinating a spy network that operated throughout Japanese-occupied China. After the end of the Second World War in 1945, Nosaka returned to Japan with hundreds of other Japanese communists, where he led the JCP during the occupation by the Allies. Nosaka attempted to brand the JCP as a "lovable" populist party supporting Japan's peaceful transition to socialism, but his strategy was criticized within the party and within the Soviet Union. During the Korean War the JCP temporarily endorsed violence, and Nosaka disappeared from public life and went underground. He re-emerged to lead the JCP again in 1955, after which he attempted to disrupt the US-Japan Security Treaty by organizing public demonstrations, but he generally supported the JCP's role as a peaceful party. In 1958 Nosaka became Chairman of the JCP, a position he held until retirement at the age of 90, after which he was declared Honorary Chairman. Nosaka joined the faculty of Keio University, and he was widely idolized among left-wing intellectuals until shortly before his death, when the fall of the Soviet Union exposed controversial aspects of his relationship with Joseph Stalin's Communist regime.