Yoshio Sakurauchi (櫻内 義雄, Sakurauchi Yoshio; 8 May 1912 – 5 July 2003) was a Japanese politician and a significant…Yoshio Sakurauchi (櫻内 義雄, Sakurauchi Yoshio; 8 May 1912 – 5 July 2003) was a Japanese politician and a significant member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He was speaker of the House of Representatives of which he was a member for 53 years.
Toshiaki Okamura (岡村 俊昭; 4 May 1912 – 25 January 1996), also known as Yeh Tien-sung (Chinese: 葉天送; Wade–Giles: Yeh4…Toshiaki Okamura (岡村 俊昭; 4 May 1912 – 25 January 1996), also known as Yeh Tien-sung (Chinese: 葉天送; Wade–Giles: Yeh4 Tien1-sung4), was a Taiwanese baseball outfielder who played for the Nankai Hawks of the Japanese Baseball League (JBL) from 1939 to 1949.
Shigeko Kagawa (28 May 1911 – 27 August 2026) was a Japanese supercentenarian who was Japan's oldest living person from…Shigeko Kagawa (28 May 1911 – 27 August 2026) was a Japanese supercentenarian who was Japan's oldest living person from the death of Miyoko Hiroyasu on 29 July 2025 until her death on 27 August 2026.
Minoru Kawabata (川端実, Kawabata Minoru; born on May 22, 1911, died on June 29, 2001) was a Japanese artist. Kawabata is…Minoru Kawabata (川端実, Kawabata Minoru; born on May 22, 1911, died on June 29, 2001) was a Japanese artist. Kawabata is best known for his color field paintings. Between 1960 and 1981, Kawabata had 11 solo shows at the prominent Betty Parsons Gallery in New York. At the 31st Venice Biennale in 1962, Kawabata’s work was exhibited in the Japan Pavilion alongside that of four other Japanese artists. Kawabata has had solo exhibitions at the Everson Museum of Art in 1974, the Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura in 1975, the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto and Ohara Museum of Art in 1992, and Yokosuka Museum of Art in 2011. Kawabata’s works are in the collection of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Artizon Museum, Everson Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, the Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura & Hayama, the Museum of Modern Art, São Paulo, the National Museum of Art, Osaka, the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, the Newark Museum of Art, Ohara Museum of Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokosuka Museum of Art, among others.
Tanie Kitabayashi (北林谷栄, Kitabayashi Tanie; May 21, 1911 – April 27, 2010) was a Japanese actress and voice actress.…Tanie Kitabayashi (北林谷栄, Kitabayashi Tanie; May 21, 1911 – April 27, 2010) was a Japanese actress and voice actress. Born Reiko Ando in Tokyo, she began as a stage actress. Kitabayashi was a founding member of the famed Mingei Theatre Company, founded in 1950. Early in her career, she became well known for portraying older women. In 1960, she won best actress awards at the 10th Blue Ribbon Awards and at the Mainichi Film Awards for Kiku to Isamu. She also won the Japan Academy Prize for best actress in Rainbow Kids (1991), a film that also earned her honors from the Mainichi Film Awards and from Kinema Junpo. She died on April 27, 2010, of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital. She was 98.
Toshiko Karasawa (Japanese: 柄沢とし子; 7 May 1911 – 2 December 2013) was a Japanese politician for the Japanese Communist…Toshiko Karasawa (Japanese: 柄沢とし子; 7 May 1911 – 2 December 2013) was a Japanese politician for the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) and labor activist. Born in Sapporo on the island Hokkaido, Karasawa graduated from Sapporo Kita High School in 1929, and served two terms as a representative for her party for the House of Representatives, in 1946 and 1949, before retiring soon after. Karasawa died of natural causes on 2 December 2013, aged 102, at a health care facility in Toyama, Toyama.
Ishirō Honda (Japanese: 本多 猪(い)四(し)郎(ろう), Hepburn: Honda Ishirō; 7 May 1911 – 28 February 1993) was a Japanese…Ishirō Honda (Japanese: 本多 猪(い)四(し)郎(ろう), Hepburn: Honda Ishirō; 7 May 1911 – 28 February 1993) was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 46 feature films in a career spanning five decades. He is acknowledged as the most internationally successful Japanese filmmaker prior to Hayao Miyazaki and one of the founders of modern disaster film, with his films having a significant influence on the film industry. Despite directing many drama, war, documentary, and comedy films, Honda is best remembered for directing and co-creating the kaiju genre with special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya. Honda entered the Japanese film industry in 1934, working as the third assistant director on Sotoji Kimura's The Elderly Commoner's Life Study. After 15 years of working on numerous films as an assistant director, he made his directorial debut with the short documentary film Ise-Shima (1949). Honda's first feature film, The Blue Pearl (1952), was a critical success in Japan at the time and would lead him to direct three subsequent drama films. In 1954, Honda directed and co-wrote Godzilla, which became a box office success in Japan and was nominated for two Japanese Movie Association awards. Because of the film's commercial success in Japan, it spawned a multimedia franchise, recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest-running film franchise in history, that established the kaiju and tokusatsu genres. It helped Honda gain international recognition and led him to direct numerous tokusatsu films that are still studied and watched today. After directing his eighth and final Godzilla film in 1975, Honda retired from filmmaking. However, Honda's former colleague and friend, Akira Kurosawa, would persuade him to come out of retirement in the late 1970s and act as his right-hand man for his last five films.
Ichiko Teiji (市古 貞次, 1934–2004) was a Japanese literary medievalist and University of Tokyo professor. He is best known…Ichiko Teiji (市古 貞次, 1934–2004) was a Japanese literary medievalist and University of Tokyo professor. He is best known for his research on otogi-zoshi. He was the first director of the National Institute of Japanese Literature and received an Order of Culture in 1990.
Satoshi Watanabe (渡辺 慧, Watanabe Satoshi; 26 May 1910 – 15 October 1993) was a theoretical physicist. He studied…Satoshi Watanabe (渡辺 慧, Watanabe Satoshi; 26 May 1910 – 15 October 1993) was a theoretical physicist. He studied various topics, such as the time reversal of quantum mechanics, pattern recognition, cognitive science, and the concept of time. He was the first physicist who claimed that quantum probability theory is time-asymmetric (irreversible; non-invariant under time reversal), and reject the conventional analysis of the time reversal of probability laws. He developed the Double Inferential Vector Formalism (DIVF), later known as the Two-state vector formalism (TSVF), which is sometimes interpreted as contradicting his claim of time-asymmetry, but this is a misunderstanding. He also proposed the Ugly duckling theorem.
Count Higashifushimi Kunihide (東伏見 邦英; 16 May 1910 – 1 January 2014) was the titular head of the…Count Higashifushimi Kunihide (東伏見 邦英; 16 May 1910 – 1 January 2014) was the titular head of the Higashifushimi-no-miya, an extinct branch of the Imperial House of Japan, and a Buddhist monk. He was the youngest brother of Empress Kōjun and was the maternal uncle of Emperor Emeritus Akihito. If he had kept his Imperial status, at the time of his death, at age 103, he would have been the longest-lived member, of the Imperial House of Japan. His Dharma name was Jigō (慈洽).
Yoshio Sakai (Japanese: 酒井義雄, born May 2, 1910 – ?) was a Japanese field hockey player who competed in the 1932 Summer…Yoshio Sakai (Japanese: 酒井義雄, born May 2, 1910 – ?) was a Japanese field hockey player who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics and in the 1936 Summer Olympics. In 1932 he was a member of the Japanese field hockey team, which won the silver medal. In the 1936 tournament he played all three matches as halfback for the Japanese field hockey team, when they were eliminated after the group stage. He was born in Tokyo, Japan.
Kim Nae-seong (Korean: 김내성; May 29, 1909 – February 19, 1957) was a Korean writer. He graduated from the German…Kim Nae-seong (Korean: 김내성; May 29, 1909 – February 19, 1957) was a Korean writer. He graduated from the German literature course at Waseda University in Tokyo. He later moved to Seoul in what is today South Korea and made his debut in 1939 with The Demon Man, published in The Chosun Ilbo. He later worked on detective novels such as The White Mask and The White Tower. An unparalleled mystery fiction writer in colonial Korea, he was praised for his meticulously designed narratives and foreshadowing. As a writer of popular novels, he thought deeply on the mass appeal of literature and was active as a radio script writer after Korea's liberation from the Japanese rule. Ttolttoriui moheom (똘똘이의 모험, Ttolttori’s Adventure), penned and designed by Kim, was the first Korean children's drama, which also signaled the beginning of radio drama series. Beginning in 1949, his masterpiece Story of the Youth was published in serial form in the Hankook Ilbo. Many of his works were turned into TV shows and films. While working on The Star of Lost Paradise, which was serialized in the Kyunghyang Shinmun, he died of apoplexy in 1957.
Tadaharu Nakano (中野忠晴, Nakano Tadaharu; May 27, 1909 – February 19, 1970) was a popular Japanese baritone singer of…Tadaharu Nakano (中野忠晴, Nakano Tadaharu; May 27, 1909 – February 19, 1970) was a popular Japanese baritone singer of jazz and ryūkōka in Shōwa era Japan.
Ryūichi Yokoyama (Yokoyama Ryūichi (横山 隆一); May 17, 1909 – November 8, 2001) was a Japanese mangaka and animation…Ryūichi Yokoyama (Yokoyama Ryūichi (横山 隆一); May 17, 1909 – November 8, 2001) was a Japanese mangaka and animation director. He has created very successful yonkoma comic strips since the 1930s.
Shirō Hattori (服部四郎, Hattori Shirō; May 29, 1908 – January 29, 1995) was a Japanese academic and writer. Born in…Shirō Hattori (服部四郎, Hattori Shirō; May 29, 1908 – January 29, 1995) was a Japanese academic and writer. Born in Kameyama, Mie, Hattori was a linguist known particularly for his work on premodern Japanese and Japonic languages and the Ainu language. He was a professor at the University of Tokyo.
Misao Ono (小野 操, Ono Misao; born 27 May 1908, date of death unknown) was a Japanese track and field athlete. He…Misao Ono (小野 操, Ono Misao; born 27 May 1908, date of death unknown) was a Japanese track and field athlete. He competed in the men's high jump at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Tomiko Itooka (née Yano; Japanese: 糸岡 富子, romanized: Itooka Tomiko; 23 May 1908 – 29 December 2024) was a Japanese…Tomiko Itooka (née Yano; Japanese: 糸岡 富子, romanized: Itooka Tomiko; 23 May 1908 – 29 December 2024) was a Japanese supercentenarian who was recognized as the world's oldest verified living person in September 2024. She managed her family's textile business during World War II and lived to the age of 116 years and 220 days.
Tatsuzo Fujita (藤田 辰三, Fujita Tatsuzō; born 19 May 1908, date of death unknown) was a Japanese hurdler. He competed in…Tatsuzo Fujita (藤田 辰三, Fujita Tatsuzō; born 19 May 1908, date of death unknown) was a Japanese hurdler. He competed in the men's 110 metres hurdles at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Motonari Iguchi 井口 基成 (Iguchi Motonari) (17 May 1908, in Tokyo – 29 September 1983, in Tokyo) was a Japanese pianist…Motonari Iguchi 井口 基成 (Iguchi Motonari) (17 May 1908, in Tokyo – 29 September 1983, in Tokyo) was a Japanese pianist and educator.
Akira Watanabe (Japanese: 渡辺 明, Hepburn: Watanabe Akira; May 13, 1908 – 1999) was a Japanese special effects art…Akira Watanabe (Japanese: 渡辺 明, Hepburn: Watanabe Akira; May 13, 1908 – 1999) was a Japanese special effects art director who worked on 38 films in a career spanning 25 years.
Yasuo Kawamura (Japanese: 河村 泰男; 7 May 1908 – 13 October 1997) was a Japanese speed skater who competed in the 1932 and…Yasuo Kawamura (Japanese: 河村 泰男; 7 May 1908 – 13 October 1997) was a Japanese speed skater who competed in the 1932 and 1936 Winter Olympics. In 1932 he participated in the 500 metres competition, in the 1500 metres event, in the 5000 metres competition, and in the 10000 metres event, but was eliminated in the heats in all four contests. Four years later he finished 28th in the 1500 metres competition.
Lieutenant Colonel Inaba Masao (稲葉 正夫, Inaba Masao; May 1, 1908 - October 10, 1973) was a Japanese officer during World…Lieutenant Colonel Inaba Masao (稲葉 正夫, Inaba Masao; May 1, 1908 - October 10, 1973) was a Japanese officer during World War II of the Military Affairs Bureau. In 1945, after the Emperor and his ministers were seeking to surrender, he urged Korechika Anami, the War Minister, that the soldiers be told to keep fighting, especially with the Soviet Union massing its forces. He prepared a statement urging soldiers to fight to the bitter end, without reference to surrender. Two lieutenant colonels, one of them Masahiko Takeshita, came to tell him that the Cabinet was about to issue a statement hinting at surrender, and they hastened to broadcast his message without Anami's approval. The Director of the Information Bureau, Hiroshi Shimomura, concluded that without its broadcast, Anami might be assassinated by younger officers, and so broadcast it. This caused consternation in the government, which feared that his statement would provoke a third atomic bomb, and arranged for the message to be sent as a news broadcast, in English and Morse code, to escape military censors and so arrive in time. When the Kyūjō Incident was plotted, to prevent the emperor's declaration of surrender from being broadcast, Inaba refused to join the conspiracy and told the conspirators that the attempt was useless.
Yoshiko Kawashima (川島 芳子, Kawashima Yoshiko; 24 May 1907 – 25 March 1948), born Aisin Gioro Xianzi (愛新覺羅 · 顯㺭), was a…Yoshiko Kawashima (川島 芳子, Kawashima Yoshiko; 24 May 1907 – 25 March 1948), born Aisin Gioro Xianzi (愛新覺羅 · 顯㺭), was a Qing dynasty royal, part of the Aisin Gioro clan. Kawashima was raised in Japan and served as a spy for the Japanese Kwantung Army and Manchukuo during the Second Sino-Japanese War, and is sometimes known in fiction under the pseudonym "Eastern Mata Hari". After the war, Kawashima was captured, sentenced, and executed as a traitor by the Nationalist government of the Republic of China. Kawashima is also a notable descendant of Hooge, eldest son of Hong Taiji.
Tadashi Sasaki (佐々木 直, Sasaki Tadashi; 5 May 1907 – 7 July 1988) was a Japanese central banker, and 22nd Governor of…Tadashi Sasaki (佐々木 直, Sasaki Tadashi; 5 May 1907 – 7 July 1988) was a Japanese central banker, and 22nd Governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ).
Yasushi Inoue (井上靖, Inoue Yasushi; May 6, 1907 – January 29, 1991) was a Japanese writer of novels, short stories…Yasushi Inoue (井上靖, Inoue Yasushi; May 6, 1907 – January 29, 1991) was a Japanese writer of novels, short stories, poetry and essays, noted for his historical and autobiographical fiction. His most acclaimed works include The Bullfight (Tōgyū, 1949), The Roof Tile of Tempyō (Tenpyō no iraka, 1957) and Tun-huang (Tonkō, 1959).
Yoritsune Matsudaira (松平 頼則, Matsudaira Yoritsune; May 5, 1907, Tokyo, Japan – October 25 or October 30, 2001 in Tokyo…Yoritsune Matsudaira (松平 頼則, Matsudaira Yoritsune; May 5, 1907, Tokyo, Japan – October 25 or October 30, 2001 in Tokyo, Japan) was a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music. Matsudaira was descended, on his father's side of the family, from the Matsudaira clan, related to the Tokugawa clan who ruled Japan as shōgun during the Edo period (specifically from the branch of the family which was enfeoffed at the Hitachi-Fuchū Domain), and on his mother's side of the family from the Fujiwara clan, who were court regents from the 7th to the 12th centuries. His style was influenced by gagaku, the ancient court music of Japan. His music has been frequently performed in Europe. His eldest son, Yoriaki (Yori'Aki) Matsudaira (松平 頼暁) was also a composer.
Hisao Ōtsuka (大塚 久雄, Ōtsuka Hisao; 3 May 1907 – 9 July 1996) was a Japanese historian, founder of an influential…Hisao Ōtsuka (大塚 久雄, Ōtsuka Hisao; 3 May 1907 – 9 July 1996) was a Japanese historian, founder of an influential historiographic school in postwar Japan known as the Ōtsuka Historical School (大塚史学, Ōtsuka shigaku).
Tomokazu Murakami (Japanese: 村上朝一; May 25, 1906 – February 13, 1987) was the 6th Chief Justice of Japan (1973–1976). He…Tomokazu Murakami (Japanese: 村上朝一; May 25, 1906 – February 13, 1987) was the 6th Chief Justice of Japan (1973–1976). He was a graduate of the University of Tokyo. He was a recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun. He was born in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Tamao Shiwaku (塩飽 玉男, May 12, 1906 – December 15, 1990) was a Japanese runner. He competed at the 1936 Olympics in the…Tamao Shiwaku (塩飽 玉男, May 12, 1906 – December 15, 1990) was a Japanese runner. He competed at the 1936 Olympics in the marathon but did not finish the race. He died in Sakaide, Kagawa on December 15, 1990.
Eisuke Yoshiyuki (吉行 エイスケ, Yoshiyuki Eisuke; May 10, 1906 – July 8, 1940) was a Japanese author. He was born in Okayama…Eisuke Yoshiyuki (吉行 エイスケ, Yoshiyuki Eisuke; May 10, 1906 – July 8, 1940) was a Japanese author. He was born in Okayama Prefecture. His son, Junnosuke Yoshiyuki, was also a noted author; his daughter, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, a well-known actress; and his other daughter, Rie Yoshiyuki, was a poet and novelist. The 1997 NHK Asadora Aguri was based on Eisuke's life with his wife Aguri. He also took a role in the Japanese Dada Movement.
Suda Kokuta (Japanese: 須田 剋太; 1 May 1906 – 14 July 1990) was a Japanese artist of the 20th century. He is known for his…Suda Kokuta (Japanese: 須田 剋太; 1 May 1906 – 14 July 1990) was a Japanese artist of the 20th century. He is known for his paintings and calligraphy.
Heinrich Dumoulin, S.J. (31 May 1905 – 21 July 1995) was a Jesuit theologian, a widely published author on Zen, and a…Heinrich Dumoulin, S.J. (31 May 1905 – 21 July 1995) was a Jesuit theologian, a widely published author on Zen, and a professor of philosophy and history at Sophia University in Tokyo, where he was Professor Emeritus. He was the founder of its Institute for Oriental Religions, as well as the first director of the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture.
Shinzo Hamai (浜井 信三, Hamai Shinzō; 28 May 1905 – 26 February 1968) was a Japanese politician who served as the first…Shinzo Hamai (浜井 信三, Hamai Shinzō; 28 May 1905 – 26 February 1968) was a Japanese politician who served as the first popularly elected Mayor of Hiroshima from 1947 to 1955 and again from 1959 to 1967. He created Hiroshima's image as a city of peace. He was the second mayor of Hiroshima to serve several non-consecutive terms, the first being Sukeyuki Ban.
Sada Abe (阿部 定, Abe Sada; born May 28, 1905; disappeared 1970) was a Japanese geisha and prostitute who murdered her…Sada Abe (阿部 定, Abe Sada; born May 28, 1905; disappeared 1970) was a Japanese geisha and prostitute who murdered her lover, Kichizō Ishida (石田 吉蔵), via strangulation on May 18, 1936, before cutting off his penis and testicles and carrying them around with her in her kimono. The story became a national sensation in Japan, acquiring mythic overtones; it has also been interpreted by artists, philosophers, novelists and filmmakers. Abe was released after serving five years in prison and went on to write an autobiography.
Shunryu Suzuki (鈴木 俊隆 Suzuki Shunryū, dharma name Shōgaku Shunryū 祥岳俊隆, often called Suzuki Roshi; May 18, 1904 –…Shunryu Suzuki (鈴木 俊隆 Suzuki Shunryū, dharma name Shōgaku Shunryū 祥岳俊隆, often called Suzuki Roshi; May 18, 1904 – December 4, 1971) was a Sōtō Zen monk and teacher who helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the United States, and is renowned for founding the first Zen Buddhist monastery outside Asia (Tassajara Zen Mountain Center). Suzuki founded San Francisco Zen Center which, along with its affiliate temples, comprises one of the most influential Zen organizations in the United States. A book of his teachings, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, is one of the most popular books on Zen and Buddhism in the West.
Kunio Maekawa (前川 國男, Maekawa Kunio; 14 May 1905 – 26 June 1986) was a Japanese architect and a key figure of modernism…Kunio Maekawa (前川 國男, Maekawa Kunio; 14 May 1905 – 26 June 1986) was a Japanese architect and a key figure of modernism in post-war Japan. After early stints in the studios of Le Corbusier and Antonin Raymond, Maekawa began to articulate his architectural language after establishing his firm in 1935, maintaining a continuous tension between Japanese traditional design and European architectural modernism throughout his career. Firmly insistent that both civic and vernacular architecture should be rendered through a modernist lens appropriate to the contemporary lifestyle of the Japanese people, Maekawa's early work and competition entries consistently pushed back against the dominant Imperial Crown Style. His post-war prefab housing projects borrowed from manufacturing strategies in the automotive industry to create houses that privileged light, ventilation, and openness against the feudal hierarchical principles perpetuated by the interior divisions found in traditional Japanese homes. He is particularly known for his designs of the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan and the National Museum of Modern Art, as well as the Tokyo Kaijo Building, a 25-story tall skyscraper that became the flashpoint for the bikan ronso debates in 1970s Tokyo surrounding urban beautification and building height regulation. Many noted modernist architects began their careers in Maekawa's office, including Kenzō Tange and Miho Hamaguchi. His home (and one-time office), which he designed and completed in 1942, has been preserved and permanently installed in the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum.
Chirū Yamanaka (山中 散生, Yamanaka Chirū) (7 May 1905 – 11 September 1977), born Toshiyuki Yamanaka and also known as…Chirū Yamanaka (山中 散生, Yamanaka Chirū) (7 May 1905 – 11 September 1977), born Toshiyuki Yamanaka and also known as Tiroux Yamanaka, was a Japanese poet, critic, translator, and editor who played a central role in introducing Surrealism to Japan. Working in Nagoya during the interwar years, he founded the avant-garde poetry magazine CINÉ in 1929 and established direct contacts with European Surrealists including Paul Éluard and André Breton. In 1937, Yamanaka and Shūzō Takiguchi organized the touring Kaigai Chōgenjitsushugi Sakuhinten (Exhibition of Overseas Surrealist Works), with assistance from European Surrealists including Éluard, Georges Hugnet, and Roland Penrose. Breton and Éluard's 1938 Dictionnaire abrégé du surréalisme listed Yamanaka as a Surrealist poet and writer and identified him as a promoter of the movement in Japan. Yamanaka was also active in Nagoya's avant-garde circles in the late 1930s. He helped establish the Nagoya Avant-Garde Club and the Nagoya Photo Avant-Garde, where he introduced fellow members to recent developments in Surrealism abroad. He was closely involved with Yoru no Funsui (夜の噴水, The Night's Fountain), a Surrealist poetry magazine founded by the poet and photographer Kansuke Yamamoto in Nagoya in 1938, and later published a poetry collection of his own under the same title in 1963. He continued to publish poetry and criticism after the Second World War, as well as books on the history of Surrealism and Dada.
Mitio (Michio) Nagumo (Japanese: 南雲 道夫; May 7, 1905 – February 6, 1995) was a Japanese mathematician, who specialized…Mitio (Michio) Nagumo (Japanese: 南雲 道夫; May 7, 1905 – February 6, 1995) was a Japanese mathematician, who specialized in the theory of differential equations. He gave the first necessary and sufficient condition for positive invariance of closed sets under the flow induced by ordinary differential equations (Nagumo/Bony-Brezis theorem).
Chūhei Nambu (南部 忠平, Nanbu Chūhei; May 27, 1904 – July 23, 1997) was a Japanese track and field athlete. As of 2024, he…Chūhei Nambu (南部 忠平, Nanbu Chūhei; May 27, 1904 – July 23, 1997) was a Japanese track and field athlete. As of 2024, he is the only person to have held world records in both the long jump and the triple jump.
Chishū Ryū (笠 智衆, Ryū Chishū; May 13, 1904 – March 16, 1993) was a Japanese actor, whose career spanned 65 years and…Chishū Ryū (笠 智衆, Ryū Chishū; May 13, 1904 – March 16, 1993) was a Japanese actor, whose career spanned 65 years and over 230 film and television productions. He was best known for his collaborations with director Yasujirō Ozu, whom he worked with on at least 32 films.
Yoshishige Saitō (斎藤義重, Saitō Yoshishige, also Saitō Gijū or Saito Ghiju, May 4, 1904, in Hirosaki – June 13, 2001, in…Yoshishige Saitō (斎藤義重, Saitō Yoshishige, also Saitō Gijū or Saito Ghiju, May 4, 1904, in Hirosaki – June 13, 2001, in Yokohama) was a Japanese visual artist and art educator. Saitō was a seminal figure in Japanese art of the 20th century and a crucial link between the prewar avant-garde and postwar abstract art in Japan. From early on, he was exposed to Post-Impressionism and the avant-garde movements, including Russian constructivism and European Dada, as well as Western literature and Marxism. In the 1930s, he became active in the avant-garde art circles, while pursuing abstraction in paintings and wood reliefs, most notably the relief series of Kara kara and Toro Wood. All of his prewar works and related materials were lost to an air-raid fire in 1945, some of them were reconstructed in the 1970s. In the immediate postwar years, Saitō's return to art was slow, but by 1957, he established himself again in the art world as a prominent abstract artist. His painting imbued with a great sense of formalism was first followed by his "drill paintings" during the Informel period and then by the return to wood reliefs, which would later lead to large-scale "spatial constructions" made of painted plywood in the 1980s. In these works in wood, he critically engaged with the issues of painting, while exploring the potential of mundane plywood to construct spaces. As a professor at the Tama Art University and the Tokyo School of Art, Saitō inspired a great number of art students, especially the future artists of the Mono-ha movement.
Gotō Toshio (後藤寿夫; 30 May 1903 – 9 October 1975), known by his pen name Hayashi Fusao (林 房雄), was a Japanese novelist…Gotō Toshio (後藤寿夫; 30 May 1903 – 9 October 1975), known by his pen name Hayashi Fusao (林 房雄), was a Japanese novelist and literary critic in Shōwa period Japan. He is known for his early works in the proletarian literature movement, although he later became an ultranationalist. He also used the alias Shirai Akira.
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.
Tsune Sakai (Japanese: 酒井 恒, May 19, 1903 – February 22, 1986) was a Japanese zoologist known for his research on…Tsune Sakai (Japanese: 酒井 恒, May 19, 1903 – February 22, 1986) was a Japanese zoologist known for his research on crabs. He was a professor at Yokohama National University and served as the first president of the Carcinological Society of Japan.
Shinpei Kusano (草野心平, Kusano Shinpei, 12 May 1903 – 12 November 1988) was a Japanese poet. He was born in Iwaki…Shinpei Kusano (草野心平, Kusano Shinpei, 12 May 1903 – 12 November 1988) was a Japanese poet. He was born in Iwaki, Fukushima. He was a member of the Japan Art Academy, a Person of Cultural Merit, and a recipient of the Order of Culture. After dropping out of Keio University, he studied art at Lingnan University in Guangdong, China, and published "The Hundredth Grade" in 1928, and joined "Rekitei", a poetry magazine founded by Itzumi Naokichi in 1935. Later, he became an advisor to the propaganda department of the Wang Zhaoming government in the Japanese puppet regime of Nanjing. Some critics have pointed out the influence of the regime's ideology in "Fuji" (1943), which was published in Nanjing. After the war, he republished "Rekitei" and trained many poets and loved frogs.
Yukiharu Miki (三木 行治, Miki Yukiharu; 1 May 1903 – 21 September 1964) was a Japanese physician and politician. He served…Yukiharu Miki (三木 行治, Miki Yukiharu; 1 May 1903 – 21 September 1964) was a Japanese physician and politician. He served as Governor for the Okayama Prefecture from 3 May 1951 until his death on 21 September 1964. During his period as governor, the prefecture went through considerable modernisation, becoming an important industrial district. Yukiharu Miki was awarded the 1964 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service.
Wataru Kaji (鹿地 亘, Kaji Wataru; 1 May 1903 – 26/27 July 1982) was the nom de guerre for Mitsugi Seguchi (瀬口 貢, Seguchi…Wataru Kaji (鹿地 亘, Kaji Wataru; 1 May 1903 – 26/27 July 1982) was the nom de guerre for Mitsugi Seguchi (瀬口 貢, Seguchi Mitsugi), a Japanese writer, literary critic, and political activist. During his lifetime, he worked as an anti-militarist activist in pre-war Japan, and, after the outbreak of World War II, joined the Chinese resistance to Imperial Japan. After the war, he would be kidnapped and tortured by US intelligence under suspicion of being a Soviet spy.
Seishi Yokomizo (Japanese: 横溝 正史, Hepburn: Yokomizo Seishi; 24 May 1902 – 28 December 1981) was a Japanese mystery…Seishi Yokomizo (Japanese: 横溝 正史, Hepburn: Yokomizo Seishi; 24 May 1902 – 28 December 1981) was a Japanese mystery novelist, known for creating the fictional detective Kosuke Kindaichi.