Hitoshi Goto (後藤 斎, Gotō Hitoshi; born 22 July 1957) is a Japanese politician who served as the governor of Yamanashi…
Hitoshi Goto (後藤 斎, Gotō Hitoshi; born 22 July 1957) is a Japanese politician who served as the governor of Yamanashi Prefecture. He was formerly a Democratic Party member in the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). He resigned from the Democratic Party and the Diet in November 2014 so that he could contest the January 2015 Yamanashi Gubernatorial election as an independent. A native of Kōfu and graduate of Tohoku University with a Bachelor of Economics, he worked at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from 1980 to 1995.
Famous People from Yamanashi Prefecture
Yamanashi Prefecture: 191 people
Hiroshi Moriya (森屋宏, Moriya Hiroshi; born July 21, 1957) is a Japanese politician who is a former member of the House…
Hiroshi Moriya (森屋宏, Moriya Hiroshi; born July 21, 1957) is a Japanese politician who is a former member of the House of Councillors of Japan.
Kazushi Hosaka (保坂 和志, Hosaka Kazushi; born 15 October 1956) is a Japanese writer. He has won the Noma Literary New…
Kazushi Hosaka (保坂 和志, Hosaka Kazushi; born 15 October 1956) is a Japanese writer. He has won the Noma Literary New Face Prize, the Akutagawa Prize, and the Tanizaki Prize.
Susumu Katsumata (勝俣 進, Katsumata Susumu; born February 17, 1956) is a former Japanese football player and manager and…
Susumu Katsumata (勝俣 進, Katsumata Susumu; born February 17, 1956) is a former Japanese football player and manager and politician.
Minoru Sano (佐野 稔, Sano Minoru) (born June 3, 1955) is a Japanese former competitive figure skater. He is the 1977…
Minoru Sano (佐野 稔, Sano Minoru) (born June 3, 1955) is a Japanese former competitive figure skater. He is the 1977 World bronze medalist and a five-time Japanese national champion (1972–76).
Yangji Lee (March 15, 1955 – May 22, 1992) was a Japanese-Korean novelist. She won the Akutagawa Prize for her work…
Yangji Lee (March 15, 1955 – May 22, 1992) was a Japanese-Korean novelist. She won the Akutagawa Prize for her work Yuhi, becoming the second Zainichi Korean to win the prize.
Shun Sugata (菅田 俊, Sugata Shun; born February 17, 1955) is a Japanese actor.
Hiromi Yano (矢野 広美, Yano Hiromi) (born 5 January 1955) is a Japanese volleyball player and Olympic champion. Yano was a…
Hiromi Yano (矢野 広美, Yano Hiromi) (born 5 January 1955) is a Japanese volleyball player and Olympic champion. Yano was a member of the Japanese winning team at the 1976 Olympic games.
Masakazu Suzuki (鈴木 政一, Suzuki Masakazu; born January 1, 1955) is a former Japanese football player and manager who is…
Masakazu Suzuki (鈴木 政一, Suzuki Masakazu; born January 1, 1955) is a former Japanese football player and manager who is currently the assistant coach of the Myanmar national football team.
Sakihito Ozawa (小沢 鋭仁, Ozawa Sakihito; born 31 May 1954) is a Japanese politician and former banker. He was a member of…
Sakihito Ozawa (小沢 鋭仁, Ozawa Sakihito; born 31 May 1954) is a Japanese politician and former banker. He was a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan and previously served as leader of the Vision of Reform party, which he formed in December 2015. A native of Kofu, Yamanashi, he graduated from the University of Tokyo and received a master's degree in political science from Saitama University. Shortly after graduating, he studied economics and policy under Eisuke Sakakibara. Before joining the House of Representatives, he worked at Tokyo Bank and served as an advisor to several lawmakers. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1993 as a member of Morihiro Hosokawa's Japan New Party. He was the Minister of the Environment during Yukio Hatoyama's prime ministership in 2009–2010.
Mariko Hayashi (林 真理子, Hayashi Mariko; born April 1, 1954) is a Japanese writer and chairperson of the Nihon University…
Mariko Hayashi (林 真理子, Hayashi Mariko; born April 1, 1954) is a Japanese writer and chairperson of the Nihon University board of directors. Her awards include the 94th Naoki Prize and the Japanese Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon. Her novels and essays have been widely adapted for television and film, including the 1997 film Fukigen na Kajitsu and the 2018 NHK taiga drama Segodon.
Masataka Nakazawa (born 17 September 1952) is a Japanese researcher in optical communication engineering. He is a…
Masataka Nakazawa (born 17 September 1952) is a Japanese researcher in optical communication engineering. He is a distinguished professor at Tohoku University in Japan. His pioneering work on erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) has made a significant contribution to the development of global long-distance, high-capacity optical fiber network.
Tomokazu Miura (三浦 友和, Miura Tomokazu; born Miura Minoru (三浦 稔) on January 28, 1952) is a Japanese actor.
Tomomi "Tommy" Tsuruta (鶴田 友美, Tsuruta Tomomi; March 25, 1951 – May 12, 2000), better known by his ring name Jumbo…
Tomomi "Tommy" Tsuruta (鶴田 友美, Tsuruta Tomomi; March 25, 1951 – May 12, 2000), better known by his ring name Jumbo Tsuruta (ジャンボ鶴田, Janbo Tsuruta), was a Japanese professional wrestler who wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) for most of his career, and is well known for being the first ever Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, having won the PWF Heavyweight Championship, the NWA United National Championship, and the NWA International Heavyweight Championship, and unifying the three titles. He is also known for being one-half of the first World Tag Team Champions with Yoshiaki Yatsu, having won the NWA International Tag Team Championship and the PWF Tag Team Championship, and unifying the two titles.
Shinji Kazama (born 26 September 1950) is a Japanese motorcyclist who rode to the North and South Poles on motorcycles.…
Shinji Kazama (born 26 September 1950) is a Japanese motorcyclist who rode to the North and South Poles on motorcycles. He is shown in the documentary television series Pole to Pole (1992), presented by Michael Palin, when he and Palin happened to be on the same flight to Patriot Hills Base Camp. As of 2010, Kazama was the only person to have reached both poles on a motorcycle. He reached the North Pole on 21 April 1987, and the South Pole on 3 January 1992. Kazama's trip to the South Pole set an overland speed record for the journey (24 days) which stood until 2005. He also set records for elevations reached on Mount Everest (5,880 metres (19,290 ft) in 1985, 6,005 metres (19,701 ft) in 1986), Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Fuji by motorcycle. In 1982, Kazama became the first Japanese national to finish the Dakar Rally. He won the Dakar Rally in the 500cc class in 1984. In 1987 he won the Rallye des Pharaons in the 250cc class. In 2004, while again participating in the Dakar Rally, Kazama was struck by a big rig, mangling his left leg. He was flown to a hospital in Paris, where the leg was saved, but Kazama was left reliant on a cane to walk. In 2007, Kazama was appointed a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations World Health Organization "Bone and Joint Decade" (2000-2010). In the same year, Kazama undertook The Trans Eurasian Continent Tour, covering 11,250 miles (18,110 km) (from Vladivostok to Cabo da Roca, Portugal) in 52 days. In 2008 and 2009, Kazama drove a Subaru Forester from Alexandria, Egypt, to Cape Town, South Africa, to promote the Bone and Joint Decade. In 2009, he traversed Australia. From May to September 2010, Kazama and three other physically disabled riders journeyed from the South Pole to the North Pole using motorcycles, bicycles, dog sleds and boats, starting off from the southern tip of Chile and finishing in Lund, Sweden.
Eijun Kiyokumo (清雲 栄純, Kiyokumo Eijun; born September 11, 1950) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He…
Eijun Kiyokumo (清雲 栄純, Kiyokumo Eijun; born September 11, 1950) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He played for Japan national team.
Fumihiko Sueki (末木 文美士, Sueki Fumihiko; 1949– ) is a Japanese academic and historian, and one of Japan's leading…
Fumihiko Sueki (末木 文美士, Sueki Fumihiko; 1949– ) is a Japanese academic and historian, and one of Japan's leading scholars of Japanese Buddhism. He is a professor at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (国際日本文化研究センター, Nichibunken) in Kyoto. A member of the advisory board of Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture's Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, he is also a contributor to the journal itself.
Sumika Yamamoto (山本 鈴美香, Yamamoto Sumika) is a Japanese manga artist known for her manga series Ace o Nerae!.
Tsuneo Horiuchi (堀内 恒夫, Horiuchi Tsuneo; born January 16, 1948) is a former professional baseball player in Japan's…
Tsuneo Horiuchi (堀内 恒夫, Horiuchi Tsuneo; born January 16, 1948) is a former professional baseball player in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball and a politician. A right-handed pitcher, in 2008 he was voted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
Terutomo Yamazaki (山崎 照朝, Yamazaki Terutomo; July 31, 1947 – June 22, 2025) was a Japanese karateka from the Kyokushin…
Terutomo Yamazaki (山崎 照朝, Yamazaki Terutomo; July 31, 1947 – June 22, 2025) was a Japanese karateka from the Kyokushin Kaikan (極真会館) and professional lightweight kickboxer. He was the founder of Gyakushin-Kai (逆真会館) and a Director of Karate in Japan. He presided over the International Budo Karate Organization Gyakushin-Kai from the headquarters of the organization (honbu) in Ōmiya-ku, Saitama, Japan. His title as head of the Gyakushin-Kai organization was "Kancho" (Grandmaster - 7th Dan). Yamazaki was the first champion of the All-Japan Full Contact Karate Open Championships in 1969, and made Kyokushin famous through his accomplishments. Because he fought and defeated Muay Thai boxers, he created a reputation for Kyokushin before the First All-Japan Open Full Contact Karate Championships was held. Yamazaki was highly skilled at and an authority on fighting and breaking. When he fought someone, it was usual that he knocked them out without receiving any injuries himself. He was nicknamed "The Genius Karate Fighter" or "The Dragon of Kyokushin", and when he was an active fighter, he was the most popular figure of the time. He showed off his mixed karate and Muai Thai style of fighting at both full contact karate open championships and kickboxing, and was noted internationally as a prominent fighter in karate's history, appearing in Black Belt Magazine in the United States.
Kazuyoshi Miura (Japanese: 三浦 和義, Hepburn: Miura Kazuyoshi; July 27, 1947 – October 10, 2008) was a Japanese…
Kazuyoshi Miura (Japanese: 三浦 和義, Hepburn: Miura Kazuyoshi; July 27, 1947 – October 10, 2008) was a Japanese businessman who was accused of being involved in the killing of his wife, Kazumi Miura. The prolonged legal battle, lasting decades, ended with his death, ruled a suicide, in October 2008.
Toshihiko Shiozawa (Japanese: 塩澤 敏彦) is a Japanese football manager and former footballer.
Hiroshi Nagakubo (長久 保裕, Nagakubo Hiroshi; born December 14, 1946) is a Japanese former figure skating coach and pair…
Hiroshi Nagakubo (長久 保裕, Nagakubo Hiroshi; born December 14, 1946) is a Japanese former figure skating coach and pair skater. With his skating partner, Kotoe Nagasawa, he became a five-time (1967–1971) Japanese national champion and competed at the 1972 Winter Olympics, placing 16th. After retiring from competition, Nagakubo became a coach at the Howa Sports Land Skating Club in the Aichi Prefecture. He ceased coaching on September 3, 2017, due to family circumstances. During his career, his students included: Shizuka Arakawa Ryuju Hino Takeshi Honda Rika Hongo Haruka Imai Yura Matsuda Rin Nitaya Akiko Suzuki. He coached Suzuki from the early 2000s until her retirement in 2014. Sota Yamamoto Yuhana Yokoi
Shin'ichi Ishiwata (石渡 信一, Ishiwata Shin'ichi) is a Japanese scientist, a professor at Waseda University department of…
Shin'ichi Ishiwata (石渡 信一, Ishiwata Shin'ichi) is a Japanese scientist, a professor at Waseda University department of science and engineering physics course. His specialty is biophysics, particularly the mechanism of muscles and motor proteins. Since spectroscopic techniques for studying proteins yielded only averaged characteristics of an ensemble of proteins, he constructed his own research method. He focused on his long-held interest in striated muscle— “how a beautiful structure is self-organized, and how it is related to force-generating function.” Then he tackled the reconstitution of the structure and function of the thin (actin) filaments in striated muscle, especially cardiac muscle, then to defining the mechanism of Spontaneous Oscillatory Contraction (SPOC) of striated muscle that occurs at intermediate activation conditions between full activation and relaxation. It was an important breakthrough regarding a phenomenon that had been “almost completely ignored,” he says. Ishiwata's research interests go beyond the mechanical and physiological import of SPOC to bio-motile systems focusing on the structural and functional hierarchy from single molecules (myosin, kinesin, actin) to macromolecular assemblies (myofibrils, meiotic spindle and cells (cardiac, HeLa, etc.). He expects that the multiplex network of Chemo-Mechanical Feedback (CMF) loops exist over various hierarchical levels. He proposes that the heart is a typical organ in which nano and macro, i.e., mechano-chemical functions of molecular motors and heartbeat, are directly coupled to each other through the CMF loops.
Min Tanaka (田中泯, Tanaka Min; born March 10, 1945) is a Japanese dancer and actor.
Takeshi Hosaka (保坂 武, Hosaka Takeshi; born 1 February 1945) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party…
Takeshi Hosaka (保坂 武, Hosaka Takeshi; born 1 February 1945) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Kai, Yamanashi and high school graduate, he was elected to the town assembly of the town of Ryūō, Shiga in 1977, serving for three terms, and then to the assembly of Yamanashi Prefecture in 1991, serving for, again, three terms. In April 2003, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time as an independent. He represented the 3rd District of Yamanashi Prefecture until 2008.
Takeo Moriyama (森山 威男, Moriyama Takeo; born January 27, 1945 in Katsunuma (present Kōshū) in Yamanashi Prefecture) is a…
Takeo Moriyama (森山 威男, Moriyama Takeo; born January 27, 1945 in Katsunuma (present Kōshū) in Yamanashi Prefecture) is a Japanese jazz drummer. Moriyama played piano as a child before switching to drums in his late teens. He then attended the Tokyo University of the Arts, taking a degree in percussion performance. He joined Yosuke Yamashita's small group in 1967, and went on several international tours with the group until leaving it in 1975. He moved to Nagoya in 1977 and began leading his own groups. In addition to Yamashita he has performed or recorded with Aki Takase, Akira Miyazawa, Fumio Itabashi, Masahiko Satoh, Peter Brötzmann, Nobuyoshi Ino, Takehiro Honda, and Manfred Schoof.
Masanori Murakami (村上 雅則, Murakami Masanori, born May 6, 1944), nicknamed "Mashi", is a Japanese former baseball…
Masanori Murakami (村上 雅則, Murakami Masanori, born May 6, 1944), nicknamed "Mashi", is a Japanese former baseball pitcher. He is notable for being the first Japanese player to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Sent over to the United States by the Nankai Hawks, Murakami saw success as a reliever for the San Francisco Giants, debuting at the age of 20 in 1964. In 1965, he struck out over one batter per inning pitched, posted an ERA under 4 and earned eight saves. Following this season, however, Murakami headed back to the Nankai Hawks due to contractual obligations, where his success continued for another 17 years.
Kunio Yonenaga (米長 邦雄, Yonenaga Kunio; June 10, 1943 – December 18, 2012) was a Japanese professional shogi player and…
Kunio Yonenaga (米長 邦雄, Yonenaga Kunio; June 10, 1943 – December 18, 2012) was a Japanese professional shogi player and president of Japan Shogi Association from May 2005 to December 18, 2012. He received an honorary title Lifetime Kisei due to his remarkable results in the Kisei title tournament. He was a former Meijin and 10-dan.
Shōmei Yokouchi (横内 正明, Yokouchi Shōmei; 2 March 1942 – 21 April 2020) was a Japanese politician. He represented the…
Shōmei Yokouchi (横内 正明, Yokouchi Shōmei; 2 March 1942 – 21 April 2020) was a Japanese politician. He represented the Yamanashi at-large district and later the Yamanashi 3rd district in the House of Representatives in the national Diet from 1993 until 2002 and was governor of Yamanashi Prefecture from 2007 until 2015. He was a graduate of the University of Tokyo Law Department.
Tamae Watanabe (Japanese 渡辺 玉枝, Watanabe Tamae; born 21 November 1938, in Yamanashi Prefecture) is a Japanese mountain…
Tamae Watanabe (Japanese 渡辺 玉枝, Watanabe Tamae; born 21 November 1938, in Yamanashi Prefecture) is a Japanese mountain climber. After completing study at Tsuru University she worked as public office employee of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was at this time, at age 28, she began mountain climbing. In 1977, she climbed Mount McKinley. She then climbed Mont Blanc, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Aconcagua. After her retirement, she returned to her hometown and, in May 2002, she became the then oldest woman to climb Mount Everest. Ten years later, in May 2012, she broke her own record, when she, now at the age of 73, again scaled Mount Everest. The oldest man to summit Everest is also Japanese, Yūichirō Miura. Like Watanabe, he also broke his own record—twice; climbing Everest at ages 70, 75, and 80.
Tsukasa Hosaka (保坂 司, Hosaka Tsukasa; March 3, 1937 – January 21, 2018) was a former Japanese football player and…
Tsukasa Hosaka (保坂 司, Hosaka Tsukasa; March 3, 1937 – January 21, 2018) was a former Japanese football player and manager. He played for Japan national team.
Akio Kashiwagi (柏木昭男, Kashiwagi Akio), also known as "The Warrior", was a Japanese businessman and gambler who was…
Akio Kashiwagi (柏木昭男, Kashiwagi Akio), also known as "The Warrior", was a Japanese businessman and gambler who was known for his extravagant lifestyle and alleged connections to organized crime. In the early 1990s, Kashiwagi gained international notoriety for his high-stakes gambling at casinos in the United States and Australia. He was involved in several publicized incidents, including a dispute with then businessman Donald Trump and with other casinos over his gambling debts. In 1992, Kashiwagi was murdered in his home in Japan. The culprit was never found.
Azuma Koshiishi (輿石 東, Koshiishi Azuma; born 14 May 1936) is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party, a member of…
Azuma Koshiishi (輿石 東, Koshiishi Azuma; born 14 May 1936) is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet, and general secretary of the ruling Democratic Party. A native of Nirasaki, Yamanashi, and graduate of Tsuru University, he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1990, where he served for two terms until 1996 when he failed to be re-elected. He was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1998.
Taizō Nishimuro (西室 泰三, Nishimuro Taizō); 19 December 1935 – 18 October 2017) was a Japanese businessman, the president…
Taizō Nishimuro (西室 泰三, Nishimuro Taizō); 19 December 1935 – 18 October 2017) was a Japanese businessman, the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Japan Post Holdings, a Japanese state-owned conglomerate, the 26th largest company in the world, and a Fortune Global 500 company.
Takahiko Yamamoto (山本 栄彦, Yamamoto Takahiko; September 9, 1935 – April 9, 2023) was a Japanese politician. He served as…
Takahiko Yamamoto (山本 栄彦, Yamamoto Takahiko; September 9, 1935 – April 9, 2023) was a Japanese politician. He served as the governor of Yamanashi Prefecture for one term from February 2003 to February 2007. Prior to that office, he served as Mayor of Kōfu for three terms from 1991 to 2002. Yamamoto graduated from the Faculty of Business at Meiji University. Yamamoto was repeatedly hospitalized in 2022 and 2023. He died in Nirasaki, Yamanashi Prefecture, on the morning of April 9, 2023, at the age of 87.
Satoshi Ōmura (大村 智, Ōmura Satoshi; [oːmɯɾa saꜜtoɕi]; born 12 July 1935) is a Japanese biochemist. He is known for the…
Satoshi Ōmura (大村 智, Ōmura Satoshi; [oːmɯɾa saꜜtoɕi]; born 12 July 1935) is a Japanese biochemist. He is known for the discovery and development of hundreds of pharmaceuticals originally occurring in microorganisms. In 2015 he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Tu Youyou and with William C. Campbell for their role in the discovery of the world's first endectocide, ivermectin, a safe and highly effective microfilaricide. It is believed that the large molecular size of ivermectin prevents it from crossing the blood/aqueous humour barrier, and renders the drug an important treatment of helminthically-derived blindness.
Masae Kasai (河西 昌枝 Kasai Masae, 14 July 1933 – 3 October 2013) was a volleyball player from Japan, who was a member of…
Masae Kasai (河西 昌枝 Kasai Masae, 14 July 1933 – 3 October 2013) was a volleyball player from Japan, who was a member of the Japan Women's National Team, Oriental Witches, that won the gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Masae Kasai was born in Minami-Alps, Yamanashi, and started playing volleyball when the sport was still played with nine players a side in Japan (six are used internationally). She joined the Nichibo fiber spinning company right out of high school, first playing for corporation's Ashikaga (Tochigi) team, later for the one from Kaizuka (Osaka). The latter team dominated the women's sport in the late 1950s and 1960s, and when the Japanese started playing according to international rules, Nichibo Kaizuka's players formed the national team. Kasai and her teammates débuted at the 1960 FIVB World Championship in Brazil, finishing behind the Soviet Union. Two years later, the Japanese won the World Championship title, defeating the Soviet squad before a Moscow audience. When volleyball made its Olympic début in Tokyo, they lived up to high expectations by again beating the Soviet Union in the final round-robin match, in straight sets. After the Olympics, team captain Kasai met with the Japanese prime minister and complained to him that she had not been able to find a husband because of the difficult training regimen. The Prime Minister set her up with a date and the two later married. She later went on to become a volleyball coach in Japan and China, and sat on the board of the Japanese Volleyball Association. In 2008, Kasai was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
Eiichi Nakao (中尾 栄一, Nakao Eiichi; 27 January 1930 – 18 November 2018) was a Japanese politician.
Mitsuo Horiuchi (Japanese: 堀内 光雄, Hepburn: Horiuchi Mitsuo; 1 January 1930 – 16 May 2016) was a Japanese politician of…
Mitsuo Horiuchi (Japanese: 堀内 光雄, Hepburn: Horiuchi Mitsuo; 1 January 1930 – 16 May 2016) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Misaka, Yamanashi and graduate of Keio University, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1976. He joined Sosuke Uno's cabinet as the Minister of Labour.
Yoshihiko Amino (Japanese: 網野 善彦, Hepburn: Amino Yoshihiko; January 22, 1928 – February 27, 2004) was a Japanese…
Yoshihiko Amino (Japanese: 網野 善彦, Hepburn: Amino Yoshihiko; January 22, 1928 – February 27, 2004) was a Japanese Marxist historian and public intellectual, perhaps most singularly known for his novel examination of medieval Japanese history. Although little of Amino's work has been published in the West, Japanese writers and historians of Japan regard Amino as one of the most important Japanese historians of the twentieth century. Some of Amino's findings are now available in English, in a very lively and personal account of how he came to reverse many conventional ideas about Japanese history.
Shintaro Tsuji (辻 信太郎, Tsuji Shintarō; born December 7, 1927) is a Japanese entrepreneur and former civil servant. He…
Shintaro Tsuji (辻 信太郎, Tsuji Shintarō; born December 7, 1927) is a Japanese entrepreneur and former civil servant. He is the founder and former-president of Sanrio, a merchandise company known for its characters, including Hello Kitty.
Yoshio Tsuchiya (土屋 嘉男, Tsuchiya Yoshio; May 18, 1927 – February 8, 2017) was a Japanese actor. He appeared in such…
Yoshio Tsuchiya (土屋 嘉男, Tsuchiya Yoshio; May 18, 1927 – February 8, 2017) was a Japanese actor. He appeared in such films as Toshio Matsumoto's surreal Funeral Parade of Roses and Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and Red Beard, and Kihachi Okamoto's Kill!. He had a long-standing interest in UFOs and wrote several books on the subject. He preferred starring in science fiction films, usually as aliens, or people possessed by them, in such films as Battle in Outer Space, Monster Zero, and Destroy All Monsters.
Yoshio Iimuro (飯室 芳男, Iimuro Yoshio; 18 January 1925 – October 2023) was a Japanese triple jumper who competed in the…
Yoshio Iimuro (飯室 芳男, Iimuro Yoshio; 18 January 1925 – October 2023) was a Japanese triple jumper who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics. Iimuro died in October 2023, at the age of 98.
Yasuzō Masumura (増村 保造, Masumura Yasuzō; 25 August 1924 – 23 November 1986) was a Japanese film director.
Ryuta Iida (Japanese: 飯田 龍太, Hepburn: Iida Ryūta; July 10, 1920 – February 25, 2007) was a haiku poet from Yamanashi…
Ryuta Iida (Japanese: 飯田 龍太, Hepburn: Iida Ryūta; July 10, 1920 – February 25, 2007) was a haiku poet from Yamanashi Prefecture, the son of the haiku poet Dakotsu Iida.
Shin Kanemaru (金丸 信, Kanemaru Shin; 17 September 1914 – 28 March 1996) was a Japanese politician who was a significant…
Shin Kanemaru (金丸 信, Kanemaru Shin; 17 September 1914 – 28 March 1996) was a Japanese politician who was a significant figure in the political arena of Japan from the 1970s to the early 1990s. He was also Director General of the Japan Defense Agency from 1977 to 1978.
Torao Kurakane (倉金 虎雄, Kurakane Torao; February 13, 1914 – August 25, 1973), pen name Shosuke Kurakane (倉金章介, Kurakane…
Torao Kurakane (倉金 虎雄, Kurakane Torao; February 13, 1914 – August 25, 1973), pen name Shosuke Kurakane (倉金章介, Kurakane Shōsuke) was a Japanese manga artist. He wrote many works that has been turned into anime, TV drama, and movie but is especially known for Anmitsuhime (あんみつ姫) which was turned into all three. His second best known work, Tentenmusume (てんてん娘), was made into a movie on 1956 with Mariko Miyagi as the heroine and on 1984, it was made into a TV drama with Mayumi Hara in the same role.
Shichirō Fukazawa (深沢 七郎, Fukazawa Shichirō; January 29, 1914 – August 18, 1987) was a Japanese author and guitarist…
Shichirō Fukazawa (深沢 七郎, Fukazawa Shichirō; January 29, 1914 – August 18, 1987) was a Japanese author and guitarist whose 1960 short story Fūryū mutan ("Tale of an Elegant Dream") caused a nationwide uproar and prompted an assassination attempt of the president of the magazine that published it.
Ryūzō Kikushima (菊島 隆三, Kikushima Ryūzō; 1 March 1914 – 18 March 1989) was a Japanese screenwriter and film producer…
Ryūzō Kikushima (菊島 隆三, Kikushima Ryūzō; 1 March 1914 – 18 March 1989) was a Japanese screenwriter and film producer who is best known for co-writing the screenplays for several films directed by Akira Kurosawa, including Throne of Blood (1957), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Yojimbo (1961), and High and Low (1963). He also produced several of Kurosawa's films in the early 1960s. In addition to his work with Kurosawa, he wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for Arashi (1956); The Three Treasures (1959); When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960), for which he also was a producer; and Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970). In 2013, Kikushima and frequent screenwriting collaborators Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni were awarded the Jean Renoir Award by the Writers Guild of America West.