Isao Takahata (高畑 勲, Takahata Isao; October 29, 1935 – April 5, 2018) was a Japanese director, screenwriter and…
Isao Takahata (高畑 勲, Takahata Isao; October 29, 1935 – April 5, 2018) was a Japanese director, screenwriter and producer. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he earned international critical acclaim for his work as a director of Japanese animated feature films. Born in Ujiyamada, Mie Prefecture, Takahata joined Toei Animation after graduating from the University of Tokyo in 1959. He worked as an assistant director, holding various positions over the years and eventually directing his own film, The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun (1968). Under Nippon Animation he directed the television series Heidi, Girl of the Alps (1974), 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother (1976), and Anne of Green Gables (1979). He also collaborated with colleague Hayao Miyazaki on Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) and Castle in the Sky (1986). Takahata, Miyazaki and others formed Studio Ghibli in 1985, where he would direct Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Only Yesterday (1991), Pom Poko (1994), and My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999). His last film as director was The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013), which was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Animated Feature Film at the 87th Academy Awards.
Famous People from Mie Prefecture
Mie Prefecture: 302 people
Hiroshi Okuda (奥田 碩 Okuda Hiroshi; 29 December 1932 – 8 August 2026) was a Japanese businessman who served as president…
Hiroshi Okuda (奥田 碩 Okuda Hiroshi; 29 December 1932 – 8 August 2026) was a Japanese businessman who served as president of the Toyota Motor Corporation from 1995 to 1999 and as its chairman from 1999 to 2006.
Takao Fujinami (藤波 孝生, Fujinami Takao) (December 3, 1932 – October 28, 2007) was a Japanese politician who served as…
Takao Fujinami (藤波 孝生, Fujinami Takao) (December 3, 1932 – October 28, 2007) was a Japanese politician who served as the Chief Cabinet Secretary from 1983 to 1985. He also served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1967 to 1993, and again from 1996 to 2003. Born in Ise, Mie Prefecture, Fujinami was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1967 as a Liberal Democratic Party member, and was elected to the House of Representatives eleven times. Fujinami first obtained a Cabinet post in 1979 as Labor Minister under Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira when he was serving his fifth term as a House of Representatives member. When the Nakasone government began in 1982, Fujinami was given the post of deputy chief Cabinet secretary before becoming chief Cabinet secretary in 1983. Fujinami was seen as a prospective prime minister while serving in the post of chief Cabinet secretary from 1983 to 1985, under Prime Minister Nakasone. During his two years as chief Cabinet secretary, he helped promote Nakasone's policies, including his official visit to Yasukuni Shrine and the cancellation of the cap on Japan's defense budget of one percent of the gross national product. He also helped with Nakasone's administrative reforms, including the privatization of telephone operation and tobacco businesses. Fujinami resigned due to his involvement in the Recruit Company shares-for-favor scandal in the late 1980s. After Nakasone left the post of prime minister in 1987 and returned to the head of an LDP faction, Fujinami supported him as secretary general of the faction. In 1989, Fujinami was indicted on charges of accepting more than 40 million yen in money and unlisted shares as bribes from Recruit, a Tokyo-based job information conglomerate. The Tokyo District Court acquitted Fujinami in 1994, but the Tokyo High Court reversed the decision in 1997, sentencing him to three years in prison, suspended for four years. The decision was finalized by the Supreme Court in 1999. Fujinami retired from politics in 2003 citing health reasons. He died at a hospital in Mie Prefecture, according to the LDP.
Toshiya Fujita (藤田 敏八, Fujita Toshiya; January 16, 1932 – August 30, 1997), also known as Shigeya Fujita (藤田繁矢, Fujita…
Toshiya Fujita (藤田 敏八, Fujita Toshiya; January 16, 1932 – August 30, 1997), also known as Shigeya Fujita (藤田繁矢, Fujita Shigeya), was a Japanese film director, film actor, and screenwriter. He is well-regarded in Japan for his youth films but is best known abroad for Lady Snowblood and Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance, films not typical of his usual style.
Miyozo Yamazaki (山崎 三四造, Yamazaki Myōzō; born 1931) is an amateur archaeologist in Japan. He reenacted the Jōmon period…
Miyozo Yamazaki (山崎 三四造, Yamazaki Myōzō; born 1931) is an amateur archaeologist in Japan. He reenacted the Jōmon period (the Stone Age in Japan) for 20 years. He is well known in Japan since the mass media introduced his Jōmon life. He is now compiling a memoir of his Jōmon life. He established a private museum of the Jōmon period at Tsu, Mie Prefecture.
Kazuo Kuroki (黒木和雄, Kuroki Kazuo) was a Japanese film director who was particularly known for his films on World War II…
Kazuo Kuroki (黒木和雄, Kuroki Kazuo) was a Japanese film director who was particularly known for his films on World War II and the question of personal guilt.
Ben Wada (和田 勉 Wada Ben), born Tsutomu Wada, (June 3, 1930 – January 14, 2011) was a producer for the Japanese TV…
Ben Wada (和田 勉 Wada Ben), born Tsutomu Wada, (June 3, 1930 – January 14, 2011) was a producer for the Japanese TV channel NHK. He was the husband of the costume designer Emi Wada.
Kōjirō Kusanagi (草薙幸二郎, Kusanagi Kōjirō; September 19, 1929 – November 11, 2007) was a Japanese actor.
Reiji Suzuki (鈴木 礼治, Suzuki Reiji; 4 December 1928 – 15 August 2022) was a Japanese politician. He served as governor…
Reiji Suzuki (鈴木 礼治, Suzuki Reiji; 4 December 1928 – 15 August 2022) was a Japanese politician. He served as governor of Aichi Prefecture from 1983 to 1999. He was born in Mie Prefecture. He graduated from Nagoya University. He was a recipient of the Order of the Sacred Treasure.
Hitoshi Ueki (植木 等, Ueki Hitoshi; February 25, 1927 – March 27, 2007) was a Japanese actor, comedian, singer, and…
Hitoshi Ueki (植木 等, Ueki Hitoshi; February 25, 1927 – March 27, 2007) was a Japanese actor, comedian, singer, and guitarist. He won six awards for acting. His film credits stretch from 1960 to 1995. Ueki came to fame through the comic jazz-band The Crazy Cats led by Hajime Hana. His major appearances were in the Musekinin Otoko film series, the comedy variety show Shabondama Holiday, the prime-time television series The Hangman, and the ten 2-hour television shows in the Nagoya Yomeiri Monogatari franchise. He appeared in the Akira Kurosawa epic jidaigeki film Ran in 1985, receiving a nomination for the Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, and earned the Japanese Academy, Kinema Junpo, and Mainichi film awards for best supporting actor for his role as the eccentric grandfather in Big Joys, Small Sorrows in 1987. On stage, he portrayed Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago, voiced the Roddy McDowall role in the Japanese market release of Planet of the Apes, and served as the narrator in the Japanese version of Tom and Jerry. His hit song with Hana Hajime and the Crazy Cats, Sūdara-bushi, placed in the Oricon top ten, and landed him an appearance on the NHK annual music spectacular Kōhaku Uta Gassen. Ueki received the Purple Ribbon Medal of Honour in 1993 and the 4th Class Order of the Rising Sun in 1999. In 2011, new technology was used to create a Vocaloid voicebank using his voice.
Hajime Tamura (田村 元, Tamura Hajime) (5 May 1924 – 1 November 2014) was a Japanese politician. He held different cabinet…
Hajime Tamura (田村 元, Tamura Hajime) (5 May 1924 – 1 November 2014) was a Japanese politician. He held different cabinet posts and served as the speaker of the House of Representatives.
Sadamasa Motonaga (元永定正, Motonaga Sadamasa, born November, 26, 1922, in Iga Ueno, died October 3, 2011, in Takarazuka)…
Sadamasa Motonaga (元永定正, Motonaga Sadamasa, born November, 26, 1922, in Iga Ueno, died October 3, 2011, in Takarazuka) was a Japanese visual artist and book illustrator, and a first-generation member of the postwar Japanese artist group Gutai Art Association, Gutai for short. Motonaga’s oeuvre, comprising paintings, objects, performances and stage art, ceramics, murals and installation artworks and picture books, is characterized by his humorous, enlivening (animating) use of biomorphic abstract shapes inspired by nature and manga cartoons, as well as the exploration of the materiality of color. He is most known for his ephemeral works from Gutai’s experimental exhibition projects, such as Liquid: Red and Works (Water) from 1955 and 1956, which used vinyl sheets and tubes filled with color-tinted water; his stage works from 1957 and 1958, which involved smoke as artistic material; and for his Informel-style paintings from the late 1950s that experimented with pouring liquid paint on to canvases. Promoted by the French art critic Michel Tapié, who during the 1950s and 1960s attempted to establish Informel as a global movement, Motonaga became one of the few Gutai members who received international and national recognition as a solo artist beyond the Gutai context. He was offered a yearlong residency by the Japan Society in New York in 1966, during which he introduced airbrushing and a hard-edge style to his paintings. After leaving Gutai in 1971, Motonaga’s work again expanded beyond painting to ceramics, interior design, murals, and public performances and installation artworks, all of which he continuously developed around his signature-style of animated biomorphic shapes. The children's picture books, which Motonaga created in collaboration with the poet and translator Shuntarō Tanikawa beginning in 1970, became bestselling books. He was married to graphic designer Etsuko Nakatsuji, with whom he also collaborated on reconstruction projects in the aftermath of the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995.
Haruo Wada (Japanese: 和田春生; 15 March 1919 – 17 October 1999) was a Japanese trade unionist and politician. Wada joined…
Haruo Wada (Japanese: 和田春生; 15 March 1919 – 17 October 1999) was a Japanese trade unionist and politician. Wada joined the Japanese Merchant Navy in 1939. He was a founding member of the All-Japan Seamen's Union in 1945. Starting in 1948, he worked full-time for the union as an organizer. In 1950, he was a founding member of the General Council of Trade Unions of Japan, and worked for it as a permanent secretary. He was opposed to its increasingly left-wing stance. In 1954, he helped found the All-Japan Trade Union Congress (Zenro) split, and was appointed as its general secretary. In 1964, Zenro became part of the Japanese Confederation of Labour, and he became its vice president. In 1965, he additionally served as president of the ICFTU Asia and Pacific Regional Organisation, and served until his resignation in 1968. Wada was a member of the Democratic Socialist Party, and in 1969 he was elected to the House of Representatives, serving until 1972. From 1974 until 1979, he served in the House of Councillors.
Yoshio Tabata (田端義夫, Tabata Yoshio; January 1, 1919 – April 25, 2013) was a Japanese ryūkōka and enka singer…
Yoshio Tabata (田端義夫, Tabata Yoshio; January 1, 1919 – April 25, 2013) was a Japanese ryūkōka and enka singer, songwriter, and electric guitarist. His debut song "Shima no Funauta" (島の舟唄, literally "Island Ship Song") was released in 1939. Along with enka-shi Haruo Oka's 1939 debut, his debut had a big impact on Japanese popular music because Japanese popular ryūkōka music of that time was mainly sung by classical music singers such as Ichiro Fujiyama and Noriko Awaya. He was born in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, Japan.
Eiji Sawamura (沢村 栄治, Sawamura Eiji; February 1, 1917 – December 2, 1944) was a Japanese professional baseball player.…
Eiji Sawamura (沢村 栄治, Sawamura Eiji; February 1, 1917 – December 2, 1944) was a Japanese professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he played in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants. He is one of just two pitchers in Japanese baseball history to throw three no-hitters (the other being Yoshiro Sotokoba) and the only one to do so for thirty years. He is one of just six numbers to be retired by the Giants in their history.
Kon Ichikawa (市川 崑, Ichikawa Kon; 20 November 1915 – 13 February 2008) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter.…
Kon Ichikawa (市川 崑, Ichikawa Kon; 20 November 1915 – 13 February 2008) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films The Burmese Harp (1956) and Fires on the Plain (1959), to the documentary Tokyo Olympiad (1965), which won two BAFTA Film Awards, and the 19th-century revenge drama An Actor's Revenge (1963). His film Odd Obsession (1959) won the Jury Prize at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival. At his death in 2008, The New York Times recalled that "The Globe and Mail, the Canadian newspaper, called him in 2001 “the last living link between the golden age of Japanese cinema, the spunky New Wave that followed and contemporary Japanese film.”"
Kiyosi Itô (伊藤 清, Itō Kiyoshi; Japanese pronunciation: [itoː kiꜜjoɕi], 7 September 1915 – 10 November 2008) was a…
Kiyosi Itô (伊藤 清, Itō Kiyoshi; Japanese pronunciation: [itoː kiꜜjoɕi], 7 September 1915 – 10 November 2008) was a Japanese mathematician who made fundamental contributions to probability theory, in particular, the theory of stochastic processes. He invented the concept of stochastic integral and stochastic differential equation, and is known as the founder of so-called Itô calculus. He also pioneered the connections between stochastic calculus and differential geometry, known as stochastic differential geometry. He was invited for the International Congress of Mathematicians in Stockholm in 1962. So much were Itô's results useful to financial mathematics that he was sometimes called "the most famous Japanese in Wall Street". Itô was a member of the faculty at University of Kyoto for most of his career and eventually became the director of their Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences. But he also spent multi-year stints at several foreign institutions, the longest of which took place at Cornell University.
Taijiro Tamura (田村 泰次郎, Tamura Taijirō; 30 November 1911 - 2 November 1983) was a Japanese novelist. He was born in…
Taijiro Tamura (田村 泰次郎, Tamura Taijirō; 30 November 1911 - 2 November 1983) was a Japanese novelist. He was born in Yokkaichi, Mie, and was educated at Waseda University in Tokyo where he studied literature. His most famous work is Gate of Flesh, which has been adapted into a movie four times and most recently in 2008 into a TV Asahi television series. His work is known for its emphasis on carnality and the physical body.
Tokuhei Sada (佐田 徳平, Sada Tokuhei) (1909 – December 17, 1933) was a Japanese swimmer who competed at the 1928 Summer…
Tokuhei Sada (佐田 徳平, Sada Tokuhei) (1909 – December 17, 1933) was a Japanese swimmer who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Born in Yamanashi Prefecture, Sada grew up in Nagoya and was a graduate of Meiji University. Sada was a member of the Japanese team which won the silver medal for the 4 × 200 meter freestyle relay event at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. After the Olympics, he went to work for Hankyu, but died due to a disease in 1933.
Fumio Niwa (丹羽 文雄, Niwa Fumio; November 22, 1904 Japan, died April 20, 2005 in Musashino, Tokyo) was a Japanese…
Fumio Niwa (丹羽 文雄, Niwa Fumio; November 22, 1904 Japan, died April 20, 2005 in Musashino, Tokyo) was a Japanese novelist with a long list of works, the most famous in the West being his novel The Buddha Tree (Japanese Bodaiju, "The Linden", or "The Bodhi Tree", 1956). He was ordained as a Shin Buddhist priest in his youth, but abandoned the priesthood two years after his ordination.
Kazuo Mizutani (水谷一生, Mizutani Kazuo; April 22, 1899 – November 25, 1949) was chief of staff to Takeshi Mori, commander…
Kazuo Mizutani (水谷一生, Mizutani Kazuo; April 22, 1899 – November 25, 1949) was chief of staff to Takeshi Mori, commander of the First Imperial Guards Division, at the end of World War II. Mizutani was in his office, listening to Col. Masataka Ida's explanation of a plot to prevent Japan's surrender, when Gen. Mori was killed by the lead conspirator, Maj. Kenji Hatanaka. He then went with Ida to the headquarters of the Eastern District Army to report the murder.
Seiichi Tobata (東畑 精一, Tobata Seiichi; February 2, 1899 – May 6, 1983) was a Japanese professor of agriculture, and a…
Seiichi Tobata (東畑 精一, Tobata Seiichi; February 2, 1899 – May 6, 1983) was a Japanese professor of agriculture, and a pioneer of agricultural economics.
Shigeri Yamataka (山高しげり, Yamataka Shigeri; 1899 – 1977) (also Kaneko Shigeri and later Yamataka Shigeri, sometimes…
Shigeri Yamataka (山高しげり, Yamataka Shigeri; 1899 – 1977) (also Kaneko Shigeri and later Yamataka Shigeri, sometimes incorrectly referred to as Shigeri Takayama) was a Japanese feminist and founder of the League for the Defense of Women's Rights. In 1952 she also took part in Chifuren, when it was formed, one of the largest women's organizations in Japan with more than 6 million members. She was also Chifuren's President.
Ichiro Nakayama (中山 伊知郎, Nakayama Ichirō; September 20, 1898 – April 9, 1980) was a Japanese economist. He graduated…
Ichiro Nakayama (中山 伊知郎, Nakayama Ichirō; September 20, 1898 – April 9, 1980) was a Japanese economist. He graduated from The Tokyo University of Commerce (now Hitotsubashi University) in 1926, and then studied under Joseph Schumpeter in Germany. He was a pioneer of mathematical economics in Japan. After serving as assistant at The Tokyo University of Commerce, he became an assistant professor in 1933, a professor in 1937 and president in 1949 at the same institution. He became Chairman of Central Labor Relations Commission of Japan in 1950, and served as the first Chairman of The Tax Commission of Japan from 1959 to 1965. In 1965 he was appointed as a professor emeritus of Hitotsubashi University. In 1968, he was recognized as a Person of Cultural Merit, and was appointed a Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun on 3 November 1974.
Riichi Yokomitsu (横光 利一, Yokomitsu Riichi; 17 March 1898 – 30 December 1947) was an experimental, modernist Japanese…
Riichi Yokomitsu (横光 利一, Yokomitsu Riichi; 17 March 1898 – 30 December 1947) was an experimental, modernist Japanese writer. Yokomitsu began publishing in dōjinshi such as Machi ("Street") and Tō ("Tower") after entering Waseda University in 1916. In 1923, he published Nichirin ("The Sun"), Hae ("A Fly") and more in the magazine Bungeishunjū, which made his name popular. The following year he started the magazine Bungei-Jidai with Yasunari Kawabata and others. Yokomitsu and others involved in Bungei-Jidai were known collectively as the Shinkankakuha, or the New Sensation School, with a particular interest in sensation and scientific objectivity.
Teinosuke Kinugasa (衣笠 貞之助, Kinugasa Teinosuke; 1 January 1896 – 26 February 1982) was a Japanese filmmaker and actor.…
Teinosuke Kinugasa (衣笠 貞之助, Kinugasa Teinosuke; 1 January 1896 – 26 February 1982) was a Japanese filmmaker and actor. His best-known films include the silent avant-garde films A Page of Madness and Crossroads and the Academy Award-winning historical drama Gate of Hell.
In this Japanese name, the surname is Hirai. In the pen name, the surname is Edogawa. Tarō Hirai (平井 太郎, Hirai Tarō…
In this Japanese name, the surname is Hirai. In the pen name, the surname is Edogawa. Tarō Hirai (平井 太郎, Hirai Tarō; October 21, 1894 – July 28, 1965), better known by the pen name Edogawa Ranpo or Edogawa Rampo (江戸川 乱歩), was a Japanese author and critic who played a major role in the development of Japanese mystery and thriller fiction. Many of his novels involve the detective hero Kogoro Akechi, who in later books was the leader of a group of boy detectives known as the "Boy Detectives Club" (少年探偵団, Shōnen tantei dan). Ranpo was an admirer of Western mystery writers, and especially of Edgar Allan Poe. His pen name is a rendering of Poe's name; Edogawa (江戸川) is an extremely rare surname in Japan, with roughly 130 people bearing it. Other authors who were special influences on him were Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whom he attempted to translate into Japanese during his days as a student at Waseda University, and the Japanese mystery writer Ruikō Kuroiwa.
Yasujiro Niwa (丹羽 保次郎, Niwa Yasujirō; April 1, 1893 – February 28, 1975) was a Japanese electrical scientist from…
Yasujiro Niwa (丹羽 保次郎, Niwa Yasujirō; April 1, 1893 – February 28, 1975) was a Japanese electrical scientist from Matsusaka, Mie. In the 1920s, he invented a simple device for phototelegraphic transmission through cable and later via radio, a technology that contributed to the development of mechanical television in Japan. He later became the Director of the Department of Electronic Engineering at the University of Tokyo. He was awarded the Order of Cultural Merits and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure. On April 18, 1985, the Japan Patent Office selected him as one of Ten Japanese Great Inventors.
Hakaru Hashimoto (橋本 策, Hashimoto Hakaru; May 5, 1881 – January 9, 1934) was a Japanese doctor and medical scientist of…
Hakaru Hashimoto (橋本 策, Hashimoto Hakaru; May 5, 1881 – January 9, 1934) was a Japanese doctor and medical scientist of the Meiji and Taishō periods. He is best known for publishing the first description of the disease that was later named Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
Matsusaburo Fujiwara (藤原 松三郎, Fujiwara Matsusaburō, 14 February 1881, Tsu, Mie – 12 October 1946, Fukushima) was a…
Matsusaburo Fujiwara (藤原 松三郎, Fujiwara Matsusaburō, 14 February 1881, Tsu, Mie – 12 October 1946, Fukushima) was a Japanese mathematician and historian of mathematics.
Kawai Michi (河井 道; July 29, 1877 – February 11, 1953) was a Japanese educator, Christian activist, and proponent of…
Kawai Michi (河井 道; July 29, 1877 – February 11, 1953) was a Japanese educator, Christian activist, and proponent of Japanese-Western ties before, during, and after World War II. She served as the first Japanese National Secretary of the YWCA of Japan and founded Keisen University.
Nobutsuna Sasaki (佐佐木／佐々木 信綱, Sasaki Nobutsuna; Japanese pronunciation: [sa.sa.kʲi (|) no.bɯꜜ.tsɯ.na], 8 July 1872 – 2…
Nobutsuna Sasaki (佐佐木／佐々木 信綱, Sasaki Nobutsuna; Japanese pronunciation: [sa.sa.kʲi (|) no.bɯꜜ.tsɯ.na], 8 July 1872 – 2 December 1963) was a tanka poet and scholar of the Nara and Heian periods of Japanese literature. He was active during the Shōwa period of Japan.
Saitō Masaru (斎藤 賢; 24 January 1868 – 13 April 1904), better known by his pen name Saitō Ryokuu (斎藤 緑雨), was a Japanese…
Saitō Masaru (斎藤 賢; 24 January 1868 – 13 April 1904), better known by his pen name Saitō Ryokuu (斎藤 緑雨), was a Japanese author and critic who lived during the Meiji Era. His Dharma name was Shungyōin Ryokuu Suikaku Koji (春暁院緑雨醒客居士), which was chosen by Kōda Rohan.
Kokichi Mikimoto (Japanese: 御木本 幸吉, Hepburn: Mikimoto Kōkichi; 25 January 1858 – 21 September 1954) was a Japanese…
Kokichi Mikimoto (Japanese: 御木本 幸吉, Hepburn: Mikimoto Kōkichi; 25 January 1858 – 21 September 1954) was a Japanese entrepreneur who is credited with creating the first cultured pearl and subsequently starting the cultured pearl industry with the establishment of his luxury pearl company Mikimoto. He was inducted into the House of Peers by imperial decree and posthumously awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure. On 18 April 1985, the Japan Patent Office selected him as one of Ten Japanese Great Inventors. The company was ranked as one of the world's most luxurious brands by Women's Wear Daily Magazine and Mikimoto was considered one of the best Japanese financial leaders of the 20th century by Nihon Keizai Shimbun. He is also known as the founder of Mikimoto Pharmaceuticals, a company specialising in beauty products containing pearl calcium. Mikimoto Pearl Island is named after him. In addition, the "Phoenix Mikimoto Crown" used by Miss Universe winners as well as the pageant crown used by Miss International is credited to his patented work.
Baron Tatsumi Naofumi (立見 尚文; 21 August 1845 – 6 March 1907) was a samurai from the Kuwana Domain in the Bakumatsu…
Baron Tatsumi Naofumi (立見 尚文; 21 August 1845 – 6 March 1907) was a samurai from the Kuwana Domain in the Bakumatsu period Tokugawa shogunate and later a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Meiji period.
Tamoto Kenzō (田本 研造; 1832–1912) was a Japanese photographer.
Tanikawa Kotosuga (谷川 士清; April 5, 1709 – November 20, 1776) was a Japanese kokugaku scholar and author in mid-Edo…
Tanikawa Kotosuga (谷川 士清; April 5, 1709 – November 20, 1776) was a Japanese kokugaku scholar and author in mid-Edo period Japan. He also used the epistolary name of “Tansai”.
Michi Goto (後藤 三知, Gotō Michi; born 27 July 1990) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a forward. She plays for MyNavi…
Michi Goto (後藤 三知, Gotō Michi; born 27 July 1990) is a Japanese footballer who plays as a forward. She plays for MyNavi Sendai Ladies. She has also played for the Japan national team.
Yukiko Onishi (大西 由希子, Ōnishi Yukiko; born December 25, 1990), known as Yucco Miller (ユッコ・ミラー, Yukko Mirā) is a…
Yukiko Onishi (大西 由希子, Ōnishi Yukiko; born December 25, 1990), known as Yucco Miller (ユッコ・ミラー, Yukko Mirā) is a Japanese jazz and jazz fusion saxophonist, composer and YouTuber. She is known for her pink-dyed hair and being a popular saxophone player, appearing in overseas jazz festivals in South Korea and Malaysia while also appearing on many television programs.
Sara Dosho (土性 沙羅, Doshō Sara; born October 17, 1994) is a freestyle wrestle and Olympic champion from Japan. She won…
Sara Dosho (土性 沙羅, Doshō Sara; born October 17, 1994) is a freestyle wrestle and Olympic champion from Japan. She won the gold medal in the women's 69 kg event at the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She also won the gold medal in her event at the 2017 World Wrestling Championships held in Paris, France.
Mai Aizawa (相澤 舞衣, Aizawa Mai; born September 10, 1980) is a former Japanese football player. She played for the Japan…
Mai Aizawa (相澤 舞衣, Aizawa Mai; born September 10, 1980) is a former Japanese football player. She played for the Japan national team.
Noriko Katō (加藤 紀子, Katō Noriko) (born January 30, 1973) is a Japanese actress and singer-songwriter. She is affiliated…
Noriko Katō (加藤 紀子, Katō Noriko) (born January 30, 1973) is a Japanese actress and singer-songwriter. She is affiliated with Up-Front Create, a subsidiary of the Up-Front Group.
Miho Fujii (Japanese: 藤井 美穂, ふじい みほ), is a Japanese actress, comedian, and model.
Miwa Asao (浅尾 美和, Asao Miwa; born 2 February 1986 in Suzuka, Mie) is a female Japanese beach volleyball player.…
Miwa Asao (浅尾 美和, Asao Miwa; born 2 February 1986 in Suzuka, Mie) is a female Japanese beach volleyball player. Referred to in media reports as the "pixie of beach volleyball" or simply "pixie of the beach" for her good looks, Asao helped to popularize beach volleyball in Japan. She became a national celebrity from the many articles written on her in Japanese magazines and newspapers, and through her numerous appearances on television.
Ai Inden (位田 愛 Inden Ai, born 3 April 1987) is a Japanese volleyball player who plays for JT Marvelous.
Kanako Hirai (平井香菜子 Hirai Kanako, born April 15, 1984) is a Japanese volleyball player who played for Hisamitsu…
Kanako Hirai (平井香菜子 Hirai Kanako, born April 15, 1984) is a Japanese volleyball player who played for Hisamitsu Springs. On October 1, 2014, Hisamitsu Springs announced her retirement.
Saori Yoshida (吉田 沙保里, Yoshida Saori; born 5 October 1982) is a Japanese former freestyle wrestler. Starting in 1998…
Saori Yoshida (吉田 沙保里, Yoshida Saori; born 5 October 1982) is a Japanese former freestyle wrestler. Starting in 1998, she won almost every major competition, including three Olympic Games, four Asian Games, and 13 world championships, becoming the most decorated athlete in freestyle wrestling history. As of 2016, Yoshida had only suffered three senior-career losses in international competitions, to Marcie Van Dusen (0–2) on 20 January 2008 at the Team World Cup series, Valeria Zholobova (1–2) on 27 May 2012 at the World Cup, and to Helen Maroulis (1–4) on 18 August 2016 at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Yoshida was the flagbearer for Japan at the 2006 Asian Games and at the 2012 Olympics. In 2007, she became the first female wrestler to be named Japanese Athlete of the Year, and in 2012 she received the People's Honour Award.
Kazuhiro Yamaji (山路 和弘, Yamaji Kazuhiro; born June 4, 1954) is a Japanese actor and voice actor affiliated with the…
Kazuhiro Yamaji (山路 和弘, Yamaji Kazuhiro; born June 4, 1954) is a Japanese actor and voice actor affiliated with the Seinenza Theater Company. He has been married to Romi Park since 2020.
Mizuki Noguchi (野口 みずき, Noguchi Mizuki; born July 3, 1978) is a Japanese professional long-distance runner who…
Mizuki Noguchi (野口 みずき, Noguchi Mizuki; born July 3, 1978) is a Japanese professional long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon event. She is an Olympic champion over the distance. Initially starting out as a track and cross country athlete, her first major success was becoming the Asian cross country champion at age 21. She soon switched to road running, however, focusing on the half marathon. She won the individual and team silver medals at the 1999 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, and won a second team silver with a fourth-place finish at the same competition in 2000. A switch to the marathon event demonstrated her talents further: She won the Nagoya and Osaka Women's Marathons, and took the silver medal in the marathon at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics. Her good form continued and she became the Olympic champion in the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She won the Berlin Marathon the following year, setting world records at 25 km and 30 km along the way, and finishing with a personal best of 2:19:12 – a course record in Berlin and a new Asian record for the distance. The 25K world record was beaten by Mary Keitany of Kenya in 2010, who ran the distance in 1:19:53 hours. Before the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Noguchi had set the second fastest time in the world for the previous year. However, she was ruled out of all competitions after tests revealed that she had fatigue and a muscular back problem. She missed the Olympics and the entire 2009 and 2010 seasons as a result. She returned in November 2011 with a fifth-place finish at the Zevenheuvelenloop. She tried to gain a spot on the 2012 Olympic team, but her run of 2:25:33 hours left her in sixth at the Nagoya Women's Marathon. A return to Nagoya in 2013 brought her third place with a run of 2:24:05 hours.
Kana Nishino (西野カナ, Nishino Kana; born March 18, 1989) is a Japanese singer, signed with Sony Music Japan's SME…
Kana Nishino (西野カナ, Nishino Kana; born March 18, 1989) is a Japanese singer, signed with Sony Music Japan's SME Records. She debuted on February 20, 2008, with the single "I". Considered one of Japan's most popular songstresses of the late 2000s and 2010s, she gained early popularity with the R&B singles "Tookutemo" (with rapper Wise) and "Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara". Her first studio album, Love One. (2009), debuted at number four on charts and went on to become certified platinum. She achieved further success with her second album, To Love (2010), her first number-one album, which was preceded by the singles "Motto...", "Dear...", "Best Friend" and "Aitakute Aitakute" which were all certified "million" for full song downloads of over 1 million by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), establishing Nishino as a dominant force on music charts and digital platforms. The Triple Platinum certified album became the third best-selling album of 2010 and the single "Aitakute Aitakute" was the hottest selling digital song of the year. While enjoying mammoth mainstream success with her following records Thank You, Love (2011), Love Place (2012) and With Love (2014), Nishino's music also evolved from R&B to pop. In the mid-2010s, she successfully ventured into country pop with the singles "Darling" (2014) and "Torisetsu" (2015). The latter, the theme song of the live action film Heroine Shikkaku, became the best-selling digital song of 2015 with over one million copies sold. She subsequently released the albums Just Love (2016) and Love It (2017), certified platinum and gold respectively. In 2016, she won the Grand Prix at the 58th Japan Record Awards for her single "Anata no Suki na Tokoro", the first female solo artist to do so since Koda Kumi in 2005. In 2017, she reached a new milestone when becoming the first female artist born in the Heisei era to perform at the prestigious Tokyo Dome as part of the Kana Nishino Dome Tour 2017 "Many Thanks". Due to her popularity with the Japanese female audience, Nishino appears frequently on fashion magazine covers and she is usually regarded as a fashion icon. It was particularly apparent in her early days due to her association with the Gyaru fashion subculture, leading her music to be referred to as "Gyaru Enka" ("Gyaru heartbreak songs"). In 2009, CNN said that she was the favorite singer of teenage girls in Shibuya, Tokyo. Nishino is also known for her "relatable" lyrics about love. She was awarded "Artist of the Year" two times in 2014 and 2015 by Billboard Japan. Since her debut, she has sold over six million records and over 46 million downloads, making her one of the most successful female artists in the digital chart history of Japan. On January 8, 2019, Nishino announced an "indefinite" hiatus starting on February 3 of the same year and returned to the music industry in 2024.