Seiryū Inoue (井上 青龍, Inoue Seiryū; 1931 – 18 August 1988) was a Japanese photographer. Born in 1931 in Tosa, Kōchi…
Seiryū Inoue (井上 青龍, Inoue Seiryū; 1931 – 18 August 1988) was a Japanese photographer. Born in 1931 in Tosa, Kōchi Prefecture, Inoue became the first apprentice to Takeji Iwamiya in Osaka in 1951. While continuing to work with Iwamiya in 1954, he started work as temporary cameraman for Asahi Broadcasting Corporation in Osaka. Iwamiya recognized his talent and from 1958 encouraged the young Inoue to roam the streets of Kamagasaki in Nishinari-ku, Osaka, permitting him to develop his private work in the studio darkroom. During the 1950s, Inoue developed a reputation as a young documentary photographer. In 1959 he was a prizewinner in the Fuji Photo Film Contest Professional Section. In Tokyo, during May 1960, he held his first solo exhibition, "The Hundred Faces of Kamagasaki", which was awarded Newcomer Prize by Camera Geijutsu magazine. In 1961 he also received the Newcomer's Award from the Japan Photography Critics' Association. In 1959, Daidō Moriyama joined Iwamiya's studio before moving to Tokyo in 1961. Moriyama credits Inoue with setting him on the road to photography and as being highly influential in developing his photographic style. Writing for Inoue's Retrospective exhibition in 2005, Moriyama wrote: "his words - 'You coming, Mori?' - calling me to accompany him to Kamagasaki set me on the road to becoming a photographer" and "without the pioneering Inoue I would not have set out upon the long road of photography that I have followed". Inoue continued to work in Osaka, becoming a teacher of documentary photography at Osaka Geijutsu (Art) University and eventually a full professor in 1987. Following his work in Kamagasaki, Inoue photographed ethnic Koreans emigrating from Japan to North Korea and the festivals and city of Kyoto, among other subjects. He was engaged in photographing daily life on the Amami Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture when he met an accidental death in Tokunoshima in 1988.
Famous People from Kochi Prefecture
Kochi Prefecture: 173 people
Sadame Kamakura (Japanese: 鎌倉節) (April 27, 1930 – October 25, 2014) was a Japanese official who served as Grand Steward…
Sadame Kamakura (Japanese: 鎌倉節) (April 27, 1930 – October 25, 2014) was a Japanese official who served as Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Agency (January 19, 1996 – April 2, 2001). He graduated from the University of Tokyo. He was a recipient of the Order of the Sacred Treasure.
Toshiko Okanoue (岡上 淑子, Okanoue Toshiko; born 3 January 1928) is a Japanese artist associated with the Japanese…
Toshiko Okanoue (岡上 淑子, Okanoue Toshiko; born 3 January 1928) is a Japanese artist associated with the Japanese avant-garde art world of the 1950s and best known for her Surrealist photo collages.
Yasuhiro Ishimoto (石元 泰博, Ishimoto Yasuhiro; June 14, 1921 – February 6, 2012) was a Japanese-American photographer.…
Yasuhiro Ishimoto (石元 泰博, Ishimoto Yasuhiro; June 14, 1921 – February 6, 2012) was a Japanese-American photographer. His decades-long career explored expressions of modernist design in traditional architecture, the quiet anxieties of urban life in Tokyo and Chicago, and the camera's capacity to bring out the abstract in the everyday and seemingly concrete fixtures of the world around him. Born in the United States and raised in Japan, Ishimoto returned to the States as a young adult as the Second World War began to escalate, and was soon after sent to the Amache Internment Camp in Colorado after the signing of Executive Order 9066. After the war, he studied photography at the Bauhaus-inspired Institute of Design (ID) at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and established a robust photographic practice between the United States and Japan. As a transnational interlocutor between Japanese and American art and architecture circles, Ishimoto played a prominent role in bringing visions of Japanese architectural modernism to audiences abroad. His photographs of the Katsura Imperial Villa, taken in 1953-54 and published in 1960 as Katsura: Tradition and Creation in Japanese Architecture, were widely celebrated in architecture and design circles for evoking the formal, geometric purity of the villa’s structural details with a deep sensitivity towards the atmospheric qualities of the space. The book, which features accompanying essays by Kenzō Tange and Walter Gropius, was instrumental in stimulating the discourse surrounding modernism’s relationship to tradition in Japanese architecture. Ishimoto’s work was exhibited widely in the United States and Japan during his lifetime, and two of his photographs were featured in the monumental 1955 Museum of Modern Art exhibition The Family of Man. He maintained close ties to Chicago and published a series titled Chicago, Chicago in 1969. In tandem with his architectural photographs, Ishimoto was a prolific recorder of everyday life. His photographs of streetscapes and ordinary people captured the candor, anxiety, paradoxes, and joy of modern urban life through a sensitive and deliberate lens.
Shōtarō Yasuoka (安岡 章太郎, Yasuoka Shōtarō; May 30, 1920 – January 26, 2013) was a Japanese writer.
Takashi Yanase (やなせ たかし, Yanase Takashi, February 6, 1919 – October 13, 2013) was a Japanese manga artist and writer…
Takashi Yanase (やなせ たかし, Yanase Takashi, February 6, 1919 – October 13, 2013) was a Japanese manga artist and writer, poet, illustrator and lyricist. He is known as the creator of the picture book and animated series Anpanman. Yanase was chairman of the Japan Cartoonists Association from May 2000 to 2012.
Kusuo Kitamura (北村 久寿雄, Kitamura Kusuo; October 9, 1917 – June 6, 1996) was a Japanese swimmer who competed at the 1932…
Kusuo Kitamura (北村 久寿雄, Kitamura Kusuo; October 9, 1917 – June 6, 1996) was a Japanese swimmer who competed at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. Kitamura was born in Kōchi, Japan. Selected as one of the youngest members of the Japanese swimming team in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, he won the gold medal in the Men's 1500 meter freestyle swimming event. He was 14 years and 309 days old at the time, setting a record for youngest ever swimmer to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games. This record lasted until the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea, when Hungarian swimmer Krisztina Egerszegi won the gold in the Women's 200-meter backstroke event. However, Kitamaura still holds the record for the youngest male swimmer. After the 1932 Olympics, Kitamura retired from competitive sports, and eventually graduated from Tokyo Imperial University, and obtained a job at the Japanese Ministry of Labor. He rose through the bureaucratic ranks, eventually becoming a department head, before retiring in 1984 to become a director at Sumitomo Cement.
Toru Kumon (公文 公, Kumon Tōru; March 26, 1914 – July 25, 1995) was a Japanese mathematics educator. He was born in Kōchi…
Toru Kumon (公文 公, Kumon Tōru; March 26, 1914 – July 25, 1995) was a Japanese mathematics educator. He was born in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. He graduated from the College of Science at Osaka University with a degree in mathematics and taught high school mathematics in his home town of Osaka. In 1954, his son, Takeshi, performed poorly in a Year 2 mathematics test. Prompted by his wife, Teiko, Toru closely examined Takeshi's textbooks and believed they lacked the proper opportunity for a child to practice and master a topic. He wrote worksheets each day for his son. By the time Takeshi was in Year 6, he was able to solve differential and integral calculus. This was the beginning of the Kumon Method of Learning. Other parents became interested in Kumon's ideas, and in 1955, the first Kumon Center was opened in Osaka. In 1958, Toru Kumon founded the Kumon Institute of Education. Toru Kumon died in Osaka on July 25, 1995, at the age of 81 from pneumonia. There is a Toru Kumon museum in Osaka. Asteroid 3569 Kumon is named after him.
Takashi Yokoyama (横山 隆志, Yokoyama Takashi; 24 December 1913 – 1945) was a Japanese swimmer. He competed at the 1932…
Takashi Yokoyama (横山 隆志, Yokoyama Takashi; 24 December 1913 – 1945) was a Japanese swimmer. He competed at the 1932 Summer Olympics, where he won a gold medal in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay event. He died in Kōchi, Japan.
Tomie Ōhara (大原 富枝; September 28, 1912 – January 27, 2000) was a Japanese novelist. She is best known for her novel A…
Tomie Ōhara (大原 富枝; September 28, 1912 – January 27, 2000) was a Japanese novelist. She is best known for her novel A Woman Called En.
Kozaburo Hirai (平井 康三郎, Hirai Kōzaburō; 10 September 1910 – 30 November 2002) was a Japanese composer and professor of…
Kozaburo Hirai (平井 康三郎, Hirai Kōzaburō; 10 September 1910 – 30 November 2002) was a Japanese composer and professor of music. He was the father of pianist, composer and musicologist Takejiro Hirai and cellist Jyoichiro Hirai.
Sadaaki Akamatsu (赤松 貞明, Akamatsu Sadaaki; 30 July 1910 – 22 February 1980) was an officer and ace fighter pilot in the…
Sadaaki Akamatsu (赤松 貞明, Akamatsu Sadaaki; 30 July 1910 – 22 February 1980) was an officer and ace fighter pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific theater of World War II. In aerial combat over China and the Pacific, he was officially credited with destroying 27 enemy aircraft.
Masatake Okumiya (奥宮 正武, Okumiya Masatake; July 27, 1909 – February 22, 2007) was a historian and lieutenant general in…
Masatake Okumiya (奥宮 正武, Okumiya Masatake; July 27, 1909 – February 22, 2007) was a historian and lieutenant general in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Okumiya graduated from the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1930 as a midshipman. He was commissioned an ensign in April 1932, received his wings in November 1933 as a naval aviator, and was promoted to sub-lieutenant in the same month. He entered the Naval Air Corps at Ōmura, receiving promotion to lieutenant in December 1936. In 1937, he participated in the attack on the USS Panay. Promoted to lieutenant-commander in October 1941, Okumiya served throughout World War II, including on the aircraft carrier Ryūjō and with the 2nd Air Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During 1942–1943, he served as chief of staff of the 26th Naval Air Squadron, and was appointed to a staff post in August 1944. He was promoted to his final rank of commander in November 1944. At the end of the war, Okumiya was interrogated by Allied intelligence officers, after which he was demobilized. Following the occupation of Japan, he joined the nascent Japan Air Self-Defense Force in 1954. He returned to active duty in July 1957 with the rank of colonel, and was appointed commander of the air base at Utsunomiya. He was promoted to major general in February 1958 and served as deputy head of Personnel and Training from August 1959 to April 1960. He commanded the 3rd Air Wing from Komaki Air Base in 1961, followed by command of the Ichigaya Air Base in 1962. He was promoted to lieutenant-general in 1963 and ended his career as commander of the ATC and Meteorological Group. He retired the following year. Okumiya wrote extensively on Japan's role in World War II. He co-wrote with Mitsuo Fuchida Midway: The Battle that Doomed Japan; the Japanese Navy's Story, published 1955. His remark that "I am firmly convinced that the Pacific War was started by men who did not understand the sea, and fought by men who did not understand the air." is often quoted. He also co-wrote, with Jiro Horikoshi and Martin Caidin, an historical account of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, titled Zero! The book was published in 1956.
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.
Hagiko Umezu (Japanese: 梅津はぎ子, romanized: Umezu Hagiko; April 22, 1904 – October 8, 1989) was a Japanese trade…
Hagiko Umezu (Japanese: 梅津はぎ子, romanized: Umezu Hagiko; April 22, 1904 – October 8, 1989) was a Japanese trade unionist. Having experienced harsh working conditions in textile factories, she became an advocate for her fellow female textile workers.
Torahiko Miyahata (宮畑 虎彦, Miyahata Torahiko; 23 January 1903 – 16 May 1988 in Shimanto) was a Japanese freestyle…
Torahiko Miyahata (宮畑 虎彦, Miyahata Torahiko; 23 January 1903 – 16 May 1988 in Shimanto) was a Japanese freestyle swimmer. He competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics. In 1924, he did not show for the semi-finals of the 100 metre freestyle event. He was also a member of the Japanese relay team which finished fourth in the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay competition.
Akatsuki Kambayashi (上林 暁, Kambayashi Akatsuki; October 6, 1902 - August 28, 1980), pseudonym of Tokohiro Iwaki, was a…
Akatsuki Kambayashi (上林 暁, Kambayashi Akatsuki; October 6, 1902 - August 28, 1980), pseudonym of Tokohiro Iwaki, was a noted Japanese author in the I Novel genre. Kambayashi was born in a village now part of Kuroshio in Kōchi Prefecture. In 1927 he received a graduate degree in English literate from the University of Tokyo and took a job with the Kaizo publishing company. That same year he began to write and continued until 1973, despite two debilitating strokes. All told, Kambayashi published more than two hundred stories, most of which are based on personal experiences. According to Donald Keene, these stories fall into three broad clusters: those set in the village of Shikoku where he grew up; those relating to the illness and madness of his wife; and those describing his younger sister. Perhaps the best known is Sei Yohane byōin nite (In the Hospital of St. John, 1946), in which describes the slow death of his wife in the middle of a war-torn country. Kambayashi received the 1964 Yomiuri Prize for Shiroi yakatabune, and in 1969 became a member of the Japan Art Academy.
Colonel Okikatsu Arao (荒尾 興功, Arao Okikatsu; March 18, 1902 – August 22, 1974) was one of the original plotters in a…
Colonel Okikatsu Arao (荒尾 興功, Arao Okikatsu; March 18, 1902 – August 22, 1974) was one of the original plotters in a scheme to prevent Emperor Hirohito's declaration of surrender at the end of World War II. He was the chief of the War Affairs section of the Military Affairs Bureau of the Imperial Japanese Army.
Itoko Koyama (小山 いと子) (born Ito Ikemoto; July 13, 1901 – July 25, 1989) was a Japanese writer. She is best known for…
Itoko Koyama (小山 いと子) (born Ito Ikemoto; July 13, 1901 – July 25, 1989) was a Japanese writer. She is best known for her 1956 biography of Empress Kōjun. She was a recipient of both the Fujin Kōron Prize and the Naoki Prize.
Motoharu Okamura (岡村 基春, Okamura Motoharu; 1901 – 13 July 1948) was a Japanese naval aviator who served as a test pilot…
Motoharu Okamura (岡村 基春, Okamura Motoharu; 1901 – 13 July 1948) was a Japanese naval aviator who served as a test pilot in the 1930s, and served as the commander of the 341st Tateyama Kōkūtai (Air Group) for kamikaze attacks in June 1944.
Tamotsu Oishi (大石 保, Ōishi Tamotsu; 28 January 1900 – 13 February 1946) was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese…
Tamotsu Oishi (大石 保, Ōishi Tamotsu; 28 January 1900 – 13 February 1946) was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
Kiyotake Kawaguchi (川口 清健, Kawaguchi Kiyotake; 3 December 1892 – 16 May 1961) was a general in the Imperial Japanese…
Kiyotake Kawaguchi (川口 清健, Kawaguchi Kiyotake; 3 December 1892 – 16 May 1961) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
Ryūtarō Hirota (弘田 龍太郎, Hirota Ryūtarō; 30 June 1892 – 17 November 1952) was a Japanese composer. Hirota was born in…
Ryūtarō Hirota (弘田 龍太郎, Hirota Ryūtarō; 30 June 1892 – 17 November 1952) was a Japanese composer. Hirota was born in Aki, Kōchi.
Yoshimi Nishida (西田 祥実, Nishida Yoshimi; March 1, 1892 – February 21, 1944) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army…
Yoshimi Nishida (西田 祥実, Nishida Yoshimi; March 1, 1892 – February 21, 1944) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. He was killed in action during the Battle of Eniwetok.
Takakura Teru (Japanese: 高倉 輝, Hepburn: Takakura Teru; born Takakura Terutaka, Japanese: 高倉 輝豊; 14 April 1891 – 2 April…
Takakura Teru (Japanese: 高倉 輝, Hepburn: Takakura Teru; born Takakura Terutaka, Japanese: 高倉 輝豊; 14 April 1891 – 2 April 1986) was a Japanese novelist, playwright, politician and central committee member of the Japanese Communist Party from 1950 to 1951. Takakura graduated from Kyoto Imperial University and was a left-wing thinker of the Kyoto School. He was arrested several times under the Public Security Preservation Laws prior to the Allied occupation of Japan. In 1945 he fled parole to attend a funeral and was arrested along with Miki Kiyoshi, who he had gone to for clothes and money. This would inevitably lead to Miki's death in prison. Takakura however, following his release at the hands of the Allied Occupation, went on to become a politician for the Japanese Communist Party in 1946.
Kuzume Naoyuki (葛目 直幸, Naoyuki Kuzume; October 10, 1890 – June 28, 1944) was a colonel in the Imperial Japanese Army.
Sadamu Shimomura (下村 定, Shimomura Sadamu; 23 September 1887 – 25 March 1968) was a general in the Imperial Japanese…
Sadamu Shimomura (下村 定, Shimomura Sadamu; 23 September 1887 – 25 March 1968) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the final Minister of War of the Empire of Japan.
Shigeru Sawada (沢田 茂, Sawada Shigeru; March 29, 1887 – December 1, 1980) was a career military officer and a lieutenant…
Shigeru Sawada (沢田 茂, Sawada Shigeru; March 29, 1887 – December 1, 1980) was a career military officer and a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
Ujihiro Iga (伊賀 氏広, Iga Ujihiro; September 6, 1886 – February 25, 1966) was an early pioneer in Japanese aviation. Born…
Ujihiro Iga (伊賀 氏広, Iga Ujihiro; September 6, 1886 – February 25, 1966) was an early pioneer in Japanese aviation. Born into the kazoku nobility, Iga gained an intense interest in aviation during his time in the Imperial Japanese Army. From 1910 to 1912, he engaged in intensive aviation research and ultimately produced two experimental designs. Though neither conducted a successful test flight, Iga's second aircraft, the "Dancing Crane," was the first aircraft to be produced entirely in Japan. Iga withdrew from aviation research in 1913, and spent the remainder of his life working in industrial management, promoting the modernization of firefighting, and researching Japanese Buddhism.
Yamawaki Masataka (山脇 正隆, Yamawaki Masataka; 2 March 1886 – 21 April 1974) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army…
Yamawaki Masataka (山脇 正隆, Yamawaki Masataka; 2 March 1886 – 21 April 1974) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army known for his work in Poland and his command of the Borneo Defence Army during World War II. Born in Kōchi Prefecture, he joined the Imperial Japanese Army and graduated at the top of his class from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1905 and the Army War College in 1914. While stationed overseas in Poland between 1919 and 1923, he aided the Polish independence movement and was decorated by the government of Poland. He was an important advocate of closer relations between Poland and Japan, and served in Poland again from 1934 to 1935. He was decommissioned in 1941. Following the outbreak of World War II, he was recalled to active duty and assigned to lead the Borneo Defence Army, which was occupying the parts of Borneo that were seized from the British at the beginning of the war. He served in this capacity from 1942 to 1944, during which time he was promoted to general. In 1947, he was charged with war crimes by the Australian government due to his involvement in the killing of Australian POWs, but was acquitted. He lived in Tokyo after the war and died in 1974.
Tomoyuki Yamashita (山下 奉文, Yamashita Tomoyuki; 8 November 1885 – 23 February 1946; also called Tomobumi Yamashita) was…
Tomoyuki Yamashita (山下 奉文, Yamashita Tomoyuki; 8 November 1885 – 23 February 1946; also called Tomobumi Yamashita) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Yamashita led Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya and Battle of Singapore. His conquest of Malaya and Singapore in 70 days earned him the sobriquet "The Tiger of Malaya". He was assigned to defend the Philippines from the advancing Allies later in the war. Although he was unable to prevent the superior Allied forces from advancing, despite dwindling supplies and Allied guerrilla action, he was able to hold on to part of Luzon until after the formal surrender of Japan in August 1945. Under Yamashita's command, at least 350,000 to 450,000 were killed. Yamashita was in overall command during the Sook Ching massacre, the Rape of Manila, and other atrocities. After the war, Yamashita was tried for war crimes committed by troops under his command during the Japanese defense of the occupied Philippines in 1944. Yamashita denied ordering those war crimes and said that he did not have knowledge that they occurred. Conflicting evidence was presented during the trial concerning whether Yamashita had implicitly affirmed commission of these crimes in his orders and whether he knew of the crimes being committed. The court eventually found Yamashita guilty and he was executed in February, 1946. The ruling against Yamashita – holding the commander responsible for subordinates' war crimes as long as the commander did not attempt to discover and stop them from occurring – came to be known as the Yamashita standard.
Inosuke Inoue (September 2, 1882 – June 20, 1966), whose Chinese given name was Gao Tianming, was born in Kochi…
Inosuke Inoue (September 2, 1882 – June 20, 1966), whose Chinese given name was Gao Tianming, was born in Kochi Prefecture, Japan. In addition to being a Christian clergyman, he also engaged in medical services. Inosuke Inoue's father, during the early days of Taiwan under Japanese rule, went to Hualien, Taiwan, to engage in camphor harvesting. Later, during the Weili Incident, he and dozens of government officials were killed by the Taroko people. For this reason, after Inosuke graduated from the seminary, he went to Taiwan's aboriginal tribes to carry out missionary and medical work with the concept of education and service. Later, he made many contributions to the medical work of Taiwan's aborigines throughout his life; therefore, he is known as the "Father of Aboriginal Medical Services" in Taiwan. Tzu Chi Monthly called Inoue "revenge with love."
Osami Nagano (永野 修身, Nagano Osami; 15 June 1880 – 5 January 1947) was a Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy…
Osami Nagano (永野 修身, Nagano Osami; 15 June 1880 – 5 January 1947) was a Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy and one of the leaders of Japan's military during most of the Second World War. In April 1941, he became Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff. In this capacity, he emerged as a leading advocate for preventive war against the United States and served as the navy's commander-in-chief in the Asia-Pacific theater of World War II until February 1944. After the war, he was arrested by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East but died of natural causes in prison during the trial.
Shigeho Tanaka (田中茂穂, Tanaka Shigeho; 1878–1974) was a Japanese ichthyologist and professor of zoology at the Imperial…
Shigeho Tanaka (田中茂穂, Tanaka Shigeho; 1878–1974) was a Japanese ichthyologist and professor of zoology at the Imperial University of Tokyo. He published numerous works on fishes and sharks and co-authored a book on Japanese fish with famous American scientist David Starr Jordan.
Kunimiyama Etsukichi (Japanese: 國見山 悦吉; born Etsukichi Matsushita (松下 悦吉, Matsushita Etsukichi), March 28, 1876 –…
Kunimiyama Etsukichi (Japanese: 國見山 悦吉; born Etsukichi Matsushita (松下 悦吉, Matsushita Etsukichi), March 28, 1876 – September 25, 1924) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Tosa District, Kōchi (now Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture). He reached the rank of ōzeki in May 1905 and was the first wrestler to be promoted at that rank since Yahatayama, 14 years earlier. He was also the last ōzeki from his prefecture until the promotion of Tamanishiki in May 1930, 25 years later.
Masatake Morita (森田 正馬, Morita Masatake; 1874–1938), also read as Shōma Morita, was the founder of Morita therapy, a…
Masatake Morita (森田 正馬, Morita Masatake; 1874–1938), also read as Shōma Morita, was the founder of Morita therapy, a branch of clinical psychology strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism. In his capacity as the head of psychiatry for a large Tokyo hospital, Morita began developing his methods while working with sufferers of shinkeishitsu, or anxiety disorders with a hypochondriac base.
Baron Kumakichi Nakajima (中島久万吉, Nakajima Kumakichi; 24 July 1873 – 25 April 1960) was an entrepreneur, politician and…
Baron Kumakichi Nakajima (中島久万吉, Nakajima Kumakichi; 24 July 1873 – 25 April 1960) was an entrepreneur, politician and cabinet minister in the pre-war Empire of Japan.
Kojūrō Nozaki (野崎 小十郎, Nozaki Kojūrō; December 2, 1872 – April 21, 1946) was a Japanese admiral who was Commander of…
Kojūrō Nozaki (野崎 小十郎, Nozaki Kojūrō; December 2, 1872 – April 21, 1946) was a Japanese admiral who was Commander of the Interim Southern Islands Defense Unit from 1919 to 1922.
Kōtoku Denjirō (幸徳 傳次郎; November 5, 1871 – January 24, 1911), better known by the pen name Kōtoku Shūsui (Japanese: 幸徳…
Kōtoku Denjirō (幸徳 傳次郎; November 5, 1871 – January 24, 1911), better known by the pen name Kōtoku Shūsui (Japanese: 幸徳 秋水; Japanese pronunciation: [koːtokɯ ɕɯːsɯi]), was a Japanese socialist and anarchist who played a leading role in introducing anarchism to Japan in the early 20th century. Historian John Crump described him as "the most famous socialist in Japan". He was a prominent figure in radical politics in Japan, opposing the Russo-Japanese War by founding the Heimin-sha group and its associated newspaper, Heimin Shinbun. Due to disregard for state press laws, the newspaper ceased publication in January 1905, and Kōtoku served five months in prison from February to July 1905. He subsequently left for the United States, spending November 1905 until June 1906 largely in California, and he came into contact with other prominent anarchist figures such as Peter Kropotkin. Upon his return, he contributed to a divide within the left-wing movement between moderate social democrats and the more radical advocates of direct action, the latter of whom he supported. The growth of the 'direct action' faction led to the banning of the Japan Socialist Party in February 1907, and is arguably the beginning of Japan's modern anarchist movement. He was one of the 12 accused who were executed for treason by the Japanese government in the High Treason Incident in 1911, under suspicion of involvement in a bomb plot to assassinate the Japanese Emperor Meiji.
Yamamoto Shōun (山本 昇雲; December 30, 1870 – May 10, 1965), who is also known as Matsutani Shōun, was a Japanese print…
Yamamoto Shōun (山本 昇雲; December 30, 1870 – May 10, 1965), who is also known as Matsutani Shōun, was a Japanese print designer, painter, and illustrator. He was born in the city of Kōchi in Kōchi Prefecture, into a family of retainers of the shōgun and was given the name Mosaburō. As a teenager, he studied Kanō-school painting with Yanagimoto Doso and Kawada Shoryu. At about age 17, he moved to Tokyo, where he studied Nanga painting with Taki Katei. At 20 years of age, he was employed as an illustrator for Fugoku gaho, a pictorial magazine dealing with the sights in and around Tokyo. In his latter career, Shōun primarily produced paintings. He died in 1965, at the age of 96. In addition to his magazine illustrations, Shōun is best known for his woodblock prints of beautiful women and a group of humorous shikishiban (prints about 7 by 8 inches). Shōun is considered a bridge between ukiyo-e and shin-hanga. His career spans the Meiji (1868–1912), Taishō (1912–1926) and Shōwa (1926–1989) periods. Yamamoto Shōun signed most of his works with a very small compact signature reading Shōun (昇雲).
Hamaguchi Osachi (Kyūjitai: 濱口 雄幸; Shinjitai: 浜口 雄幸, 1 April 1870 – 26 August 1931) was a Japanese politician who…
Hamaguchi Osachi (Kyūjitai: 濱口 雄幸; Shinjitai: 浜口 雄幸, 1 April 1870 – 26 August 1931) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1929 to 1931. Nicknamed the "Lion Prime Minister" (ライオン宰相, Raion Saishō) due to his dignified demeanor and mane-like hair, Hamaguchi served as leading member of the liberal Rikken Minseitō (Constitutional Democratic Party) during the "Taishō Democracy" of interwar Japan. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1915 until his death. He initially survived an assassination attempt by a right-wing extremist in 1930, but died about nine months later from a bacterial infection in his unhealed wounds.
Naomasa Yamasaki (山崎 直方, Yamasaki Naomasa; March 10, 1870 – July 26, 1929) was a Japanese geographer and regarded as…
Naomasa Yamasaki (山崎 直方, Yamasaki Naomasa; March 10, 1870 – July 26, 1929) was a Japanese geographer and regarded as the father of modern Japanese geography. He was a professor at Tokyo Imperial University from 1911 to 1929, where he created the department of geography and founded The Association of Japanese Geographers. The latter is the primary academic geographic society in Japan.
T. R. Ōtsuka 大塚 太郎 (Ōtsuka Tarō) (1868 – c. 1940s?) was a Japanese garden builder. After emigrating from Japan to the…
T. R. Ōtsuka 大塚 太郎 (Ōtsuka Tarō) (1868 – c. 1940s?) was a Japanese garden builder. After emigrating from Japan to the United States in 1897 and moving to Chicago around 1905, he built dozens of Japanese-style gardens and rock gardens, mostly in the Midwest, between 1905 and the mid-1930s. His most notable projects were the Japanese-style garden of George and Nelle Fabyan in Geneva, Illinois (c. 1910); the Japanese Garden at Stan Hywet in Akron, Ohio (1916); the garden of Milton Tootle, Jr. in Mackinac Island, Michigan (before 1910); and the official Japanese pavilion garden at the 1933–1934 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.
Baron Hisaya Iwasaki was a 19th- and 20th-century Japanese industrialist who served as the third head of the unified…
Baron Hisaya Iwasaki was a 19th- and 20th-century Japanese industrialist who served as the third head of the unified Mitsubishi.
Sentō Takenaka (仙頭武央, Sentō Takenaka; October 3, 1864 – December 11, 1919) was a Japanese naval officer of the First…
Sentō Takenaka (仙頭武央, Sentō Takenaka; October 3, 1864 – December 11, 1919) was a Japanese naval officer of the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War. He commanded the Japanese cruiser Tsushima during the Battle of Korsakov and the Battle of Tsushima and achieved the rank of vice admiral.
Takeda Hideo (武田 秀雄; November 16, 1863 – February 16, 1942) was a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. In…
Takeda Hideo (武田 秀雄; November 16, 1863 – February 16, 1942) was a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. In retirement he served as President of Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and of Mitsubishi Electric.
Kuroiwa Shūroku (黒岩 周六, Kuroiwa Shūroku; 29 September 1862 – 6 October 1920), also known as Kuroiwa Ruikō (黒岩 涙香), was…
Kuroiwa Shūroku (黒岩 周六, Kuroiwa Shūroku; 29 September 1862 – 6 October 1920), also known as Kuroiwa Ruikō (黒岩 涙香), was a Japanese journalist, novelist and translator. He founded Yorozu Chōhō in 1892, which soon became one of Japan's largest newspapers. He translated more than 100 French and English language novels into the Japanese language. In 1919, while on his way to the Paris Peace Conference, Kuroiwa met with Madam C. J. Walker of the International League for Darker People to discuss a shared strategy at the conference. His Dharma name, which he chose himself, was Kuroiwain Shūroku Ruikō Chūten Koji (黒岩院周六涙香忠天居士).
Seito Saibara (西原 清東, Saibara Seitō; October 11, 1861 – April 11, 1939) was a Japanese parliament member, politician…
Seito Saibara (西原 清東, Saibara Seitō; October 11, 1861 – April 11, 1939) was a Japanese parliament member, politician, administrator, colonist, and farmer. Apart from his missionary activities, he is credited with having first established the rice industry on the Gulf Coast of the United States.
Shigetarō Yoshimatsu (吉松茂太郎, Yoshimatsu Shigetarō; February 6, 1859 – January 5, 1935) (sometimes spelled Motaro) was a…
Shigetarō Yoshimatsu (吉松茂太郎, Yoshimatsu Shigetarō; February 6, 1859 – January 5, 1935) (sometimes spelled Motaro) was a Japanese admiral during the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War. He was known for commanding the Tokiwa during the Battle of Tsushima.
Kusunose Yukihiko (楠瀬 幸彦, Yukihiko Kusunone; 28 April 1858 – 20 March 1927) was a general in the early Imperial…
Kusunose Yukihiko (楠瀬 幸彦, Yukihiko Kusunone; 28 April 1858 – 20 March 1927) was a general in the early Imperial Japanese Army.