Online dictionary of history and traditions in Japan: famous person

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Unkei

運慶
alternative words: Unke
keywords: artist , buddhism , famous person
related topics: Kamakura period , Buddhism , Nyorai , Kongo rikishi
explanation: Buddhist sculptor of the early Kamakura period. His masculine and dynamic style appealed to the warriors of the Kamakura period who had just taken political powers from Kyoto's aristocrats. As his master pieces, we can quote "Dainichi Nyorai" statue at Enjoji Temple and "Kongo Rikishi" statue at Todaiji Temple, both being located at Nara city. His birth day unknown, died in 1223.

Yagyu Munenori

柳生宗矩
alternative words: Munenori Yagyu, Munenori
keywords: famous person , swordsman , war lord
related topics: Sengoku period , Toyotomi Hideyoshi , Tokugawa Ieyasu , Battle of Sekigahara
related web sites: http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~me4k-skri/han/kinki/yagyu.html
explanation: Bon in 1571 as son of Yagyu Muneyoshi, a local seignior near Nara but they lost soon the feud because of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. By showing how to grip the opponent's sword with bear hands, he was accepted along with his father in Tokugawa Ieyasu's troops. Thanks to a contribution in Sekigahara's battle, he got back the old fief. He was not only a sword instructor of Ieyasu's child, Hidetada and grandchild, Iemitsu but a general inspector (Ometsuke) of Tokugawa regime. He died in 1646.

Yamagata Aritomo

山形有朋
alternative words: Aritomo Yamagata
keywords: famous person , meiji revolution , military man , statesman
related topics: Yoshida Shoin , Choshu domain , Meiji revolution , Ito Hirobumi , Sino-Japanese war , Russo-Japanese war , Genro
related web sites: http://www.chinzanso.com/index2.html , http://www.mediawars.ne.jp/~tanimura/a_map/kyoto/sakyo/nanzenzi/murinan.html
explanation: Born in 1837 in a samurai family of Choshu. After having studied from Yoshida Shoin, he organized Kiheitai to control Choshu domain then to repel the 2e attack of Edo shogunate. After Meiji restoration in 1868, he was sent to Europe to study the military institution. After a death or fall of great contributors of Meiji revolution, he shared the power with Ito Hirobumi and led the wars against China in 1895 and Russia in 1905. He always hated political parties. He died in 1922.

Yamamoto Isoroku

山本五十六山本元帥山本提督
alternative words: Isoroku Yamamoto, Admiral Yamamoto, Yamamoto
keywords: famous person , military man , world war 2
related topics: Russo-Japanese war , Mikasa , Karo
related web sites: http://www.propel.ne.jp/~rance/document_room/rance/rekishi/gunji/yamamoto.htm , http://www.iscb.net/mikio/199911/1118.htm , http://www.h2.dion.ne.jp/~sws6225/isosan.html
explanation: Born in 1884 at Nagaoka as son of a Confucianist, Takano Sadakichi and adopted later by ex Karo, Yamamoto Tatewaki. Graduated at Naval University, he lost 2 fingers by an explosion on board of Mikasa during Russo Japanese war. After having studied at Harvard university in 1919-1920, he led a newly created air naval division. In 1939, he became the chief commander of combined fleet and elaborated an attack on Pearl harbor. He died in 1943, during an inspection flight on Solomon Archipelagos.

Yanagita Kunio

柳田国男
alternative words: Kunio Yanagita, Yanagida Kunio, Kunio Yanagida
keywords: famous person , scholar
related topics: Tengu , Kappa
related web sites: http://www.nmda.or.jp/mellow/fudoki/hyperfudoki/TONOFF/TONO2F/JITEN.HTM , http://www.kamnavi.net/it/itake13.htm , http://tourism.rikkyo.ac.jp/yasujima/kikoubun/nishimura/sakusya.html , http://www.first.tsukuba.ac.jp/~gaku/lifeinmt.html
explanation: Born in 1875 in Hyogo prefecture. A young literary aspirant, he became gradually interested in ethnology when as a bureaucrat of agriculture minister, he visited many isolated villages. There, he has discovered many interesting tales such as Tengu, Kappa, Yukionna (Snow woman). Excellent writer, he left many books but the most famous one is "Tono monogatari", a collection of local folklore around Tono in Iwate prefecture. Died in 1962, he is considered as father of Japanese ethnology.

Yokoyama Taikan

横山大観大観
alternative words: Taikan Yokoyama, Taikan
keywords: artist , famous person
related topics: Okakura Tenshin , Ink painting
related web sites: http://www.nona.dti.ne.jp/~u-life/yokoyamaindex.html , http://www.spmoa.shizuoka.shizuoka.jp/collection/item/J_85_388_J.html
explanation: Born in 1868 in Ibaraki prefecture. After having studied at Nihon bijutsu gakko created by Okakura Tenshin, he became an assistant professor but left it with Okakura Tenshi in 1898. He then organized Nihon bijutsuin with Tenshin and created a new style of Japanese paint. Initially criticized by traditional Japanese painters as "morotai" (dim style), he gradually won a recognition and was appointed a member of the Imperial Fine Arts Academy in 1935. Age advanced, he turned to Ink painting. He died in 1958.

Yosa Buson

与謝蕪村谷口蕪村蕪村
alternative words: Buson Yosa, Buson, Taniguchi Buson
keywords: artist , famous person , poesy , writer
related topics: Edo period , Haiku
related web sites: http://busons.hoops.livedoor.com , http://www.nime.ac.jp/~saga/busonj.html
explanation: Born in 1716 in Osaka. He went to Tokyo before age 20 to learn haiku from Hayano Hajin. After his death, he traveled Kanto and Tohoku region for 10 years. In 1751, he went back to Kyoto and began to work on Chinese style pictures (Bunjinga) by collaborating with Ikeno Taiga, another master of Bunjinga. In 1766, he returned back to haiku activity, proposing a revival of Basho style, then surpassed it with a modern freshness. He died in 1783. Buson Shichibushu is a compilation of his haiku poems.

Yoshida Shoin

吉田松陰松陰
alternative words: Shoin Yoshida, Shoin
keywords: famous person , meiji revolution , scholar
related topics: Ito Hirobumi , Kido Takayoshi , Takasugi Shinsaku , Yamagata Aritomo , Choshu domain , Meiji revolution
related web sites: http://www.shoinjinja.org , http://sapporo.cool.ne.jp/martian/syouinjinjya.htm , http://ddb.libnet.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/exhibit/ishin/shouin/shouin_jinbutsu_index_j.html
explanation: Born in 1830 in Choshu domain and adopted by Yoshida family. At the age 9, he became an instructor of Choshu's school, Meirinkan. In 1854, he tried to embark secretly on a American ship from Shimoda harbor but failed and this caused his house arrest during 3 years. After being pardoned, he transformed his house to a private school "Shoka Sonjyuku" to teach military arts and comment the current politics. This provoked an anger of Shogunate and he was executed in 1859.
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148 articles extracted from postgresql database.