|  A
Beautiful Geisha who was Used to Conclude Treaty
In the 19th century, major western powers were pressuring
Japan to open the country which had been closed to
most of the world for more than 200 years. Townsend
HARRIS, who was the first American counselor in Japan,
was staying at Shimoda in Shizuoka prefecture to help
prepare both countries to enter into a commerce treaty.
...
|
 The
Prince who Created the Framework of Japan
Prince SHOUTOKU (574 - 622) has appeared on most of
the Japanese bank notes. His portrait was used for the
100 yen, 1,000 yen, 5,000 yen and 10,000 yen notes.
Shoutoku Taishi, who is very familiar among Japanese,
became the Regent who at the age of 19 became deputy
for Empress Suiko, the first Japanese empress that assumed
the role. Legend has it that he was clever and able
to listen to ten people at a time. ... |
 Unknown
Episode that Moved People Around the World
The Olympic Games is the largest event in the sporting
world and needless to say the greatest honor for all
the athletes who participate is to win the gold medal.
Here is a very touching story involving an Olympic gold
medal. This took place during the equestrian event held
at the 10th Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1932. ... |
 An
Investigator who Fought Against a Great Evil
When OOSHIO Heihachirou (1793 - 1837) was inaugurated
as a yoriki (similar to a present-day police investigator)
in Osaka at the age of 25, he received a cake box filled
with money from a criminal suspect. Realizing that many
investigators in the bugyousho (similar to a present-day
police station) were taking bribes, he was very surprised
at the turn of events. Furthermore, there was a yoriki
called YUGE Shin’emon who controlled people in
the underworld and let his followers rob and kill people.
... |
 The
Most Respected Yakuza Boss in Japan
Until a few decades ago, if Chicago was mentioned, it
would remind many people of the infamous gangland boss,
Al Capone. Similarly in Japan, there were Japanese who
were reminded of SHIMIZU no Jirochou (1820 - 1893) whenever
they heard the name of Shimizu city in Shizuoka prefecture
mentioned. In fact, although Jirochou was a yakuza boss
at the end of the Edo period, his name is still familiar
to citizens of Shimizu city even now. ... |
 The
Strongest Sumo Champion in History with 69 Consecutive
Victories
Every sport has great records and one of the men behind
a great sumo record is FUTABAYAMA Sadaji (1912 ~ 1968)
from Ooita prefecture, who won an amazing 69 consecutive
victories. In recent years, the great Yokozuna (grand
champion or highest rank) CHIYONOFUJI had achieved 53
consecutive victories and won 3l tournaments, and TAIHO,
who takes pride in having won the most tournaments (32)
in sumo history, had 45 consecutive victories. … |
 The
Only Disobediant Japanese Under the Occupation
Japanese novelist KON Hidemi, described SHIRASU Jirou
(1902 ~ 1985) as “a well-bred, natural-born barbarian.”
He was handsome, stood at 185cm, tall for a Japanese,
and was the first man to wear jeans in Japan. He loved
and drove a Porsche car at a time when such cars were
rarely seen, and enjoyed playing golf. … |
 “Great
Master of Management” who Cultivated a Path with
Positive Thinking
In 1970, the World Expo was held in Osaka. Visitors
formed a long queue in front of the pavilion run by
Matsushita Electric Industry Company, one of Japan’s
leading businesses. One summers day when a Matsushita
staff member in charge noticed MATSUSHITA Kounosuke
(1894~1989), the founder and at that time chairman of
the company, in the queue, Kounosuke said to the staff
member, … |
 A
Warlord who Fought only for Justice in Wartime
In the 16th century when rival warlords were fighting,
strong warlords all over Japan had a desire to unify
the country and subsequently fought each other. Among
them UESUGI Kenshin (1530~1578), a warlord in the Echigo
region (present day Niigata prefecture), was skilled
at battle and had won almost all of the 70 battles he
had fought. … |
 Free
Living Activist who Fought for Emancipation of Women
"Once upon a time women were in fact the sun. Indeed,
true human being. But now a woman is the moon, like
a sick person with a pale face, who lives depending
on others and whose life is brightened up by others.
We have to bring back our sun that had been hidden … |
 Who
is the Emperor Sleeping in the World’s Largest
Burial Site?
Did you know that Japan has the world's largest burial
site that has a ground size larger than the Great Pyramid
of Giza in Egypt and the Imperial Mausoleum of Shih-Huang-Ti
in China? It is situated in Sakai-city, Osaka-fu. ... |
 The
Best-selling Novelist who had Insight into Society’s
Evils and Essence of Human Being
Famous mystery novels written by Sir Arthur Conan DOYLE
and Agatha CHRISTIE are still popular, even now. In
Japan, there is also a best-selling mystery writer whose
books have been read continuously over time. The name
of the writer is MATSUMOTO Seicho (l909 ~ l992). ... |
 “Super
Idol” Horse Created by Social Conditions
On March 4, 1973, Nakayama Race Track was filled with
extraordinary excitement. The audience was paying attention
to one horse only - Haiseiko, who had won six out of
six races by over seven lengths at the local race track
at Ohoi. He made his debut on this day at Nakayama and
130,000 people rushed to the stadium to see him. ... |
 Anti-Militarism
Congressman with 63-Year Career
Positioned at the front of the House of Representatives
in the Japanese Diet is the bust of a man called OZAKI
Yukio (1858~1954) whose pen name is "OZAKI Gakudo."
Ozaki holds the record of being elected as a Diet Member
for 63 years (selected 25 times), which is longer even
than the political career of former British premier
Winston CHURCHILL. ... |
 Story
of Revenge Attack Leader Passed Down for 300 Years
Each year when December rolls around, a drama called
“Chuushingura” is almost always shown on
TV or in movie theatres. This is a story in which 47
samurai (warriors) sacrificed their lives to avenge
their lord, and touches the souls of Japanese people
even now 300 years after the event took place. In Japan,
the bushido, or samurai spirit, in which people would
be loyal unto death, used to be able to be seen in Japanese
businessmen up to only a couple of decades ago. ... |
 An
Extraordinarily Great Man who Strove to Modernize Japan
There are two great figures that Japanese like the most
who strove to unify Japan using two different approaches.
One is ODA Nobunaga (1534~1582), a revolutionist in
the middle ages, and the other is SAKAMOTO Ryoma (1835~1867),
a hero of the Meiji Restoration. Nobunaga destroyed
the old establishment by smashing the regional lords
spread throughout Japan using his wisdom and power.
... |
 A
Defiant-Spirited Journalist Fought Authority Using Parody
The media has a great responsibility to be aware of
the age they are in, however they are often utilized
by, or accommodate themselves, to influential politicians
and religious people. And as history proves, doing so
sometimes leads to war. In Japan, there was a man who
used parody to fight the authorities. ... |
 Devoted
Fighters who Stood up for Oppressed Peasants
There are still many people who are being oppressed
by authorities around the world. Among them are a number
of Japanese who stood strong in the face of oppression.
One of them was AMAKUSA Shiro, who launched the Shimabara
(Kyushuu) Rebellion in medieval times. ... |
 Passionate
Poetess who Boldly Expressed Her Love
About a hundred years ago there was a poetess called
YOSANO Akiko (1878~1942). She boldly expressed her feelings
to the man she loved through her poems, as shown below.
... |
 A
Dog that Continued to Wait for his Dead Master
Dogs are known to be the most loyal animals to human
beings, and in Japan, there is a famous dog that showed
this quality until the day it died. The dog’s
name was “Hachi” (1923~1935) and is generally
called “Chuuken Hachi-kou” (loyal dog Hachi).
... |
 A
Model of a Good Wife who Supported her Husband’s
Success During Wartime
YAMAUCHI Kazutoyo (1545 ~ 1605), who had an unstable
life after the fall of his master’s family, married
Chiyo (1557 ~ 1617) who had experienced a similar life.
The poor couple dreamed Kazutoyo would become a lord
of a country (state) some day. ... |
 The
Man who Stole 300 Million yen without Harming Anybody
On the morning of December 10, 1968, a cash transport
car belonging to the Kokubunji branch of Nihon Shintaku
Ginko (bank) containing Toshiba Fuchu factory employees’
bonuses of 300,000,000 yen cash packed into metal boxes
was stopped in a street next to Tokyo Fuchu prison by
a young policeman riding on a police motorcycle. ... |
 The
History Making Home-run King of Japanese Baseball
Baseball is more popular than football in Japan. Japanese
baseball championship games are held in October and
Japanese are fascinated by the sport. In the history
of the game in Japan, one of the standout names is OH
Sadaharu, the great first field home-run batter. ... |
 A
Boy who Became a Model of Diligence for the Japanese
When foreigners are asked what the most distinguishing
characteristic of Japanese people is, many answer “diligence.”
Japanese are certainly diligent. NINOMIYA Kinjiro, later
called NINOMIYA Sontoku, is the symbol of Japanese diligence.
... |
 Sympathized
Class A War Criminal Who Accepted Death Penalty Without
Any Defense
The year of 2005 marks 60 years after the end of World
War II and the Prime Minister's visit to the controversial
Yasukuni Shrine has become a big issue. China and Korea
are opposed to Koizumi's visits since 14 Class A war
criminals are enshrined together with ordinary soldiers.
... |
 Last
Cry of Youth Destined to Die
The year of 2005 marks 60 years since the end of World
War II. Among the many stories about the war, the one
that still moves people to tears even today is about
the tragedy of the approximately 4,600 soldiers of the
Kamikaze Suicide Squad. ... |
 Mysterious
Queen Highlighted Ancient History
The Emperors of Japan have all been men. After some
expectant years of waiting, Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito
and Princess Masako had their first child in 2001, but
it was a girl. ... |
 A
Diplomat who Issued Life Saving Visas Against Orders
Sixty years ago in May 1945, Japan's wartime ally Germany
accepted an unconditional surrender and Japan did the
same in August. Thus World War 2 came to a close. This
tragic conflict began when Hitler's Germany invaded
Poland in 1939. At that time there was a Japanese diplomat
in Lithuania who granted life saving visas to many Jewish
who were being persecuted by the Nazis. ... |
 A
Heretic Rationalist who Drove the Unification of Japan
Aichi prefecture is also known as the town of three
great warriors in Japan's history. These men are ODA
Nobunaga, a revolutionist of the medieval age, TOYOTOMI
Hideyoshi, who unified Japan for the first time and
who succeeded Nobunaga, and TOKUGAWA Ieyasu, who formed
the Shogunate in Edo (present day Tokyo) after destroying
the Toyotomi family. ... |
 A
Hero of the Meiji Restoration who Saved Edo from the
Fires of War
Ueno Park is known as a prominent cherry blossom viewing
spot, and in the park is a statue of a man walking with
a dog. The man in Japanese clothing is SAIGO Takamori
(1827~1877). Who was he? ... |
 Japan’s
First Emperor Who Appeared as a Descendant from a God
The 11th of February is the national foundation day
of Japan. The definition of foundation differs by nation.
While most emerging countries set it as their day of
independence, most Japanese don't know how the national
foundation day of Japan came about. ... |
 The
Strategy Genius Expelled by the first Shogun
There were four major turning points in the history
of Japan. Going back in history, they were World War?which
occurred about 60 years ago, the Meiji restoration (the
war between supporters of the Emperor and those of the
Shogun) in the late 19th century, the age of provincial
wars aimed at uniting the nation in the late 16th century,
and the Gen-Pei war in the late 12th century. ... |
 The
Ghost Writer with Two Names
Lafcadio HEARN is one of Japan's greatest writers. While
there have been many films and television programs produced
about his life and work, he is almost unknown in his
native Ireland. How did this occur? ... |
 Man
who opened the door of Japan to the world
If there is one man who has made a significant difference
to modern Japan, it has to be American Matthew PERRY.
PERRY was a Commodore in the U.S. Navy who was credited
with prying open Japan to the rest of the world and
setting the country on the path to 'internationlization.'
... |
 Re-builder
of Post-war Japan
When the Japanese surrendered at the end of World War
II, one of the men who signed the surrender document
on September 2, 1945 was a man who would soon play a
key role in the shaping of post-war Japan. The country
was devastated ? ... |
|
|
