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Keiko Sonoi
was a Japanese actress, who was a member of the all-female musical-performing Takarazuka Revue during the 1930s and the 1940s, best known for her role as an officer's widow in the wartime film , and for being part of the or Cherry Blossom Unit of traveling ''shingeki'' play actors who died as a result of the 1945 Hiroshima bombing. The fate of the Cherry Blossom Unit was later dramatized by playwright Hisashi Inoue, and also made into a feature film by director Kaneto Shindo. The actress appears to have had a long-held desire to perform ''shingeki'' plays, but that was not economically viable due to the need to her support her parents and siblings. As a Takarazienne, she had the manga comic artist Osamu Tezuka as a childhood fan who lived on her block, and ''Astro Boy'' may have been influenced by Sonoi's performance of ''Pinochio'' ("Pinocchio") from April to May, 1942. Biography Early life Keiko Sonoi was born on 6 August 1913 in Matsuo, Iwate, Matsuo, a village in Iwate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matsuo, Iwate
was a village located in Iwate District, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. The village of Matsuo was created on April 1, 1889 within Kita-Iwate District with the establishment of the municipality system. Kita-Iwate and Minami-Iwate Districts merged to form Iwate District on March 29, 1898. On September 1, 2005, Matsuo, along with the towns of Ashiro and Nishine (all from Iwate District), was merged to create the city of Hachimantai and no longer exists as an independent municipality. Matsuo was formerly known as the home of Japan's largest sulfur mine—the Matsuo Kōzan —and, later, as the home of the Matsukawa geothermal power plant. The iron and copper Matsuo mine was also located there before abandonment in 1971. As of September 2005, the village had an estimated population of 6,786 and a population density of 28.89 persons per km². The total area was 234.85 km². Sister cities * Miyako, Iwate * Nago, Okinawa Friendship and cooperation cities: * Altenmarkt, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kabuki
is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to have originated in the very early Edo period, when founder Izumo no Okuni formed a female dance troupe who performed dances and light sketches in Kyoto. The art form later developed into its present all-male theatrical form after women were banned from performing in kabuki theatre in 1629. Kabuki developed throughout the late 17th century and reached its zenith in the mid-18th century. In 2005, kabuki theatre was proclaimed by UNESCO as an intangible heritage possessing outstanding universal value. In 2008, it was inscribed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Etymology The individual kanji that make up the word ''kabuki'' can be read as , , and . ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
L'Arlésienne (short Story)
''L'Arlésienne'' is a short story, written by Alphonse Daudet and first published in his collection '' Letters From My Windmill'' (''Lettres de mon moulin'') in 1869. On a commission from Léon Carvalho, the author transformed the story in 1872 into a play in three acts and five tableaux with music and chorus. Georges Bizet wrote incidental music for the play's first production on 1 October 1872, at the Vaudeville Theatre (now the Gaumont).musikmph The play was not successful and closed after only 21 performances. The music score was later used for two suites of the same name, the first established by Bizet himself in November 1872, the second after Bizet's 1875 death, by [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ichizō Kobayashi
, occasionally referred to by his pseudonym , was a Japanese industrialist and politician. He is best known as the founder of Hankyu Railway, the Takarazuka Revue, and Toho. He served as Minister of Commerce and Industry between 1940-1941. Life Ichizō Kobayashi was born in Kawarabe village, Koma, Yamanashi Prefecture (present-day Nirasaki, Yamanashi) on January 3, 1873, to a wealthy merchant family known by the trade name "Nunoya". His mother died immediately after his birth and his father left the family, leaving Kobayashi under the care of his uncle's family. He was named Ichizō, meaning "one-three", because of his birthday, January 3. He graduated from Keio Gijuku in 1892. After a 14-year career at the Mitsui Bank, he founded (technically as one of the promoters/executive directors) Mino-o Arima Electric Railway Company (then Hankyu Corp., now, Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc.) in 1907. At Hankyu, Kobayashi made success in the management of the railway in a less-populated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tokubetsu Kōtō Keisatsu
The , often abbreviated , was a Japanese policing organization, established within the Home Ministry in 1911, for the purpose of carrying out high policing, domestic criminal investigations, and control of political groups and ideologies deemed to threaten the public order of the Empire of Japan.W. G. Beasley, ''The Rise of Modern Japan'', p. 184, . As the civilian counterpart to the military police forces of the ''Kenpeitai'' (army) and of the '' Tokkeitai'' (navy), the Tokkō's functions were criminal investigation and counter-espionage. The Tokubetsu Kōtō Keisatsu was also known by various nicknames such as the and as the . History The High Treason Incident of 1910 was the stimulus for the establishment of the Tokkō under the aegis of the Home Ministry. With the Russian Revolution, unrest at home due to the Rice Riots of 1918, increase in strikes and labor unrest from the labor movement, and Samil Uprising in Korea, the Tokkō was greatly expanded under the administration ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takiji Kobayashi
was a Japanese writer of proletarian literature. He is best known for his short novel '' Kanikōsen'', or ''Crab Cannery Ship'', published in 1929. It tells the story of the hard life of cannery workers, fishermen and seamen on board a cannery ship and the beginning of their revolt against the company and its managers. The young writer died due to violent torture after arrest by the ''Tokkō'' police two years later, at the age of 29. Biography Kobayashi was born in Odate, Akita, Japan. At the age of four, his family moved to Otaru, Hokkaido. The family was not wealthy, but Kobayashi's uncle paid his schooling expenses and he was able to attend Hokkaido Otaru Commercial High School and Otaru Commercial School of Higher Learning, which is the current Otaru University of Commerce. While studying, he became interested in writing, and submitted essays to literary magazines, served in the editorial committee for his school's alumni association magazine, and also had his own writin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miwa Yanagi
is a Japanese photographic artist who examines self-image and stereotypes of women in contemporary Japanese society. Yanagi was discovered by conceptual photographer Yasumasa Morimura, who noticed some of her work while borrowing her house as a set for a separate project. Biography Miwa Yanagi was born in 1967 in Kobe, Japan. She completed her postgraduate course work at the Kyoto City University of Arts.Yanagi, Miwa.Miwa Yanagi, Yanagi's website. April 2009. Yanagi received two degrees at this University: one in crafts in 1989, then another in art in 1991. She worked mostly with fiber installation art pieces. It was only when she needed to photograph these works for documentation that she realized her skill at photography and decided to pursue this new line of art. One of her first ever photography pieces was titled ''White Casket''(1993) and is now a part of her larger collection: ''Elevator Girls''(1994). She is known mainly as a photographer and video artist. She creates an e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
