1915 In Japan
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Events in the year 1915 in Japan. It corresponds to Taishō 4 (大正4年) in the
Japanese calendar Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the current Emperor. The written form starts with t ...
.


Incumbents

*
Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
: Taishō *
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
:
Ōkuma Shigenobu Marquess was a Japanese statesman and a prominent member of the Meiji oligarchy. He served as Prime Minister of the Empire of Japan in 1898 and from 1914 to 1916. Ōkuma was also an early advocate of Western science and culture in Japan, and ...


Governors

* Aichi Prefecture: Matsui Shigeru *Akita Prefecture: Saburo Sakamoto *Aomori Prefecture: Matsujiro Obama *Ehime Prefecture: Renarto Fukamachi *Fukui Prefecture: Sato Kozaburo *Fukushima Prefecture:
Ota Masahiro OTA or ota may stand for: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Off the Air'', an Adult Swim television series * Otakon, an annual anime convention in Baltimore, Maryland Electronics, science, and technology * Ochratoxin A (also termed OTA), a mycoto ...
(until 1 April); Sukeji Horiguchi (starting 1 April) *Gifu Prefecture:
Shimada Gotaro Shimada may refer to: *Shimada (surname), a Japanese surname * Shimada (city), Shizuoka, Japan ** Shimada-juku **Shimada Station *Shimada (hairstyle) is the term used for a number of traditional Japanese hairstyles considered to be distinc ...
*Gunma Prefecture:
Miyake Gennosuke Miyake may refer to: Places * Miyake, Nara, a town located in Kansai * Miyake, Tokyo, a village located in Tokyo * Miyakejima, an island in the Izu Islands, often shortened to Miyake * Miyakezaka, a neighborhood in Chiyoda, Tokyo, often shortened t ...
* Hiroshima Prefecture:
Terada Yushi Terada Yushi (January 27, 1851 – March 14, 1917) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Tottori Prefecture (1901-1906), Okayama Prefecture (1906-1908), Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region ...
*Hyogo Prefecture: Seino Chotarno (starting month unknown) *
Ibaraki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, Tochigi Prefecture ...
:
Keisuke Sakanaka Keisuke (written: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese general *, Japanese mixed martial artist *, Japanese footballer * ...
* Ishikawa Prefecture: Kiichirō Kumagai then
Ōta Masahiro was the 14th Governor-General of Taiwan (1931–1932). He was Governor of Fukushima Prefecture (1913–1915), Ishikawa Prefecture (1915–1916), Kumamoto Prefecture (1916–1919), Niigata Prefecture (1919–1923) and Aichi Prefecture (1923–192 ...
*Iwate Prefecture: Rinpei Otsu *Kagawa Prefecture: Takeji Kawamura (until 9 January);
Raizo Wakabayashi was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Shimane Prefecture (1908), Nara Prefecture (1909-1913), Yamanashi Prefecture (1913-1914), Saga Prefecture (1914-1915), Kagawa Prefecture (1915-1917), Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture o ...
(starting 9 January) *
Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanag ...
: Chūichi Ariyoshi (starting month unknown) *Kochi Prefecture: Toki Kahei *
Kumamoto Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture to the northeast, M ...
: Kawakami Shinhare * Kyoto Prefecture: Shoichi Omori *Mie Prefecture:
Eitaro Mabuchi was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Yamagata Prefecture (1906-1912), Yamaguchi Prefecture (1914-1916), Mie Prefecture (1914-1916), Hiroshima Prefecture from April 1916 to May 1918, Kyoto Prefecture (1918-1921) and mayor of Kyot ...
* Miyagi Prefecture: Magoichi Tahara (until 12 August);
Tsunenosuke Hamada was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from September 1925 to September 1926. He was governor of Toyama Prefecture (1910-1915), Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of ...
(starting 12 August) *Miyazaki Prefecture: Tadakazu Ariyoshi (until 12 August); Shutaro Horiuchi (starting 12 August) * Nagano Prefecture: Yuichiro Chikaraishi (until 12 August); Tenta Akaboshi (starting 12 August) *
Niigata Prefecture is a prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area at . Niigata Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture and ...
:
Keisuke Sakanaka Keisuke (written: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese general *, Japanese mixed martial artist *, Japanese footballer * ...
* Okinawa Prefecture: Kyūgorō Ōmi * Osaka Prefecture: Marques Okubo Toshi Takeshi *
Saga Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. Saga Prefecture has a population of 809,248 (1 August 2020) and has a geographic area of 2,440 km2 (942 sq mi). Saga Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northeast and Nagasa ...
:
Raizo Wakabayashi was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Shimane Prefecture (1908), Nara Prefecture (1909-1913), Yamanashi Prefecture (1913-1914), Saga Prefecture (1914-1915), Kagawa Prefecture (1915-1917), Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture o ...
(until 8 January); Ishibashi Kazu (starting 8 January) * Saitama Prefecture:
Akira Masaya Akira Masaya ( ja, 昌谷彰) (1870–1946) was a Director of the Karafuto Agency (1916–1919, 1924–1926). He was governor of Ōita (1911–1913) and Saitama Prefecture (1914–1916). He was a graduate of the University of Tokyo , abbrev ...
*Shiname Prefecture: Ichiro Oriharami *Tochigi Prefecture: Shin Kitagawa *
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
: Kubota Kiyochika (until 2 July); Yuichi Ionue (until 2 July) *Toyama Prefecture:
Tsunenosuke Hamada was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from September 1925 to September 1926. He was governor of Toyama Prefecture (1910-1915), Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of ...
(until 12 August); Ki Masesaku (starting 12 August) *Yamagata Prefecture: Iwataro Odakiri


Events

* January 18 –
Twenty-One Demands The Twenty-One Demands ( ja, 対華21ヶ条要求, Taika Nijūikkajō Yōkyū; ) was a set of demands made during the First World War by the Empire of Japan under Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu to the government of the Republic of China on 18 ...
from Japan to China are made. * March unknown date – A
tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...
brand,
Makita () is a Japanese manufacturer of power tools. Founded on March 21, 1915, it is based in Anjō, Japan and operates factories in Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico, Romania, the United Kingdom, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Canada and th ...
founded, as predecessor name was Makita Electronics Manufacturing. * March 25 – 1915 Japanese general election: The
Rikken Dōshikai The Rikken-Dōshi Kai ( ja, 立憲同志会, , Association of Comrades of the Constitution) was a political party active in the Empire of Japan in the early years of the 20th century. It was also known as simply the Dōshikai. Founded by Prime Mi ...
party emerged as the largest party in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
, winning 153 of the 381 seats. The 381 members of the House of Representatives were elected in 51 multi-member constituencies based on
prefectures A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...
and cities. Voting was restricted to men aged over 25 who paid at least 10 yen a year in direct taxation.Mackie & Rose, p276 *May 18 – Toshiko, Princess Yasu, ninth daughter of Emperor Meiji, marries
Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni General was a Japanese imperial prince, a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 30th Prime Minister of Japan from 17 August 1945 to 9 October 1945, a period of 54 days. An uncle-in-law of Emperor Hirohito twice over, Prince Hi ...
*September 1 –
Yokogawa Electric is a Japanese multinational electrical engineering and software company, with businesses based on its measurement, control, and information technologies. It has a global workforce of over 19,000 employees, 84 subsidiary and 3 affiliated compa ...
was founded. *November 10 –
Enthronement An enthronement is a ceremony of inauguration, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their throne. Enthronements may also feature as part of a larger coronation rite. ...
of Taishō as the Emperor of Japan in the Imperial Palace in
Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...
. Originally scheduled to be held in 1914 (Taisho 3, 大正3年), it was postponed for one year in April of the same year due to the death of
Empress Shōken , born , was the wife and adviser of Emperor Meiji of Japan. She is also known under the technically more correct name . She was one of the founders of the Japanese Red Cross Society, whose charity work was known throughout the First Sino-Japanese ...
. *November Unknown date – Azuma Kogyo, as predecessor of
Teijin is a Japanese chemical, pharmaceutical and information technology company. Its main fields of operation are high-performance fibers such as aramid, carbon fibers & composites, healthcare, films, resin & plastic processing, polyester fibers, produc ...
, founded in
Yonezawa Yonezawa City Hall is a city in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 81,707 in 33,278 households, and a population density of 150 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Yonezawa is most famous for ...
,
Yamagata Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Yamagata Prefecture has a population of 1,079,950 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 9,325 km² (3,600 sq mi). Yamagata Prefecture borders Akita Prefecture to the nor ...
. *December 9–14 –
Sankebetsu brown bear incident The , also known as the or the , was the most brutal bear attack in Japanese history. It took place from December 9-14, 1915, when a Ussuri brown bear woke from hibernation and repeatedly attacked several houses in Hokkaidō, Japan, killing seve ...
: was the worst bear attack in Japanese history, killing seven settlers in Rokusensawa, Sankebetsu,
Tomamae is a List of towns in Japan, town located in Rumoi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is typical of the small coastal towns that line the western coast of Hokkaido. Demographics As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 3,2 ...
, Rumoi, Hokkaidō, Japan. *
Ōura scandal of 1915 was one of several spectacular political scandals of late Meiji period, Meiji and Taishō periods in Japanese history. After the entry of Japan into World War I, the administration of Prime Minister of Japan, Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigeno ...
*
Tapani incident The Tapani incident or Tapani uprising in 1915 was one of the biggest armed uprisings by Taiwanese Han and Aboriginals, including Taivoan, against Japanese rule in Taiwan. Alternative names used to refer to the incident include the Xilai Temp ...
*''Ongoing'' –
Japan during World War I Japan participated in World War I from 1914 to 1918 in an alliance with Entente Powers and played an important role in securing the sea lanes in the West Pacific and Indian Oceans against the Imperial German Navy as a member of the Allies. Poli ...


Births

*January 4 –
Michiko Kuwano was a Japanese film actress. Career Kuwano was born in Shiba ward, Tokyo. After graduating from Mita High School in 1932, she first worked as a "sweets girl" for Morinaga & Company before entering the Shochiku film studios in 1934, where she g ...
, actress (d. 1946) *January 20 –
Masanori Yusa was a Japanese freestyle swimmer. He won gold medals in the 4 × 200 m relay in the 1932 and 1936 Olympics, setting world records on both occasions. In 1936 he finished almost simultaneously with Shigeo Arai and Masaharu Taguchi in the 100 m rac ...
, freestyle swimmer (d. 1975) *February 15 – Haruo Umezaki, writer (d. 1965) *February 20 – Takiko Mizunoe, actress, film producer, and radio and TV presenter (d. 2009) *February 28 – Nobuo Kojima, writer and author (d. 2006) *May 15 – Shozo Makino, swimmer (d. 1987) *October 17 –
Taiji Tonoyama was a Japanese character actor who made many appearances in films and on television from 1939 to 1989. He was a close friend of Kaneto Shindo and one of his regular cast members. He was also an essayist. In 1950 he helped form the film company ...
, actor (d. 1989) *November 20 –
Kon Ichikawa 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 ...
, film director (d. 2008) *December 2 –
Takahito, Prince Mikasa was a Japanese prince, the youngest of the four sons of Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) and Empress Teimei (Sadako). He was their last surviving child. His eldest brother was Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito). After serving as a junior cavalry officer in th ...
, youngest son of
Emperor Taishō was the 123rd Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, and the second ruler of the Empire of Japan from 30 July 1912 until his death in 1926. The Emperor's personal name was . According to Japanese custom, while reigni ...
(d. 2016) *December 25 – Yumeko Aizome, actress


Deaths

*January 12 – Arisaka Nariakira, Lieutenant general and inventor of the Arisaka rifle (b. 1852) *August 5 –
Sakuma Samata General Count was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, and 5th Governor-General of Taiwan from 11 April 1906 to May 1915. Biography Sakuma was born in Abu District, Nagato Province (present day Hagi, Yamaguchi), as the younger son of O ...
, politician and Governor of Taiwan (b. 1844) *September 1 –
Inoue Kaoru Marquess Inoue Kaoru (井上 馨, January 16, 1836 – September 1, 1915) was a Japanese politician and a prominent member of the Meiji oligarchy during the Meiji period of the Empire of Japan. As one of the senior statesmen ('' Genrō'') in J ...
, politician (
Genrō was an unofficial designation given to certain retired elder Japanese statesmen who served as informal extraconstitutional advisors to the emperor, during the Meiji, Taishō, and Shōwa eras in Japanese history. The institution of ''genrō ...
) (b. 1836) *September 4 – Goseda Yoshimatsu, artist (b. 1855) *September 26 –
Tsuruko Haraguchi was a Japanese psychologist and the first Japanese woman to receive a Doctor of Philosophy. Life and career Haraguchi was born in Tomioka, Japan in 1886. Her father was a wealthy farmer and she had two sisters. She attended Takasaki Women's H ...
, psychologist and the first Japanese woman to receive a
Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
(b. 1886) *September 28 –
Saitō Hajime (born ; February 18, 1844 – September 28, 1915) was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, who most famously served as the captain of the third unit of the Shinsengumi. He was one of the few core members who survived the numerous wars o ...
,
samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
of the late
Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...
, captain of the third unit of the
Shinsengumi The was a special police force organized by the (military government) during Japan's Bakumatsu period (late Tokugawa shogunate) in 1863. It was active until 1869. It was founded to protect the shogunate representatives in Kyoto at a time wh ...
(b. 1844) *November 28 –
Kobayashi Kiyochika was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, best known for his colour woodblock prints and newspaper illustrations. His work documents the rapid modernization and Westernization Japan underwent during the Meiji period (1868–1912) and employs a sense of ...
,
ukiyo-e Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk t ...
artist (b. 1847)


See also

*
List of Japanese films of the 1910s An incomplete list of films produced in Japan ordered by year in the 1910s. For an A–Z of films see :Japanese films. Also see cinema of Japan. 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915-1919 References External links Japanese film
...
*
Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I consisted of various military engagements that took place on the Asian continent and on Pacific islands. They include naval battles, the Allied conquest of German colonial possessions in the Pacific O ...


References

{{Asia topic, 1915 in 1910s in Japan