This is a list of notable

Japanese people The are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Japanese archipelago."人類学上は，旧石器時代あるいは縄文時代以来，現在の北海道〜沖縄諸島（南西諸島）に住んだ集団を祖先にもつ人々。" () Jap ...

. To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Japanese.

Architects

Artists

Athletes

Authors

Kobo Abe Kobo may refer to: Places * Kobo (woreda), a district in Ethiopia ** Kobo, Ethiopia, a town * Kōbo Dam, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan * Mount Kōbō, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan People First name * Kōbō Abe (1924–1993), pseudonym of Japane ...

, author of '' The Woman in the Dunes'' * Ryunosuke Akutagawa *

Matsuo Basho Matsuo may refer to: Places *Matsuo, Chiba *Matsuo, Iwate *Mount Matsuo *Matsuo Station (disambiguation) *Siege of Matsuo *Matsuo mine , was an iron and sulphur mine located in the village of Matsuo, Iwate Prefecture in the Tohoku region of nor ...

, author of '' The Narrow Road to the Deep North'' *

Osamu Dazai was a Japanese author. A number of his most popular works, such as ''The Setting Sun'' (''Shayō'') and ''No Longer Human'' (''Ningen Shikkaku''), are considered modern-day classics. His influences include Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Murasaki Shiki ...

, author of ''

No Longer Human is a 1948 Japanese novel by Osamu Dazai. It is considered Dazai's masterpiece and ranks as the second-best selling novel ever in Japan, behind Natsume Sōseki's ''Kokoro''. The literal translation of the title, discussed by Donald Keene in hi ...

'' *

Yasunari Kawabata was a Japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtly shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal a ...

, winner of the

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

Yukio Mishima , born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was considered fo ...

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been bestsellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for his ...

* Kenzaburo Oe, winner of the

Murasaki Shikibu was a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court in the Heian period. She is best known as the author of '' The Tale of Genji,'' widely considered to be one of the world's first novels, written in Japanese between abou ...

, author of '' The Tale of Genji'' * Sei Shonagon, author of ''

The Pillow Book is a book of observations and musings recorded by Sei Shōnagon during her time as court lady to Empress Consort Teishi during the 990s and early 1000s in Heian-period Japan. The book was completed in the year 1002. The work is a collection o ...

'' *

Natsume Soseki Natsume (夏目, 夏芽, 棗, なつめ or ナツメ) is a feminine given name and a surname, and may refer to: People with the given name *, a Japanese light novel author and manga writer *, a Japanese model, singer, and presenter *, a Japanese m ...

, author of ''

Kokoro is a novel by the Japanese author Natsume Sōseki. It was first published in 1914 in serial form in the Japanese newspaper ''Asahi Shimbun''. The title translated literally means "heart". The word contains shades of meaning—notions of the he ...

'' * Junichiro Tanizaki * Kenko Yoshida, author of ''

Essays in Idleness is a collection of essays written by the Japanese monk Kenkō (兼好) between 1330 and 1332. The work is widely considered a gem of medieval Japanese literature and one of the three representative works of the zuihitsu genre, along with ''The P ...

Company founders

Yoshisuke Aikawa was a Japanese entrepreneur, businessman, and politician, noteworthy as the founder and first president of the Nissan ''zaibatsu'' (1931–1945), one of Japan's most powerful business conglomerates around the time of the Second World War. Biog ...

(1880–1967), founder of the

Nissan Group , or formerly Nissan zaibatsu, was one of Japan's most powerful business groupings. Founded in 1928 by Yoshisuke Aikawa, the group was originally a holding company created as an offshoot of ''Kuhara Mining Co.''(became Nippon Mining & Metals C ...

and

Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...

Takeo Fujisawa was a Japanese businessman who co-founded Honda Motor Co., Ltd. alongside Soichiro Honda. Fujisawa oversaw the financial side of the company while Honda handled the engineering and product development. Together, they took the company from a small ...

(1910–1988), co-founder of the automobile manufacturer

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

Hirotoshi Honda is a Japanese business magnate, engineer and the founder of Mugen Motorsports. He is the son of Soichiro Honda was a Japanese engineer and industrialist. In 1948, he established Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and oversaw its expansion from a woode ...

, founder of

Mugen Motorsports Mugen Motorsports (無限), legally known as M-TEC Company, Ltd., is a Japanese company formed in 1973 by Hirotoshi Honda, the son of Honda Motor Company founder Soichiro Honda, and Masao Kimura. Mugen, meaning "without limit", "unlimited" ...

* Konosuke Matsushita, founder of

Panasonic formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Osaka P ...

Soichiro Honda was a Japanese engineer and industrialist. In 1948, he established Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and oversaw its expansion from a wooden shack manufacturing bicycle motors to a multinational automobile and motorcycle manufacturer. Early years Honda ...

(1906–1991), co-founder of the automobile manufacturer

Jujiro Matsuda was a Japanese industrialist and businessman whose company, Toyo Kogyo, led to the founding of the present-day multinational automaker Mazda Motor Corporation, in 1984. Early life The son of a fisherman, Matsuda was born in Hiroshima in 187 ...

(1875-1952), founder of

Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...

automobile company * Michio Suzuki (1887–1982), founder of

Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...

Eiji Toyoda was a Japanese industrialist. He was largely responsible for bringing Toyota Motor Corporation to profitability and worldwide prominence during his tenure as president and later, as chairman. He was succeeded as the president of Toyota by Shoi ...

(1913–2013), founder of luxury automobile manufacturer

Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese ...

Kiichiro Toyoda was a Japanese businessman and the son of Toyoda Loom Works founder Sakichi Toyoda. His decision to change Toyoda's focus from automatic loom manufacture into automobile manufacturing created what would become Toyota Motor Corporation. Toyod ...

(1894–1952), founder of automobile manufacturer

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

in 1937 *

Sakichi Toyoda was a Japanese inventor and industrialist. He was born in Kosai, Shizuoka. The son of a farmer and sought-after carpenter, he started the Toyoda family companies. His son, Kiichiro Toyoda, would later establish Japan's largest automaker, Toyo ...

(1867–1930), founder of

Toyota Industries is a Japanese machine maker. Originally, and still actively (as of 2021), a manufacturer of automatic looms, it is the company from which Toyota Motor Corporation developed. It is the world's largest manufacturer of forklift trucks measured b ...

and

Toyota Group The is a group of companies that have supplier, vendor and investment relationships with Toyota Industries and Toyota Motor vehicle manufacturing facilities. It is similar to a ''keiretsu'' in that no particular entity has outright control over ...

Educators

Mori Arinori Viscount was a Meiji period Japanese statesman, diplomat, and founder of Japan's modern educational system. Early life Mori was born in the Satsuma domain (modern Kagoshima prefecture) from a ''samurai'' family, and educated in the ''Kaisenjo' ...

Tsunesaburō Makiguchi Tsunesaburō Makiguchi (牧口常三郎, ''Makiguchi Tsunesaburō''; 23 July 1871 (lunar calendar date 6 June) – 18 November 1944) was a Japanese educator who founded and became the first president of the Sōka Kyōiku Gakkai (Value-Creating ...

* Midori Suzuki *

Fukuzawa Yukichi was a Japanese educator, philosopher, writer, entrepreneur and samurai who founded Keio University, the newspaper '' Jiji-Shinpō'', and the Institute for Study of Infectious Diseases. Fukuzawa was an early advocate for reform in Japan. His ...

* Tsuda Yukio *

Kanō Jigorō was a Japanese educator, athlete, and the founder of Judo. Along with Ju-Jutsu, Judo was one of the first Japanese martial arts to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic sport. Pedagogical inno ...

* Imai Yone

Emperors

Historians

* Ienaga Saburō * Kanda Nobuo * Maruyama Masao *

Naitō Torajirō , commonly known as , was a Japanese historian and Sinologist. He was the founder of the Kyoto School of historiography, and along with Shiratori Kurakichi (the founder of the Tokyo School), was one of the leading Japanese historians of East A ...

Ikuhiko Hata is a Japanese historian. He earned his PhD at the University of Tokyo and has taught history at several universities. He is the author of a number of influential and well-received scholarly works, particularly on topics related to Japan's role ...

Shinichi Kitaoka is a Japanese political scientist. He has held many roles such as the president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), president of the International University of Japan, professor at Japan's GRIPS-Tokyo School of Security and I ...

* Kan Kimura * Ichirō Inaba *

Naoki Inose is a Japanese politician, journalist, historian, social critic and biographer of literary figures such as Yukio Mishima and Osamu Dazai. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Tokyo from June 2007Jun Hongo"Ishihara's new right-hand man settles in."'' ...

Military leaders

Samurai

A

* Abe Masakatsu *

Adachi Kagemori Adachi Kagemori (安達景盛) (died 1248) was a Japanese warrior. He was part of the Adachi clan, and then he joined the Hojo clan. References Japanese warrior monks 1248 deaths Adachi clan Year of birth unknown {{japan-mil-bio-s ...

* Adams, William (foreign born) *

Akao Kiyotsuna or Akao Mimisaka no Kami Kiyotsuna was a Japanese samurai of the late Sengoku period, a senior retainer of the Azai clan of Ōmi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that m ...

Akechi Mitsuhide , first called Jūbei from his clan and later from his title, was a Japanese ''samurai'' general of the Sengoku period best known as the assassin of Oda Nobunaga. Mitsuhide was a bodyguard of Ashikaga Yoshiaki and later a successful general under ...

Akiyama Nobutomo was a samurai during the Sengoku period in Japan. He is known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". Nobutomo also served under Shingen's son, Takeda Katsuyori. Biography In 1531, Akiyama Nobutomo was born at in Kai provin ...

Amago Haruhisa was a ''daimyō'' warlord in the Chūgoku region of western Japan. He was the second son of Amago Masahisa. Initially named Akihisa (詮久), he changed his name to Haruhisa in 1541 after Ashikaga Yoshiharu offered to let him use a ''kanji'' chara ...

Amago Yoshihisa was a daimyō (lord) of Izumo Province. He was the eldest son of Haruhisa and he was given the childhood name of . After his father's sudden death in 1560, he became the head of the clan to continue the fight against the Mōri clan. While besi ...

** See also

Amago clan Amago (尼子) is a Japanese word meaning "child of a nun", and has various other uses: People * Amago clan, a Japanese daimyō clan * Amago Haruhisa (1514–1561), Japanese daimyō * Amago Katsuhisa (1553–1578), Japanese daimyō * Amago Kun ...

Ankokuji Ekei , he was a military monk and descendant of the Takeda clan of Aki province. He served Mōri clan and later Toyotomi clan. Biography Although it is certain that he was from the Aki Takeda clan, there are various theories about his birth year and ...

Aochi Shigetsuna was a retainer beneath the clan of Oda throughout the latter Sengoku period of Feudal Japan. Shigetsuna was the legitimate second son of Gamō Sadahide and was later adopted by Aochi Nagatsuna, a ''daimyō'' who held residence in the Kurita Dis ...

Arai Hakuseki was a Confucianist, scholar-bureaucrat, academic, administrator, writer and politician in Japan during the middle of the Edo period, who advised the ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ienobu. His personal name was Kinmi or Kimiyoshi (君美). Hakuseki (白 ...

Araki Murashige was a retainer of Ikeda Katsumasa, head of the powerful "Setssu-Ikeda clan" of Settsu Province. Under Katsumasa, Murashige sided with Oda Nobunaga following Nobunaga's successful campaign to establish power in Kyoto. Military life Murashige bec ...

* Arima Kihei *

Asakura Yoshikage was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period (1467–1603) who ruled a part of Echizen Province in present-day Fukui Prefecture. He was a regent of Ashikaga Shogunate. Yoshikage's conflicts with Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) resulted in his deat ...

Azai Hisamasa was a son of Azai Sukemasa and the second head of the Azai clan. Hisamasa became the head of the clan in 1542 after his father died, but unlike his father, he was never a strong leader. Losing domains against Rokkaku clan,_he_instead_became_a_R ...

Azai Nagamasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period known as the brother-in-law and enemy of Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was head of the Azai clan seated at Odani Castle in northern Ōmi Province and married Nobunaga's sister Oichi in 1564, fathering ...

Azai Sukemasa was the head of the Azai clan. Sukemasa was a retainer of the Kyōgoku clan but when the Kyōgoku clan declined for conflicts over the succession, the Azai clan came to power with Sukemasa as its daimyō. After Sukemasa died, his son Azai Hisa ...

B

* Baba Nobufusa *

Bessho Nagaharu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. He was the eldest son of Bessho Yasuharu. In 1578 Oda Nobunaga called on his retainers to attack the Mōri clan. Nagaharu almost decided to allied with the Oda clan, but after hearing that the ...

C

* Chōsokabe Morichika *

Chōsokabe Kunichika was a powerful warlord in Tosa Province, Japan. He was the son of Chōsokabe Kanetsugu. His childhood name was Senyumaru (千熊丸).　 After his father Chōsokabe Kanetsugu was attacked by local lords and he killed himself in the Okō Castle ...

Chōsokabe Motochika was a prominent '' daimyō'' in Japanese Sengoku-period. He was the 21st chief of the Chōsokabe clan of Tosa Province (present-day Kōchi Prefecture), the ruler of Shikoku region. Early life and rise He was the son and heir of Chōsokabe Ku ...

Chōsokabe Nobuchika was the eldest son of samurai lord Chōsokabe Motochika, and lived during the late Sengoku period of Japanese history. After the subjugation of Shikoku by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Nobuchika and his father followed the Toyotomi into Kyushu Campaign ...

* Collache, Eugène

D

* Date Masamune ** See also

Date clan The is a Japanese samurai kin group. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Date", ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 5 retrieved 2013-5-5. History The Date family was founded ...

Doi Toshikatsu was a top-ranking official in Japan's Tokugawa shogunate during its early decades, and one of the chief advisors to the second Tokugawa shōgun, Hidetada. The adopted son of Doi Toshimasa, Toshikatsu is generally believed to be the biological ...

E

* Endō Naotsune *

Enomoto Takeaki Viscount was a Japanese samurai and admiral of the Tokugawa navy of Bakumatsu period Japan, who remained faithful to the Tokugawa shogunate and fought against the new Meiji government until the end of the Boshin War. He later served in the Mei ...

F

Fūma Kotarō was the name adopted by the leader of the ninja during the Sengoku era of feudal Japan. He was retainer of Later Hōjō clan. According to some records, his name was originally Kazama Kotarō (風間小太郎). The Fūma clan and Fūma Kota ...

Fuwa Mitsuharu was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. Originally a retainer of Saitō Dōsan, Mitsuharu went on to serve Oda Nobunaga, he received a land in Echizen Province and became a member of the so-called Echizen Sanninshu ...

Fujiwara no Hidesato , was a '' kuge'' (court noble) of tenth century Heian period Japan. He is famous for his military exploits and courage and is regarded as the common ancestor of numerous clans, including the Ōshū branch of the Fujiwara clan. Hidesato served u ...

(Tawara no Tōda) *

Fukushima Masanori was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Sengoku period to early Edo period who served as lord of the Hiroshima Domain. A retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he fought in the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583, and soon became known as one of Seven Spear ...

G

Gamō Katahide was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of Gamō clan, the Sengoku period through Azuchi–Momoyama periods. Katahide, the eldest son of Gamō Sadahide, was a retainer of the Rokkaku clan_and_later_ ">DF_53_..._and_later_Oda_clan">DF_53_of_80/nowiki>">DF_53_. ...

Gamō Ujisato or Gamō Yasuhide was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku and Azuchi–Momoyama periods. He was heir and son of Gamō Katahide, lord of Hino Castle in Ōmi Province, he later held Matsusaka ( Ise Province) and finally Aizuwakamatsu Castle i ...

H

Hasekura Tsunenaga was a kirishitan Japanese samurai and retainer of Date Masamune, the daimyō of Sendai. He was of Japanese imperial descent with ancestral ties to Emperor Kanmu. Other names include Philip Francis Faxicura, Felipe Francisco Faxicura, and Phi ...

Hattori Hanzō or ''Second Hanzō'', nicknamed , was a famous Ninja of the Sengoku era, who served the Tokugawa clan as a ninja, credited with saving the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and then helping him to become the ruler of united Japan. He is often a subjec ...

Hatano Hideharu Hatano Hideharu (波多野秀治 ''Hatano Hideharu'', 1541 – June 25, 1579) was the eldest son of Hatano Harumichi and the head of Hatano clan. He was a son of Harumichi, but for an unknown reason, he was adopted as a son by Hatano Moto ...

Hirate Masahide was a Japanese samurai who served the Oda clan for two generations. His original name was . Life Masahide first served Oda Nobuhide. He was a talented samurai as well as skilled in sado and waka. This helped him to act as a skilled diplomat, ...

Hitotsubashi Keiki Prince was the 15th and last ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned of his position as shogun in late 1867, while aiming ...

Hōjō Masako was a Japanese politician who exercised significant power in the early years of the Kamakura period, which was reflected by her contemporary sobriquet of the "nun shogun". She was the wife of Minamoto no Yoritomo, and mother of Minamoto no Yo ...

Hōjō Tokimune of the Hōjō clan was the eighth ''shikken'' (officially regent of the shōgun, but ''de facto'' ruler of Japan) of the Kamakura shogunate (reigned 1268–84), known for leading the Japanese forces against the invasion of the Mongols and fo ...

Hōjō Ujiyasu was a ''daimyō'' (warlord) and third head of the Odawara Hōjō clan. Known as the "Lion of Sagami", he was revered as a fearsome warrior and a cunning man. He is famous for his strategies of breaking the siege from Takeda Shingen and Uesugi K ...

Hōjō Ujimasa was the fourth head of the later Hōjō clan, and ''daimyō'' of Odawara. Ujimasa succeeded the territory expansion policy from his father, Hojo Ujiyasu, and achieved the biggest territory in the clan's history. Early life and rise In 1538, Uj ...

Honda Tadakatsu , also called Honda Heihachirō (本多平八郎) was a Japanese samurai, general and daimyo of the late Sengoku through early Edo periods, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu. Honda Tadakatsu was one of the Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings along with Ii ...

* Honda Komatsu (Inahime) *

Honganji Kennyo , also archaically romanized as Hongwanji, is the collective name of the largest school of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism (which further sub-divides into the Nishi and Higashi branches). 'Hongan-ji' may also refer to any one of several actual temple bui ...

Hosokawa Fujitaka , also known as , was a Japanese samurai ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Fujitaka was a prominent retainer of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the last Ashikaga shōgun. When he joined the Oda, Oda Nobunaga rewarded him with the fief of Tango and went o ...

Hosokawa Gracia Akechi Tama, usually referred to as , (1563 – 25 August 1600) was a member of the aristocratic Akechi family from the Sengoku period. Gracia is best known for her role in the Battle of Sekigahara, she was considered to be a political hos ...

Hosokawa Tadaoki was a Japanese samurai warrior of the late Sengoku period and early Edo period. He was the son of Hosokawa Fujitaka with Numata Jakō, and he was the husband of a famous Christian convert (Kirishitan), Hosokawa Gracia. For most of his life, he ...

Hotta Masatoshi was a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in Shimōsa Province, and top government advisor and official in the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He served as '' rōjū'' (chief advisor) to ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ietsuna from 1679–80, and as ''Tairō'' (head of ...

I

Ii Naomasa was a general under the Sengoku period ''daimyō'', and later ''shōgun'', Tokugawa Ieyasu.Ii Naomori was a retainer of the Japanese Imagawa clan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. During the Battle of Okehazama in 1560, Naomori was killed while trying to protect his lord, Imagawa Yoshimoto during the attack led by Oda Nobunaga, who s ...

Ii Naosuke was ''daimyō'' of Hikone (1850–1860) and also Tairō of the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan, a position he held from April 23, 1858, until his death, assassinated in the Sakuradamon Incident on March 24, 1860. He is most famous for signing the ...

Ii Naotaka was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period who served under the Tokugawa shogunate. He was the son of the famous Tokugawa general Ii Naomasa. His childhood name was Bennosuke (弁之介). Naotaka served in the Siege of Osaka in his brot ...

Ii Naoyuki is a noted Japanese author and professor of creative writing at Tokai University's Shonan campus. Biography A native of Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Ii graduated in 1978 from Keio University with a degree in history (archaeology and ethnology). His first n ...

Iizasa Ienao was the founder of Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū which is a traditional ('' koryū'') Japanese martial art. His Buddhist posthumous name is ''Taiganin-den-Taira-no-Ason-Iga-no-Kami-Raiodo-Hon-Daikoji''.''Deity and the Sword, Vol 1 p. 16-1 ...

* Ijuin Tada'aki *

Imagawa Yoshimoto was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in the Sengoku period Japan. Based in Suruga Province, he was known as . he was one of the three ''daimyōs'' that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He died in 1560 while marching to Kyoto to become ...

Imai Kanehira Imai Kanehira (今井兼平, 1152-1184) was a military commander of the late Heian Period of Japan. He was the milk brother of Minamoto no Yoshinaka. He became joint commander of Yoshinaka's faction during the Genpei War after Yoshinaka met up wit ...

* Ishida Mitsunari *

Itagaki Nobukata was a retainer of the Takeda family. He was known as one of the " Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". His name is also seen with different ''kanji'' as 信形. Nobukata served under both Takeda Nobutora and Takeda Shingen and also was ta ...

Itagaki Taisuke Count was a Japanese politician. He was a leader of the "Freedom and People's Rights Movement" and founded Japan's first political party, the Liberal Party. Biography Early life Itagaki Taisuke was born into a middle-ranking ''samurai'' ...

Itō Hirobumi was a Japanese politician and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Japan. He was also a leading member of the ''genrō'', a group of senior statesmen that dictated Japanese policy during the Meiji era. A London-educated samur ...

Iwanari Tomomichi was a Japanese samurai of the 16th century. Also known as Ishinari Tomomichi (石成友通), he was a senior retainer of the Miyoshi clan. He was one of the three great samurai of the Miyoshi clan called ''Miyoshi Sanninshu'' along with Miyoshi ...

K

* Kaneko Ietada *

Katagiri Katsumoto was a Japanese warlord (''daimyō'') of Ibaraki, in the Azuchi–Momoyama period through early Edo period. In his youth was famed as one of the Seven Spears of Shizugatake, during the Battle of Shizugatake in May 1583. Biography Katsumoto hai ...

Katō Kiyomasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Azuchi–Momoyama and Edo periods. His court title was Higo-no-kami. His name as a child was ''Yashamaru'', and first name was ''Toranosuke''. He was one of Hideyoshi's Seven Spears of Shizugatake. Biography ...

Kawakami Gensai was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. A highly skilled swordsman, he was one of the four most notable assassins of the Bakumatsu period. Gensai's high-speed sword discipline allowed him to assassinate targets in broad daylight. Ear ...

* Kido Takayoshi *

Kikkawa Hiroie (December 7, 1561 – October 22, 1626) was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Azuchi–Momoyama period through early Edo period. Hiroie's father was Kikkawa Motoharu and his mother was a daughter of Kumagai Nobunao. Biography He initially w ...

* Kimotsuki Kanetsugu * Kobayakawa Hideaki *

Kobayakawa Hidekane was a Japanese samurai, the ninth son of Mōri Motonari. His mother was Motonari's concubine, Nomi no Ōkata (乃美の方). Originally he was named Mototsuna and given to Ōta Hidetsuna but later his childless half-brother Kobayakawa Takak ...

Kobayakawa Takakage was a samurai and daimyō (feudal lord) during the Sengoku period and Azuchi–Momoyama period. He was the third son of Mōri Motonari who was adopted by the Kobayakawa clan and became its 14th clan head. He merged the two branches of the Koba ...

* Kojima Toyoharu * Kuroda Denta * Kuroda Kanbei Don Sim(e)on Josui Yoshitaka *

Kuroda Kiyotaka Count , also known as , was a Japanese politician of the Meiji era. He was Prime Minister of Japan from 1888 to 1889. He was also vice chairman of the Hokkaido Development Commission ( Kaitaku-shi). Biography As a Satsuma ''samurai'' Ku ...

Kusunoki Masashige was a Japanese samurai of the Kamakura period remembered as the ideal of samurai loyalty. Kusunoki fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in the Genkō War to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate and restore power in Japan to the Imperial Court. Kusunoki ...

Kumagai Naozane (March 24, 1141 – September 27, 1207/October 25, 1208) was a famous soldier who served the Genji (Minamoto) clan during the Heian period of Japanese history. Kumagai is particularly known for his exploits during the Genpei War, specifically for ...

M

Maeda Keiji , better known as or Keijirō (慶次郎), was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period through early Edo period. He was famously the nephew of Maeda Toshiie and Maeda Matsu. In legends and fictions, he is one of the most celebrated '' kabukim ...

* Maeda Nagatane *

Maeda Toshiie was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi–Momoyama period. His preferred weapon was a yari and he was known as "Yari no Mataza" (槍の又左), Matazaemon (又� ...

Maeda Toshinaga was a Sengoku period Japanese samurai and the second early-Edo period ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain in the Hokuriku region of Japan, and the 3rd hereditary chieftain of the Maeda clan. He was the eldest son of Maeda Toshiie. His childhood name was ...

Maeda Toshitsune was an early-Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 2nd ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain in the Hokuriku region of Japan, and the 3rd hereditary chieftain of the Maeda clan. Toshitsune was a brother of Maeda Toshinaga and a son of Maeda Toshiie. He was ...

Manabe Akifusa was a close person confidant and loverCrompton, Louis, ''Homosexuality and Civilization'', Harvard University, 2003. Page 442 of Shōgun Tokugawa Ienobu and held numerous important posts within the administration of the Tokugawa shogunate. He was ...

Matsudaira Nobutsuna was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period, who ruled the Kawagoe Domain. First serving Tokugawa Iemitsu as a page, Nobutsuna was renowned for his sagacity. He was named a rōjū in 1633. Nobutsuna led the shogunal forces to their final vi ...

Matsudaira Nobuyasu was the eldest son of Matsudaira Ieyasu. His ''tsūshō'' ("common name") was . He was called also , because he had become the lord of in 1570. Because he was a son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he is often referred to, retroactively, as . Biography No ...

* Matsudaira Higo no Kami Katamori *

Matsudaira Sadanobu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the mid-Edo period, famous for his financial reforms which saved the Shirakawa Domain, and the similar reforms he undertook during his tenure as chief of the Tokugawa shogunate, from 1787 to 1793. Early life Mat ...

Matsudaira Tadayoshi was the fourth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu with his concubine Saigo-no-Tsubone. His Childhood name was Fukumatsumaru (福松丸). When his mother died, he and his brother were adopted by Acha no Tsubone (1555-1637). His full brother, Tokugawa Hid ...

* Matsudaira Teru *

Matsunaga Hisahide Matsunaga Danjo Hisahide (松永弾正久秀 1508 – November 19, 1577) was a ''daimyō'' and head of the Yamato Matsunaga clan in Japan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. Biography He was a retainer of Miyoshi Nagayoshi f ...

Matsuo Bashō born then was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative '' haikai no renga'' form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as the greatest ma ...

Matsudaira Motoyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

Minamoto no Mitsunaka was a Japanese samurai and court official of the Heian period. He served as ''Chinjufu-shōgun'' and acting governor of Settsu Province''.'' His association with the Fujiwara clan made him one of the wealthiest and most powerful courtiers of his ...

Minamoto no Yoshiie Minamoto No Yoshiie (源義家; 1039 – 4 August 1106), also known as Hachimantarō, was a Minamoto clan samurai of the late Heian period, and '' Chinjufu-shōgun'' (Commander-in-chief of the defense of the North). The first son of Minamoto ...

Minamoto no Yoshimitsu was a Japanese samurai lord during the Heian period. He served as Governor of Kai Province. He is credited as the ancient progenitor of the Japanese martial art, Daitō-ryū aiki-jūjutsu and Takeda-ryu. Biography Yoshimitsu was born t ...

Minamoto no Yoshinaka , , or Lord Kiso was a general from the late Heian period of Japanese history. A member of the Minamoto clan, Minamoto no Yoritomo was his cousin and rival during the Genpei War between the Minamoto and the Taira clans. Yoshinaka was born in Musas ...

Minamoto no Yoshitomo (1123 – 11 February 1160) was the head of the Minamoto clan and a general of the late Heian period of Japanese history. His son Minamoto no Yoritomo became ''shōgun'' and founded the Kamakura shogunate, the first shogunate in the history of ...

Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a military commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles which toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-brother Yoritomo conso ...

Minamoto no Tameyoshi was head of the Minamoto clan during his lifetime, and son of Minamoto no Yoshichika, son of Minamoto no Yoshiie. He led the Minamoto in the Hōgen Rebellion. Tameyoshi is also known as . Though he was most famous for his involvement in the H� ...

Minamoto no Yorimasa (1106 – 20 June 1180) was a prominent Japanese poet whose works appeared in various anthologies. He served eight different emperors in his long career, holding posts such as ''hyōgo no kami'' (head of the arsenal). He was also a warrior, ...

Minamoto no Yorimitsu , also known as Minamoto no Raikō, served the regents of the Fujiwara clan along with his brother Yorinobu, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take. He is one of the earliest Minamoto of historical note for his mil ...

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1192 until 1199.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako who acted as regent (''shikken'') after his ...

Minamoto no Noriyori was a late Heian period general, who fought alongside his brothers Minamoto no Yoritomo and Minamoto no Yoshitsune at a number of battles of the Genpei War. He was the sixth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo. Early life As children, he and his brot ...

Mirei Kiritani is a Japanese actress, model, and news anchor. She appeared in the film ''Heroine Shikkaku'', ''Kimi ni Todoke'', ''Usagi Drop'', and ''Arakawa Under the Bridge''. She also appeared in the drama '' Andō Lloyd: A.I. knows Love?'', ''Gunshi Kanb ...

Miura Anjin (24 September 1564 – 16 May 1620), better known in Japanese as , was an English navigator who, in 1600, was the first Englishman to reach Japan in a ship called 'de Liefde' under the leadership of Jacob Quaeckernaeck, the only surviving ship ...

Miura Yoshimoto Miura may refer to: Places *Miura, Kanagawa * Miurakaigan Station *Miura District, Kanagawa *Miura Peninsula * Ganadería Miura, the home of the Miura fighting bull line People * Miura (surname) *Miura clan, Japanese descended clan of the Tair ...

Miyamoto Musashi , also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship a ...

* Miyoshi Chōkei *

Miyoshi Yoshitsugu , adopted son of Nagayoshi, was a samurai of the Sengoku period who was practically the last head of Miyoshi clan, ''daimyō'' of Kawachi Province of Japan. His wife was Ashikaga Yoshiaki's sister. Born to Sogō Kazumasa in 1549, younger brothe ...

Mizuno Tadakuni was a ''daimyō'' during late-Edo period Japan, who later served as chief senior councilor (''Rōjū'') in service to the Tokugawa shogunate. He is remembered for having instituted the Tenpō Reforms. Biography Mizuno Tadakuni was the second son ...

* Mōri Motonari *

Mori Nagayoshi was a samurai officer under the Oda clan following Japan's 16th-century Sengoku period, and the older brother of the famous Mori Ranmaru. His wife Ikeda Sen, was the daughter of Ikeda Tsuneoki. Nagayoshi was known to have such a bad temper and ...

* Mōri Okimoto *

Mori Ranmaru , also known as Mori Naritoshi (森成利), was the son of Mori Yoshinari, and had 5 brothers in total, from the province of Mino. He was a member of the Mori Clan, descendants of the Seiwa Genji. Biography From an early age, Ranmaru was an ...

* Mōri Takamoto *

Mōri Terumoto Mōri Terumoto (毛利輝元, January 22, 1553 – June 2, 1625) was a Japanese ''daimyō''. The son of Mōri Takamoto, and grandson and successor of the great warlord Mōri Motonari, he fought against Oda Nobunaga but was eventually overco ...

Mori Yoshinari was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period and the head of the Mori clan (Genji) family, who served the Saitō clan. The Saitō were the lords of Mino province. Later, he become a retainer of Oda Nobunaga. Military life In 1547, he fought ...

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Nagakura Shinpachi was the former captain of the 2nd troop of the Shinsengumi, He was later known as during the Meiji era. History Early life Nagakura Shinpachi Noriyuki, known as Eikichi or Eiji during his childhood, was born in the Matsumae clan's "kami-yash ...

Nagao Harukage was Uesugi Kenshin's older brother, and successor to his father Nagao Tamekage was a retainer of Japanese feudal lord Uesugi Fusayoshi, and a ''daimyō'' in his own right, during Japan's Sengoku period. He is perhaps best known as the ...

Nagao Masakage was the head of the Ueda Nagao clan following the Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War i ...

Nagao Tamekage was a retainer of Japanese feudal lord Uesugi Fusayoshi, and a ''daimyō'' in his own right, during Japan's Sengoku period. He is perhaps best known as the biological father of Nagao Kagetora, who would be adopted into the Uesugi clan as Ue ...

Naoe Kanetsugu was a Japanese samurai of the 16th–17th centuries. The eldest son of Higuchi Kanetoyo, Kanetsugu was famed for his service to two generations of the Uesugi ''daimyōs''. He was also known by his court title, Yamashiro no Kami (山城守) or ...

Nakagawa Kiyohide Nakagawa Kiyohide (中川清秀; 1542 – June 6, 1583) was a ''daimyō'' in Azuchi–Momoyama period. His childhood name was Nakagawa Toranosuke (中川虎之助). His common name was Nakagawa Sebe (中川瀬兵衛). Biography His fathe ...

Naoe Kagetsuna (1509–1577) was an officer under the Uesugi clan in historic Japan.

Nihonmatsu Yoshitsugu or Hatakeyama Yoshitsugu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period, who was the 14th head of the Nihonmatsu clan (a branch of the Hatakeyama clan) of Mutsu. In 1568, Yoshitsugu was attacked by Date Terumune, the father of the famous Da ...

Niimi Nishiki was born in Mito-han (now Ibaraki Prefecture). He was a master of the ''Shintomunen-ryu'' swordsmanship style. He was one of the original thirteen members of the Shinsengumi, together with Serizawa Kamo and Kondō Isami. He was originally one of ...

* Niiro Tadamoto *

Niwa Nagahide , also known as Gorōzaemon (五郎左衛門), his other legal alias was Hashiba Echizen no Kami (羽柴越前守), was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku through Azuchi-Momoyama periods of the 16th century. He served as senior retainer to the O ...

Niwa Nagashige was a Japanese ''daimyō'' who served the Oda clan. Nagashige was the eldest son of Niwa Nagahide and married the 5th daughter of Oda Nobunaga. He took part in his first campaign in 1583, assisting his father in the Battle of Shizugatake agains ...

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Oda Nobuhide was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and magistrate of the Sengoku period known as "Tiger of Owari" and also the father of Oda Nobunaga the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobuhide was a deputy ''shugo'' (Shugodai) of lower Owari Province and head of the ...

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

Oda Nobutada was a samurai and the eldest son of Oda Nobunaga, who fought in many battles during the Sengoku period of Japan. He commanded armies under his father in battles against Matsunaga Hisahide and against the Takeda clan. Biography Oda Nobutada w ...

Oda Nobutomo was a Japanese warlord during the Sengoku period. He was head of the Kiyosu Oda faction of the Oda clan, and ruled the four southern districts of Owari Province as '' shugodai''. After Oda Nobuhide died in 1551, Nobuhide's son Nobunaga was in ...

Oda Nobukatsu was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. He was the second son of Oda Nobunaga. He survived the decline of the Oda clan from political prominence, becoming a ''daimyō'' in the early Edo period. Though often described as an inco ...

* Ogasawara Shōsai *

Ōishi Kuranosuke Oishi may refer to: * Ōishi (surname), a Japanese surname * Oishi (Philippine brand), a snack company from the Philippines * Oishi Group, a Thai food-and-drink company * Ōishi Station is a railway station on the Hanshin Electric Railway Mai ...

Okada Izō was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, feared as one of the four most notable assassins of the Bakumatsu period. He was a member of (Tosa Imperialism party, a loyalist clique of Tosa) in his hometown, Tosa Domain. Izō and Tanaka Shinb ...

* Judge Ōoka *

Ōta Dōkan , also known as Ōta Sukenaga (太田資長) or Ōta Dōkan Sukenaga, was a Japanese ''samurai'' warrior-poet, military tactician and Buddhist monk. Ōta Sukenaga took the tonsure (bald scalp) as a Buddhist priest in 1478, and he also adopted t ...

Ōtomo Sōrin , also known as Fujiwara no Yoshishige (藤原義鎮) and Ōtomo Yoshishige (大友義鎮), was a Japanese feudal lord (''daimyō'') of the Ōtomo clan, one of the few to have converted to Roman Catholicism (Christianity). The eldest son of , he ...

Okita Sōji was the captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi, a special police force in Kyoto during the late shogunate period. He was one of the best swordsmen of the Shinsengumi. Background He was born in 1842 or 1844 from a samurai family in the ...

Ōkubo Toshimichi was a Japanese statesman and one of the Three Great Nobles regarded as the main founders of modern Japan. Ōkubo was a ''samurai'' of the Satsuma Domain and joined the movement to overthrow the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate during the '' Bak ...

Ōuchi Yoshitaka was the ''daimyō'' of Suō Province and the head of the Ōuchi clan, succeeding Ōuchi Yoshioki. In 1522, he fought the Amago clan along with his father, Yoshioki, to win the control of Aki Province. Upon Yoshioki's death in 1528, Yoshita ...

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* Rokkaku Yoshitaka *

Rusu Masakage was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period through Azuchi-Momoyama period. Served as a retainer of the Date clan Masakage was the uncle of the famous Date Masamune.

Ryūzōji Takanobu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' in Hizen Province during the Sengoku period. Takanobu was the head of the Ryūzōji clan. Biography Takanobu was the grandson of Ryūzōji Iekane (1454-1546). Ryūzōji Takanobu is known for expanding his clan's ho ...

** See also

Ryūzōji clan was a Japanese kin group which traces its origin to Hizen Province on the island of Kyushu. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Hōki"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 802. History The clan was founded by Fujiwara no Suekiyo in 1186. The clan was a ...

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* Saigo Kiyokazu * Sagara Taketō *

Saigō Takamori was a Japanese samurai and nobleman. He was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, he later led the Satsum ...

* Saigō Yoshikatsu *

Saitō Dōsan , also known as Saitō Toshimasa (斎藤利政), was a Japanese samurai during the Sengoku period. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Saitō Dōsan"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 809. He was also known as the for his ruthless tactics. His hono ...

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 ...

Saitō Yoshitatsu or Toki Yoshitatsu was a Japanese samurai during the Sengoku period. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003).html" ;"title="DF 54 of 80">"Saitō," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', ...

Sakai Tadakiyo , also known as Uta-no-kami, Bodart-Bailey, Beatrice. (1999) ''Kaempfer's Japan: Tokugawa Culture Observed,'' p. 442./ref> was a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in Kōzuke Province, and a high-ranking government advisor and official in the Tokugawa shogu ...

* Sakai Tadashige * Sakai Tadayo *

Sakamoto Ryōma was a Japanese ''samurai'', a '' shishi'' and influential figure of the ''Bakumatsu'' and establishment of the Empire of Japan in the late Edo period. He was a low-ranking ''samurai'' from the Tosa Domain on Shikoku and became an active oppo ...

Sakuma Morimasa was the son of Sakuma Moritsugu, cousin of Sakuma Nobumori, a prominent Oda retainer to Oda Nobuhide and Oda Nobunaga. After several campaigns in which he had fought, he was given the nickname ''oni-genba'' which literally means "Demon Genba", G ...

Sakuma Nobumori was a retainer for the Oda clan. He was thus treated as Nobunaga's most important retainer and would come to fight in every important battle under Nobunaga's command such as the 1567 Siege of Inabayama Castle, the 1571 and 1573 Siege of Nagashim ...

Sanada Masayuki was a Japanese Sengoku period lord and ''daimyō''. He was the head of Sanada clan,_a_regional_house_of_Shinano_Province.html" ;"title="DF 56 of 80/nowiki>">DF 56 of 80">("S ..., a regional house of Shinano Province">DF 56 of 80/nowiki>">DF 56 ...

Sanada Nobuyuki was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period. He was the son of ''daimyō'' Sanada Masayuki and the older brother of Sanada Yukimura. Early life He was the first son of Sanada Masayuki and his wife, Kansho-in. His younger brother was Sanada ...

Sanada Yukimura , also known as , was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period. He was especially known as the leading general on the defending side of the Siege of Osaka. Yukimura was called "A Hero who may appear once in a hundred years", "Crimson D ...

Sasaki Kojirō was a Japanese swordsman who may have lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods and is known primarily for the story of his battle with Miyamoto Musashi in 1612, where Sasaki was killed. Although suffering from defeat as well ...

Sasaki Yoshikiyo was a samurai member of the Minamoto clan, who was the founder of Izumo-Genji clan. Background Sasaki Yoshikiyo was born the fifth son of Sasaki Hideyoshi, who was the head of the Sasaki clan of Uda-Genji (Uda-Gen clan), based in Sasaki-no- ...

Serizawa Kamo Serizawa Kamo (芹沢鴨; September 2, 1826 – October 30, 1863) was a samurai known for being the original lead commander of the Shinsengumi. He trained in and received a licence in the Shindō Munen-ryū. "Kamo" means goose or duck in Japane ...

Shibata Katsuie or was a Japanese samurai and military commander during the Sengoku period. He served Oda Nobunaga as one of his trusted generals, was severely wounded in the 1571 first siege of Nagashima, but then fought in the 1575 Battle of Nagashino an ...

Shima Sakon , also known as Shima Tomoyuki and Shima Katsutake, was a Japanese samurai of the late Sengoku period. His nickname was (Shima the right hand). Sakon eventually left the service of the Hatakeyama clan, Tsutsui Junkei, Toyotomi Hidenaga and event ...

* Shimada Ichirō *

Shimazu Katsuhisa was head of the Shimazu clan in Japan. He was adopted father of Shimazu Takahisa (son of Shimazu Tadayoshi was a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of Satsuma Province during Japan's Sengoku period. He was born into the Mimasaka Shimazu family (� ...

Shimazu Tadahisa was the founder of the Shimazu samurai clan. According to a record of his life, he was reportedly born in Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka. He was initially but after being given the position of ''jitō'' (land steward) of the Shimazu Estate by Mina ...

Shimazu Tadatsune was a ''tozama daimyō'' of Satsuma, the first to hold it as a formal fief ('' han'') under the Tokugawa shogunate, and the first Japanese to rule over the Ryūkyū Kingdom. As lord of Satsuma, he was among the most powerful lords in Japan at ...

Shimazu Tadayoshi was a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of Satsuma Province during Japan's Sengoku period. He was born into the Mimasaka Shimazu family (伊作島津家), which was part of the Shimazu clan, but after his father Shimazu Yoshihisa died, his mother ma ...

Shimazu Takahisa , the son of Shimazu Tadayoshi, was a ''daimyō'' during Japan's Sengoku period. He was the fifteenth head of the Shimazu clan. Biography In 1514, he is said to have been born in Izaku Castle. On 1526, Takahisa was adopted as the successor to Sh ...

Shimazu Yoshihiro was the second son of Shimazu Takahisa and the younger brother of Shimazu Yoshihisa. Traditionally believed to be the 17th head of the Shimazu clan, he was a skilled general during the Sengoku period who greatly contributed to the unification ...

Shimazu Yoshihisa was a powerful ''daimyō'' and the 16th Chief of Shimazu clan of Satsuma Province, the eldest son of Shimazu Takahisa. He is a renowned as a great general, who managed to subjugate Kyushu through the deft maneuvering of his three brothers. Eventu ...

* Sue Yoshitaka

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Tachibana Muneshige The term has at least two different meanings, and has been used in several contexts. People * – a clan of ''kuge'' (court nobles) prominent in the Nara and Heian periods (710–1185) * – a clan of ''daimyō'' (feudal lords) prominent in the Mu ...

Tachibana Dōsetsu file:Tachibana Dosetsu.jpg, Painting of Tachibana Dōsetsu , born , also as Bekki Akitsura, and Bekki Dōsetsu, was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period who served the Ōtomo clan. He was the father of Tachibana Ginchiyo and adopted father of ...

Tachibana Ginchiyo was head of the Japanese Tachibana clan and onna-musha during the Sengoku period. She was the daughter of Tachibana Dōsetsu, a powerful retainer of the Ōtomo clan (which were rivals of the Shimazu clan at the time). Because Dosetsu had no s ...

* Taigen Sessai *

Taira no Kiyomori was a military leader and ''kugyō'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan. Early life Kiyomori was born in Heian-kyō, Japan, in 1118 as the first so ...

Taira no Masakado was a Heian period provincial magnate ('' gōzoku'') and samurai based in eastern Japan, notable for leading the first recorded uprising against the central government in Kyōto. Early life Masakado was one of the sons of Taira no Yoshimas ...

Takahashi Shigetane also known as was a Japanese samurai lord and senior retainer of the Ōtomo clan throughout the latter Sengoku period. He was the biological father of Tachibana Muneshige. Biography As Shigetane was additionally known by the name of 'Takahas ...

Takenaka Shigeharu , who was also known as Hanbei (半兵衛), was a Japanese samurai during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. Hanbei was the castle lord in command of Bodaiyama Castle. He was a chief strategist and adviser of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His father wa ...

Takaoka Muneyasu was a Shugodai of Oki Provincepresent day Shimane Prefecture, in the Kamakura period. He was the founder of the Takaoka clan in Izumo Province, Japan. Takaoka Muneyasu was the 8th son of Sasaki Yasukiyo. His mother was Kasai Kiyochika's daug ...

Takasugi Shinsaku was a samurai from the Chōshū Domain of Japan who contributed significantly to the Meiji Restoration. He used several aliases to hide his activities from the Tokugawa shogunate. Early life Takasugi Shinsaku was born in the castle town Hag ...

* Takayama Justo (Shigetomo) *

Takayama Ukon , born and also known as Dom Justo Takayama (c. 1552 – 3 or 5 February 1615) was a Japanese Catholic Kirishitan daimyō and samurai who lived during the Sengoku period that witnessed anti-Catholic sentiment. Takayama had been baptized i ...

Takechi Hanpeita , (October 24, 1829 – July 3, 1865), also known as , was a samurai of Tosa Domain during the Bakumatsu period in Japan. Influenced by the effects of the Perry Expedition, Takechi formed the Tosa Kinnō-tō (土佐勤王党, Tosa Imp ...

Takeda Katsuyori was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period, who was famed as the head of the Takeda clan and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was son in law of Hojo Ujiyasu. Early life He was the son of Shingen by the daughter ...

Takeda Nobushige was a samurai of Japan's Sengoku period, and younger brother of Takeda Shingen. He was known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". Takeda Nobushige held the favor of their father, and was meant to inherit the Takeda lands, we ...

Takeda Shingen , of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period. Shingen was a warlord of great ...

Tani Tateki was a statesman and lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army in Meiji period Japan. He was also known as Tani Kanjō. Biography Early life Tani was born in Kubokawa village, Tosa Province (present-day Shimanto town, Kōchi Prefectur ...

Toki Yorinari , also known as Toki Yoriaki,
retrieved 2013-5-10. was a Japanese

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

Tokugawa Hidetada was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate. Early life (1579–1593) Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...

Tokugawa Nariaki Tokugawa Nariaki (徳川斉昭, April 4, 1800 – September 29, 1860) was a prominent Japanese ''daimyō'' who ruled the Mito Domain (now Ibaraki Prefecture) and contributed to the rise of nationalism and the Meiji Restoration. Biography C ...

Tokugawa Yoshinobu Prince was the 15th and last ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned of his position as shogun in late 1867, while aiming ...

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

Toyotomi Hideyori was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first united all of Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga. Early life Born in 1593, he was Hideyoshi's second son. The birth of Hideyori cr ...

* Tozuka Tadaharu *

Tsukahara Bokuden was a famous swordsman of the early Sengoku period. He was described as a '' kensei'' (sword saint). He was the founder of a new Kashima style of kenjutsu, and served as an instructor of Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Ise provincial governor ...

U

Uesugi Kagekatsu was a Japanese samurai ''daimyō'' during the Sengoku and Edo periods. He was the adopted son of Uesugi Kenshin and Uesugi Kagetora’s brother in law. Early life and rise Kagekatsu was the son of Nagao Masakage, the head of the Ueda Nagao ...

* Uesugi Kagetora * Uesugi Kenshin * Ukita Naoie * Umezawa Michiharu * Usami Sadamitsu

W

* Watanabe Kazan * Watanabe no Tsuna

Y

* Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi * Yasuke (foreign born) * Yamada Arinaga * Yamada Arinobu * Yamada Nagamasa * Yamagata Masakage * Yamanami Keisuke * Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu * Yonekura Shigetsugu * Yagyū Munenori * Yamauchi Kazutoyo * Yūki Hideyasu

Kamakura ''shōguns''

# Minamoto no Yoritomo, r. 1192–1199 # Minamoto no Yoriie, r. 1202–1203 # Minamoto no Sanetomo, r. 1203–1219 # Kujō Yoritsune, r. 1226–1244 # Kujō Yoritsugu, r. 1244–1252 # Prince Munetaka, r. 1252–1266 # Prince Koreyasu, r. 1266–1289 # Prince Hisaakira, r. 1289–1308 # Prince Morikuni, r. 1308–1333 # Prince Morinaga, r.1333–1334 # Prince Norinaga, r. 1334–1338

Kamakura shikken

# Hōjō Tokimasa, r. 1203–1205 # Hōjō Yoshitoki, r. 1205–1224 # Hōjō Yasutoki, r. 1224–1242 # Hōjō Tsunetoki, r. 1242–1246 # Hōjō Tokiyori, r. 1246–1256 #

, r. 1268–1284 # Hōjō Sadatoki, r. 1284–1301 # Hōjō Morotoki, r. 1301–1311 # Hōjō Takatoki, r. 1316–1326

Ashikaga ''shōguns''

# Ashikaga Takauji, ruled 1338–1358 # Ashikaga Yoshiakira, r. 1359–1368 # Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, r. 1368–1394 # Ashikaga Yoshimochi, r. 1395–1423 # Ashikaga Yoshikazu, r. 1423–1425 # Ashikaga Yoshinori, r. 1429–1441 # Ashikaga Yoshikatsu, r. 1442–1443 # Ashikaga Yoshimasa, r. 1449–1473 # Ashikaga Yoshihisa, r. 1474–1489 # Ashikaga Yoshitane, r. 1490–1493, 1508–1521 # Ashikaga Yoshizumi, r. 1494–1508 # Ashikaga Yoshiharu, r. 1521–1546 # Ashikaga Yoshiteru, r. 1546–1565 # Ashikaga Yoshihide, r. 1568 # Ashikaga Yoshiaki, r. 1568–1573

Tokugawa ''shōguns''

Over the course of the Edo period, influential relatives of the shōgun included: * Tokugawa Mitsukuni of the Mito domain *

of the Mito domain * Tokugawa Mochiharu of the Gosankyo, Hitotsubashi branch * Tokugawa Munetake of the Gosankyo, Tayasu branch. * Matsudaira Katamori of the Aizu branch. *

, born into the Gosankyo, Tayasu branch, adopted into the Hisamatsu clan, Hisamatsu-Matsudaira of Shirakawa han, Shirakawa.Nussbaum
"Matsudaira Sadanobu"
at p. 617.

Pre-modern

Emperors

*Emperor Jinmu *Emperor Kōbun *Emperor Tenmu *Emperor Go-Toba *Emperor Go-Daigo

Commanders from loyal family

*Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto *Yamato Takeru *Empress Jingū

Commanders in Thirty-Eight Years' War

*Ōtomo no Otomaro *Sakanoue no Tamuramaro *Aterui

Modern

*Korechika Anami, Anami Korechika *Kenji Doihara, Doihara Kenji *

*Kuroki Itei (Kuroki Tamemoto) *Iwane Matsui, Matsui Iwane *Minoru Ōta, Ōta Minoru *Kantarō Suzuki, Suzuki Kantarō *Tōgō Heihachirō *Hideki Tōjō, Tōjō Hideki *Isoroku Yamamoto, Yamamoto Isoroku *Shiro Kawase *Kanji Ishiwara, Ishiwara Kanji

Musicians

Personalities

Comedians

Idols (male)

Idols (female)

Models

Musicians and singers (male)

Musicians and singers (female)

Tarento

*Aya Ueto *Becky (television personality), Becky *Kazushige Nagashima *Kano sisters *Matt Kuwata *Mina Fukui *Momoiro Clover Z *Naomi Watanabe *Roland (Japanese host)

Architects

Artists

Athletes

Authors

Company founders

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Historians

Military leaders

Samurai

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

K

M

N

O

R

S

T

U

W

Y

Kamakura ''shōguns''

Kamakura shikken

Ashikaga ''shōguns''

Tokugawa ''shōguns''

Pre-modern

Emperors

Commanders from loyal family

Commanders in Thirty-Eight Years' War

Modern

Musicians

Personalities

Comedians

Idols (male)

Idols (female)

Models

Musicians and singers (male)

Musicians and singers (female)

Tarento

Actors

Actresses

TV and radio personalities

Others

Politicians

Prime Ministers

Prime Ministers during the Meiji period (1868–1912)

Prime Ministers during the Taishō period (1912–1926)

Prime Ministers during the Shōwa period (1926–1947)

Prime Ministers during the Shōwa period (1947–1989)

Prime Ministers during the Heisei period (1989–present)

Politicians

Religious leaders

Scientists

Mathematicians

Economists

Other notables

Other Japanese

See also

References