is an official Japanese recognition and

honor Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

which is awarded annually to select people who have made outstanding cultural contributions. This distinction is intended to play a role as a part of a system of support measures for the promotion of creative activities in Japan. By 1999, 576 people had been selected as Persons of Cultural Merit. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan)
''Culture 2000''.
/ref>

System of recognition

The Order of Culture and Persons of Cultural Merit function in tandem to honor those who have contributed to the advancement and development of Japanese culture in a variety of fields, including academia, arts, science and sports.
''Yomiuri Shimbun.'' October 29, 2008.

Persons of Cultural Merit

Certificate of the Person of Cultural Merit for Maki Kawai 20211103

The 1951 ''Law on Pensions for the Persons of Cultural Merit'' honors persons of cultural merit by providing a special government-sponsored pension. Since 1955, the new honorees have been announced on the same day as the award ceremony for the Order of Culture.

Order of Culture

The award ceremony, which takes place at the Imperial Palace on the Day of Culture (November 3). Candidates for the Order of Culture are selected from the Persons of Cultural Merit by the

Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology The is a member of the Cabinet of Japan and is the leader and chief executive of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The minister is nominated by the Prime Minister of Japan and is appointed by the Emperor of Japan. ...

, who then recommends the candidates to the Prime Minister. The final decisions are made by the Cabinet.

Selected recipients

Makoto Asashima is a Japanese developmental biologist known for his pioneer research on Activin. He is Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo and Yokohama City University. He is also Vice President of the Tokyo University of Science. Contribution Asashi ...

, developmental biologist *

Seiji Ozawa Seiji (written: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , or in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese ski jumper *, Japanese racing driver *, Japanese politician *, Japanese film directo ...

, conductor * Hisao Domoto, abstract painter *

Toru Funamura TORU or Toru may refer to: *TORU, spacecraft system *Toru (given name), Japanese male given name *Toru, Pakistan, village in Mardan District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan *Tõru Tõru is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Est ...

, composer *

Toshi Ichiyanagi was a Japanese avant-garde composer and pianist. One of the leading composers in Japan during the postwar era, Ichiyanagi worked in a range of genres, composing Western-style operas and orchestral and chamber works, as well as compositions using ...

, composer *

Akira Isogai Akira may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Akira'' (franchise), a Japanese cyberpunk franchise ** ''Akira'' (manga), a 1980s cyberpunk manga by Katsuhiro Otomo ** ''Akira'' (1988 film), an anime film adaptation of the manga ** ''Akira'' (vide ...

, bio-organic chemistry researcher * Tota Kaneko, haiku poet *

Asami Maki is a feminine Japanese given name which can also be used as a surname. Possible writings Asami can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: ;as a given name *麻美, "hemp, beauty" *朝美, "morning, beauty" *朝海, "morning, ...

, choreographer *

Makoto Nagao was a Japanese computer scientist. He contributed to various fields: machine translation, natural language processing, pattern recognition, image processing and library science. He was the 23rd president of Kyoto University (1997–2003) and ...

, information engineering * Tomijuro Nakamura, Kabuki actor *

Tatsuo Nishida was a professor at Kyoto University. His work encompasses research on a variety of Tibeto-Burman languages, he made great contributions in particular to the deciphering of the Tangut language. Biography Born in Osaka, Nishida graduated from the K ...

, linguist *

Man Nomura A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chrom ...

, Kyogen actor * Sayume Okuda, craftswoman * Hiroyuki Sakaki, electronic engineer * Koichi Shimoda, physicist *

Kiichi Sumikawa Kiichi (written: , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese politician *, Japanese equestrian *, Imperial Japanese Navy admiral *, Japanese politician *, Japanese mixed martial artist *, J ...

, sculptor *

Kenichi Tominaga is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Ken'ichi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *賢一, "wise, one" *健一, "healthy, one" *憲一, "constitution, one" *謙一, "humble, one" *建一, "build, one" * ...

, economic sociologist *

Naoya Shiga was a Japanese writer active during the Taishō and Shōwa periods of Japan, whose work was distinguished by its lucid, straightforward style and strong autobiographical overtones. Early life Shiga was born in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, ...

(1951), author *

Hideki Yukawa was a Japanese theoretical physicist and the first Japanese Nobel laureate for his prediction of the pi meson, or pion. Biography He was born as Hideki Ogawa in Tokyo and grew up in Kyoto with two older brothers, two older sisters, and two yo ...

(1951), physicist *

Masuji Ibuse was a Japanese author. His most notable work is the novel '' Black Rain''. Early life and education Ibuse was born in 1898 to a landowning family in the village of , which is now part of Fukuyama, Hiroshima. Ibuse failed his entrance exam to ...

(1966), author (for the work Black Rain). *

Haruko Sugimura was a Japanese stage and film actress, best known for her appearances in the films of Yasujirō Ozu and Mikio Naruse from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. Biography Sugimura was born in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima. After the death of her parents, ...

(1974), actress *

Motoo Ōtaguro (January 11, 1893 – January 23, 1979) was a Japanese music critic. He is considered a pioneer of music criticism in Japan. Biography Early life Ōtaguro was born in Tokyo, on January 11, 1893. He was born into a wealthy family; his father wa ...

(1977), music critic * Susumu Tonegawa (1983), medical researcher *

Hisaya Morishige was a Japanese actor and comedian. Born in Hirakata, Osaka, he graduated from Kitano Middle School (now Kitano High School), and attended Waseda University. He began his career as a stage actor, then became an announcer for NHK, working in ...

(1984), actor *

Fuku Akino was a Japanese painter. She was born in Futamata, Iwata-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture (currently, Nimata Town, Tenryu Ward, Hamamatsu City). She became known by her paintings of Indian themes, landscapes and peoples. Life and career Akino got ...

(1991),

Nihonga ''Nihonga'' (, "Japanese-style paintings") are Japanese paintings from about 1900 onwards that have been made in accordance with traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques and materials. While based on traditions over a thousand years ...

painter * Ryotaro Shiba (1991), writer *

Isuzu Yamada was a Japanese stage and screen actress whose career spanned seven decades. Biography Yamada was born in Osaka as Mitsu Yamada, the daughter of Kusudu Yamada, a shinpa actor specialising in onnagata roles, and Ritsu, a geisha. Under her mother ...

(1993), actress *

Migishi Setsuko Migishi Setsuko (三岸節子, January 3, 1905 – April 18, 1999) was a Japanese ''yōga'' (Western-style) painter. Known for employing vivid colors and bold strokes for still-life and landscape, Migishi contributed greatly to the establishmen ...

(1994), painter *

Jakucho Setouchi (15 May 1922 – 9 November 2021; born formerly known as was a Japanese Buddhist nun, writer, and activist. Setouchi wrote a best-selling translation of '' The Tale of Genji'' and over 400 fictional biographical and historical novels. In 1997 ...

(1997), Buddhist nun and author *

Mitsuko Mori , real name , was a Japanese actress. Background In May 2009, she became the first actor in Japan to have performed the stage play 2,000 times. She was born in Kyoto, Japan. On May 11, 2009, Takeo Kawamura announced that Mori would be awarded ...

(1998), actress * Koji Nakanishi (1999), chemist * Marius Berthus Jansen (1999), historian * Ito Masami (2000), judge * Ishimura Uzaemon XVII (2000),

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 ...

actor * Shotaro Yasuoka (2001), writer *

Donald Keene Donald Lawrence Keene (June 18, 1922 – February 24, 2019) was an American-born Japanese scholar, historian, teacher, writer and translator of Japanese literature. Keene was University Professor emeritus and Shincho Professor Emeritus of Japan ...

(2002), educator * Shozo Shimada (2004), artist *

Ken Takakura , born , was a Japanese actor and singer who appeared in over 200 films. Affectionately referred to as "Ken-san" by audiences, he was best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brought to his roles. He won the Japan Academy Prize ...

(2006), actor *

Tatsuya Nakadai is a Japanese film actor. He was featured in 11 films directed by Masaki Kobayashi, including ''The Human Condition'' trilogy, wherein he starred as the lead character Kaji, plus ''Harakiri'', ''Samurai Rebellion'' and ''Kwaidan''. Nakadai wor ...

(2007), actor *

(2008), biologist *

Nakamura Tomijyuro V Nakamura may refer to: Places *Nakamura, Kōchi, a former city in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan *Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, a ward in Nagoya city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan People *Nakamura (surname), a list of people with the surname Other uses *Nakamura s ...

(2008), Kabuki actor *

Taiho Koki Taihō or Taiho can refer to: *Taihō (era), a Japanese name for the years 701–704 *Taihō Code, a reorganization of the Japanese government at the end of the Asuka period * Taiho Pharmaceutical *Taihoku Prefecture, a former administrative dis ...

(2009),

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

wrestler *

Yoshihide Kozai Yoshihide Kozai (1 April 1928 – 5 February 2018) was a Japanese astronomer specialising in celestial mechanics. He is best known for discovering, simultaneously with Michael Lidov, the Kozai mechanism, for which he received the Imperial Pri ...

(2009), astronomer *

Sayuri Yoshinaga is a Japanese actress and activist. She has won four Japan Academy Best Actress awards, more than any other actress, and has been called "one of the foremost stars in the postwar world of film." Career Her first media appearance was in the rad ...

(2010), actress * Hideji Ōtaki (2011), actor *

Matsumoto Kōshirō IX Matsumoto (松本 or 松元, "base of the pine tree") may refer to: Places * Matsumoto, Nagano (松本市), a city ** Matsumoto Airport, an airport southwest of Matsumoto, Nagano * Matsumoto, Kagoshima (松元町), a former town now part of the ...

(2012), Kabuki actor *

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...

(2012), film director, animator, manga artist, producer, and screenwriter * Shun'ichi Amari (2012), mathematician *

Hiroko Takenishi is a Japanese fiction writer and literary critic. Takenishi is best known for her semi-autobiographical short story "The Rite" (1963), which tells of her experience surviving the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima The United States detonated t ...

(2012), author *

Mitsumasa Anno was a Japanese illustrator and writer of children's books, known best for picture books with few or no words. He received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1984 for his "lasting contribution to children's literature." Life Ann ...

(2012), artist, children's author *

Nobutaka Hirokawa (born March 25, 1946) is a Japanese neuroscientist and cell biologist famous for research on the kinesin superfamily of motor proteins. He has been President and Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Human Frontier Science Program since 2012. C ...

(2013), neuroscientist and cell biologist * Tamio Yamakawa (2014), biochemist *

Tsuneko Okazaki is a Japanese pioneer of molecular biology known for her work on DNA replication and specifically for discovering Okazaki fragments, along with her husband Reiji. Dr. Tsuneko Okazaki has continued to be involved in academia, contributing to m ...

(2015), molecular biologist *

Tsumura Setsuko is a Japanese novelist. She is a 1965 recipient of the Akutagawa Prize. Early life Tsumura was born in the capital city of Fukui, Japan. Her mother died when she was nine years old. Two years later, she moved to Tokyo. Her father, a silk we ...

(2016), novelist *

Nakamura Kichiemon II was a Japanese actor, kabuki performer and costume designer. He was a so-called Living National Treasures of Japan, Living National Treasure. Nakamura Kichiemon was a formal kabuki stage name. The actor's grandfather first appeared using the ...

(2017), Kabuki actor *

Mutsuo Takahashi is one of the most prominent and prolific male poets, essayists, and writers of contemporary Japan, with more than three dozen collections of poetry, several works of prose, dozens of books of essays, and several major literary prizes to his name ...

(2017), poet *

Hisashi Yamamoto (born July 16, 1943) is a prominent organic chemist and currently a member of the faculty at the University of Chicago and professor of Chubu University. Life Born in Kobe, Japan, Yamamoto earned a B.S. at Kyoto University in 1967 and a Ph.D. ...

(2018), chemist * Moto Hagio (2019), manga artist *

Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, producer and game director at Nintendo, where he serves as one of its representative directors. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential designers in the history of video games, he is ...

(2019), video game developer *

Koichi Sugiyama was a Japanese composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He was best known for composing the music for the '' Dragon Quest'' franchise, along with several other video games, anime, film, and television shows. Classically trained, Sugiyama was ...

(2020), composer *

Yoshiyuki Tomino is a Japanese mecha anime creator, animator, director, screenwriter, songwriter and novelist best known for creating the ''Gundam'' anime franchise. He was born in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, and studied at Nihon University's College of Art ...

(2021), Mecha anime creator, animator, songwriter, director, screenwriter, novelist

Notes

References

* Peterson, James W., Barry C. Weaver and Michael A. Quigley. (2001). ''Orders and Medals of Japan and Associated States.'' San Ramon, California: Orders and Medals Society of America.

External links

* Japan, Cabinet Office
Decorations and Medals in Japan
** Decoration Bureau

*

Japan Mint The is an Independent Administrative Institution of the Japanese government, responsible for producing and circulating the coins of Japan. The agency has its head office in Osaka with branches in Saitama and Hiroshima. The Japan Mint does not pr ...

Production Process
{{DEFAULTSORT:Person of Cultural Merit Awards established in 1951 Orders, decorations, and medals of Japan Japanese awards 1951 establishments in Japan