1921 (Taisho 10) Sunday, October 30 The future first lady of Japan, Nakasone Tsutako was born in Tokyo. Her maiden name was Tsutako KOBAYASHI. She was the third daughter of Giichiro Kobayashi, a professor at Meiji University, a doctor of science and a geologist. Giichiro Kobayashi is known for boring Akagi Onsen in Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture. Maebashi will be the constituency of his son-in-law, Yasuhiro Nakasone. Yasuhiro Nakasone, the 71st Prime Minister of Japan, was born on May 27, 1918, so he is 3 years older than Tsutako Kobayashi. Yasuhiro Nakasone, from Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, entered the Ministry of the Interior after graduating from the Department of Political Science,...

1921 (Taisho 10) Saturday, October 29 1921: Duke Tokugawa Yoshihisa’s second daughter Kisako was born. Kisako was born and spent his childhood at the main residence of Tokugawa in Kohinata Dai Rokuten-machi, where Yoshinobu TOKUGAWA, who lived in his later years, finally moved to the residence and died of acute pneumonia at the age of 76 on November 22, 1913, 8 years before Kisako was born. This residence is currently home to the International Graduate School of Buddhist Studies, which also shows the place where Yoshinobu Tokugawa died. In 1996, Kisako Tokugawa published a book titled “Tokugawa Yoshinobu Family’s Children’s Room” by Soshisha, which describes her life in the former...

1921 (Taisho 10) Friday, October 28 Translator Shinjo Tetsuo was born in San Francisco, USA. Later, he returned to his permanent address in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and entered Aoyama Gakuin English Literature School in Tokyo. Because it was wartime, he graduated early and worked in the foreign news department of the Tokyo Newspaper in charge of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After the war, he also worked for GHQ as a journalist. In 1953 28, while still working for Tokyo Shimbun, he published Herman Walk’s first translation, The Rebellion on the Kane, which became a bestseller. In 1957 (Showa 32), I was transferred to the publishing division of Tokyo Shinbun...

1921 (Taisho 10) Tuesday, October 25 Tokuma Yasuyoshi, the founder of Tokuma Shoten, was born in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from local Zushi Kaisei Junior High School, he entered Waseda University’s Faculty of Commerce. He joined the Japanese Communist Party in his youth. In 1943 (Showa 18), he graduated from Waseda University and joined the Yomiuri Shimbun. However, immediately after the end of the war, he left the company due to the Yomiuri Dispute, which occurred twice. In 1948 (Showa 23), the company went bankrupt, and after that, Tatsuhiko Nakano became a senior managing director of “Shinzenmi-sha”, but this also went bankrupt soon. In 1953 (Showa 28), he...

1921 (Taisho 10) Saturday, October 22 Toshio Miyoshi, also known as the “Emperor of MEW,” was born in Neyagawa City, Osaka Prefecture. MEW stands for Matsushita Electric Works Co., Ltd. After graduating from Kobe University of Economics (now the Faculty of Economics, Kobe University), Toshio Miyoshi taught as a professor at Matsuyama College of Economics (now Matsuyama University) for 4 years from 1946 to 1950. At MEW, he was in charge of accounting, his own field of specialization, as well as planning and promotion. While he was working, MEW grew rapidly, and Toshio Miyoshi became president in 1988, and 3 years later, MEW grew into a 1 trillion yen company...

1921 (Taisho 10) Wednesday, October 19 KAMIKAZE Shoichi, a sumo commentator, was born in Sambommatsu-cho, Okawa-gun, Kagawa Prefecture (present-day Higashikagawa City). His real name was Shoichi Akazawa. Since my elementary school days, I have been so healthy that I was selected as one of the healthiest children by the Asahi Shimbun. Yokozuna Tamanishiki, who learned of the boy’s existence through newspaper reports, came to solicit him and entered Nishonoseki stable. In 1937 (Showa 12), he graduated from Tokyo Municipal Ueno Junior High School (now Tokyo Municipal Ueno High School) under the old system and debuted in the May tournament. 1942 (Showa 17): He joined the Shogunate at the January Tournament....

1921 (Taisho 10) Sunday, October 16 Capy Harada was born near Santa Maria, California. Capy Harada was a Japanese American who played an important role as a bridge between Japanese and American baseball after the war. His real name was Tsuneo HARADA. His father Joemon Harada and his mother Kuni were immigrants who moved from Wakayama Prefecture to California in 1904 (Meiji 37). My parents worked hard as vegetable farmers and became wealthy enough to buy a car, but their fortunes changed with the advent of the Great Depression. When his mother, Kuni, died in 1934, his father, Joemon, judged that it was impossible to raise 7 brothers by a...