2021年

Art

Saturday, October 15 1921: Ryusei Kishida painted the famous Portrait of her daughter Reiko.

1921 (Taisho 10) Saturday, October 15 On this day, Ryusei Kishida painted Reiko Smiling. It is said to be the most famous masterpiece among many Reishi statues. It is now owned by Tokyo National Museum as an important cultural property. It is featured in history and art textbooks, so it can be said that it is very familiar to many Japanese people. It is a work with a very mysterious charm, and you will never forget the portrait once you see it. While it has a somewhat eerie atmosphere on a dark background, the red wool shawl with very fine details makes you feel warm. It shows how Ryusei Kishida...
Politics

Friday, October 14 1921: a commemorative ceremony for the 50 year anniversary of the railway was held in front of Tokyo Station.

1921 (Taisho 10) On Friday, October 14. A celebration of the 50 year railway anniversary was held in front of Tokyo Station. Crown Prince Hirohito attended as Emperor Taisho’s representative. After a six-month visit to Europe on September 3, 20 year-old Crown Prince Hirohito returned home with tremendous popularity. The crowd gathered at Tokyo Station to see the Crown Prince at a glance and it was very crowded. Prime Minister Takashi Hara, Minister of Railways Hajime Motoda, and many other officials attended the ceremony and gave congratulatory speeches. Of course, there was also a word from Crown Prince Hirohito. They also commended those who had contributed to the railway and...
Birthday

Monday, October 10 1921: Novelist James Clavell was born in Sydney, Australia.

1921 (Taisho 10) Monday, October 10 Novelist James Clavell was born in Sydney, Australia. His father was Richard Charles Clavell, a British naval officer stationed in Australia. When my father’s mission to Australia was completed in 1922, I returned home with my family. James received his childhood education in Portsmouth, home to the British Navy, but later returned to Australia where he served in the Royal Artillery Corps and fought the Japanese during the Pacific War from 1941. However, during the Singapore war, he was captured by the Japanese army and imprisoned in Changi Prison. Originally built in 1936 by the British Straits Colony Administration as a prison with a...
Social

Sunday, October 9 1921: Denemon Ito (60) and his wife, Akiko Yanagihara (35) left their home in Fukuoka and headed for Tokyo.

1921 (Taisho 10) Sunday, October 9 Denemon Ito (60) and his wife, Akiko Yanagihara (35), who were called “Chikuho’s Coal King”, left their home in Fukuoka and headed for Tokyo. At that time, her husband Denemon had no idea but Hakuren made up his mind to leave Denemon, finished cleaning up all the clothes and furniture given to him by his husband over the past 10 years, and secretly carried jewelry back to him from Tokyo. Byakuren Yanagihara (real name: Akiko Yanagihara) is the second daughter of Count Sakimitsu Yanagihara. Naruko YANAGIHARA, the real mother of Emperor Taisho, was her aunt. She and Emperor Taisho are cousins. After graduating from...
Social

Saturday, October 8 1921: Yasunari Kawabata (22) and Hatsuyo Itoh (15) got engaged at Shoshukan on the Nagara River River.

1921 (Taisho 10) Saturday, October 8 Yasunari Kawabata (22) and Hatsuyo Itoh (15) got engaged at Shoshukan on the Nagara River River. I had high expectations last night that Haruki Murakami would win the Nobel Prize in Literature, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen again this year. Only 2 Japanese have won the Nobel Prize. In 1968 (Showa 43), Yasunari KAWABATA. And Kenzaburo Oe in 1994. Exactly 100 years ago today, Kawabata Yasunari experienced a turning point in his life and an event that greatly influenced his literary style. It can be said that it was the event that brought the Nobel Prize in Literature to Yasunari Kawabata. Yasunari Kawabata was...
Politics

Friday, October 7 1921: Crown Prince Hirohito attended the homage ceremony at Kazoku-kaikan Clubhouse.

1921 (Taisho 10) Friday, October 7: Crown Prince Hirohito (20) attended the homage ceremony at Kazoku-kaikan Clubhouse, which is for aristocratic class in Japan. After watching “Ataka” at the Noh theater, he had a friendly chat with the members. Iesato Tokugawa (58), the President of the House of Peers and the President of the House of Peers, made a statement to celebrate his safe return from his long trip to Europe. Three cheers for the party. Kazoku Kaikan Hall is present Kasumi Kaikan Hall. At 1:40 PM, he was sent to the Kazoku Kaikan (the Peerage House) to celebrate his return to Japan. Upon your arrival, all the members who...
Social

Tuesday, October 4 1921: Tokyo Metropolitan Shinjuku High School opened.

1921 (Taisho 10) Tuesday, October 4 Tokyo Prefectural Sixth Junior High School (present Tokyo Metropolitan Shinjuku High School) opened. At the time the school opened, the school did not have its own premises and school buildings in place, so we rented space for classes at a nearby junior high school, Tokyo Prefectural Fourth Junior High School (now Tokyo Metropolitan Toyama High School). In the following year, 1922 (Taisho 11), a modern reinforced concrete school building was completed at a corner of Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. The time bell of the battleship Mikasa was called “the bell that established the nation”. After the war, it became one of the most advanced...
Birthday

Monday, October 3 1921: Welfare activist Sato Hatsume was born in Aomori.

1921 ( Taisho 10 ) Monday, October 3 Welfare activist Sato Hatsume is born in Aomori. After graduating from Aomori Gigei Gakuin (current Aomori Akenohoshi High School), she became a teacher at an elementary school and married Mataichi SATO, whom she met while serving as the principal of the school. In 1992, she sponsored ‘Mori no Iskia’ at the foot of Mt. Iwaki. It is a place of healing where people with troubles and problems are accepted and pain is shared. Throughout her life, she appealed to the world to change the way we eat food with the taste of simple ingredients. She died in 2016. She was 94 years...
Birthday

Saturday, October 1 1921: Edoya Nekohachi The 3rd was born in Tokyo.

1921 (Taisho 10) Saturday, October 1 The 3rd generation Edoya Nekohachi was born in Tokyo as an impersonator and actor known for imitating animal vocal cords. His real name was Rokuro OKADA. He was the sixth son of his father, the first Nekohachi EDOYA, so he was named Rokuro. As a boy, he toured various places with his father’s troupe from Sakhalin in the north to Kyushu in the south. In 1940 (Showa 15), he joined the comedy troupe Furukawa Midorinami, and when World War II began in December 1941 (Showa 16), he was drafted into the army in 1942 (Showa 17) and went to the southern front including Rabaul....
Politics

Friday, September 30 1921: Youlan committed suicide, Mother of Aisin Gioro Pu Yi, the last emperor.

1921 (Taisho 10) Friday, September 30 Youlan, Aisin Gioro Pu Yi’s mother, committed suicide at the age of 37. He was born in 1884. His father was Ronglu, an influential person in the Qing Dynasty. She became the lawful wife of Zaifeng and Prince Chun and gave birth to Puyi, Fuketsu’s brothers and three other daughters. He collided with Empress Wen Jing (Jin Fei, a wife of Emperor Guangxu), who had power in the Forbidden City at that time, and committed suicide.