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Dazai, Osamu

(Encyclopedia)Dazai, Osamu sho͞oˈjē tso͞oˈshĭmä [key], 1909–48, Japanese novelist. Considered one of the foremost fiction writers of 20th-century Japan, Dazai was noted for his ironic and gloomy wit, his o...

Iwo Jima

(Encyclopedia)Iwo Jima tō [key], volcanic island, c.8 sq mi (21 sq km), W Pacific, largest and most important of the Volcano Islands. Mt. Suribachi, 546 ft (166 m) high, on the south side of the island, is an exti...

Mineta, Norman Yoshio

(Encyclopedia)Mineta, Norman Yoshio, 1931–2022, American government official, the first Asian American to be appointed to a cabinet post, b. San Jose, Calif. Of Jap...

Hatoyama, Ichiro

(Encyclopedia)Hatoyama, Ichiro ēchēˈrō hätōˈyämä [key], 1883–1959, Japanese statesman. A graduate of the law school of Tokyo Imperial Univ., he was first elected to the lower house of the Japanese legisl...

Takamura, Kotaro

(Encyclopedia)Takamura, Kotaro kōˈtäˈrō täˈkäˈmo͞oˈrä [key], 1883–1956, Japanese poet and sculptor. After studying art in France, where he was profoundly influenced by Rodin, Takamura devoted his care...

Volcano Islands

(Encyclopedia)Volcano Islands, Jap. Kazan-retto, island group, c.11 sq mi (30 sq km), W Pacific. The group consists of three islands, of which Iwo Jima (Iwo To) is the most important. The highest peak (3,181 ft/970...

Kiyonobu I

(Encyclopedia)Kiyonobu I (Torii Kiyonobu I) kēyōnōˈbo͞o [key], 1664–1729, Japanese printmaker. Specializing in portraits of Kabuki actors, Kiyonobu I worked in the ukiyo-e print style (see Japanese art), con...

Fenollosa, Ernest Francisco

(Encyclopedia)Fenollosa, Ernest Francisco fĕnəlōˈsə [key], 1853–1908, American Orientalist, educator, and poet, b. Salem, Mass., grad. Harvard, 1874. A pioneer in the study of Asian art, he lived much of his...

Wainwright, Jonathan Mayhew

(Encyclopedia)Wainwright, Jonathan Mayhew, 1883–1953, American general, b. Walla Walla, Wash. Commissioned in the army in 1906, he reached the rank of brigadier general in 1938. In World War II he was stationed i...

Sato, Eisaku

(Encyclopedia)Sato, Eisaku āsäˈko͞o säˈtō [key], 1901–75, Japanese politician, prime minister (1964–72), brother of Nobusuke Kishi. After receiving a law degree from Tokyo Imperial Univ. (1924) he entere...