It can be difficult to truly grasp the cultural depth of Japan domestically, as well as the influence that culture has had on the rest of the world in the modern day.
It is a country steeped in millennia of history and culture, and especially over the course of the last century, that culture has spread to all corners of the planet.
Naturally, many of Japan’s most famous people are international stars, too, so today we’re going to look at a broad selection of famous Japanese people, from history and into the modern day.
Let’s get started.
Emperor Kinmei
Japan has a traditional line of emperors, but most historians regard Kinmei, the 29th Emperor of Japan, as the first to be fully historically verifiable.
His reign is said to have spanned from 539 to 571, and though he is probably not the first emperor of Japan, all who came before him are steeped in more myth and legend.
The history is still more than a little misty when it comes to Kinmei–he may in fact have been a rival emperor to Ankan and Senka.
He is said to have died in 571 at the age of 62.
Miyamoto Musashi
Internationally, Japan is well known for its martial arts of one kind or another.
A “sword saint” or Kensei in Japan is a title given to only the best warriors and swordsmen, of which Miyamoto Musashi, born around 1584, was one of the few who have earned the title.
He was a swordsmen, strategist, and ronin, as well as a writer and philosopher.
He went undefeated in 61 duels–the most in Japanese history by a long way, with the next contender winning only 33.
He died in 1645 at the age of 60 or 61.
Oda Nobunaga
Japanese history is fraught with civil war and internal conflict.
Warring feudal lords, called daimyo, fought long and hard for control of parts of the large nation, and Oda Nobunaga was considered the first of the “great unifiers” of Japan.
He launched a war to attempt to unify Japan in the 1560s, eventually dissolving the ruling Ashikaga Shogunate in 1573.
His successors fully unified Japan by 1590, building on his work.
Nobunaga himself died in 1582, at the age of 48.
Ito Hirobumi
Later on, by the 19th Century, things were changing in the Japanese political landscape.
Ito Hirobumi was the first of the Japanese Prime Ministers, having been a leader of the genro, a group of senior Japanese statesmen who dictated policy during the Meiji period.
Serving four times as Prime Minister, to this day he remains among the longest serving Prime Ministers in the country’s history.
He died in 1909 at the age of 58.
Akira Kurosawa
Many would regard Akira Kurosawa as the greatest filmmaker not just of Japan but in the world’s history.
His body of work is truly staggering, and almost everything he ever produced was regarded as a masterpiece.
He himself was heavily involved in every aspect of a film’s production, and produced such acclaimed works as Seven Samurai, Ikiru, and Throne of Blood.
It is truly impossible to overstate his genius and influence on modern cinema.
After a long career, he died in 1998 at the age of 88.
Hayao Miyazaki
A legend of a different style of film, today Hayao Miyazaki is considered one of the greatest animators of all time.
He co-founded the enormously popular Studio Ghibli, a legendary animation studio which has produced such masterpieces as Spirited Away and Nausica of the Valley of the Wind.
He is considered to be one of the most accomplished filmmakers in history, and has left an indelible mark on animated cinema.
Hidetaka Miyazaki
One thing that Japan is enormously famous for in the modern day is its video game industry.
In the present day, one of the most well-known and legendary game developers in Japan is Hidetaka Miyazaki, current president of From Software studios.
He has lead most of the company’s most successful and influential projects, such as 2011’s Dark Souls and 2022’s Elden Ring.
His style has been incomprehensibly influential on modern game development.
Shigeru Miyamoto
For those who are not themselves fans of video games, though, the works that come to mind when they think of Japanese video games are more likely to be those of Shigeru Miyamoto.
Miyamoto has created or co-created some of the most legendary characters and franchises in gaming history, such as Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda.
He joined Nintendo in 1977 and has been with the company ever since.
Ken Watanabe
Ken Watanabe is perhaps one of the best known international Japanese actors.
He began his career at the end of the 1970s in Tokyo, and is widely known in Japan for playing Samurai and tragic hero characters.
One of his best known roles in Japan is General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in 2006’s Letters from Iwo Jima.
His prolific international acting has made him one of Japan’s best known actors.
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka is a tennis player born in Osaka in 1997, and has been ranked number 1 in women’s singles by the WTA.
She has achieved Grand Slam titles on four occasions, She is considered to be one of the world’s best female tennis players active today, and is the first woman to win successive major titles in world tennis since Serena Williams in 2015.
It’s difficult, then, to fully grasp the span of time which constitutes Japan’s history.
The country is one that has been through many centuries of change and turmoil, and today has emerged to become one of the biggest and most important economies the world over.
From its legendary emperors, its sword saints and its filmmakers through to its modern video game designers, Japan has produced some of the greatest minds in history.
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@PollyWebster
Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.
Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.
Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.