Asian Descent > Japan Archives - Page 13 of 15

Ichiyō Higuchi

Meiji Period writer Ichiyō Higuchi was the first woman in Japan to write modern literature professionally, particularly short stories and poetry, as well as extensive diary accounts.

Kazunomiya

Japanese princess and waka poet.

Poet and author Sei Shōnagon was a court lady who served the Empress Teishi (Sadako) around the year 1000 during the middle Heian period. She is the author of The Pillow Book (枕草子, makura no sōshi), a collection of essays, anecdotes, poems and descriptive passages inspired by moments in her daily life.

Kiyo Minijima

Japanese businesswoman and philanthropist

Dr Reiko Homma True

A leading advocate for culturally sensitive mental health care, Dr. Reiko Homma True is dedicated to improving mental health treatment for the Asian-American community and other minority populations. She is a devoted mentor who has worked hard to support other Asian-American women pursuing careers in psychology.

Lani Ka’ahumanu

Lani Ka’ahumanu, a leader of the bisexual rights movement in the U.S., has worked for greater visibility for bisexuals both within the LGBTQ movement as well as broader society. An author, community organizer, and health advocate, she has been a driving force behind the fight against biphobia since 1980.

Kinue Hitomi

Japanese track and field athlete Kinue Hitomi held world records in several events in the 1920s and ’30s and was the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic medal, as well as the first woman to represent Japan at the Olympics.

Misato Mochizuki

Misato Mochizuki’s works, which have been performed at international festivals such as the Salzburg Festival, the Biennale di Venezia, and the Folle Journée in Tokyo, have received numerous awards. Her most outstanding productions include the orchestral portrait concert at Suntory Hall in Tokyo (2007), the cinema concert at the Louvre with the music to the silent film Le fil blanc de la cascade by Kenji MIzoguchi (2007), and the portrait concert at the Festival d’Automne in Paris (2010).

Karen Tanaka

Karen Tanaka is an exceptionally versatile composer and pianist. She has composed extensively for both instrumental and electronic media.

Toshiko Akiyoshi

Toshiko Akiyoshi changed the face of jazz music over her sixty-year career. As one of few women and Asian musicians in the jazz world, Akiyoshi infused Japanese culture, sounds, and instruments into her music. As a pianist, bandleader, and composer-arranger, Akiyoshi cemented her place as one of the most important jazz musicians of the twentieth century.