Watanabe
Encyclopedia
Watanabe is the fifth most common Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese surname.

The first to be named Watanabe were kuge
Kuge
The was a Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese imperial court in Kyoto until the rise of the Shogunate in the 12th century at which point it was eclipsed by the daimyo...

(court nobles), direct descendants of the Emperor Saga
Emperor Saga
was the 52nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Saga's reign spanned the years from 809 through 823.-Traditional narrative:...

 (786-842).

The most famous member of the family historically is the samurai Watanabe no Tsuna
Watanabe no Tsuna
' was a Japanese samurai, a retainer of Minamoto no Yorimitsu , one of the earliest samurai to be famed for his military exploits.-In Legend:...

 (953-1025), companion in arms of Minamoto no Yorimitsu
Minamoto no Yorimitsu
, also known as Minamoto no Raikō, served the regents of the Fujiwara clan along with his brother Yorinobu, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take...

 (944-1021), and famous for his military exploits in a number of tales and legends.

The Watanabe of Hakata were daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...

of Hakata (province of Izumi) until the restoration of Meiji (1868).

The Watanabe of Ômura clan (province of Hizen) and the Watanabe of the Suwa clan (province of Shinano) were ranked among the Peers after 1868.

During the 16th century wars, the following samurai distinguished themselves:

Watanabe Hajime of the Môri clan at the battles of Gassan-Toda (1540), Miyajima (1555) and Moji (1561).

Watanabe Moritsuna
Watanabe Moritsuna
was a Japanese samurai of the Watanabe clan, who served the Tokugawa clan. He submitted to Ieyasu in 1557 and fought in such famous battles as the battles of Anegawa , Mikatagahara and Nagashino , he was nicknamed yari no Hanzo because of his skill with the spear, it was also to distinguish him...

 (1542–1620) who joined Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
 was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara  in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...

 in 1557, at the battles of Anegawa
Battle of Anegawa
The 1570 came as a reaction to Oda Nobunaga's sieges of the castles of Odani and Yokoyama, which belonged to the Azai and Asakura clans. It was also referred to as the Battle of Nomura by the Oda and Azai clans and the Battle of Mitamura by the Asakura clan.As warriors sallied forth from the...

 (1570), Mikatagahara
Battle of Mikatagahara
The ' was one of the most famous battles of Takeda Shingen's campaigns, and one of the best demonstrations of his cavalry-based tactics.-Background:...

 (1573) and Nagashino
Battle of Nagashino
The ' took place in 1575 near Nagashino Castle on the plain of Shitaragahara in the Mikawa province of Japan. Forces under Takeda Katsuyori had besieged the castle since the 17th of June; Okudaira Sadamasa , a Tokugawa vassal, commanded the defending force...

 (1575).

In the context of the Japanese economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...

, Mrs. Watanabe is generic, collective name for housewives who deal in foreign exchange
Foreign exchange market
The foreign exchange market is a global, worldwide decentralized financial market for trading currencies. Financial centers around the world function as anchors of trading between a wide range of different types of buyers and sellers around the clock, with the exception of weekends...

.

People

  • Akeno Watanabe
    Akeno Watanabe
    is a Japanese voice actor born in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. She works at Osawa Office and her nickname is Akenon. She currently stars in Pokémon Best Wishes as Ash's newest rival, Shooti and from Episode 17 onwards has begun voicing Ash's Scraggy.-Anime:...

     (voice actress)
  • Atsushi Watanabe
    Atsushi Watanabe
    is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima and graduate of Komazawa University, he was elected to the first of his two terms in the city assembly of Aizuwakamatsu in 1982, to the first of his...

     (politician)
  • Akira Watanabe
    Akira Watanabe (Scouting)
    was the National President of the Boy Scouts of Japan from 1974 to 2003, and served on the World Scout Committee of the World Organization of the Scout Movement....

     (National President of the Scout Association of Japan from 1974–2003)
  • Emi Watanabe
    Emi Watanabe
    is a Japanese figure skater of Filipino ancestry. Her father is Japanese, and mother is Filipino. She won eight consecutive Japanese championships and earned the first World Championship medal in ladies' singles for Japan in 1979...

     (Olympic figure skater)
  • Gedde Watanabe
    Gedde Watanabe
    Gedde Watanabe is an American theatre, film, and television actor.He was in several dramatic productions in high school, both acting and singing...

     (A.K.A. Gary Watanabe, actor)
  • Graham Watanabe
    Graham Watanabe
    Graham Watanabe is an American snowboarder who has competed since 1996. He won three events in snowboardcross between 2004 and 2009.At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Watanabe finished 31st in the snowboard cross event...

      (U.S. Olympic Snowboarder)
  • Greg Watanabe
    Greg Watanabe
    Greg Watanabe is an American actor who played Isaac on the MyNetworkTV serial Watch Over Me. He appears in the independent films, Life Tastes Good, Only the Brave and Americanese. He is a founding member of the Asian American sketch comedy troupe,...

     (actor)
  • Hiroshi Watanabe (animator)
  • Hiroshi Watanabe (photographer)
    Hiroshi Watanabe (photographer)
    is a California-based Japanese photographer.Born in Sapporo in 1951, Watanabe graduated from the Department of Photography of Nihon University in 1975 and moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a production coordinator for Japanese television commercials and later co-founded a Japanese...

  • Jiro Watanabe
    Jiro Watanabe
    is a Japanese former boxerWatanabe, who fought only in Japan and South Korea, was one of the first World Super flyweight champions, as the division was relatively new when he was crowned.-Biography:...

     (boxer)
  • José Watanabe
    José Watanabe
    José Watanabe was a Peruvian poet who won a number of literary awards.Watanabe was born in Laredo, a large sugar cane farm in northern Peru. His father was a Japanese immigrant and his mother was a Peruvian of Andean origin...

     (Peruvian poet)
  • Junya Watanabe
    Junya Watanabe
    Junya Watanabe is a Japanese fashion designer, originally the protege of Comme des Garçons designer Rei Kawakubo. Born in Fukushima, Japan in 1961, he went on to attend Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo, graduating in 1984. At this time he began his apprenticeship at Comme des Garçons as a patternmaker...

     (fashion designer)
  • Katsuaki Watanabe
    Katsuaki Watanabe
    is vice chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation. He was president and CEO of the company before Akio Toyoda assumed those positions on June 23, 2009.Watanabe, who earned a degree in economics from Tokyo's Keio University, joined Toyota upon graduating from that university in 1964.He has gained...

     (President of Toyota Motor Corporation)
  • Kazuki Watanabe (musician)
  • Kazumi Watanabe
    Kazumi Watanabe
    Kazumi Watanabe is a jazz and jazz fusion guitarist, from Tokyo, Japan. He was born on October 14, 1953 Kazumi learned to play guitar from Sadanori Nakamure, one of Japan's grandmaster guitarists. Kazumi released his first recording in 1971, and quickly became a promising guitarist in his own right...

     (musician)
  • Kazuro Watanabe
    Kazuro Watanabe
    is an amateur Japanese astronomer. He was born in Hokkaidō, Japan and is a member of the Astronomical Society of Japan and Oriental Astronomical Association....

     (astronomer)
  • Ken Watanabe
    Ken Watanabe
    is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. To English-speaking audiences he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Letters from Iwo Jima and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in The Last Samurai, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best...

     (actor)
  • Kenji Watanabe
    Kenji Watanabe
    is a retired male breaststroke swimmer from Japan. He represented his native country in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1984. His best Olympic result was the 7th place in the Men's 200m Breaststroke event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain...

     (breaststroke swimmer)
  • Kumiko Watanabe
    Kumiko Watanabe
    is an actress and voice actress from Chiba Prefecture affiliated with Arts Vision.-Overview, character, and career:*She has a wide vocal range, ranging from boys and girls to middle-aged women. She is also known to be a large professional wrestling fan, especially of Pro Wrestling Noah's Kenta...

     (voice actor)
  • Marina Watanabe
    Marina Watanabe
    is a Japanese actress, singer, and TV-personality. She was born in Ota, Tokyo, Japan, and is currently married to Jun Nagura of the comedy trio Neptune...

     (entertainer)
  • Michio Watanabe
    Michio Watanabe
    was a Japanese political figure. He was born in Tochigi and graduated from the Tokyo College of Commerce in 1942. He worked as a reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun, a certified tax accountant, and a member of Tochigi prefectural assembly before serving as a member of House of Representatives of Japan...

     (politician)
  • Miho Watanabe
    Miho Watanabe
    Miho Watanabe is a female Japanese popular music artist, actor, and dancer. She is currently pursuing an acting career.-Works:* Hoshi no Ko Pori * Chatto Shimasho * Dr. HAYAMI Rirakkusu 3...

     (entertainer)
  • Misato Watanabe
    Misato Watanabe
    is a female Japanese popular music artist.- Singles :* 'I'm Free' * 'Growin' Up' * 'Shinderu mitai ni Ikitaku nai ' * 'My Revolution'...

     (musician)
  • Osamu Watanabe
    Osamu Watanabe
    is a Japanese Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling. Born in 1940, he attended Chuo University during a time when they were viewed as one of Japan's dominant collegiate wrestling programs....

     (Olympic Gold medalist in freestyle wrestling)
  • Sadao Watanabe (musician)
    Sadao Watanabe (musician)
    is an influential Japanese jazz musician who plays the alto saxophone, sopranino saxophone and flute. He is known for his Bossa Nova recordings, although his work encompasses a large range of styles with collaborations from musicians all over the world. Sadao first began learning music at the age...

  • Shinichi Watanabe
    Shinichi Watanabe
    is a Japanese anime director and seiyu. He is best known for his over-the-top adaptation of Rikdo Koshi's Excel Saga, in which he appears as the character Nabeshin....

     (director)
  • Shinichiro Watanabe
    Shinichiro Watanabe
    is a Japanese anime filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for directing the popular anime series Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo.Watanabe is known for blending together multiple genres in his anime creations...

     (writer and director)
  • Shunsuke Watanabe
    Shunsuke Watanabe
    is a professional baseball player from Tsuga, Tochigi, Japan who plays for the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Japanese Pacific League.His submarine pitching form was noted during the 2006 World Baseball Classic.-Amateur career:...

     (baseball pitcher)
  • Takeo Watanabe
    Takeo Watanabe
    was a Japanese musician and composer. In addition to composing the well known theme song for Cutie Honey he has also composed music for multiple television anime and films including Lone Wolf & Cub, Candy Candy, and Mobile Suit Gundam....

     (16 April 1933 - 2 June 1989) Japanese musician and composer
  • Watanabe On
    Watanabe On
    On Watanabe was a Japanese author inspirational to upcoming Japanese authors.-See also:*Japanese literature*List of Japanese writers...

     (author)
  • Yoko Watanabe
    Yoko Watanabe
    was a Japanese operatic soprano who spent much of her career singing the title role of Madame Butterfly all over Europe.She was also known for her large repertoire including such works as Micaela in Carmen, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Marguerite in Faust and Amelia in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra...

     (operatic soprano)
  • Yoshinori Watanabe
    Yoshinori Watanabe
    was a yakuza, the fifth kumicho of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza organization. He became kumicho in 1989. He was known for a more low-key approach than his predecessors, partly due to an Anti-Gang law passed in 1992...

     (alleged yakuza)
  • Yuuya Watanabe
    Yuuya Watanabe
    Yuuya Watanabe is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. With one Pro Tour top eight, and 13 Grand Prix top eights , Watanabe is best known for his Rookie of the Year title in 2007, and his Player of the Year title two years later....

     (Magic: The Gathering Professional)

Companies

  • Watanabe Tekkōjo, steel foundry, renamed in 1943 to Kyūshū Heiki (Kyūshū Armaments), dissolved in 2001
  • Watanabe Instruments, later Graphtec Corporation
    Graphtec Corporation
    Graphtec Corporation , formerly Watanabe Instruments, is a company for computer input and output devices in Japan. It has subsidiaries in the USA, Europe and Australia...


See also

  • Japanese name
    Japanese name
    in modern times usually consist of a family name , followed by a given name. "Middle names" are not generally used.Japanese names are usually written in kanji, which are characters of usually Chinese origin in Japanese pronunciation...

  • Akira Watanabe (disambiguation)
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