1901

The year 1901 in Japanese history and events related to Japan that occurred in this year.

1901 Politics

• Emperor: Meiji
• Prime Minister: Ito Hirobumi – 4th Term

1901 Births

• April 29 – Hirohito - Hirohito was born on this date and ended up becoming the 124th emperor of Japan in 1926. He was born in Aoyama Palace in Tokyo to Crown Prince Yoshihito and Crown Princess Sadako. He was known, as a child, as Prince Michi and was the grandson to Emperor Meiji, who reigned until his death in 1912.
• July 7 – Eiji Tsuburya - Tsuburya was a special effects director that became very well-known in the 1950’s. He was responsible for the team that created the first Godzilla film, and for it he won a Film Technique Award. It was his techniques that allowed other movies, such as King Kong, to be created.

1901 Deaths

No Notable Deaths

1901 Entertainment

• Rickshaw Parade (movie)
• Coaling a Steamer (movie)

1901 Sports

• September 14 – Huo Yuanjia - Huo Yuanjia was a martial artist that studied a martial art known as Mizōngyi. This is a martial art that uses sneaky moves in order to beat the opponent, focusing the most on mobility and deception. It has since become a “lost” martial art. On Sept. 14th, Yuanjia responded to a challenge and managed to beat fighters from many countries, including one from Japan. Because of this last fight with the Japanese artist, Yuanjia became known as one of the best martial arts practitioners in history.

1901 Business

• No notable events yet found.

1901 Other

• June 2 – Katsura becomes Prime Minister - On June 2, Taro Katsura, who was the general of the Imperial Japanese Army, became the Prime Minister of Japan. Katsura was born into a family that had strong samurai values, which gave him many of his abilities. When the Meiji government took over, Katsura was noticed and was sent to Germany in order to study military science. He was quickly promoted to major general, once he returned to Japan, and was a major force during the first Sino-Japanese War. He became a viscount after the war, and was given the title of Prime Minister for the first time in 1901. he held the title for over four years and helped to make Japan noticeable as an imperialist power to reckon with in Asia.