the list of 9 for february 26, 2007:
NINE NOTABLE JAPANESE WOMEN
March 3 is known in Japan as Hinamatsuri, or "Girls' Day," and is the closest thing thatnation has to a "women's appreciation day." (Not that the U.S. is far ahead; yes, we have Mother'sDay, and Valentine's Day sort of counts, but...) So in early honor of this holiday, I'd like topay tribute not only to the Japanese and Japanese-American women whom I count as friends (and no,despite the spelling of her name, my wife Miki is not among them), but to all the wonderful,hard-working women of Japan.
- Eiko Ishioka. One of my favorite names to pronounce, thismulti-talented designer won an Oscar for her costumes for Bram Stoker's Dracula, received aTony nomination for her costume and stage design for M. Butterfly, and even won a Grammyfor her album cover for Miles Davis's Tutu. She also directed a Björk video andcreated costumes for Cirque du Soleil.
- Murasaki Shikibu. Around a thousand years ago, LadyMurasaki - of the royal court of Heian-era Japan - wrote a novel, The Tale of Genji, one ofthe earliest novels in human history. (Many argue that it is the first "modern" novel.) That'squite a claim to fame, especially as female novelists in the Western world didn't emerge until hundreds of years later.
- Masako Katsura. Back in the mid-20th century, billiardswas a hugely popular spectator sport, a little like tennis is today. (And let's not confusebilliards with pool; billiards is a much different and much more difficult game.) One of the topstars in the sport was Ms. Katsura, who routinely beat the best American male players on thecircuit with her dazzling cue work.
- Michiko Kakutani. The Japanese-American Kakutani is one ofthe most influential - and most ruthless - literary critics in the world; writing for the NewYork Times Book Review, she is alternately admired, reviled and feared by the literarycommunity for her catty and sometimes vicious reviews of modern works.
- Banana Yoshimoto. On the other side of the typewriter isthis hugely successful (and still rather young) novelist, whose debut book Kitchen was asmash success in Japan as well as internationally. As of this writing, she's published no lessthan twelve novels and sold over six million copies of them worldwide. Lady Murasaki would beproud - or intimidated.
- Iva Toguri. A U.S. citizen, Iva Toguri is the classicexample of somebody who was in the wrong place at the wrong time: specifically, Japan, 1941.Lacking a valid passport, she was not allowed to return to the U.S. after the bombing of PearlHarbor, and then was forced to work at a Tokyo radio station. One thing led to another, and shewas recruited to recite on-air anti-American propaganda, in English, meant to discourage Americantroops in the Pacific (but which probably backfired against the Japanese military). After the war,she was unfairly nicknamed "Tokyo Rose" (who in reality was the pseudonym of a number of radiopersonalities). After the war, she was jailed for six years for treason and was only finallypardoned by Gerald Ford in 1977 - over thirty years after the end of World War II.
- Yayoi Kusama. A major artist in the 1960's whosesignificance has only been celebrated fairly recently, she's best known for her obsessive polkadot-covered paintings and installations. Many call her Japan's greatest living artist.
- Toshiko Akiyoshi. One of the biggest names in jazz music,Ms. Akiyoshi has received over fourteen Grammy nominations for her work as a composer and pianist.Her big band, the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra featuring Lew Tabackin (Akiyoshi's husband), wasone of the most popular jazz big bands in the world before she dissolved it in 2003.
- Yoko Ono. Yoko Ono requires no introduction.
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