Kamaishi celebs
The statue of Oshima Takato in front of Kamaishi Station
Takato Oshima (1826-1901)
Born as the first son of a samurai doctor of the Morioka domain, Oshima returned to Morioka after constructing blast furnaces in Ohashi and Hashino. He opened Nisshindo to teach Dutch disciplines, English, medicine, physics, chemistry, martial arts, and artillery. After the Meiji Restoration, Oshima accompanied the Iwakura Mission to Europe. He became the first chairman of the Japan Mining Association in 1890, later involved in the land development of Nasuno and the brewing of Nasuno wine. Michitaro Oshima, who devoted himself to the Yawata Steel Works’ operation, was his eldest son.
Hisashi Inoue (1934-2010) and his mother Masu
Born in Komatsu(currently Kawanishi) in Yamagata Prefecture, Inoue studied at Sophia University. He returned to the hometown, where his mother lived, during the summer vacation. He spent more than two years working at a national sanatorium. He visited Kamaishi, where her brother Shigeru lived. When asked by residents if Sangan Island was the model of Hyokkori Hyotanjima, the younger Inoue just smiled. His mother, Masu, was also an essayist. Her autobiography in a turbulent period before and after the war turned into a TV drama, “Life is on a Rattling Train.”
Eiichi Otaki (1948-2013)
Born in Yanagawa Village (currently Oshu City) in Iwate Prefecture, Otaki was a musician, acting as a singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. With his mother, a teacher, he transferred from Esashi Elementary School to Tono Elementary School and from Tono Junior High to Kamaishi Junior High. Also, he moved from Hanamaki Kita High School to Kamaishi Minami High School (currently Kamaishi High School), where he assembled his first band called Splendors and played the drum.
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