Watanabe

Watanabe (渡辺 "cross border") is the fifth most common Japanese surname.

The first to be named Watanabe were kuge (court nobles), direct descendants of the Emperor Saga (786-842).

The most famous member of the family historically is the samurai Watanabe no Tsuna (953-1025), companion in arms of Minamoto no Yorimitsu (944-1021), and famous for his military exploits in a number of tales and legends.

The Watanabe of Hakata were daimyo 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 (1542–1620) who joined Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1557, at the battles of Anegawa (1570), Mikatagahara (1573) and Nagashino (1575).

In the context of the Japanese economy, Mrs. Watanabe is generic, collective name for housewives who deal in foreign exchange.

People

• Akeno Watanabe (voice actress)
• Atsushi Watanabe (politician)
• Akira Watanabe (National President of the Scout Association of Japan from 1974–2003)
• Emi Watanabe (Olympic figure skater)
• Gedde Watanabe (A.K.A. Gary Watanabe, actor)
• Graham Watanabe (U.S. Olympic Snowboarder)
• Greg Watanabe (actor)
• Hiroshi Watanabe (animator)
• Hiroshi Watanabe (photographer)
• Jiro Watanabe (boxer)
• José Watanabe (Peruvian poet)
• Junya Watanabe (fashion designer)
• Katsuaki Watanabe (President of Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Kazuki Watanabe (musician)
• Kazumi Watanabe (musician)
• Kazuro Watanabe (astronomer)
• Ken Watanabe (actor)
• Kenji Watanabe (breaststroke swimmer)
• Kumiko Watanabe (voice actor)
• Marina Watanabe (entertainer)
• Mayu Watanabe (entertainer)
• Michio Watanabe (politician)
• Miho Watanabe (entertainer)
• Misato Watanabe (musician)
• Mutsuhiro Watanabe (prison camp guard and war criminal)
• Osamu Watanabe (Olympic Gold medalist in freestyle wrestling)
• Sadao Watanabe (musician)
• Shinichi Watanabe (director)
• Shinichiro Watanabe (writer and director)
• Shunsuke Watanabe (baseball pitcher)
• Takeo Watanabe (16 April 1933 - 2 June 1989) Japanese musician and composer
• Watanabe On (author)
• Yoko Watanabe (operatic soprano)
• Yoshinori Watanabe (alleged yakuza)
• Yuuya Watanabe (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

Other groups

• The Watanabes, hit group of Tokyo based international Indie/acoustic band

See also

• Japanese name
• Akira Watanabe (disambiguation)