is a masculine

Japanese given name in modern times consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name. Japanese names are usually written in kanji, where the pronunciation follows a special set of rules. Because parents when naming children, and foreigners when adoptin ...

which was popular during the

Shōwa period Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...

(1926–1989).

Written forms

Isao can be written using different

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

characters and can mean: *功, "achievement" *勲, "meritorious" *績, "exploits" *公, "public" *勇男, "brave, man" *勇夫, "brave, man" *勇雄, "brave, masculine" *伊佐夫 *伊佐雄 *伊三男 The name can also be written in

hiragana is a Japanese language, Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' means "common" or "plain" kana (originally also "easy", ...

katakana is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji and in some cases the Latin script (known as rōmaji). The word ''katakana'' means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana characters are derived fr ...

People with the name

*, Japanese hammer thrower *

Isao Aoki is a Japanese professional golfer. He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004. Early life Aoki was born in Abiko, Chiba, Japan. He was introduced to golf while caddying at the Abiko Golf Club as a schoolboy. Professional career I ...

(功, born 1942), Japanese professional golfer *, Japanese ice hockey player *

Isao Harimoto is a Korean-Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball player and holder of the record for most hits in the Japanese professional leagues. An ethnic Korean, his birth name is Jang Hun (). Harimoto has spent his life as a resident of Japan and a ...

(勲, born 1940), Zainichi Korean professional baseball player *

Isao Hashizume is a Japanese actor. He also worked as a narrator for documentaries, both on television and film. He trained as an actor at Bungakuza is a Japanese theatre company. Along with the Mingei Theatre Company and the Haiyuza Theatre Company it ...

(功, born 1941), Japanese actor *, Japanese singer and composer * Isao Homma (born 1981), Japanese footballer who plays for Albirex Niigata *

Isao Inokuma was a Japanese judoka. He won a gold medal in the Judo at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Men's +80 kg, heavyweight division (above 80 kg) at the Judo at the 1964 Summer Olympics, 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and a World Judo Championships, w ...

(功, 1938–2001), Japanese judoka *

Isao Iwabuchi was a Japanese Association football, football player. He played for Japan national football team, Japan national team. Club career Iwabuchi was born in Tochigi Prefecture on November 17, 1933. He played for Keio BRB was consisted of his alma mat ...

(born 1933), Japanese Olympic football player *, Japanese ice hockey player *, Japanese ice hockey player * Isao Kikuchi (born 1921), American graphic designer, painter, carver, illustrator *

Isao Kimura , sometimes credited as Kō Kimura, was a Japanese stage and film actor who appeared in more than one hundred films of directors such as Akira Kurosawa, Mikio Naruse, Tadashi Imai and Yoshishige Yoshida. Biography Kimura was born in Hiroshima C ...

(功, 1923–1981), Japanese actor *

Isao Kubota is a Japanese footballer who plays for Samut Songkhram in Thai Premier League The Thai League (, pronounced as ') or Thai League 1 (, pronounced as '), often referred to as T1, is the highest level of the Thai football league system. C ...

(born 1983), Japanese footballer who plays for Samut Songkhram *, Japanese actor * Isao Matsumiya, Japanese politician *

Isao Matsuoka is a longtime studio executive and former chairman of Toho Co., Ltd., serving as Chairman for 14 years until his retirement in 2009. He had previously served as President and worked for the company for over 50 years having joined in 1957. He c ...

(功, born 1934), Chairman of Toho *, Japanese motorcycle racer *, Japanese swimmer *

Isao Nakauchi was the founder of Daiei. Life and career Isao Nakauchi served in the Philippines as an infantryman during World War II. His business empire started in Osaka 1957 and it led to the creation of "American-style" supermarkets in Japan. In 1972 he ...

(功, 1922–2005), founder of Daiei *

Isao Obata was a pioneering Japanese master of Shotokan karate.Blair, R. L. (1972): "Karate is dying, says Isao Obata, disciple of the venerable Gichin Funakoshi, Founder of Modern Karate." ''Black Belt'', 10(10):27–33. He was a senior student of Gichin F ...

(1904–1976), pioneering Japanese master of Shotokan karate *

Isao Okano is a retired judoka who competed in the middleweight division (80 kg) in the 1964 Summer Olympics. Biography Okano entered the 1964 Summer Olympics while studying at Chuo University's law school, and won the gold medal in the middleweigh ...

(功, born 1944), Japanese judoka *

Isao Okawa (May 19, 1926 – March 16, 2001) was a Japanese businessman and the former chairman of Sega. History Okawa was born in Osaka, Japan. As a young adult, he studied at Waseda University in Tokyo. After graduating from Waseda, he formed Com ...

(功, 1926–2001), former Chairman of Sega *

Isao Okazaki was a Japanese right-wing activist who caused the Matsue Incident in 1945. Early years He was born in Shimane Prefecture in 1920. He graduated from Matsue Middle School in 1939 (now Shimane Prefectural Matsue Secondary High School). He worked ...

(功, 1920–2006), Japanese right-wing activist *, Japanese ice hockey player *

Isao Sasaki is a Japanese actor, voice actor, and singer. Career Sasaki has had voice roles in anime such as ''Legend of the Galactic Heroes'', ''Space Battleship Yamato'', and ''Gatchaman''. He has also performed the opening themes for anime such as ''Y ...

, (功, Japanese anime singer, actor, and voice actor *, Japanese professional wrestler *

Isao Takahata was a Japanese director, screenwriter and producer. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he earned international critical acclaim for his work as a director of Japanese animated feature films. Born in Ujiyamada, Mie Prefecture, Takahata joined Toei ...

(勲, 1935–2018), Japanese anime director *

Isao Tamagawa was a Japanese actor. He appeared in the Japanese film ''Branded to Kill'', as Michihiko Yabuhara: the yakuza boss that hires Hanada and seduces his wife. Upon the discovery that his diamond smuggling operation has been burgled, he employs Hanada ...

(伊佐男, 1922–2004), Japanese actor *

Isao Tomita , often known simply as Tomita, was a Japanese composer, regarded as one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music, and as one of the most famous producers of analog synthesizer arrangements. In addition to creating note-by-note realiza ...

(勲, born 1932), Japanese electronic music composer *, Japanese film director *

Isao Yamagata was a Japanese film actor. In 1942, Yamagata and So Yamamura formed the ''Bunkaza Theatre Company''. In 1949 he made his film debut with ''Kirareya Senta''. Yamagata became famous for his role in 1953 film ''Gate of Hell (film), Gate of Hell'' ...

(1915–1996), Japanese film actor (fl. 1951 and 1984) *, Japanese diver *

Isao Yoneda ; (born August 20, 1977, in Hamburg, Germany) is a Japanese gymnast. He was raised in Tokyo. He is the 2004 Summer Olympics gold medalist in the team event and the bronze medalist in the high bar The horizontal bar, also known as the high ba ...

(功, born 1977), Japanese gymnast *

Isao Yukisada is a Japanese film director from Kumamoto. He served as assistant director on Shunji Iwai's ''Love Letter'', ''April Story'', and '' Swallowtail Butterfly''. Filmography Director * ''Open House'' (1998) * (Sunflower) (2000) * ''A Closing Day' ...

(勲, born 1968), Japanese film director

Fictional characters

*Isao, a character in the manga series ''

How to Keep a Mummy is a Japanese manga series by Kakeru Utsugi. It has been serialized online via Comico Japan since 2014. Futabasha has published twenty-one volumes since February 2016. An anime television series adaptation by Eight Bit aired from January 1 ...

'' * Isao Iinuma, protagonist of the novel ''Runaway Horses'' * Isao Ohta (功), a character in the anime and manga series ''Mobile Police Patlabor'' *Kondo Isao, a character in the anime and manga series ''

Gin Tama is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi. It was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen manga, manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to September 2018, later in ''Jump Giga'' from De ...

'' {{given name Japanese masculine given names Masculine given names