48 Notable alumni of Komazawa University
Updated: June 07, 2026 EliteDegrees
Komazawa University is ranked #2,765 in the world and #176 in Japan by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 48 notable alumni from Komazawa University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Komazawa University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Kyudo Nakagawa
1927-2007 (aged 80)
Kyudo Nakagawa, or Nakagawa Kyūdō, was a Japanese-born Rinzai rōshi who for many years led Soho Zen Buddhist Society, Inc. in Manhattan's Lower East Side.
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2. Soyu Matsuoka
1912-1997 (aged 85)
Dr. Soyu Matsuoka, along with Sokei-an and Nyogen Senzaki, was one of the early Zen teachers to make the United States his home.
3. Kin'ya Ōyanagi
1976-. (aged 50)
professional wrestler
Kinya Oyanagi is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He has worked extensely in Toryumon Japan and Michinoku Pro Wrestling, where he is a former Tohoku Tag Team champion along with Kesen Numajiro.
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4. Mitsuhiro Seki
1982-. (aged 44)
association football player
Mitsuhiro Seki is a Japanese footballer. Seki previously played for Roasso Kumamoto in the J2 League.
5. Dainin Katagiri
1928-1990 (aged 62)
Buddhist monk
Jikai Dainin Katagiri, was a Sōtō Zen priest and teacher, and the founding abbot of Minnesota Zen Meditation Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he served from 1972 until his death from cancer in 1990. He is also the founder of Hokyoji Zen Practice Community in Eitzen, Minnesota. Before becoming first abbot of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center, Katagiri had worked...
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6. Kyowaan Hoshi
1997-. (aged 29)
association football player
Kyowaan Hoshi is a Japanese footballer currently playing as a defender for Blaublitz Akita.
7. Shuntō Aoyama
1933-. (aged 93)
Buddhist monk
Shundo Aoyama Rōshi is a Japanese Buddhist nun and abbess. She is the first nun to be appointed to the rank of Daikyoshi in the Soto Zen school.
8. Shohaku Okumura
1948-. (aged 78)
translator
Buddhist monk
Shōhaku Okumura is a Japanese Sōtō Zen priest and the founder and abbot of the Sanshin Zen Community located in Bloomington, Indiana, where he and his family currently live. From 1997 until 2010, Okumura also served as director of the Sōtō Zen Buddhism International Center in San Francisco, California, which is an administrative office of the Sōtō school of Japan.
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9. Atsushi Watanabe
1952-. (aged 74)
politician
Atsushi Watanabe is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima and graduate of Komazawa University, he was elected to the first of his two terms in the city assembly of Aizuwakamatsu in 1982, to the first of his four terms in the...
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10. Takuya Yamada
1974-. (aged 52)
association football player
Takuya Yamada is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
11. Kim Jung-ya
1988-. (aged 38)
association football player
Kim Jung-ya is a Japanese football player who plays for Fujieda MYFC.
12. Gōsei Yamamoto
1972-. (aged 54)
politician
Gōsei Yamamoto is a Japanese politician and a former member of the House of Representatives.
13. Masanori Taguchi
1970-. (aged 56)
baseball player
Masanori Taguchi is a former Nippon Professional Baseball catcher.
14. Yasutaka Hattori
1982-. (aged 44)
baseball player
Yasutaka Hattori is a former Japanese professional baseball pitcher. He played with the Chiba Lotte Marines from 2010 to 2011 and from 2013 to 2014.
15. Kohei Morita
1976-. (aged 50)
association football player
Kohei Morita is a former Japanese football player.
16. Taizan Maezumi
1931-1995 (aged 64)
Buddhist monk
Hakuyū Taizan Maezumi was a Japanese Sōtō Zen Buddhist priest who substantially contributed to development of Zen in the United States.
17. Tsuyoshi Kawagishi
1979-. (aged 47)
baseball player
Tsuyoshi Kawagishi is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher who currently serves as the pitching coach for the Rakuten Monkeys of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chunichi Dragons and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
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18. Hisanori Takahashi
1975-. (aged 51)
baseball player
Hisanori Takahashi is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He began his professional career in NPB with the Yomiuri Giants, and played in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago Cubs.
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19. Takuya Furuya
1981-. (aged 45)
baseball player
Takuya Furuya is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He played for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2006 and from 2009 to 2016.
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20. Shingo Akamine
1983-. (aged 43)
association football player
Shingo Akamine is a Japanese former footballer who played as a forward.
21. Kōsuke Ukai
1999-. (aged 27)
baseball player
professional baseball player
Kōsuke Ukai is a professional Japanese baseball player. He is an outfielder for the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
22. Ren Tazawa
2000-. (aged 26)
long-distance runner
athletics competitor
Ren Tazawa is a Japanese long-distance runner, who specializes in the 10,000 metres. He won the 10,000 metres at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships.
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23. Toshiya Miura
1963-. (aged 63)
association football player
association football coach
Toshiya Miura is a Japanese football manager and former player. He was most recently the head coach of Thailand U20.
24. Kodo Sawaki
1880-1965 (aged 85)
military personnel
rōshi
Buddhist monk
Kodo Sawaki was a prominent Japanese Sōtō Zen teacher of the 20th century. He is considered to be one of the most significant Zen priests of his time for bringing Zen practice, in particular meditation, into the lives of laypeople and popularizing the ancient tradition of sewing the kesa.
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25. Susumu Watanabe
1973-. (aged 53)
association football player
association football coach
Susumu Watanabe is a Japanese professional football manager and former player who most recent as the manager of J2 League club Montedio Yamagata.
26. Hisashi Takeda
1978-. (aged 48)
baseball player
baseball coach
Hisashi Takeda is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's Pacific League.
27. Kobun Chino Otogawa
1938-2002 (aged 64)
Buddhist monk
Kōbun Otogawa was an American Sōtō Zen priest.
28. Kei Nomoto
1984-. (aged 42)
baseball player
Kei Nomoto is a retired Japanese professional baseball outfielder who played for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He is now part of scouting department with the Dragons.
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29. Shogo Nakamura
1992-. (aged 34)
long-distance runner
athletics competitor
marathon runner
Shogo Nakamura is a Japanese long-distance runner.
30. Sanshiro Takagi
1970-. (aged 56)
professional wrestler
amateur wrestler
Tadashi Takagi, better known by his ring name Sanshiro Takagi (髙木 三四郎, Takagi Sanshirō), is a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter who works for the Japanese wrestling promotion CyberFight, where he serves as executive vice president. He is one of the founding members and current chairman of United Japan Pro Wrestling. Takagi is the founder of DDT Pro-Wrestling, which is...
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31. Kōichi Sekikawa
1969-. (aged 57)
baseball player
Koichi Sekikawa is a Japanese former professional baseball catcher, outfielder, and current field player coordinator for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
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32. Shinji Hashimoto
1968-. (aged 58)
video game developer
Shinji Hashimoto is a Japanese former game producer at Square Enix and currently senior advisor at Sony Music Entertainment Japan and a board member at Forwardworks. He served as the Final Fantasy series brand manager for over a decade, was an executive officer at Square Enix board of directors and he was the Head of Square Enix's Business Division 3...
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33. Hiroyuki Shirasaki
1990-. (aged 36)
baseball player
Hiroyuki Shirasaki is a Japaneseprofessional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent.. He has played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and Orix Buffaloes.
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34. Akihiko Ohya
1947-. (aged 79)
baseball player
Akihiko Ohya is a former Japanese baseball player and manager. He was the manager of the Yokohama BayStars baseball team in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball until he was fired on May 18, 2009, for not maintaining club standards.
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35. Seiichiro Maki
1980-. (aged 46)
association football player
Seiichiro Maki is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward. He played for the Japan national team.
36. Kenichi Wakatabe
1969-. (aged 57)
baseball player
Kenichi Wakatabe is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher, and current first squad pitching coach for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played in NPB for the Hawks and Yokohama BayStars.
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37. Ryota Arai
1983-. (aged 43)
baseball player
Ryota Arai is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder and the second-string hitting coach for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played in NPB for the Chunichi Dragons from 2006 to 2010, and with the Hanshin Tigers from 2011 to 2017.
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38. Kenjiro Nomura
1966-. (aged 60)
baseball player
Kenjiro Nomura is a retired Japanese baseball player. He was with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Japan's Central League.
39. Eishin Soyogi
1980-. (aged 46)
baseball player
professional baseball player
Eishin Soyogi is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays infielder for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
40. Hirotoshi Masui
1984-. (aged 42)
baseball player
Hirotoshi Masui is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher.
41. Daisuke Nasu
1981-. (aged 45)
association football player
Daisuke Nasu is a Japanese football player who plays for Iwate Grulla Morioka.
42. Yasutaka Tobashira
1990-. (aged 36)
baseball player
Yasutaka Tobashira is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays catcher for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
43. Takahiro Arai
1977-. (aged 49)
baseball player
Takahiro Arai is a Japanese-Korean former professional baseball player. He is the manager of Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball from the 2023 season.
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44. Kocchi no Kento
1996-. (aged 30)
singer
musician
Kento Sugō, known professionally as Kocchi no Kento (こっちのけんと, Kotchi no Kento; lit. 'This Kento'), is a Japanese singer-songwriter and internet personality. He began covering songs a cappella in 2019 and is best known for his 2024 single "Hai Yorokonde".
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45. Kiyoshi Nakahata
1954-. (aged 72)
baseball player
tarento
Kiyoshi Nakahata is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball player. He played for the Yomiuri Giants (1976–1989).
46. Shigekazu Mori
1954-. (aged 72)
baseball player
Shigekazu Mori is a former Japanese professional baseball pitcher who played for the Seibu Lions in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.
47. Yohei Oshima
1985-. (aged 41)
baseball player
Yōhei Ōshima is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. Ōshima has 9 golden glove awards which is the most by any player in Chunichi Dragons history.
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48. Shōta Imanaga
1993-. (aged 33)
baseball player
Shōta Imanaga, nicknamed "The Throwing Philosopher", and "Mike Imanaga II" is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars from 2016 to 2023. Imanaga is a two-time NPB All-Star and he led the Central League in strikeouts in 2023 before...
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