Politics and military •
Masako, Empress of Japan, former registered domicile (Honseki) was Murakami •
Uesugi Kenshin (1530–1578), daimyō in the Sengoku period •
Naoe Kanetsugu (1559–1620), samurai in the Sengoku period •
Horibe Yasubei (1670–1703), samurai in the Edo period •
Hachirō Arita (1884–1965), foreign minister, from Sado Island •
Maejima Hisoka (1835–1919), founder of the Japanese postal service, from Joetsu •
Masuda Takashi (1848–1938), creation of a general trading company,
Mitsui Bussan. established a newspaper,
Nihon Keizai Shimbun. from Sado Island •
Kita Ikki (1883–1937), nationalist author and intellectual, from Sado Island •
Sakae Ōsugi (1885–1923), anarchist, lived in Shibata •
Honma Masaharu (1887–1946) World War II lieutenant-general executed by the United States for war crimes committed in the Philippines •
Hitoshi Imamura (1886–1968) World War II General in the Imperial Japanese Army, from Shibata high school •
Isoroku Yamamoto (1884–1943), commander of the
Japanese Imperial Navy, from Nagaoka •
Chiang Kai-shek (1887–1975), Chinese political and military leader, served in the Imperial Japanese Army from 1909 to 1911 in Joetsu (Takada) •
Ba Maw (1893–1977), Burmese political leader, active during the interwar and World War II, lived in Minamiuonuma (Ichiuchi) •
Kakuei Tanaka (1918–1993),
prime minister, from Kashiwazaki •
Hisashi Owada (born 1932), diplomat and father of
Crown Princess Masako, from Shibata •
Makiko Tanaka (born 1944), first female foreign minister, from Kashiwazaki
Arts and culture •
Zeami Motokiyo (1363– 1443), aesthetician, actor, and playwright, exile to Sado Island •
Ryōkan (1758–1831),
Zen Buddhist monk and poet, from Izumozaki •
Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto, (1874–1950), autobiographer and novelist, Professor of literature and taught Japanese language, culture and history at Columbia University, from Nagaoka •
Yaichi Aizu (1881–1956), poet,
calligrapher and historian, from Niigata City •
Kokei Kobayashi (1883–1957), Nihonga painter, from Joetsu •
Mimei Ogawa (1882–1961), author of short stories, children's stories, and fairy tales, from Joetsu •
Koganei Yoshikiyo (1859–1944), anatomist and anthropologist, from Nagaoka •
Kyusaku Ogino (1882–1975), doctor specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, Niigata Takeyama Hospital •
Kinichiro Sakaguchi (1897–1994), agricultural chemist and microbiologist, from Joetsu •
Takashi Amano (1954–2015), photographer and aquarist, from Niigata •
Tetsuji Morohashi (1883– 1982) chief editor of the
Dai Kan-Wa jiten, a comprehensive dictionary of Chinese characters, from Sanjo •
Tetsuo Harada (born 1949 Niitsu-shi), sculptor working in Paris France •
Tsuchida Bakusen (1887–1936), Japanese painter, from Sado •
Fubō Hayashi (1900–1935), novelist from Sado Island •
Inoue Enryō (1858–1919), Buddhist philosopher, from Nagaoka •
Junzaburō Nishiwaki (1894–1982), Japanese poet and literary critic, from Ojiya •
Daigaku Horiguchi (1892–1981), poet and translator of French literature, from Nagaoka •
Makoto Aida (born 1965), Artist, from Niigata City •
Donald Keene (born 1922), Japanese scholar, historian, teacher, writer and translator of Japanese literature, Honorary Citizen of Kashiwazaki •
Kodo (taiko group), Based in Sado
Actors, Actresses, Singers •
Ken Watanabe (born 1959), stage, TV and film actor, from Uonuma •
Princess Tenko (born 1959), magician, from Joetsu •
Mina Fujii (born 1998), actress •
Mikie Hara (born 1987), gravure idol and actress, from Murakami •
Fumika Baba (born 1995), actress and model, from Niigata City •
Maya Kobayashi (born 1979), journalist and newscaster, from Ojiya •
Mao Kobayashi (actress) (born 1982), newscaster and former actress, from Ojiya •
Miyuki Koizumi (born 1982), Model •
Kazuyuki Sekiguchi (born 1955), bass player for the rock group
Southern All Stars, from Agano •
Makoto Ogawa (born 1987), former member of
Morning Musume, actor and model, from Kashiwazaki •
Koharu Kusumi (born 1992), former member of
Morning Musume, actor and model, from Washima •
Hitomi Saito (born 1981), former singer of leader of
Melon Kinenbi, from Niigata City •
Suneohair (born 1971), singer, from Nagaoka •
Yasuyuki Okamura (born 1965), from Niigata Higashi High School •
Double (singer) (born 1975), Japanese R&B singer •
Negicco, based in Niigata City, Niigata •
NGT48, based on Niigata City, Niigata •
Rina Sawayama (born 1990), singer, actress, and model, born in Niigata City, Niigata
Pop culture, manga, voice actors •
One (manga artist) (1986), mangaká, from Niigata City •
Yoshifumi Kondō (1950–1998), animator, from Gosen •
Hiroyuki Yamaga (born 1962), anime director and producer, and a founding member of the animation studio
Gainax, from Niigata City •
Daisuke Hirakawa (born 1973), voice actor •
Ryō Hirohashi (born 1977), voice actress, from Nagaoka •
Yoko Ishida (born 1973), singer, from Niigata City •
Rumi Kasahara (born 1970), voice actress, from Itoigawa •
Makoto Kobayashi (born 1958), manga artist, from Niigata City •
Közi (born 1972), rock musician •
Haruo Minami (1923–2001),
enka singer, from Nagaoka •
Hitomi Nabatame (born 1976), voice actress, from Sado Island •
Tatsuyuki Nagai (born 1976), anime director •
Kazuto Nakazawa (born 1968), animator •
Kenichi Suzumura (born 1974), voice actor •
Kiriko Nananan (born 1972), manga artist, from Tsubame •
Yukari Nozawa (born 1957), actor and voice actor •
Takeshi Obata (born 1969), manga artist, from Niigata City •
Etsushi Ogawa (born 1969), manga artist •
Ikue Otani (born 1965), voice actress, from Kashiwazaki •
Ango Sakaguchi (1906–1955), novelist and essayist, from Niigata City •
Daisuke Sakaguchi (born 1973), voice actor, from Kashiwazaki •
Shuichi Shigeno (born 1958), manga artist, from Tōkamachi •
Bin Shimada (born 1954), voice actor, from Niigata City •
Kunio Shimizu (1936–2021), playwright from Niigata •
Motoei Shinzawa (born 1958), manga artist, from Kashiwazaki •
Yōko Sōmi (born 1965), voice actress •
Rumiko Takahashi (born 1957), manga artist, from Niigata City •
Kazuya Tsurumaki (born 1966), animator, from Gosen •
Hajime Watanabe (born 1957),
animator •
Nobuhiro Watsuki (born 1970), manga artist, from Nagaoka •
Hiroki Yagami (born 1967), manga artist, from Kashiwazaki •
Akiko Yajima (born 1967), voice actress, from Kashiwazaki •
Kimio Yanagisawa (born 1948),
manga artist, from Gosen •
Keiko Yokozawa (born 1952), voice actress, from Niigata City
Sports •
Shiro Saigo (1866–1922), Judo, lived in Aga (Tsugawa), lived in 1869–1882 •
Haguroyama Masaji (1914–1969),
sumo wrestler from Nakanokuchi who was
yokozuna for 12 years and three months; an all-time record •
Shohei Baba (1938–1999), Japanese
professional wrestler, from Sanjō •
Sawao Kato (born 1946), winner of 12 Olympic medals in gymnastics •
Killer Khan (born 1947), professional wrestler, from Tsubame •
Ayumu Hirano (born 1998), snowboarder, from Murakami •
Ayana Onozuka (born 1988), freestyle skier, from Minamiuonuma •
Kentaro Minagawa (born 1977), alpine skier, from Yuzawa •
Junko Hoshino (born 1989), freestyle skier, from Nagaoka •
Reruhi Shimizu (born 1993), ski jumper, from Myoko •
Mai Nakamura (born 1979), swimmer, from Nagaoka •
Gōtoku Sakai (born 1991), footballer (2015–
Hamburger SV), from Sanjo •
Yujiro Takahashi (born 1981),
professional wrestler from Niigata City. == See also ==