Mitsuaki Tanaka

1843 - 1939

He participated in the Tosa Imperial Loyalist Party and disassociated himself from the Tosa domain （becoming a lordless warrior）to move to Choshu （present day Yamaguchi Prefecture）. He participated in the rikuentai （anti-shogunate army）and assisted the head of the army, Shintaro Nakaoka. After the Meiji restoration, he held successive high ranking positions and was employed for a long time as minister to the Imperial Household. He gave all his energy to making the work of the political activists of the era known, and providing for his descendents. He also developed the Seizan Bunko as a museum through the donations of his personal collection and compilation of writings by the political activists around the time of the Meiji restoration.

Tomitaro Makino

1862 - 1957

A botanist. Born into the sake brewing family who ran the shop "Kishiya", it's said that from a young age, Tomitaro showed a strong interest in plants. He continued his research at Tokyo University, and the achievements he left earned him the title "the father of Japanese botany".

Taizo Nishitani

1885 - 1957

His real name was Genbei Takemura.He was a scholar of English literature and naturalist. He came across "The Natural History and Antiquities of Selbourne" and was fascinated by it. He consequently dedicated his life to the translation of this book and to research.
His valuable collection of books is kept in Seizan Bunko Museum at present.

Yasushi Hijikata

1859 - 1939

A jurist. After studying at the department of law in Tokyo University he studied abroad in England and acquired the university degree enabling him to become a barrister. He was active as an authority in the fields of British law and civil law, and was also employed as a member of the House of Peers （Upper House of the Imperial Diet）.

Isami Hiroi

1859 - 1939

A civil engineer; he studied in Sapporo Agricultural College and in the U.S.A. and completed the first breakwater structure in Japan with his construction of Otaru Port. He became the leading authority in Japan on bridge engineering in ports.

Shigeru Furusawa

1847 - 1911

A participant in the Liberty and People's Rights Movement lead by Taisuke Itagaki, he drafted a petition in 1874 at the request of Itagaki calling for the establishment of an assembly by popular election. However after this, he entered a different political sphere to that of the Liberty and People's Rights Movement, and in his latter years became a member of the House of Peers.

Ryo Mizuno

1859 - 1951

He founded "The Japan Colonization Company" and saw 781 people emigrate to Brazil on the ship Kasato Maru, and was affectionately known as the "the father of Brazil emigrants". Furthermore, he was the founder of "Café Paulista" the first specialist coffee shop in Japan.