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Shiotani Teiko. And dozens and dozens more just like it.

Hi. You created an article saying, in full: Shiotani Teiko (塩谷定好? しおたに ていこう, 1899 - 1988) was a renowned Japanese photographer.

Actually it's Teikō, not Teiko, and according to WP's silly rules we have to ignore his real name of Shiotani Teikō and instead call him Teikō Shiotani. But that's not the main problem, which is that he's described in just about the same way as Kuribayashi Satoshi (栗林慧? くりばやし さとし, born 1939) is a renowned Japanese photographer. Or indeed Watanabe Kanendo (渡辺兼人? わたなべ かねんど, born 1947) is a renowned Japanese photographer. Or Orihara Kei (折原恵? おりはら けい, born 1948) is a renowned Japanese photographer. And so on and so on and so on. Which all means that somebody looking among Category:Japanese photographers is highly likely to land on a mere substub.

I can count on my fingers the people likely to turn a half dozen or so of these substubs into articles. No, on my thumbs: User:Pinkville and myself. But he's busy and I am too. I'd rate the probability that more than half will be converted within a year to more than stubs at well under 1%. It's an interesting ""proof of bot concept"" exercise, but is it good for anything else? 

Tell you what: I'll match you one for one. You turn two of these into articles; I'll turn two into articles. You turn ten into articles; I'll turn ten into articles. How does that sound?   

That's a great challenge! You're on. –  (talk) (random) 

OK then. Do tell me when you've done one, as I can't keep the whole damn lot on my watchlist. Well actually I can, but I lack the time and effort to put them onto my watchlist. Also, I'll be intercoursingly busy during the next month, so in the short/medium term I may only be able to match you up to ten.

I'm sure I've got entire books by at least twenty of these substubbed people, so I ought to be able to do more.

What's odd about the list are some conspicuous absences. (Not just people I think are good, but people who, rightly or wrongly, are celebrated and successful.) Asai Shinpei is one, and there are more though I can't think of them right now. 

Not that it's any of my business, really, but did you scarf the list from User:20th Century Art (Zenhan)'s page, or do something else?   

Yeah, I scraped from Zenhan. I'll let you know here, or on your talk page, when I have one ready. I don't think I can make any of them featured, but legitimately ""non-stub"" is the goal. All the best, –  (talk) (random) 

Okay, here's my first. Ichiki Shiro. It's not much beyond a stub, but it's something. (It took an hour of research, and I think I found all the info that's anywhere on the web regarding Mr. Ichiki.) By the way, was I right in listing him as a Hatamoto? My sources say he was a retainer of the Daimyo (in the Edo period, of course), and I know that he spoke with his Daimyo, so he couldn't have been a Gokenin. But I don't think he was a warrior, so I don't know. So far as I can tell, all Togugawa retainers were either Gokenin or Hatamoto. Am I correct in my inference? –  (talk) (random) 

Damn you're fast. 

Unfortunately I don't know squat about Tokugawa retainers and the like. On several occasions I've tried to interest myself in feudal history but have always fallen flat. I suppose I can't separate it from the hammily acted, cheesily lit TV period dramas I sometimes have to tolerate when at the in-laws'. LordAmeth might know. (And this photographer's right up Pinkville's street.)   

How's this for a progress indicator?   
Great! –  (talk) (random) 
Yup, except for a number of factors, one of which is that it's problematical copyrightwise (or so I infer from a comment elsewhere by one User:Quadell). I've already chucked in one extra list, and I'll certainly add one more, and I may add one after that; perhaps it can then be described as an original creation. All this is delaying my editing of any article. Still, I'll get around to that too in time.   
I hope that I've no