Hisayoshi Takeda

Hisayoshi Takeda

Hisayoshi Takeda (武田たけだ 久吉ひさよし, Takeda Hisayoshi, March 2, 1883 – June 7, 1972) was a Japanese botanist whose father was the British diplomat Sir Ernest Satow. He was a founder of the Japanese Natural History Society, and is known for his campaign to preserve the environment at Oze, which is now Oze National Park.

Botanist

Takeda was born in Tokyo Prefecture, the second son of Satow and his common-law wife, Takeda Kane. He learned English at the Tokyo Foreign Language School (東京とうきょう外国がいこく語ご学校がっこう (旧制きゅうせい)) before going to the United Kingdom in 1910 to study botany at Kew Gardens in London. Takeda returned home in 1913 before returning to England in 1915 to continue his studies at the University of Birmingham. A year later he visited the island of Shikotan to conduct plant research as part of his doctorate. In 1916 he became a lecturer at Kyoto University before joining Hokkaido University in 1920. From 1928 to 1939, he returned to Kyoto University where he served as a senior lecturer.

Mountain conservation

Between 1948 and 1951, Takeda served as the sixth Chairman of the Japanese Alpine Club, which was founded in 1905. He was also the chairman of Nature Conservation Society of Japan (日本にっぽん自然しぜん保護ほご協会きょうかい) until 1970, when he was awarded the Prince Chichibu Memorial Science Prize for his contributions to botany.

Through his research, he campaigned for greater protection of mountain plant species. Takeda, who is known as the "father of Oze", helped establish Oze National Park. The area covers part of Fukushima, Tochigi, Gunma and Niigata Prefectures in Japan. A memorial hall was built in his honor at Hinoemata, Fukushima Prefecture.

Personal life

Takeda was married and had two daughters. He died aged 89 on June 7, 1972.

Published works

• Oze and Kinunuma (1930), Azusa Shobo (尾瀬おぜと鬼怒沼きぬぬま (1930), 梓あずさ書房しょぼう)
• Climbing and plant (1938) Kawade Shobo (登山とざんと植物しょくぶつ (1938), 河出かわで書房しょぼう)
• Alpine plant (1941), Ars (高山たかやまの植物しょくぶつ (1941), アルス)
• Travelers' companion (1942), Ars, (道祖神どうそじん (1942), アルス)
• Folklore and the plant (1948), Yamaoka (民俗みんぞくと植物しょくぶつ (1948) 山岡やまおか書店しょてん)
• Oze (1951) Iwanami (尾瀬おぜ (1951), 岩波いわなみ写真しゃしん文庫ぶんこ)
• Lofty dream (1956), Yamatokeikokusha (高嶺たかねの花はな (1956), 山やまと渓谷社けいこくしゃ)
• Primary School Children Picture Book on Japanese Alpine plants (1959), Childcare, Inc (原色げんしょく日本にっぽん高山たかやま植物しょくぶつ図鑑ずかん (1959), 保育ほいく社しゃ)
• Continued Primary School Children Picture Book on Japanese Alpine plants (1964), Childcare, Inc (原色げんしょく日本にっぽん高山たかやま植物しょくぶつ図鑑ずかん (1964), 保育ほいく社しゃ)