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Shigeatsu Hatakeyama

はたけやま しげあつ

Hatakeyama Shigeatsu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1943-10-07 （Shanghai, Republic of China）
Died
2025-04-03 （Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan） age 81
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Christianity (Baptist)
Residence History
Shanghai (birthplace) → Maune (Karakuwa, Kesennuma, Miyagi) — childhood and aquaculture activities → Tokorozawa, Saitama

Career

Occupations
aquaculture entrepreneur, essayist, environmental activist, university associate professor (community engagement)
Active Years
1960-2025
Affiliations
NPO Mori wa Umi no Koibito ("Forest is the Lover of the Sea") — representative / chair, Kyoto University Field Science Education and Research Center — professor (community liaison)
Memberships
Japan Baptist Convention — Kesennuma Church (member), NPO Mori wa Umi no Koibito — director / chair
Influenced By
Ryuko Kumagai (poet; proposed the slogan "Forest is the Lover of the Sea")
Influenced
Coastal fishing communities and local reforestation movements, Environmental education and children's nature-learning materials

Education

Miyagi Prefectural Kesennuma Fisheries High School
Fisheries Department
Country: Japan
Final formal education: high school (Kesennuma Fisheries High School)

Awards

Shogakukan Children's Publishing Culture Award
2001
Work: Fishermen's Forest Planting
Organization: Shogakukan
Result: 受賞
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award (JR Prize / Sankei Prize)
2001
Work: Fishermen's Forest Planting
Category: JR賞 / 産経新聞社賞
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Japan Essayist Club Award
2003
Work: Journeys in Japan's Brackish Waters
Organization: Japan Essayist Club
Result: 受賞
Eiji Yoshikawa Cultural Award
2012
Organization: Eiji Yoshikawa Cultural Award Committee
Result: 受賞
Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award (Sankei Prize)
2012
Work: Iron the Magician
Organization: Sankei Shimbun
Result: 受賞
KYOTO Global Environment Hall of Fame (6th)
2015
Organization: KYOTO Global Environment Hall of Fame Committee
Result: 入選/顕彰
Midori (Green) Cultural Award
2015
Organization: Japan Greenery Promotion Foundation
Result: 受賞
UN Forest Heroes (honor)
2012
Organization: United Nations (related body)
Result: 表彰

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Forest Loves the Sea

1994 Essay

An essay collection arguing the connection between forests and the sea, stressing the importance of watershed conservation based on practices in Kesennuma.

interconnectedness of sea and forestcommunity co-existenceenvironmental conservation

Fishermen's Forest Planting: The Forest Loves the Sea

2000 Children's non-fiction / essay

Introduces tree-planting activities led by fishermen for children, conveying the link between nature and daily life.

tree plantingenvironmental educationcommunity restoration

Journeys in Japan's Brackish Waters

2003 Travelogue / Essay

A travelogue visiting brackish-water areas, depicting local ecosystems and human livelihoods.

brackish-water ecologyfishing culturenature and people

Iron the Magician: The Story of "Iron" that Nurtures Life and the Earth

2011 Children's non-fiction

Children's non-fiction explaining the role of iron and its environmental impacts, describing how iron supports ecosystems and the sea.

iron and ecosystemsenvironmental conservationchildren's natural science

Ode to Oysters

2006 Essay

Essays expressing affection for oyster farming and chronicling the culture and ecology surrounding oysters.

oyster aquaculturesea culturelocal industry

Bibliography

  • The Forest Loves the Sea
  • Why Fishermen Plant Trees in the Mountains (co-authored)
  • From the Rias Shoreline
  • Fishermen's Forest Planting: The Forest Loves the Sea
  • Journeys in Japan's Brackish Waters
  • Grandpa Oyster and Shigebou
  • Ode to Oysters
  • Iron Can Prevent Global Warming / Iron Revives the Sea
  • Forest, River, Sea — Connected Lives
  • Iron the Magician: The Story of "Iron" that Nurtures Life and the Earth
  • Oysters and a Trunk

Adaptations

  • NHK ETV Special "Oysters, Forests and Boots" (2018)
  • Appeared/featured in manga "Oishinbo", vol.46, episode "Oyster Season"

Style & Themes

Literary Style
simple, approachable narrationnonfictional tone grounded in field practiceexplanatory style adapted for children
Recurring Motifs
continuity between sea and forestiron and ecosystemscommunity livelihoods across generations

Health

  • pulmonary embolism
    2025年（発症〜死亡）
    Died in April 2025 from a pulmonary embolism

Legacy

Known for pioneering efforts linking coastal fisheries practice with watershed reforestation, presenting a model for environmental conservation and community restoration. Through his writings he contributed to environmental education and outreach for children.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Essayist Club

In Popular Culture

  • Featured in NHK ETV specials and other documentaries
  • Appeared as an episode in the manga "Oishinbo"

Trivia

  • Born in Shanghai; after WWII returned with his family to Maune and succeeded to oyster farming.
  • Used money his mother had saved to commission scientific studies upstream, demonstrating the basis for reforestation efforts.
  • The slogan "Forest is the Lover of the Sea" was proposed by poet Ryuko Kumagai and helped the movement spread regionally.