Japanese Literary Awards

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Haruo Takashima

たかしま はるお

Takashima Haruo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1907-03-20 （Tokyo (Tokyo City)）
Died
1962-05-31 （Sendagaya, Shibuya, Tokyo (home)） age 55
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tokyo (birth) → Sendagaya, Tokyo (residence)

Career

Occupations
zoologist, educator, museum/zoo consultant, author
Active Years
1929-1962
Affiliations
Yamashina Institute for Ornithology (staff), Zoological Society of Japan (officer/editorial roles), Japanese Society of Mammalogists (founder/committee member), Entomological Society of Japan (councilor), Waseda University (lecturer, Faculty of Letters), Ueno Zoo committees (animal naming standardization)

Education

Old Shizuoka High School (prewar)
Science
Period: 1925-1929
Year of Graduation: 1929
Country: Japan
Prewar high-school level science course
Tokyo Bunrika University (predecessor of Tokyo University of Education)
Faculty of Science / Department of Biology
Period: 1933-1936
Year of Graduation: 1936
Country: Japan
Founded an entomology hobby group and engaged in editorial activities

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Animals: Vertebrates

1940 science / popular science

An introductory book summarizing vertebrates for students.

vertebrateseducation

Research at the Zoo

1941 natural history / zoo studies

Discusses observation and research practices in zoos and captive settings.

zoosanimal husbandryobservation

The Animals That Are Disappearing

1957 conservation / popular science

A popular work addressing extinction and habitat loss, advocating conservation.

extinctionconservationnatural history

Bibliography

  • Animals: Vertebrates (Kenkyusha Student Library) 1940
  • Research at the Zoo (Kenkyusha) 1941
  • Stories of Animal Introductions (Nihon Publishing) 1947
  • Chickens and Rabbits (Kenkyusha Learning Library) 1947
  • Animal Illustrations (Kokumin Tosho) 1948
  • The World of Insects (Gan Shobo) 1949
  • Good Bugs, Bad Bugs (Shogakukan) 1949
  • Animals and Us (Chuo Koronsha) 1950
  • Research in Zoos and Museums (Iwasaki Shoten) 1951
  • Friendly Zoology (Nawa Shobo) 1952
  • Seasonal Animals, Notable Animals (Uchida Rokakuho) 1956
  • The Animals That Are Disappearing (Chuo Koronsha) 1957
  • Rare Animals: My Imaginary Zoo (Shakai Shiso Kenkyukai) 1958
  • The World of Animals (Akane Shobo) 1967
  • Animal Tales (Yasaka Shobo) 1986

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clear, didactic prosemixes observational notes with explanatory commentary
Recurring Motifs
animal ecologyconservation and extinctionzoo husbandry and research

Health

  • acute tracheal pneumonia
    1962（発症〜逝去）
    Died from an acute respiratory infection; ended active research career.

Legacy

Contributed to popularizing mammalogy and zoology in Japan from the early to mid-20th century and helped found several academic societies. Known for zoo education, standardization of animal names, and public-facing natural history writings. Also noted for popularizing the notion of a 'world three rare animals' selection related to Ueno Zoo.

Academic Societies

  • Japanese Society of Mammalogists
  • Zoological Society of Japan
  • Entomological Society of Japan
  • Japanese Society of Animal Taxonomists

Archives

  • Japanese Society of Mammalogists archive (holds related materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Known to the public through Ueno Zoo rare-animal references and popular books on animals

Trivia

  • He is noted for selecting okapi, giant panda, and pygmy hippopotamus as a 'world three rare animals' when pygmy hippo arrived at Ueno Zoo.
  • Born in 1907; his 100th birthday was commemorated in 2007.
  • Authored many popular books on animals in the 1940s–1950s.