Japanese Literary Awards

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Toshitaka Hidaka

ひだか としたか

Hidaka Toshitaka

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1930-02-26 （Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan）
Died
2009-11-14 age 79
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, English

Career

Occupations
ethologist, entomologist, university professor, researcher, author
Active Years
1952-2009
Affiliations
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Kyoto University, University of Shiga Prefecture, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto City Youth Science Center, Kyoto Seika University, Iwanami Shoten (employment)
Memberships
President, Entomological Society of Japan, Founding President, Japanese Society for Animal Behavior
Influenced By
Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinbergen, Richard Dawkins
Influenced
Kumiko Takeuchi, Generations of Japanese researchers in ethology and ecology

Education

Seijo High School (old system)
Country: Japan
University of Tokyo
Faculty of Science / Department of Zoology
Degree: 理学士
Period: 〜1952
Year of Graduation: 1952
Country: Japan
Undergraduate degree
University of Tokyo (Graduate School)
Graduate School of Science / Zoology
Degree: 理学博士
Year of Graduation: 1961
Country: Japan
Doctoral thesis on endocrinological mechanisms of morphological color change in swallowtail pupae

Awards

Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
1976
Work: Why Butterflies Fly
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞
Minakata Kumagusu Prize
2000
Category: 自然科学の部
Organization: Minakata Kumagusu Memorial Museum
Result: 受賞
Japan Essayists' Club Award
2001
Work: Counting the Spring
Organization: Japan Essayists' Club
Result: 受賞
Order of the Sacred Treasure, (rank: Junnishō/precise class unspecified)
2008
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Why Butterflies Fly

1975 Popular science / Entomology & Animal Behavior

A popular-science book explaining the ecology and behavior of butterflies, discussing flight, coloration and physiological bases of behavior.

entomologyanimal behaviorpheromonesphysiology

Counting the Spring

2001 Essay

A collection of essays about nature and living things, written for a general audience; awarded for its literary quality.

nature observationessayshumans and animals

What Society Means to Animals

1966 Academic / Popular science

Examines social structures and the meaning of behavior in animal societies, discussing sociality from an ethological perspective.

socialitybehavioral ecology

Bibliography

  • Why Butterflies Fly (Iwanami Shoten)
  • What Society Means to Animals (Shiseido / Kodansha)
  • The World of Insects (Asahi Shimbun)
  • Counting the Spring (Shinchosha)
  • Animal and Human Perception of the World (Chikumashobo)

Translations by Author

  • On Aggression / Solomon's Ring (Konrad Lorenz) — co-translation
  • The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins) — co-translation
  • The Study of Instinct / Animal Behavior (Niko Tinbergen) — co-translation

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Clear, accessible popular-science proseExpository tone combining scientific facts with philosophical reflection
Recurring Motifs
comparisons between animals and humansphysiological bases of behaviorecology and evolution perspectivesinteraction of nature observation and culture

Health

  • lung cancer
    2009
    Died of lung cancer in 2009. Academic and writing activities continued until that year.

Legacy

A pioneering figure of ethology in Japan, Hidaka influenced both academia and the public through numerous popular and scholarly works. He contributed to training younger researchers and to institutional development as a professor, institute director and society founder.

Academic Societies

  • Entomological Society of Japan
  • Japanese Society for Animal Behavior

Trivia

  • His name is sometimes written using an alternate kanji form (日髙).
  • His wife, Kikuko Gotō, is an illustrator who provided illustrations for his books.
  • He was an avid insect-collecting 'insect boy' in childhood, which inspired his research career.