The first mammalogical society in Japan and the two pioneer mammalogists, Nagamichi Kuroda and Kyukichi Kishida

Abstract

In the 1920s, Japanese mammalogists became active collecting specimens, describing new species, and clarifying the fauna in Japan’s overseas territories, as a result of the imperialistic territorial expansion of the Empire of Japan to East and Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. At that time, the taxonomy and biogeography of mammals in Japan developed rapidly and reached its golden age. In the background, zoology in Japan developed after the Meiji period and Japanese mammalogists started to investigate many taxa using various methods. Also, a number of universities and research institutes of biology were established in provincial cities; for example, the first research laboratory of mammalogy was set up in Taipei Imperial University. The first mammalogical society was settled in 1923; however, the society became less active after the passing away of Prof. Shozaburo Watase in 1929. In this article, we provide a brief history of the mammalogical society from its beginning to its end, especially focused on the two outstanding pioneer mammalogists, Nagamichi Kuroda and Kyukichi Kishida, who led Japanese mammalogy in that period.