was a Japanese zoologist known for his studies of

sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate throug ...

s (Porifera) — including his

circumscription Circumscription may refer to: *Circumscribed circle * Circumscription (logic) *Circumscription (taxonomy) *Circumscription theory The circumscription theory is a theory of the role of warfare in state formation in political anthropology, created ...

of the genus '' Staurocalyptus'' —

leech Leeches are segmented parasitic or predatory worms that comprise the subclass Hirudinea within the phylum Annelida. They are closely related to the oligochaetes, which include the earthworm, and like them have soft, muscular segmented b ...

es (Hirudinea),

flatworms The flatworms, flat worms, Platyhelminthes, or platyhelminths (from the Greek πλατύ, ''platy'', meaning "flat" and ἕλμινς (root: ἑλμινθ-), ''helminth-'', meaning "worm") are a phylum of relatively simple bilaterian, unsegment ...

(Turbellaria),

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s, and

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% ...

. Professor of

Zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

Tokyo Imperial University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

, he is considered the founder of

parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it f ...

in Japan and was the first President of the

Ornithological Society of Japan The is a Japanese academic society founded in 1912. It publishes journals and monographs and helps disseminate information about the birds of Japan and ornithology more generally. Journals * (1915–1986; vols. 1–34) * (1986–; vols. 35– ...

. Taxa named in his honour include Ijima's sea snake and

Ijima's leaf warbler Ijima's leaf warbler (''Phylloscopus ijimae'') (also known as Izu leaf warbler, Ijima's willow warbler or Ijima's warbler) is a species of Old World warbler in the family Phylloscopidae. The species is native to Japan, where it has been designated ...

Biography

Born in

Hamamatsu is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. the city had an estimated population of 791,707 in 340,591 households, making it the prefecture's largest city, and a population density of . The total area of the site was . Overview ...

in 1861 into a

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of History of Japan#Medieval Japan (1185–1573/1600), medieval and Edo period, early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retai ...

family of Hamamatsu Domain, at the age of fifteen he entered the Kaisei Gakkō aschool in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, before enrolling as a student in the Science College at the

Imperial University, Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Projec ...

in 1878. There he studied under

Edward Sylvester Morse Edward Sylvester Morse (June 18, 1838 – December 20, 1925) was an American zoologist, archaeologist, and orientalist. He is considered the "Father of Japanese archaeology." Early life Morse was born in Portland, Maine to Jonathan Kimb ...

and

Charles Otis Whitman Charles Otis Whitman (December 6, 1842 – December 14, 1910) was an American zoologist, who was influential to the founding of classical ethology (study of animal behavior). A dedicated educator who preferred to teach a few research students at ...

. In 1879, together with , both having previously received training from and assisted Morse in his exploration of the

Ōmori Shell Mounds is a district located a few kilometres south of Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan accessed by rail via the Keihin Tohoku line, or by road via Dai Ichi Keihin. Ōmorikaigan, the eastern area of Ōmori, can be reached via the Keikyu line. Ōmori is one ...

, Ijima excavated the

Okadaira Shell Mound The is an archaeological site in the Iide area of the village of Miho, Ibaraki Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan containing a late Jōmon period shell midden. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1998. ...

; this is credited with being the first modern archaeological survey conducted solely by Japanese. Upon graduation in 1881, as one of three from the first cohort in the Department of Zoology, he became an assistant in the College. The next year he went to Germany to study zoology at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

, where he spent three years working under the direction of Doctor

Rudolf Leuckart Karl Georg Friedrich Rudolf Leuckart (7 October 1822 – 22 February 1898) was a German zoologist born in Helmstedt. He was a nephew to naturalist Friedrich Sigismund Leuckart (1794–1843). Academic career He earned his degree from the Un ...

; he was awarded his Ph.D. in 1884. Returning to Japan in 1886, at the age of 25 he was appointed Professor of Zoology at the Imperial University, Tokyo, where he remained until his death. In 1893, with the description of ''Parus owstoni'' (now ''Sittiparus owstoni'' or Owston's tit), he became the first zoologist from Japan to

describe Shneur Hasofer is a Hasidic musician known as DeScribe. Hasofer's musical style has been characterized as "Hasidic hip-hop," "Hasidic rap" and "Hasidic R&B". Background Hasofer was born to a Chabad Hasidic family in Melbourne, Australia. Hasofer ...

a bird. In 1903, he was involved in the establishment of and in 1904 he was appointed the second director of the Misaki Marine Biological Station a In 1912, he was the founding president of the

. In 1918, he published his influential . In his personal life, Ijima enjoyed hunting, shooting, fishing, wine, and smoking a pipe. He died in 1921.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ijima, Isao 1861 births 1921 deaths Spongiologists Taxon authorities Japanese zoologists Japanese archaeologists People from Hamamatsu

Biography

See also

References