was a Japanese
biologist
A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual cell, a multicellular organism, or a community of interacting populations. They usually specialize in ...
. He is most renowned as the inventor of
Gakutensoku, Japan's first functional robot. He was the father of actor
Kō Nishimura.
Biography
Makoto was born on March 26, 1883 in
Matsumoto,
Nagano Prefecture
is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...
.
During his life, he served as an example for early
environmentalists. When he discovered a tree growing on his plot of land, he refused to cut it down. Instead he decided to build his house around it so that it grew in his living room.
Over the years, he worked as a professor at
Hokkaido University as well as taught in
Kyoto and
Manchuria. He also studied botany at
Columbia University.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nishimura, Makoto
Japanese biologists
1883 births
1956 deaths
Columbia University alumni
Academic staff of Hokkaido University
People from Matsumoto, Nagano
20th-century biologists