
was a Japanese
zoologist
Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...
, essayist, and filmmaker. A popular essayist under the pen name Mutsugorō,
he was awarded the
Kikuchi Kan Prize
The honors achievement in all aspects of Japanese literary culture. It was named in honor of Kikuchi Kan. The prize is presented annually by the literary magazine '' Bungei Shunjū'' and the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature.
Histo ...
for his writing in 1977.
He was perhaps best known in the West as the director and screenwriter of the 1986 film ''
The Adventures of Milo and Otis
is a 1986 Japanese adventure comedy-drama film about two animals: Milo, an orange tabby cat, and Otis, a pug. The original Japanese version, narrated by Shigeru Tsuyuki and with poetry recitation by Kyōko Koizumi, was released on July 12, ...
''.
Biography
Hata was born in
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders ...
on 17 April 1935.
He graduated from the Faculty of Biology at
Tokyo University
The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...
in 1958, and went on to complete a master's degree in 1959.
Trained as a zoologist, he worked as a documentary filmmaker producing nature films.
He moved to the eastern coast of
Hokkaidō
is the second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by railway via the Seikan Tunnel.
The ...
to establish the Mutsugorō Animal Kingdom nature preserve, where he and his family lived with over 300 wild and domestic animals.
He was the author of over 100 books,
including collections of his Mutsugorō essays on nature such as ''Warera dōbutsu mina kyōdai'' (All of Us Animals Are Brothers and Sisters, 1967) and ''Mutsogorō no hakubutsushi'' (Mutsugoro's Natural History, 1975).
Over four years, Hata and associate director
Kon Ichikawa
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959), to the documentary '' Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), which won t ...
shot 400,000 feet of film at the Mutsugorō Animal Kingdom. The resulting film, about the adventures of an orange tabby cat and a fawn pug, was released by
Toho
is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...
in 1986 as ''Koneko Monogatari'' (子猫物語, A Kitten's Story) and was the highest-grossing film of the year in Japan, taking in about $36 million. It was shown that year at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world.
Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
as ''The Adventures of Chatran''. For US distribution by
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
, it was cut down from 90 to 76 minutes and narration in English by
Dudley Moore
Dudley Stuart John Moore (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. He first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writer-perf ...
was added. It was released in 1989 as ''The Adventures of Milo and Otis''.
Hata died on 5 April 2023, at the age of 87.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hata, Masanori
1935 births
2023 deaths
People from Fukuoka Prefecture
People from Hokkaido
Japanese zoologists
Japanese mammalogists
Japanese essayists
Japanese filmmakers
Japanese screenwriters
University of Tokyo alumni
Scientists from Fukuoka