Kashiwadani 2011. was a renowned Japanese lichenologist and 1994 recipient of the

Acharius Medal __NOTOC__ The Acharius Medal is awarded by the International Association for Lichenology (IAL) for lifetime achievement in lichenology. The organization resolved at its 1990 meeting that it would simultaneously honor professional achievement and ...

. He studied under

Mason Hale Mason Ellsworth Hale, Jr. (September 23, 1929 – April 23, 1990) was one of the most prolific American lichenologists of the 20th century. Many of his scholarly articles focused on the taxonomy of the family Parmeliaceae. Hale was one of the fi ...

DePriest. and Yasuhiko Asahina.

Education and career

Kurokawa graduated in 1951 from the Tokyo University of Literature & Science, which later became the

University of Tsukuba is a List of national universities in Japan, national research university located in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Ibaraki, Japan. The university has 28 college clusters and schools with around 16,500 students (as of 2014). The main Tsukuba ca ...

. He earned his

Doctor of Science A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...

degree with a thesis titled "The species of ''Anaptychia'', with a new sub generic classification". This work was later published as "A monograph of the genus ''Anaptychia''" in 1962, which became a seminal paper in the field. Throughout his career, Kurokawa made significant contributions to lichenology. He collaborated with

on "Studies on ''Parmelia'' subgenus ''Parmelia''" (1964), which revolutionized the understanding of

rhizine In lichens, rhizines are multicellular root-like structures arising mainly from the lower surface. A lichen with rhizines is termed rhizinate, while a lichen lacking rhizines is termed erhizinate. Rhizines serve only to anchor the lichen to their s ...

characteristics in ''Parmelia'' classification. His research encompassed various lichen genera in Japan, including '' Anzia'', ''

Cetraria ''Cetraria'' is a genus of fruticose lichens that associate with green algae as photobionts. Most species are found at high latitudes, occurring on sand or heath, and are characterised by their "strap-like" form with spiny edges. The lobes can ...

'', '' Parmelia'', ''

Peltigera ''Peltigera'' is a genus of approximately 100 species of foliose lichens in the family Peltigeraceae. Commonly known as the dog or pelt lichens, species of ''Peltigera'' are often terricolous (growing on soil), but can also occur on moss, trees ...

'', '' Pilophorus'', and ''

Xanthoparmelia ''Xanthoparmelia'' (commonly known as green rock shields or rock-shield lichens) is a genus of foliose lichens in the family Parmeliaceae.Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, This genus of lichen i ...

''.

Contributions to lichenology

Kurokawa played a crucial role in elevating the

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant biological specimen, specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sh ...

of the

National Museum of Nature and Science The is in the northeast corner of Ueno Park in Tokyo. The museum has exhibitions on pre-Meiji period, Meiji science in Japan. It is the venue of the taxidermied bodies of the legendary dogs Hachikō and Taro and Jiro. A life-size blue whale mod ...

(TNS) to international standards. From 1966 to 1996, he published the

exsiccata Exsiccata (Latin, ''gen.'' -ae, ''plur.'' -ae) is a work with "published, uniform, numbered set of preserved specimens distributed with printed labels". Typically, exsiccatae are numbered collections of dried herbarium Biological specimen, spe ...

"Lichenes rariores et critici exsiccati" ("Rare and critical lichens, dried specimens"), comprising 700 specimens distributed to leading world herbaria. Between 1966 and 1987, he edited this exsiccata, collaborating with Hiroyuki Kashiwadani from 1978 onwards. His research extended to environmental studies, where he investigated the use of ''

Parmotrema tinctorum ''Parmotrema tinctorum'' is a lichen which belongs to the ''Parmotrema ''Parmotrema'' is a genus of lichen belonging to the family Parmeliaceae. It is a large genus, containing an estimated 300 species, with a centre of diversity in subtrop ...

'' as a

bioindicator A bioindicator is any species (an indicator species) or group of species whose function, population, or status can reveal the qualitative status of the environment. The most common indicator species are animals. For example, copepods and other sma ...

for

air pollution Air pollution is the presence of substances in the Atmosphere of Earth, air that are harmful to humans, other living beings or the environment. Pollutants can be Gas, gases like Ground-level ozone, ozone or nitrogen oxides or small particles li ...

in urban Japan. Kurokawa's work earned him recognition as one of the most prominent lichenologists in Japan and Asia.

Legacy

Kurokawa was widely respected for both his academic achievements and his personal qualities, including his warmth and kindness. His passing in 2010 was considered a significant loss to the global lichenological community.

Eponyms

Several lichen species have been named to honour Kurokawa. These

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

s include: '' Usnea kurokawae'' ; '' Parmelia kurokawae'' ; '' Lobaria kurokawae'' ; '' Physconia kurokawae'' ; '' Cetraria kurokawae'' ; '' Heterodermia kurokawae'' ; '' Scleropyrenium kurokawae'' ; '' Cladonia kurokawae'' ; '' Ramalina kurokawae'' ; '' Parmotrema kurokawianum'' ; '' Fellhaneropsis kurokawae'' ; '' Graphis kurokawae'' ; and '' Lecanora kurokawae'' . The genus '' Kurokawia'' is also named for him.

Citations

References