was professor emeritus at

Osaka University , abbreviated as , is a public research university located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is one of Japan's former Imperial Universities and a Designated National University listed as a "Top Type" university in the Top Global University Proje ...

and

Kōnan Women's University is a private women's college in Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west b ...

, and a noted scholar of

Japanese literature Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japan ...

and especially the ''

Man'yōshū The is the oldest extant collection of Japanese (poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in ...

'' poetry.犬養万葉記念館〈Inukai Manyo Memorial Hall〉/ Asuka mura Public office
He earned his bachelor's degree in Japanese literature from

the University of 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 Project by ...

in 1932, as well as its Ph.D. in 1962. He received the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon from the Japanese Government in 1978. He was qualified as a

Person of Cultural Merit is an official Japanese recognition and honor which is awarded annually to select people who have made outstanding cultural contributions. This distinction is intended to play a role as a part of a system of support measures for the promotion of ...

in 1987. Upon his death, the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an ...

, was posthumously granted on him. When he was a professor of Osaka University, he walked around with his students the places where each verse of the ''Man'yōshū'' was composed, in order to help them understand the essences of the ''Man'yōshū'' more deeply. His idea impressed the students very much, and they went for more than 250 trips all over the country for almost 50 years, until he died in 1998. The total number of participants of those ''Osaka University Man'yo trips'' reached more than 40,000. In addition to teaching his students, he helped the people be more familiar with the ''Man'yōshū''. Countless of people was attracted by the ''Man'yōshū'' thanks to his activities. He gave a lecture on ''Man'yōshū'' to

Emperor Shōwa Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

on the top of a hill in

Asuka, Nara is a village located in Takaichi District, Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of April 1, 2017, the village has an estimated population of 5,681, with 2,170 households, and a population density of . The total area is . Asuka is the land where ancie ...

, on December 4, 1979.

References

External links

犬養孝〈Takashi Inukai〉｜NHK Archives

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inukai, Takashi 1907 births 1998 deaths Japanese literature academics Osaka University faculty University of Tokyo alumni Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 2nd class