Seiichiro Ikeno - Seiichiro Ikeno

A pioneer of plant morphology in Japan. Born into a samurai family in Surugadai, Edo, he attended Tokyo Kaisei School and the University Preparatory School, and graduated from the Department of Botany at the Faculty of Science of the Imperial University (1890). In 1891, he became an assistant professor at the Faculty of Agriculture, and after studying in Germany and France, he became a professor at the same university (1909). He assisted Hirase Sakugoro, then an assistant professor at the Faculty of Botany at the Faculty of Science, in his research into the discovery of ginkgo sperm (1896), and he himself discovered the sperm of cycads, which attracted worldwide attention and led to both of them receiving the Imperial Academy Prize (1912). One of his representative works is Botanical Systematics (1906). This was the first systematic botanical book in Japan to discuss the systematization of the entire plant kingdom, and made a major contribution to Japanese botany. He was an avid proponent of the Japanese romanization system, and wrote Zikken-Idengaku (1928), a genetics book written in romanization. He was well-liked by many for his open-minded nature, and he also protected, encouraged, and nurtured Hirase Sakugoro and Makino Tomitaro, who were in difficult situations due to their lack of academic background. In 1927 (Showa 2), he was elected a member of the Imperial Academy.

[Sato Shichiro]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

日本の植物形態学の先駆者。江戸・駿河台(するがだい)の旗本家に生まれ、東京開成学校、大学予備門から帝国大学理科大学植物学科を卒業（1890）、翌1891年同農科大学助教授となり、ドイツ、フランスに留学ののち同教授となる（1909）。当時理科大学植物学科助手であった平瀬作五郎(ひらせさくごろう)のイチョウ精子の発見（1896）の研究を助け、自らはソテツの精子を発見、世界的に注目を受けともに帝国学士院恩賜賞を受賞した（1912）。代表的著書に『植物系統学』（1906）がある。これは全植物界の系統を論じた日本初の体系的植物学書で、日本の植物学に大きく貢献した。熱心な日本式ローマ字論者で、ローマ字書きの遺伝学書『Zikken-Idengaku』（1928）の著がある。性恬淡磊落(てんたんらいらく)で多くの人に親しまれ、また学歴不足のゆえに不遇であった平瀬作五郎や牧野富太郎をかばい励まし育てた。1927年（昭和2）帝国学士院会員に選ばれた。

［佐藤七郎］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例