Keisuke Ito

A pioneer of modern botany in Japan. Born into a medical family in Nagoya, he studied natural history under herbalist Mizutani Toyofumi at a young age. He initially took over the family business, but in 1826 (Bunsei 9), he met and welcomed Siebold, who was traveling from Nagasaki to Edo, in Atsuta with Mizutani Toyofumi and others, and was influenced by him. The following year, he went to Edo, where he met Udagawa Yoan and collected specimens with him, and then visited Siebold in Nagasaki, where he was given a copy of Thunberg's Flora Japonica . From then on, he devoted himself to studying this book alongside his medical practice, and based on it, he wrote two volumes of the Taisei Honzo Meiso, which included a translation of Linnaeus's botanical classification system as an appendix. This was the first introduction of modern plant taxonomy to Japan. As a physician, he is credited with popularizing vaccination. He also frequently held natural history exhibitions, wrote a book called "Food Handbook for Famine Relief" (1837), and endeavored to disseminate knowledge. In 1877 (Meiji 10), he was selected as an associate professor at the Faculty of Science of the University of Tokyo, and became a professor in 1881. The previous year, he had been awarded a silver medal by the Royal Swedish Academy, and became the first doctor of science to be awarded when the degree system was established in 1888.

[Sato Shichiro]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

日本の近代植物学の先駆。名古屋の医家に生まれ、幼時、本草(ほんぞう)学者の水谷豊文(ほうぶん)に博物学を学んだ。初め家業を継いでいたが、1826年（文政9）長崎から江戸に上るシーボルトを水谷豊文らとともに熱田に迎えて会見し影響を受けた。翌年江戸に出て宇田川榕菴(うだがわようあん)に接し採集をともにしたのち、長崎にシーボルトを訪れ、ツンベルク著の『日本植物誌』Flora Japonicaを与えられ、以後、医業のかたわらこの書の研究に没頭し、これを基礎とし、リンネの植物分類式を訳出して付録とした『泰西本草名疏(たいせいほんぞうめいそ)』2巻を著した。これは日本への近代植物分類学の初の紹介である。医家としては種痘を広めた功績がある。またしばしば博物会を開催し、『救荒食物便覧』（1837）を著し、知識の普及に努めた。1877年（明治10）東京大学理学部員外教授に選ばれ、1881年教授となる。その前年スウェーデン王立学士院から銀牌(ぎんぱい)を贈られ、1888年学位制制定とともに初の理学博士となった。

［佐藤七郎］

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