 |
"As a child, I used to photograph insect specimens with a magnifying glass."
I first held a camera in my hands when I was in the first grade of elementary school. We happened to have one at home, and I used it to take photographs of everything, letting my curiosity lead the way. I'd always loved insects and even while at elementary school my ambition was to be an entomologist. In those days, however, I couldn't take photos of live insects because I didn't have a macro lens. Undeterred, I took close-up photos of the specimens on display at insect exhibitions by holding a magnifying glass in front of the camera lens.
While at junior high school, I was given an Olympus Pen D, but that still didn't enable me to take close-ups of insects. I used it mainly to take travel photos and scenic shots. Anyway, at the time I was more interested in collecting insects than in photographing them. It wasn't until I was in my fourth year at university that I became serious about insect photography. By sheer good fortune, I was acquainted with the eminent zoologist Professor Toshitaka Hidaka of the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. Actually, with the aim of studying my beloved insects, I'd already made up my mind to enter the university where he taught when I was still in my second year of high school.
I eventually entered the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology in 1966. Not interested in attending lectures, I devoted my time to collecting insects. In the end, despite having managed to gain a place at the university I'd longed to enter, I barely went to Professor Hidaka's laboratory until I was in my fourth year. And before I did, I spent about a month traveling around Southeast Asia collecting and photographing insects. It was then that I was able to see with my own eyes the incredible ability insects have for camouflage and mimicry. I was amazed. From that time on, "insect camouflage mimicry" became my lifework.
After returning to Japan, I went back to university and became a regular visitor at the professor's laboratory. Even though I was studying at Professor Hidaka's laboratory, I was majoring in agricultural chemistry, so my graduation thesis had to have something to do with chemistry. I found a way out by extracting pterin from Swallowtail butterfly chrysalises. To be honest, none of this would have happened if Professor Hidaka hadn't been worried about me doing nothing for my thesis and introduced me to another professor at Kitasato University who did research with me. Thanks to this opportunity, I was able to go to another university and, for once, write a thesis in English for an academic journal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| The Four Thirds System ― A Global Standard in Digital Imaging Performance
and Mobility |
|
 |
|
| The Four Thirds System is a global open standard for the design
of all-digital SLR camera bodies and lenses. Conceived to realize the highest
photographic ideals in a digital age, it brings greater choice to consumers,
and is a living example of our corporate slogan, “Your Vision, Our Future,” in
action. |
|
|
