Hitoshi Kihara and
the Life Sciences
Throughout the twentieth century, Hitoshi Kihara made many major advancements in the fields of genetics and evolution theory related to higher plants. Some of his most prominent, world-changing research accomplishments included the founding of the genome concept, which he defined as the minimum chromosome set required to make up a living organism; discovering the ancestors of various types of wheat; discovery of the sex chromosome in higher plants based on that found in Rumex acetosa; and his creation of a seedless type of watermelon. Kihara also fostered a number of successors in cytogenetics and numerous other fields, and laid the groundwork for fieldwork in Japan through his repeated travels to other countries in search of plant life.
Major Research Activities
and Accomplishments
- Discovery of Aegilops tauschii, the ancestor of wheat
- Synthesis of wheat-related amphidiploidy
- Cultivation of tetraploid daikon radish
- Creation of seedless watermelon
- Creation of triploid sugar beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris)
- Creation of synthesized ABD-hybrid wheat
- Discovery of cytoplasmic male sterility
- Academic investigations in Karakorum and the Hindu Kush Mountain Range
- Research on mutual translocation in watermelon
- Barley mutation breeding
- Research on Oryza sativa (rice plant) phyletic evolution
- Basic research on crossbred wheat
- Research on crosswise properties in plants
- Research on historical changes in the flora of Hakone, Japan
- Basic research on male sterility in higher plants
- Research on wheat nucleo-cytoplasm hybrids
- Research on dwarfing genes in wheat
Personal History
| 1893 | Born on October 21 in Tokyo |
|---|---|
| 1918 | Graduated from the Hokkaido Imperial University Faculty of Agriculture (studying biology) |
| 1920 | Became an assistant at the Kyoto Imperial University School of Science |
| 1924 | Became an assistant professor at the Kyoto Imperial University School of Agriculture following its establishment of the Experimental Genetics Seminar (the first seminar program in Japan to use “genetics” in the name) |
| 1927 | Became a professor in the Kyoto Imperial University School of Agriculture's Experimental Genetics Seminar |
| 1940 | Won the first Genes and Genetic Systems Prize |
| 1942 | Became the founding director of the Kihara Institute for Biological Research |
| 1943 | Won the Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy and the Noma Literary Prize |
| 1944 | Became President of The Genetics Society of Japan |
| 1948 | Received the Order of Culture (a prestigious imperial conferment) |
| 1952 | Received the American Society of Horticulture Award for research on triploid watermelons |
| 1956 | Became director of the National Institute of Genetics |
| 1969 | Retired as director of the National Institute of Genetics |
| 1975 | Honored with the First Class Order of the Rising Sun |
| 1985 | Named as an honorary advisor upon the founding of the Kihara Memorial Yokohama Foundation for the Advancement of Life Sciences |
| 1986 | Passed away at the age of 92 |
Kihara Memorial Room
The Kihara Memorial Room, located in the Yokohama City University Kihara Institute for Biological Research, features documents and exhibits items that provide a look back at life and efforts of Hitoshi Kihara. The room is open to the public and serves to disseminate the accomplishments of Kihara while conveying the joy of exploring the aspects of nature and science we encounter in our everyday lives.
（Outside Link）