Tomitaro Makino: Grafting Western Science with Japan's Natural World
By Laura Pollacco
Japan’s natural wonders have captured the hearts and imagination of its inhabitants for thousands of years. As a country whose territory stretches from the northern coasts of Hokkaido to the tropical waters of the Okinawa islands, Japan boasts diverse climates and landscapes; in turn, these are home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Japan's understanding of the properties of its vegetation has been historically vital to the growth of its civilization and has influenced nearly all aspects of society. This has resulted in a deep respect and reverence for the natural world, along with the development of spiritual customs, furthering an appreciation of seasonality, artistic practices, and architectural structures.
Blossoming from this tradition of reverence, Tomitaro Makino (1862-1957 CE) dedicated his life to understanding the breadth of flora in Japan, a devotion that assisted in cementing his nation on the global stage of botanical science, as well as earning him the title of “Father of Japanese Botany.” Through his passion and deep admiration for the natural world, Makino’s legacy extends beyond the academic sphere, nurturing a love of nature across a broader spectrum of Japanese society, and contributing to Japan’s long-standing precedent of combining human culture with nature.
Connections Between Nature, Art, and Culture in Japan
Prior to Makino’s time, Japan was already a country with a centuries-long tradition of celebrating the beauty and symbolism of its flora. This deep appreciation is thought to originate from Shintoism, Japan’s ancient, indigenous religion which espouses the belief that spiritual powers, or kami (deities), reside in all things - from towering mountains to a grain of rice. To worship the natural world is to worship these deities, and the Japanese do so by visiting sites of spiritual significance, such as shrines or natural spiritual points, holding festivals ("matsuri" 祭り), and partaking in acts that allow individuals to connect with and praise nature.
These customs have continued unbroken for millennia, manifesting in artistic practices centered around nature, such as the centuries-old art form of bonsai, in which botanical masters capture the beauty of a landscape within a single, miniaturized tree, or through the art of ikebana, in which they create exquisite sculptural floral arrangements. Beyond those directly utilizing plants and flowers, Japan’s artists have sought to praise the natural beauty of their country through illustrations and paintings, crafts such as ceramics and woodwork, and storytelling and poetry. One such example is the following haiku written by one of Japan's most beloved poets, Matsuo Basho (1644-1694 CE), upon seeing spring and the promise of flowers:
春風に吹き出し笑ふ花もがな
haru kaze ni / fukidashi warau / hana mogana
A spring breeze is blowing
I’m bursting with laughter
— wishing for flowers
Expressed through layered meaning, with the word “warau” meaning both laughter and splitting open in regards to the spring buds splitting open to reveal the flower, Basho’s joy at the sight of spring is paralleled in countless other texts and works of art.
Despite the strong relationship that Japan developed with the natural world, scientific understanding and advancement became somewhat stilted during the Edo Period (1603-1867 CE). Prior to Japan’s opening of borders in 1853 with the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry, there had been little to no formal classification of the country’s flora.
However, a Swedish naturalist, Carl Peter Thunberg (student of Swedish biologist and “Father of Modern Taxonomy” Carl Linnaeus), managed to enter Japan during its isolation, visiting Edo (now Tokyo) and Nagasaki between 1775-76. During this brief time, he collected many of Japan’s plants and shared Western practices with local botanists, spawning an expansion of horticultural knowledge that would continue far beyond the Meiji Restoration (1868 CE). Almost a hundred years later, Japan finally saw an end to its isolationist policy and a start to a rapid political, cultural, and scientific transformation.
The Life and Work of Tomitaro Makino, Japan’s Father of Botany
It was in 1862, amid this backdrop of burgeoning modernization, that Tomitaro Makino was born in the rural village of Sakawa in Kochi prefecture. The only heir of a wealthy sake brewing family, Makino lost both his parents and his grandfather at a young age, leaving his grandmother to care for him. Makino had a strong thirst for knowledge. When he found his school education lacking, he dropped out to study at home where he developed a keen interest in English, geography, and botany.
In 1881, at the age of 19, Makino took his first trip to Tokyo to marvel at the nation's Second National Industrial Exhibition. While there, he also dropped in on lectures held at the Museum Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce to learn about the latest developments in the field of botany. Such was the impact of the trip that Makino decided to move to the capital in 1884, with the sole goal of pursuing his interest in botany at the University of Tokyo. Makino devoted himself to his studies, where he showed enormous talent for illustrating his finds, copying their likeliness as well as any photo could. Within a few years of arriving, he launched the Botanical Magazine Tokyo, a journal well-respected to this day.
Makino was doggedly dedicated to his work, walking the breadth of Japan in search of specimens even whilst lecturing at the Imperial University's College of Science in Tokyo. He is reputed to have collected roughly 400,000 species over the course of his life, naming over 1,500 new species and subspecies using Linneaus’ taxonomy system. In 1940, at the age of 78, he published Makino's Illustrated Flora of Japan. It was a love letter to his life’s passion, a detailed record of thousands of Japan’s plants, complete with intricately drawn illustrations using a traditional maki-e brush. Constructed from a bundle of mouse hairs, the maki-e brush brought the flowers on the page to life, seeming to capture not just their likenesses, but also their spirits. So thorough was his book that it is still widely-regarded by researchers and botany enthusiasts, a work of art treasured both for its academic and artistic value. Up until the moment he passed away on January 18, 1957, at the age of 94, Makino continued sharing his love for the natural world with others, cataloging, writing, and educating about botany.
Tomitaro Makino’s Legacy in Japan
Leaving behind a legacy that popularized Japan’s extraordinary plant species both at home and abroad, Makino saw the ability of nature to teach us about our own interconnectedness, believing that a life in harmony with nature was necessary for human love. Continuing in the same vein of natural reverence as poets like Bashō, Makino often wrote personally of his experience with and reflections on the nature with which he filled his life, stating:
“There is nothing more profitable in our lives than communing with nature. Human beings are originally members of nature, therefore it is after we blend ourselves with nature that we are able to feel the joy of living.”
- Makino Tomitaro
Beyond simply cataloging, Makino’s lifelong mission was to share the wonders of the natural world by connecting to others, and by fostering in others a connection to nature. His jovial nature and skill at communicating, endeared many of his contemporaries to his way of thinking. "Rannan," a 2023 NHK drama based on Makino's life, has also revitalized interest in his life and works among younger generations.
Furthering his legacy of teaching and research, the Makino Botanical Garden in Kochi Prefecture serves as a museum where guests can learn more about Makino and the field of botany while enjoying stunning gardens and a greenhouse. Additionally, a visit to the location of his former home in Nerima, Tokyo, houses a memorial garden where visitors can see where he worked and walk around the garden that gave him so much joy in his life. Makino’s impact on the field of botany has been felt around the world, though nowhere more so than in his home country of Japan. His birthday, April 24th, has even been designated a national holiday, Botany Day.
Makino was a product of Japan’s swift globalization after 200 years of isolationism - a man fascinated by the new scientific knowledge of the outside world and how he could apply it to the natural world that existed around him. However, the passion he expressed for the natural world was not a solitary occurrence; it’s a reverence shared by the bonsai masters who immerse in a contemplative tradition combining nature, art, and humanity; by the ikebana artists who create floral arrangements steeped in precise beauty and unspoken elegance; by the crowds who flock to the cherry blossom trees each spring, and by those who gaze at the beauty of the country’s autumnal foliage. It is an appreciation as old as the country itself, and one that continues to ardently remain, a permanent thread on the tapestry of Japan’s culture and society.
About the Author: Laura Pollacco is a freelance journalist and photographer living in Tokyo. Having returned to Japan in 2022 on a working holiday visa, Laura took the opportunity to travel to lesser-known regions in Japan, away from the hustle and bustle of tourist-heavy destinations. During this time she discovered that stories about Japan can be found anywhere, from the sleepiest seaside communities to the cities not highlighted on tourist packages. Aside from travel, Laura has many hobbies and interests that have allowed her to meet and communicate with a variety of people from politicians to sumo wrestlers, bonsai masters to parkour athletes. Outside of writing, Laura spends much of her time in rehearsals as a theatre actor, a love she has nurtured since she was five years old.
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