Hello! I'd like to write about Kumagusu Minakata （南方熊楠 1867~1941), a great Japanese naturalist. In Japan, he is well-known especially for his amazing memory.
Yes, his memory was so great. He transcribed several kinds of encyclopedia before he became 12 years old and memorized all of the contents. He loved studying throughout his life and he could use about 20 languages(Wow!!). He knew much especially about biology, folklore, archeology, theology and so on. He was a literal walking encyclopedia.
I'm not interested in him only because of his memory. He is also well-known for his eccentric behaviors. For example, he could vomit anytime he wanted! (They say he often use this "skill" when he got into a fight. I imagine he was so strong...) Although he was poor particularly when he was a student, he didn't care about money. He went to the U.S. and England to study much. When he was 33 years old, he went back to Japan. However, at that time, he had no titles like a master's degree or PH.D at all!
He gradually became famous for his essays and books. (He often wrote essays for "Nature", the famous academic journal, for instance.) He even had an opportunity to lecture Japanese emperor about biology.
Anyway, the most intriguing thing about him for me is his lifestyle. He pursued only what he was interested in, from first to last. I'm attracted to such way. What do you think about it?
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