Jinzō Matsumura


Jinzō Matsumura was a Japanese botanist.

Biography

Matsumura was born in Ibaraki Prefecture, of a samurai family. He took a great interest in botany as a young man. In 1883, he had been made assistant professor of botany in the University of Tokyo under Ryōkichi Yatabe. Matsumura then studied abroad at the Würzburg and Heidelberg between 1886 and 1888. In 1890, he became professor at the University of Tokyo and in 1897 director of the Koishikawa Botanical Gardens. He also served as dean of the botanical department. In 1922, Matsumura retired from teaching, and began to publish Waka poetry.

Legacy

The genus Matsumurella is named for Matsumura.

Selected publications

Matsumura assisted in the preparation of Brinkley's Unabridged Japanese-English Dictionary, and he published many important works on the flora of Japan, including: