The University Museum, The University of Tokyo houses approximately 900,000
insect specimens and more than 5,000 insect-related books and publications. Among its
most representative holdings are some of the oldest insect specimens in Japan,
transferred from the Faculty of Agriculture, widely recognized as the birthplace of
Japanese entomology. The collections also include numerous type specimens
originating from the Meiji to Taisho eras, associated with Prof. Chûjirô Sasaki and Dr.
Tsunekata Miyake, among others.
In addition, the museum preserves many important private and institutional
collections, such as those of Dr. Masayo Kato, renowned as a leading authority on
cicadas; Magoshichi Suda, who collected extensively insects from the Tokyo area; and
Dr. Suguru Igarashi, an eminent specialist in Asian butterflies. Particularly noteworthy
are the museum’s first-rate materials on Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, Mecoptera,
Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Odonata, as well as entomopathogenic fungi. These
collections are of exceptional scientific value, containing numerous type specimens and
rare insect materials.
As a result, the museum frequently receives requests from research institutions not
only in Japan but also from Europe, North America, and various Asian countries for the
examination of its specimens. Research and public dissemination based on these
materials are therefore in strong demand worldwide.
Currently, the museum is proceeding with plans to digitize these valuable collections
and to make them publicly available through publications and online platforms. By
utilizing these specimen data, the project aims to contribute to a wide range of natural
history disciplines—including taxonomy, morphology, biogeography, and conservation
biology—as well as to regional and local studies, thereby broadly supporting research
activities and education and outreach programs.
(Masaya Yago, Senior Lecturer of The University Museum, The University of Tokyo)
（C）2011- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo.
