was a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese entomologist from Gifu Prefecture

Gifu Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...

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Personal history

Nawa was born in the Motosu District

Motosu District, Gifu

is a district located in Gifu, Japan.As of July 2011 the district has an estimated population of 18,389. The total area is 5.17 km².The district has only one town.*Kitagata-District Timeline:*April 1, 1959-**The village of Shinsei gained town status....

 of Gifu Prefecture (present day city of Mizuho

Mizuho, Gifu

is a city located in Gifu Prefecture, Japan.As of July 2011, the city has an estimated population of 52,269, with the number of households being 19,567...

) and had a strong affinity to bugs even in his youth. In 1878, he entered into the Gifu Agricultural Learning Center (which later became the Gifu Prefectural Agricultural School and is now the Gifu Prefectural Agricultural High School) and stayed on at the school as an assistant after he graduated in 1882. On April 24 of the following year, 1883, he discovered a new butterfly in the present day Kanayama-machi in the city of Gero

Gero, Gifu

is a city in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The city is famous for its hot springs. The Hida River runs throughout the city.-History:The city was established on March 1, 2004 by the merger of the towns of Gero, Hagiwara, Kanayama and Osaka, and the village of Maze, all from Mashita...

. He called the new butterfly the Gifu Butterfly (Luehdorfia japonica).

In 1886, Nawa entered into Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo

University of Tokyo

, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...

) and earned his junior high school teaching license in half a year, after which he began teaching at junior high and elementary schools in Gifu Prefecture. After a decade of teaching, he founded the Nawa Insect Research Center in 1896, where he studied protection of beneficial insects, extermination of harmful ones and termite

Termite

Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...

 control. Finally, in 1919, he establish the Nawa Insect Museum

Nawa Insect Museum

The is a museum in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the Nawa Insect Research Center.-History:Yasushi Nawa, the man who discovered the Gifu Butterfly and is known as "The Insect Man," opened the Nawa Insect Research Center in April 1896...

, which is currently located in Gifu Park

Gifu Park

is a public park located at the base of Mount Kinka in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Inside the park, there are many attractions, including Gifu Castle, Mount Kinka, the Mt. Kinka Ropeway, the Gifu City Museum of History, the Eizō & Tōichi Katō Memorial Art Museum, and the Nawa Insect...

 in the city of Gifu

Gifu, Gifu

is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku period, various warlords, including Oda Nobunaga, used...

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