kumagusuway[1867]
Born in Wakayama City

[1873]
Entered Ono Elementary School

[1879]
Entered Wakayama Middle School

[1884]
Entered Preparatory School, Tokyo University

[1886]
Departed from Yokohama for America (Dec)

[1887]
Arrived at San Francisco; entered Pacific Business College (Jan)

Transferred to Michigan State School of Agriculture (Aug)

[1891]
Moved to Jacksonville, Florida (Apr)

Discovered new species of lichen in Cuba

[1892]
Departed from New York for London

[1900]
Left London for Japan (Sep)

[1900]
・Departed from Kobe port to Wakayama (Oct)

[1901]
Departed from Wakayama city to Katsuura

Departed from Nachi to Wakayama city

[1902]
Departed from Wakayama city to Tanabe

Departed from Tanabe to Kushimoto

Leave for Nachi through Kozagawa Town

[1904]
Departing Nachi and leaving for Tanabe via Kumano kodo

Year Age Personal Events Historical Events
1867 0 Born in Wakayama City on April 15, the second son to Yahei and Sumi Minakata.
1873 6 Entered Ono Elementary School.
Started transcribing books; e.g. Wakan Sansai Zue, Honzo Komoku and Yamato Honzo, at the age of 10.
1879 12 Entered Wakayama Middle School.
1884 17 Entered Preparatory School, Tokyo University.
1886 19 Expelled from Preparatory School.
Made a resolution to collect 7,000 specimens of Japanese fungi.
1887 20 Arrived at San Francisco; entered Pacific Business College.
Transferred to Michigan State School of Agriculture.
1888 21 Moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan; collected animals and plants.
1889 22 Determined to become Japan’s Gesner, the famous naturalist.
1891 24 Moved to Jacksonville, Florida; contacted a lichen collector Calkins.
Went to Cuba; discovered new species of lichens.
1892 25 Departed from New York for London.
1893 26 Published ‘the Constellations in the Far East’ in the science magazine
‘Nature’ and won fame.
Became a regular visitor to the British Museum.
Transcribed rare books at the Museum until 1898 (totaling 52 notebooks;
13,346 pages).
1894 27 Met Frederick V. Dickins, registrar of London University. Outbreak of Sino-Japanese War
1897 30 Made friends with Sun Yat-sen.
1899 32 Wrote the first article to ‘Notes and Queries,’ followed by a number
of articles and essays.
1900 33 Left London for Japan. (Sep)
1901 34 Met Sun Yat-sen again in Wakayama City.
Revealed his concept of the universe Minakata Mandala in the correspondence with Horyu Toki.
1904 37 Left Nachi for Tanabe City. Outbreak of Russo-Japanese War
1905 38 Co-translated ‘Hojoki: The Ten Square Feet Hut’ with Dickins.
1906 39 Married Matsue Tamura.
1907 40 Launched a campaign to protest against the shrine consolidation regulations.
Started correspondence with Kunio Yanagita.
1912 45 Published an opinion letter about the shrine consolidation regulations
to the magazine Nihon Oyobi Nihonjin (Japan and the People).
1915 48 Visited Kashima Island with Dr. Walton T. Swingle; turned down his invitation
to US.		 Outbreak of WWI
1917 50 Discovered a new genus of slime mold Minakatella longifila Lister from a persimmon tree in his backyard.
1921 54 Upon completion of the prospectus for the Minakata Botanical Institute
project, came to Tokyo for fundraising.		 Great Kanto Earthquake (Sep 1)
1925 58 Sent a lengthy resume to Yoshio Yabuki.
1926 59 Published Minakata Kanwa (idle chatter), Minakata Zuihitsu (a collection of essays) and Zoku Minakata Zuihitsu (the sequel).
1929 62 Gave a special lecture to Emperor Hirohito on board the royal ship Nagato;
presented him with 110 specimens of slime molds put in empty taffy boxes.
(Jun)		 Outbreak of Manchurian Incident
1941 74 Died on December 29, aged 75. Buried at Takayamadera Temple in Tanabe City. Outbreak of WWII (Dec 8)
After his death
1963 22 The monument of a poem composed by Emperor Hirohito was erected. It reads:
“ Through the rain I see the dim figure of Kashima in the distance, which
reminds me of Kumagusu who was born in Wakayama.”
1965 24 Minakata Kumagusu Museum opened in Shirahama-cho.
2000 69 Daughter Fumie died.