| Takashi Amano (天野尚) | |
| Birth Date: | 18 July 1954 |
| Birth Place: | Maki, Nishikanbara, Niigata, Japan |
| Death Place: | Niigata, Japan |
| Nationality: | Japanese |
| Known For: | Photographer, aquarist |
| Awards: | Fuji Film Nature Photo Contest, Grand Prix, 1992 |
was a professional Japanese track cyclist, photographer, designer, and aquarist.[1] He founded Aqua Design Amano (ADA), a Japanese company that specializes in the design of aquariums and their production.[2]
Amano was the author of Nature Aquarium World (TFH Publications, 1994)[3], a three-book series on aquascaping, freshwater aquarium plants, and fish. He also published the book Aquarium Plant Paradise (TFH Publications, 1997)[4] .
A species of freshwater shrimp, the "Amano shrimp" or "Yamato shrimp" (Caridina multidentata; previously Caridina japonica), was named after him[5] . Amano discovered the species' ability to eat large quantities of algae. Amano ordered several thousand of them from a local distributor. They have since become widely used in freshwater planted aquariums.
Amano also developed a line of aquarium products under the Aqua Design Amano (ADA) brand. His aquarium column, "Nature Aquarium", appeared in the monthly magazines Practical Fishkeeping and Tropical Fish Hobbyist. He died of pneumonia[6] in 2015 at the age of 61.[7]
His plant layouts incorporated Japanese gardening concepts such as Wabi-sabi and Zen rock arrangements.[8] Amano frequently used Glossostigma elatinoides and Riccia fluitans as plant material.
He founded Aqua Design Amano Co., Ltd. in 1982, which provided aquatic plant-growing equipment.[9] His photo books of what he called the "Nature Aquarium", Glass no Naka no Daishizen, published in 1992, followed by Mizu-Shizen eno kaiki, were translated into seven languages.
The Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata) was introduced to the aquatic hobby by Takashi Amano as a method of controlling algae growth in the 1980s. The species was subsequently named after him.[10]
"Forests Underwater" by Takashi Amano is a tropical freshwater aquarium at the Lisbon Oceanarium that features a diverse underwater landscape. The aquarium is in length and holds of water, and houses more than 10,000 fish of 40 different species. The exhibit opened on April 21, 2015.[11] [12] Although initially scheduled to be a temporary exhibition lasting two years, "Forests Underwater" remains open.
Starting in 1975, Takashi Amano travelled across tropical rainforests in the Amazon, Borneo, and West Africa. He also visited pristine forests in Japan, creating a series of photos focusing on "untouched nature" using large-format cameras.[13] He used extra-large-films with sizes (up to 8 × 20 inches). His works have been featured internationally at several exhibitions and publications.[14]
Amano gave lectures on his photographic expeditions and his experiences in nature around the world, and he advocated for the environmental importance of tree planting programs to support environmental conservation.[15] He was a member of the Japan Professional Photographers Society, the Japan Advertising Photographers' Association, the International Environment Photographers Association, and the Society of Scientific Photography.
Two of Takashi Amano's landscape photos, featuring a cedar forest on Sado Island, were displayed at the 34th G8 Summit Working Lunch/Outreach Working Session[16] . The photos, taken with an 8 × 20-inch large format camera, were exhibited on 4 × 1.5 meter panels.
| Year | Title | Publisher | Country | ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Glass no Naka no Daishizen | Marine Planning | Japan | ||
| 1994 | Mizu-Shizen eno Kaiki | Marine Planning | Japan | ||
| Nature Aquarium World | TFH Publications | U.S.A. | |||
| Pflanzenparadies unter Wasser | Natur Buch Verlag | Germany | |||
| 1996 | Nature Aquarium World Book 2 | TFH Publications | U.S.A. | ||
| Nature Aquarium World Book 3 | TFH Publications | U.S.A. | |||
| De wonderlijke wereld onder water | Natur Design Verlag | Netherlands | |||
| Faszinierendes Aquarium | Natur Buch Verlag | Germany | |||
| Le Nouveau Monde des Plantes Aquatiques | Natur Design Verlag | France | |||
| 1997 | Aquarium Plant Paradises | TFH Publications | U.S.A. | ||
| Amanos Naturaquarien | Editoriale Giorgio Mondadori | Italy | |||
| 1998 | Ihr Hobby-Naturaquarien | Natur Buch Verlag | Germany | ||
| Diskus im Naturaquarium | Natur Buch Verlag | Germany | |||
| Das Große Buch der Naturaquarien | Natur Buch Verlag | Germany | |||
| Les aquariums naturels d'Amano | JEH Productions | France | |||
| 2004 | The Rio Negro | Marine Planning | Japan | ||
| 2007 | Sado – To Pristine Forest From Bottom of Sea | ADA | Japan | ||
| 2009 | Sado – To Pristine Forest From Bottom of Sea "Revised and Enlarged Edition" | ADA | Japan | ||
| 2011 | Nature Aquarium: Complete Works 1985–2009 | TFH Publications | U.S.A |
| Year | Title | Location | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Urin-Ujou | Fuji Photo Salon, Tokyo | Japan | |
| 2004 | Dare mo Shiranai Amazon | Niitsu Art Forum, Niigata | Japan | |
| The Rio Negro | Nizayama Forest Art Museum, Toyama | Japan | ||
| 2006 | The Rio Negro | Nature Info Plaza—Marunouchi Saezurikan, Tokyo | Japan | |
| Sozo no Genten Amazon | Toki Messe, Niigata | Japan | ||
| Kusatsu-Amazon | Niigata Daiwa, Niigata | Japan | ||
| 2007 | Sado-From bottom of the Sea to the Pristine Forest | Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography | Japan | |
| Daremo Shiranai Sado | Niigata Prefectural Civic Center | Japan | ||
| 2008 | Daremo Shiranai Sado | Amusement Sado, Niigata | Japan | |
| 2009 | Sado – a Natural Treasure of Japan | Qatar Photography Society, Doha | Qatar | |
| 2009 | Takashi Amano in India for Aquatika 2009 | Nimhans Convention Hall, Bangalore | India | |
| 2015 | Forests Underwater | Oceanário de Lisboa, Lisbon | Portugal |