is a prominent

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese wildlife

photographer A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographe ...

and

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

Biography

He is the son of Tokumitsu Iwagō, himself a noted wildlife photographer. After graduating from

Hosei University is a private university based in Tokyo, Japan. The university originated in a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha (, i.e. Tokyo association of law), established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō (, i.e. Tokyo school of law ...

, Iwago went as his father's assistant to the

Galápagos Islands The Galápagos Islands (Spanish: , , ) are an archipelago of volcanic islands. They are distributed on each side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere, and are part of the Republic of Ecuador ...

, where he decided to become a photographer. His work ''Letters from the Sea'' (, ''Umi kara no tegami'') won the

Kimura Ihei Award The is a Japanese photography award. The award has been given every year since 1975 (except 1983) by the Asahi Shimbun Company, publisher of ''Asahi Shimbun'' and the magazine ''Asahi Camera'', in honor of the photographer Ihei Kimura. It is give ...

in 1979. He is also the first Japanese photographer whose work has twice appeared on the cover of ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

'' (May 1986 and December 1994). He is now a spokesman for

Olympus Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer of optics and reprography products. Olympus was established on 12 October 1919, initially specializing in microscopes and thermometers. Olympus holds roughly a 70-percent share of the global endoscope market, estimated ...

. Since 2012, Iwago has appeared on the TV program "(IWASGO MITSUAKI NO SEKAI NEKOARUKI, ()" (

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

BS Premium). In the TV program, Iwago is shooting videos of cats from all over the world.It's a Cat's Life , NEP Program Finder
NHK ENTERPRISES, INC.）

Publications

*''Serengeti: Natural Order on the African Plain.'' Chronicle Books, 1987. . *''In the Lion's Den.'' Chronicle Books, 1996. . *''Priceless: The Vanishing Beauty of a Fragile Planet'', coauthored with

Bradley Trevor Greive Bradley Trevor Greive (born 22 February 1970) is an Australian author. He has written 24 books which have been translated into 27 different languages, and have been sold in 115 different countries, several of which have appeared in the ''New Y ...

, Andrews McMeel, 2003. . *''Tabi yukeba neko'' (). Nihon Shuppansha, 2005. .

References

External links

Profile
- by Olympus
Global Warming Witness - Mitsuaki Iwago Special
- by Olympus
Mitsuaki Iwago Photo Gallery
- by AnimalsandEarth 1950 births Living people People from Tokyo Japanese photographers Nature photographers Hosei University alumni {{Japan-photographer-stub