(1887 - October 10, 1972), born in Iwanai District,

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

, helped to establish what became the

Scout Association of Japan The is the major Scouting organization of Japan. Starting with boys only, the organization was known as Boy Scouts of Japan from 1922 to 1971, and as Boy Scouts of Nippon from 1971 to 1995, when it became coeducational in all sections, leading to ...

. He was

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 ...

's first Chief Scout.

Background

His father, , participated in the organization from the Kanezawa han, which developed land to make it suitable for habitation. After graduating from , he worked as an army officer.

Scouting

In 1914, during the fall season training of the Army Seventh Division, he was asked by Lieutenant General , to set up a youth organization and in 1916, he founded the . In 1920, from July 30 to August 7, he participated in the first World Scout Jamboree, held in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The other participants from Japan were Koshiba Hiroshi and Richard Suzuki. He also met Sir Robert Baden-Powell. After returning from the jamboree, he established the ("Japan Stalwart Youth Troop") in 1921, and worked as Japan's first Chief Scout, using his own home as the organization's office. In 1928, while climbing the Niseko mountain range, he discovered a beautiful

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

area. Moved by its beauty, he named it ', meaning "a marsh where gods and sennin live."

Legacy

In 1964, the Japanese Scout Association awarded him the title of . The Shimoda Toyomatsu Memorial Hall, Kutchan, Abuta District, Hokkaidō is named in his honor.

Related books

* (Kuniichi Komachi, Kuni Scouting Library)

References

Much of this information in this article was translated from the equivalent article in the Japanese Wikipedia, as referenced on October 28, 2006 Scouting in Japan 1887 births 1972 deaths Japanese writers Scouting pioneers Chief Scouts {{Japan-bio-stub