Takashi Amano
Encyclopedia
is a photographer, designer
and Aquarist.
His interest in aquaria
led him to create the Japanese company Aqua Design Amano.
Takashi Amano is one of the most influential people in the freshwater
aquascaping
community. He can largely be credited with introducing Japanese gardening concepts such as Wabi-sabi
and Zen
rock arrangement to the aquascaping hobby. His tank compositions involve intricate, and typically asymmetrical (though balanced) arrangements of aquatic plants often augmented by river rocks and driftwood
. His aquascapes are notable in that they often mimic nature in their appearance, and can be regarded as a form of art.
Amano is the author of Nature Aquarium World (TFH Publications
, 1994), a three-book series on aquascaping and freshwater aquarium plants and fish. He has also published the book "Aquarium Plant Paradise"(T.F.H. Publications, 1997).
Amano can also be credited with popularizing the use of Glossostigma elatinoides and Riccia fluitans
in aquascaping and the use of shrimp
as a means of controlling the growth of algae
.
A species of freshwater shrimp is named the “Amano shrimp” or "Yamato shrimp" (Caridina multidentata; previously Caridina japonica) after him. After discovering this species' ability to eat large quantities of algae, Amano asked a local distributor to special order several thousand of them. They have since become a staple in the freshwater planted aquarium hobby.
He has also developed a line of aquarium components that are known as ADA, and his “Nature Aquarium” article series appears monthly in Tropical Fish Hobbyist
magazine in the U.S.
In recent years, Amano has given numbers of lectures on his photography expeditions and his experiences in nature around the world, and he has advocated the importance of tree-planting programs to protect the earth’s environment. He is a member of the Japan Professional Photographers Society
, the Japan Advertising Photographers' Association
, the International Environment Photographers Association
, and the Society of Scientific Photography.
Working Lunch / Outreach Working Session of Hokkaido Toyako Summit held from July 7 till 9th 2008. The photos of pristine cedar tree forest in Sado Island taken by 8x20 inches large format camera were exhibited on the 4.0x1.5m panel.
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
and Aquarist.
His interest in aquaria
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
led him to create the Japanese company Aqua Design Amano.
Takashi Amano is one of the most influential people in the freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
aquascaping
Aquascaping
Aquascaping is the craft of arranging aquatic plants, as well as rocks, stones, cavework, or driftwood, in an aesthetically pleasing manner within an aquarium—in effect, gardening under water. Aquascape designs include a number of distinct styles, including the garden-like Dutch style and the...
community. He can largely be credited with introducing Japanese gardening concepts such as Wabi-sabi
Wabi-sabi
represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete"...
and Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
rock arrangement to the aquascaping hobby. His tank compositions involve intricate, and typically asymmetrical (though balanced) arrangements of aquatic plants often augmented by river rocks and driftwood
Driftwood
Driftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea or river by the action of winds, tides, waves or man. It is a form of marine debris or tidewrack....
. His aquascapes are notable in that they often mimic nature in their appearance, and can be regarded as a form of art.
Amano is the author of Nature Aquarium World (TFH Publications
TFH Publications
TFH Publications is an American book publisher based in New Jersey, USA. It specialises in books about pets. In 1997 the owner, Herbert R. Axelrod sold the company to Central Garden & Pet Company of California for $70 million....
, 1994), a three-book series on aquascaping and freshwater aquarium plants and fish. He has also published the book "Aquarium Plant Paradise"(T.F.H. Publications, 1997).
Amano can also be credited with popularizing the use of Glossostigma elatinoides and Riccia fluitans
Riccia fluitans
Riccia fluitans, whose common name is crystalwort, is an aquatic floating plant of the liverwort genus Riccia which is popular among aquarists as a retreat for young fry and is used in live-bearing tanks. It can be found floating in ponds, and often forms thick mats on and under the water...
in aquascaping and the use of shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
as a means of controlling the growth of algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
.
A species of freshwater shrimp is named the “Amano shrimp” or "Yamato shrimp" (Caridina multidentata; previously Caridina japonica) after him. After discovering this species' ability to eat large quantities of algae, Amano asked a local distributor to special order several thousand of them. They have since become a staple in the freshwater planted aquarium hobby.
He has also developed a line of aquarium components that are known as ADA, and his “Nature Aquarium” article series appears monthly in Tropical Fish Hobbyist
Tropical Fish Hobbyist
Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine is a monthly magazine geared to hobbyist keepers of tropical fish, with news and information on a variety of topics including: Care & Maintenance, Aquascaping, Husbandry, Health & Breeding, Species Reports, Aquarium Technology, Aquarium Science, Exploration &...
magazine in the U.S.
Aquarist
Takashi Amano has established his own style of plant layout, "Nature Aquarium": plants, fishes and microorganisms cohabit and create an ecological system in an aquarium tank; plants absorb CO2, photosynthesize and produce oxygen, and this rich oxygen creates the best environment for fish and microorganism. He founded Aqua Design Amano Co., Ltd. in 1982, which received attention for its development of aquatic plant growing equipments, "Nature Aquarium Goods". His photo book of Nature Aquarium "Glass no Naka no Daishizen" published in 1992 followed by "Mizu-Shizen eno kaiki," were translated into 7 languages and created a great sensation among planted aquarium hobbyists around the world.Biography of Photographer
Since 1975, Takashi Amano has visited tropical rainforests in Amazon, Borneo and West Africa and pristine forests in Japan, and he has been working on series of photos focusing on "untouched nature" with his large-format cameras. He captures minute details of nature found at site on extra large size films (up to 8x20 inches). His works have been introduced internationally through the several exhibitions and publications. Amano is now taking on a challenge to record the existing precious nature of Japan on large-format films and pass down to posterity.In recent years, Amano has given numbers of lectures on his photography expeditions and his experiences in nature around the world, and he has advocated the importance of tree-planting programs to protect the earth’s environment. He is a member of the Japan Professional Photographers Society
Japan Professional Photographers Society
The is a Tokyo-based organization of photographers founded in 1950 that has continued to this day. Its logo reads “JPS”. It was formed from the combination of three earlier organizations, none more than two years old: Seinen Hōdō Shashin Kenkyūkai , Seinen Shashinka Kyōkai , and Shashinka Shūdan...
, the Japan Advertising Photographers' Association
Japan Advertising Photographers' Association
The , within Japan commonly called APA, was founded in 1958. It has held exhibitions since 1959 and publishes an annual survey of the most interesting work....
, the International Environment Photographers Association
International Environment Photographers Association
International Environment Photographers Association is an organization based in Japan focusing global environment issues through photographic activities. Their goal is to make people aware about climate changes and conscious of environmental protection...
, and the Society of Scientific Photography.
G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit
Two landscape photos of Takashi Amano were displayed at 34th G8 summit34th G8 summit
The 34th G8 summit took place in on the northern island of Hokkaidō, Japan from July 7–9, 2008. The locations of previous summits to have been hosted by Japan include: Tokyo ; and Nago, Okinawa . The G8 Summit has evolved beyond being a gathering of world political leaders...
Working Lunch / Outreach Working Session of Hokkaido Toyako Summit held from July 7 till 9th 2008. The photos of pristine cedar tree forest in Sado Island taken by 8x20 inches large format camera were exhibited on the 4.0x1.5m panel.
Exhibitions
| YEAR | EXHIBITION TITLE | PLACE | 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 |