was a Japanese mycologist who specialized in the biogeography and taxonomy

Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...

 of Agaricales

Agaricales

The fungal order Agaricales, also known as gilled mushrooms , or euagarics, contains some of the most familiar types of mushrooms. The order has 33 extant families, 413 genera, and over 13000 described species, along with five extinct genera known only from the fossil record...

.

Hongo entered the Department of Biology at what is now Hiroshima University

Hiroshima University

, located in the Japanese cities of Higashihiroshima and Hiroshima, was established 1949 by the merger of a number of national educational institutions.-History:Under the National School Establishment Law, Hiroshima University was established on May 31, 1949...

 in 1943, where he studied botany

Botany

Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...

 until graduating in 1946 with a B.Sc.
Hongo received his Ph.D degree, entitled "Agaricales of Japan", from Kyoto University

Kyoto University

, or is a national university located in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan's Imperial Universities.- History :...

 in 1961 while working under Dr. Shiro Kitamura.

He was president of the Mycological Society of Japan from 1987 to 1989. In 2003 he was awarded the Minakata Kumagusu

Minakata Kumagusu

was a Japanese author and naturalist.-Biography:Minakata was born in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. In 1883, he moved to Tokyo, where he entered the preparatory school Kyōryū Gakkō. The headmaster of Kyōritsu, Takahashi Korekiyo, encouraged Minakata in his botanical studies as well as got...

 Award for contributions to mycology. Hongo published more than 130 scientific papers and 9 books. He also described 215 new taxa of Agaricales from a variety of locations.

Selected publications

• Imazeki R, Hongo T. (1957). Genshoku Nihon Kinrui Zukan [Colored Illustrations of Fungi of Japan]. Vol. 1,　181 pp. Japan, Osaka; Hoikusha Publishing Co., Ltd.
• Imazeki R, Hongo T. (1965). Genshoku Nihon Kinrui Zukan　[Colored Illustrations of Fungi of Japan]. Vol. 2, 224 pp. Japan, Osaka; Hoikusha Publishing Co., Ltd.
• Imazeki R, Hongo T. (1987). Genshoku Nihon Shin Kinrui Zukan　[Colored Illustrations of Mushrooms of Japan], Vol. 1. 315 pp. Osaka, Japan; Hoikusha Publishing Co., Ltd.
• Imazeki R, Otani Y, Hongo, T. (1988). Nihon no Kinoko [Fungi of Japan], 623 pp. Tokyo, Japan; Yama-Kei Publishers Co., Ltd.
• Imazeki R, Hongo T. (1989). Genshoku Nihon Shin Kinrui Zukan　[Colored Illustrations of Mushrooms of Japan], Vol. 2. 316 pp. Osaka, Japan; Hoikusha Publishing Co., Ltd.
• Hongo T. (1989). Selected Mycological Papers of Dr. Tsuguo Hongo [Reprinted by Shiga University, Faculty of Education, Laboratory of Biology]. 362 pp. Otsu, Japan; Shiga University.
• Hongo T, Ueda T, Izawa M. (1994). [Mushrooms]. 384 pp. Tokyo; Yama-kei Publishers Co., Ltd.