Tadahide Shimazu

Tadayoshi Shimazu (Shimazu Tadayoshi) was born in Tokyo Prefecture on March 27, 1912 (Meiji 45) and passed away on July 9, 1996 (Heisei 8). He was a Japanese fisheries scientist, stamp collector, and businessman. He was the 31st head of the Shimazu family.

Regarding family background, he was born as the eldest son of the 30th head of the family, Tadayuki Shimazu. His mother was Iso Shimazu (the fifth daughter of Tokudaiji Jitsunori). His father, Tadayuki, enrolled in the Navy Officer Candidates School intending to become a naval officer but ultimately chose a different career path. He later attended Gakushuin High School and then entered the Faculty of Science at Kyoto Imperial University. During his university years, he interacted with Tamiji Kawamura, Taku Komai, and Kaname Okada.

After completing his education, he joined the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests. After World War II, he served as the director of the freshwater fisheries research station's river division and aquaculture division, and also as deputy director of the same institute. He was particularly engaged in research on the ecology and aquaculture methods of the sweetfish (ayu). After retiring from research, he was involved in business management as the chairman of Shimazu Industries and also lectured at the Faculty of Fisheries at Kagoshima University.

He was also renowned as a collector of animal-themed stamps and was one of the world’s leading collectors. In the stamp field, he also used the pseudonym Yoshirō Shimazu (Shimazu Akio).

Regarding marital history, his ex-wife Akiko was the eldest daughter of Fumimaro Konoe. They divorced during the turmoil after World War II. It was also publicly known that Tadayoshi eloped with Haruya Noguchi, a visiting osteopath. This incident is known as the "Showa Nora Incident." His eldest son, Tadayoshi Jr., died young, so the family headship was taken over by his second son, Osamu Shimazu.

Tadayoshi received several court ranks: on April 15, 1932 (Showa 7), he was conferred the third-ranked (Jugo-i) noble rank; on May 1, 1936 (Showa 11), he was promoted to the second rank (Shogo-i); and on May 15, 1942 (Showa 17), he was promoted to the first rank (Jushii).

His major works include "Animal Stamps" (Stamp Culture Series, 1942), Akio Shimazu's "Animal Illustrated Encyclopedia via Stamps: Mammals" (Sōfū Shoin, 1955), and "Animal Stamp General Catalog" (Kitteshumi-sha, 1958).

His family included his father Tadayuki Shimazu, mother Iso Shimazu, ex-wife Akiko Shimazu, his first son Tadayoshi Jr. (who died young), his second son Osamu Shimazu (the current family head), and his eldest daughter Shizuko, wife of Yoshitaka Ōshima.