Japanese Geographer Akira Nakanome 中目覚 to F. M. Trautz 1933 Postcard

 中目覚 to Hilda and F. M. Trautz

Japanese Geographer Akira Nakanome 中目覚  to F. M. Trautz

This January 9, 1933 天王寺 (Tennoji...Osaka) postmarked card was sent by 中目覺 (Akira Nakanome) and addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Trautz.

Akira Nakanome, born on May 23, 1874, in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, was a prominent geographer, linguist, educational administrator, and Esperantist. He pursued higher education in German Literature at the Imperial University of Japan, where he graduated at the top of his class in 1899. His academic excellence earned him a silver watch from the Emperor. After graduation, Nakanome began his career as a professor of German language at the Fourth Higher School, which later became Kanazawa University. In 1903, he took a teaching position at the newly established Hiroshima Higher Normal School, now known as Hiroshima University, where he taught German and geography for a brief period before being sent by the Ministry of Education to Austria-Hungary for advanced studies.

In Vienna, Nakanome studied under renowned geographers Penck and Brückner at the University of Vienna. His research focused on Quaternary glacial landforms, climatology, and geography. In 1904, he embarked on significant research expeditions to the eastern Alps, Switzerland, and along the Rhine River to Brussels. These experiences and observations were later compiled into his 1920 publication, "The Alps and the Rhine."

Returning to Japan, Nakanome established a geography education course at Hiroshima Higher Normal School in 1907. That same year, he conducted the first academic survey of Akiyoshido Cave with Edward Gauntlett, a member of the Royal Geographical Society. Nakanome went on to lecture in geography at various institutions, including Matsuyama High School and Kyoto Imperial University.

During World War II, Nakanome served as the director of the North China Japanese Language Education Research Institute, where he promoted Japanese language education on the continent. He later became the first principal of the Osaka School of Foreign Studies, which evolved into Osaka University of Foreign Studies. His extensive travels for geographical surveys took him to every continent except the polar regions. Notably, he formed a friendship with Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I during a research trip to Africa.

Nakanome's contributions extended beyond geography to include linguistics and the deciphering of ancient characters in Temiya Cave in Otaru. As an avid Esperantist, he discovered the language during a stay in Brussels in 1905 and later co-founded the Hiroshima Esperanto Club with his colleague Naoe Ohno. Akira Nakanome's diverse achievements and dedication to his fields made him a leading figure of his time. He passed away on March 27, 1959, leaving a lasting legacy in geography, linguistics, and education.