Early life and education Kinji Imanishi was born and raised in
Kyoto. He studied at the
Third High School from 1920 to 1925. He joined the
mountaineering club for students and made friends with
Takeo Kuwabara,
Eizaburo Nishibori, etc. He entered
Kyoto Imperial University in April 1925. He belonged to the School of Agriculture and measured
biology. After getting the BA degree, he entered graduate school at the same university.
As a biologist (before the Pacific War) Imanishi became the special lecturer of his alma mater in March 1933. Imanishi and
Kani Tokichi (可児 藤吉) were interested in the ecological difference between insects that depend on the parts of a river. They built a theory of
ecological niche. In 1928, Imanishi received his
Doctor of Science. The title of his doctoral dissertation was
"Mayflies in Japanese Mountain Streams" (日本渓流産蜉蝣目). He joined as a member of the
Mongolian expedition of Kyoto Imperial University in the same year, where he demonstrated the skill of mountaineering and survival from his high school days. Imanishi was appointed researcher at the Institute for Life Sciences of Asia, under the jurisdiction of
East Asia Development Board, in 1929. As a researcher, he traveled in
Pohnpei ilands for research. Next, he went on an expedition to the northern area of
Greater Khingan in May 1941 (until July 1941). When the
Northwest Research Institute was established in Spring 1944, he assumed the role of president.
After the war Imanishi went back to being a lecturer at
Kyoto University, School of Agriculture. He belonged to
the Kyoto University Research Centre for the Cultural Sciences from August 1950. He led the
Manaslu expedition in 1952. Next, he led the Scientific expedition of
Karakorum-
Hindu Kush from 1955. In 1956, he built the
Japan Monkey Centre at
Inuyama, which is a
zoological garden of
primates (The
Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University is on the southern side.) He was promoted to professor of
the Kyoto University Research Centre for the Cultural Sciences in 1959. He was the chief of the Research team of
Hominidae in three expeditions: 1961, 1963, and 1964. He retired to Kyoto University in 1965. After the retirement of Kyoto University, he was a professor at
Okayama University (May 1965-May 1966). From June 1966, he served the fourth
principal of
Gifu University (until June 1973). Kinji's long-cherished desire attained in 1967,
Primate Research Institute was founded in 1967. He loved mountain climbing all his life and was the chairman of
Japanese Alpine Club from 1973 to 1976. ==Contribution of research==