Wakayama Junior High School days

In 1879, Kumagusu enrolled in Wakayama Junior High School (present day Toin High School).
Kumagusu was obsessed with reading, making observations, and collecting specimens, while less interested in school works, so his grades were apparently not so good. One day when he did not turn up at school for several days, they even rumored that he had been “kidnapped” by a tengu monster while he collecting specimens in the mountains.
Among the teachers at the junior high school, Toriyama Hiraku influenced him greatly. Toriyama had studied both Japanese classics and Western natural history, and was one of important forerunners who introduced the Western learning.
Kumagusu’s encounter with Mr Toriyama was the first occasion for him to contact with the subject of natural history.

<strong>Dōbutsugaku and Kashosai zakki</strong><br>At the age of 13, Kumagusu wrote and edited Dōbutsugaku (Zoology), his own textbook. It includes numerous illustrations and explanations of different animals. In addition, while in junior high school, he combined extracts from several other texts into a single notebook which he called Kashosai Zakki (Miscellaneous Notes on Interesting Topics). These are the starting point from which he would go on to develop his research notebooks.
Dōbutsugaku and Kashosai zakki

<strong>Grades at Wakayama Junior High School</strong><br> Kumagusu’s grades in his junior high school were not very good. If you look at his report card, you can see that he was below average and sometimes even failing for some courses. He was above average only in Biology and Chemistry. Kumagusu himself even noted that he had loved observing things out door and that this was why his grades in school had not been good.
Grades at Wakayama Junior High School