Maeda Toshiyasu

File:Toyama castle.jpg

Toyama Castle

In this Japanese name, the family name is Maeda.

Maeda Toshiyasu (前田 利保, March 23, 1800 - September 14, 1859) was a Japanese naturalist and entomologist.

He was a Daimyo of Toyama and with other daimyos and officials of the shogunate organised a society of naturalists which met each month.An account was written of the subject discussed, for instance, in September 1840 they discussed the beetle family Scarabaeidae and wrote Kyôro-shakô-zusetsu in which twenty chafer species are scientifially drawn and described.As these studies were refined each member of the group became a specialist.Maede learned the Dutch language (the Japanese naturalists followed Philipp Franz von Siebold and also learned the French language Siebold’s choice for Fauna Japonica and Flora Japonica) and translated the Dutch language Systema Naturae into Japanese.