In Memoriam ’23] “I kept a dog and a cat even though it was hard for me to walk 5 meters” – A Disciple Speaks of “Words Given to Me by Dr. Masanori Hata

Masanori Hata
Died on April 5 at the age of 87

Masanori Hata (87 years old), an author and animal researcher, was nicknamed “Mutsugoro” when he passed away on April 5, 2011. In 1971, he moved to Hokkaido and opened “Mutsugoro Animal Kingdom. He wrote many literary works depicting the interaction between people and animals, and in ′80, the TV program “Mutsugoro and his Wonderful Friends” began airing. The interaction between Mutsugoro and the animals was so popular that it became a long-running program that ran for 20 years.

Punk Machida, an animal researcher who had a mentor-student relationship with Mr. Hata, talks about the true face of “Mutsugoro-san.

He loved animals more than anyone else.
Punk Machida, animal researcher

If I had to sum up Mr. Hata in one word, I would say that he loved animals more than anyone else. Some people said that he didn’t really love animals, but that was a big lie. He loved them very much. He kept a Bernese Mountain Dog and a cat in his room, even when he was so ill that he could hardly walk five meters and said he would probably die soon.

The last time I saw him, he was in pretty bad shape and couldn’t even get out of bed or go to the bathroom, but we had a great time talking about animals.

Mr. Hata, who loved animals more than anyone else, once told me, without any context, that I could call myself “the second Mutsugoro,” which left a lasting impression on me. I was surprised. But I was happy. But he also told me that if I wanted to call myself that, I should study more about dogs. The animal that Mr. Hatake loved the most was a dog. By the way, his second favorite animal was a horse.

If it comes true, I would love to talk about animals with him again.

From the December 29, 2023 issue of FRIDAY