Akira Tago

Akira Tago ( Japanese 多 湖 輝 , Tago Akira ; * 1926 in Sumatra , Indonesia ; † March 6, 2016 ) was a Japanese psychologist and author. He was a professor at Chiba University and was best known for the Atama no Taiso puzzle book series and his influence on the later inspired puzzle video game series Professor Layton .

Life

Tago was born on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in 1926. He studied at a graduate school at the University of Tokyo and became professor at the University of Chiba in 1973 after a time as an assistant professor. In 1966 he published the first book of his puzzle book series Atama no Taisō ( 頭 の 体操 , "head exercises"), which sold a total of more than 2.65 million copies. By 2001 a total of 23 parts of the book series had appeared with a total sales figure of more than 12 million copies. Tago also wrote various other books, mainly in the field of psychology .

Video game designer Akihiro Hino was inspired by Tago's books he read as a child to create the Professor Layton puzzle game series , the pieces of which have sold over 13 million copies. Nintendo also released four Nintendo DS games based directly on the book series.

He was also Chairman of the Japan Creativity Society and President of the Tokyo University of the Future .

Akira Tago died in March 2016 at the age of 90 years at a pneumonia .

On March 23, 2016, an asteroid discovered in 1994 was named after him: (16671) Tago .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Psychologist, best-selling author of 'Atama no Taiso' series Akira Tago dies at 90. In: The Japan Times . March 15, 2016, accessed March 16, 2016 . 
2. ^ Richard Eisenbeis: If it Weren't for This Book, Professor Layton Wouldn't Exist. In: Kotaku . March 5, 2013, accessed March 16, 2016 . 
3. ^ The Minor Planet Circulars / Minor Planets and Comets. ( PDF ; 3.5 MB) Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory , March 26, 2016, p. 635 , accessed on July 12, 2016 .