PSJ Logo and Mascot Character

The design of this logo is modelled on the frog featured in the “Chōjū-giga”. Frogs have played an indispensable role in physiological research and education.

The “Chōjū-giga” scrolls, preserved at Kōsan-ji Temple in Kyoto, consist of four volumes in total.It is said to be the work of Toba Sōjō (1053–1140), but there is no evidence to support this, and the true author remains unknown.It features caricatures of numerous animals and people, and is often referred to as Japan’s oldest comic strip due to its witty depictions.

The Physiological Society of Japan(PSJ) has a long-standing connection with the “Chōjū-giga”; when the International Union of Physiological Sciences (IUPS) held its World Congress in Tokyo in 1965, the “Chōjū-giga” was used as the design for the tote bags distributed to participants.Furthermore, various illustrations from the “Chōjū-giga” have been used in the margins of “The Journal of The Physiological Society of Japan” and “The Journal of Physiological Sciences” (formerly “The Japanese Journal of Physiology”), the official journals of PSJ.

A mascot character was created as part of the website revamp in 2015.