Goro Shimura

Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Goro Shimura

Role / Field:

Pioneering mathematician known for complex multiplication and the Taniyama–Shimura conjecture.

Born:

1930-02-23

Died:

2019-05-03

Century / Era:

1930s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Gorō Shimura (志村 五郎, Shimura Gorō; 23 February 1930 – 3 May 2019) was a Japanese mathematician and Michael Henry Strater Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Princeton University who worked in number theory, automorphic forms, and arithmetic geometry. He was known for developing the theory of complex multiplication of abelian varieties and Shimura varieties, as well as posing the Taniyama–Shimura conjecture which ultimately led to the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. Gorō Shimura was born in Hamamatsu, Japan, on 23 February 1930. Shimura graduated with a B.A. in mathematics and a D.Sc. in mathematics from the University of Tokyo in 1952 and 1958, respectively. After graduating, Shimura became a lecturer at the University of Tokyo, then worked abroad — including ten months in Paris and a seven-month stint at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study — before returning to Tokyo, where he married Chikako Ishiguro.

Career & Major Achievements

He then moved from Tokyo to join the faculty of Osaka University, but growing unhappy with his funding situation, he decided to seek employment in the United States. Through André Weil he obtained a position at Princeton University. Shimura joined the Princeton faculty in 1964 and retired in 1999, during which time he advised over 28 doctoral students and received the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1970, the Cole Prize for number theory in 1977, the Asahi Prize in 1991, and the Steele Prize for lifetime achievement in 1996. Shimura described his approach to mathematics as "phenomenological": his interest was in finding new types of interesting behavior in the theory of automorphic forms. He also argued for a "romantic" approach, something he found lacking in the younger generation of mathematicians.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Shimura used a two-part process for research, using one desk in his home dedicated to working on new research in the mornings and a second desk for perfecting papers in the afternoon. Shimura had two children, Tomoko and Haru, with his wife Chikako. Shimura died on 3 May 2019 in Princeton, New Jersey at the age of 89. Shimura was a colleague and a friend of Yutaka Taniyama, with whom he wrote the first book on the complex multiplication of abelian varieties and formulated the Taniyama–Shimura conjecture. Shimura then wrote a long series of major papers, extending the phenomena found in the theory of complex multiplication of elliptic curves and the theory of modular forms to higher dimensions (e.g. Shimura varieties).

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1930 (1930-02-23): Birth of Goro Shimura — Pioneering mathematician known for complex multiplication and the Taniyama–Shimura conjecture.
2. 1952: 1952 Milestone — in mathematics from the University of Tokyo in 1952 and 1958, respectively.
3. 1964: 1964 Milestone — Shimura joined the Princeton faculty in 1964 and retired in 1999, during which time he advised over 28 doctoral students and received the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1970, the Cole Prize for number theory in 1977, the Asahi Prize in 1991, and the Steele Prize for lifetime achievement in 1996.
4. 2019 (2019-05-03): Passing & Historical Legacy — Goro Shimura passed away on 2019-05-03, leaving an enduring historical legacy.

Notable Quotes by Goro Shimura

“I told you so” (1995)

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Goro Shimura

True or False: “The Taniyama–Shimura conjecture was proven by Andrew Wiles in the year 2000.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Andrew Wiles proved the necessary case of the conjecture leading to Fermat's Last Theorem in 1995.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Goro Shimura