Yutaka Taniyama

Yutaka Taniyama (谷山 豊, Yutaka Taniyama^? November 12, 1927 – November 17, 1958) was a mathematician Japanese. He is known for the Taniyama-Shimura conjecture, which was an important factor in the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem.

Early Years

Taniyama was born in Kisai, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. His name was actually Toyo, but many called him Yutaka because it is a more common reading of the character 豊, so he ended up adopting that name.

In high school, he became interested in mathematics inspired by Teiji Takagi's modern history of mathematics.

Taniyama studied mathematics at the University of Tokyo after the end of World War II. There he developed a friendship with another student, Gorō Shimura. He graduated in 1953 and remained there as a "special research student," and later as an associate professor.

Advanced Mathematics Studies

He became interested in algebraic number theory. He wrote Modern Number Theory (1957) in Japanese, together with Gorō Shimura. Although they thought of writing an English version, they lost enthusiasm and never had time to write it before Taniyama's death.

But above all, they were both fascinated by the study of modular forms, which are objects that exist in complex space and are peculiar due to their level of symmetry.

Taniyama's fame is mainly due to the two problems he posed at the Algebraic Number Theory symposium held in Tokyo in 1955 (his meeting with Weil at this symposium would have a great influence on Taniyama's work). There, he presented some problems dealing with the relationship between modular shapes and elliptic curves. He had noticed some very peculiar similarities between the two types of entities. Taniyama's observations led him to believe that every modular shape is related to some elliptic curve. Shimura later worked with Taniyama on this idea that modular shapes and elliptic curves were related, and this forms the basis of the Taniyama–Shimura conjecture:

This conjecture proved to be an important part of Andrew Wiles's proof of Fermat's Last Theorem.

Suicide

With an apparently bright future ahead of him, both in mathematics and in his private life (he was planning his marriage), he committed suicide. In a note he left behind, he was careful to describe exactly how far he had come in the calculus and linear algebra courses he had been teaching at the university and to apologize to his colleagues for all that his death I would suppose Regarding the reason that led him to take his own life, he explained:

Until yesterday, I had no definitive intention of committing suicide. More than one must have noticed that lately I'm tired both physically and mentally. I don't quite understand myself, but it's not the result of a particular incident, or a specific issue. I just want to say that I have lost confidence in the future. Perhaps my suicide may disturb or be a hard blow to certain people. I sincerely hope that this incident does not overwhelm this person's life. In any case, I cannot deny that this is a kind of betrayal. Exclude my behavior. It is the last act I do in my own way, as I have been doing my way my whole life.

A month later, Misako Suzuki, the woman he was going to marry also committed suicide, leaving a note that read: We promised each other that no matter where we went, we would never be apart. Now that he's gone, I have to go join him too.

Taniyama's ideas have been criticized and his behavior has been considered peculiar at times. Gorō Shimura mentioned that he suffered from depression. Taniyama also mentions in his suicide note his concern that some might be harmed by his decision to take his own life and his hope that the act does not cast "a dark shadow over this person.";

After Taniyama's death, Gorō Shimura stated that:

Taniyama was always kind to his colleagues. It was the moral support of many mathematicians who met him and were in contact with him, including of course myself. He was probably never aware of the role he was playing. I appreciate your noble generosity more now than when I was alive. However, no one was able to give him all the support when he desperately needed it. I feel really overwhelmed by the bitterest pain.