Funatsu Keizo (Japan)

Funatsu Keizo

Keizo Funatsu is a great adventurer, born in Osaka, Japan in 1956. He graduated from Kobe University. He was an office worker for a Japanese business firm but quit in 1984. After he left his regular job, he started his life as an adventurer. In 1985, he moved to Minnesota where he learned about mushing. Keizo Funatsu was the dog handler of the famous Trans-Antarctica Expedition by Jean-Louis Etienne (1989-90) that went from the Antarctic Peninsula to the Russian research base of Mirny.

The team was composed of six men: Jean-Louis Etienne (France), Will Steger (USA), Victor Boyarsky (USSR), Geoff Somers (UK), Keizo Funatsu (Japan) and Dahe Qin (China). They departed on July 28th 1989 from the Antarctic Peninsula and reached Mirniy on March 3rd 1990 after having covered 6400km in 7 months.