OSAKA - Thirty years after an award was established in honor of legendary Japanese adventurer Naomi Uemura, organizers and past recipients say his determination to pursue what fascinated him remains relevant in an age increasingly focused on efficiency.

The Naomi Uemura Adventure Award, launched in 1996, recognizes individuals or groups for outstanding and creative endeavors in the natural world, from mountains and oceans to polar regions and caves.

Uemura, born in 1941 in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, developed his mountaineering skills as a member of the Meiji University Alpine Club.

In 1970, he became the first Japanese to climb Mt. Everest and later that year became the first person to summit the highest peaks on five continents. In 1978, he became the first person to reach the North Pole alone by dog sled.

He went missing after reaching the summit of Alaska's Mt. McKinley, now known as Denali, in 1984.

The award bearing his name has now marked its 30th edition, with organizers in Toyooka selecting recipients whose pursuits reflect Uemura's adventurous spirit.

City officials gather information on possible candidates from sources including magazines and the internet. This year, 131 candidates were considered.

The award went to Kumpei Kosaka, 30, a spearfisherman who freedives and hunts large fish with a handheld spear.

Kosaka was recognized for catching a dogtooth tuna measuring 198 centimeters and weighing 105.5 kilograms. The award ceremony was held in June.

The selection committee said his willingness to face nature one-on-one under extreme conditions reflected the same approach that characterized Uemura's adventures.

Kosaka said Uemura continues to influence the way he pursues his own challenges.

"I make a point of rereading his books and reminding myself of the purity with which he gave himself over to his passion," he said.

That influence can also be felt among previous winners.

Yasunaga Ogita, 49, who received the award in 2017 after becoming the first Japanese to reach the South Pole alone and on foot without resupply, said Uemura's reputation endures in places connected with polar exploration.

Ogita said that during his own expeditions in Canada and Greenland, he still encounters people who remember Uemura fondly as a humble man.

"The fact that people still remember him more than 40 years after he disappeared is not only because of what he achieved, but also because of the kind of person he was," Ogita said.

"Thanks to that, those of us who followed in his footsteps are warmly welcomed by local people and are able to pursue our own activities to the fullest."

Toyooka officials say Uemura's life also offers lessons for people with no connection to exploration.

"Even for people whose lives have nothing to do with adventure, there is something people of all ages can learn from Uemura's life," a city official said.

"We want to keep passing on the story of a local figure who showed us the importance of pursuing our dreams and never giving up."

Tetsuya Ono, a professor of sports sociology at Momoyama Gakuin University who specializes in the history of exploration, said Uemura offered an alternative model of how to live during Japan's period of rapid economic growth.

"Uemura was a pioneer who showed that pursuing what you really wanted to do could itself be a choice in life," Ono said.

At a time when value for money and efficient use of time are increasingly prized, adventure could easily be regarded as pointless, he said.

But Ono said pure curiosity has contributed to human progress.

"That makes an award bearing Uemura's name all the more significant in carrying those values forward."