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Aspects of the role of

microscopes in the history of

petrology in Japan

Tokyo Medical and Dental University

Michiko YAJIMA

ICHST in Budapest 2009.07.28

Microscopic Petrology• Polarizing microscope is the instrument of researching rocks, utilizing properties of polarization of minerals.

• Petrology advanced in accordance with good use of microscopes.

1980s

Thin section of rocks

Lower polarizing plate

Upper polarizing plate

Short History of How to make and use polarizing microscopes

・The concept of polarization

・Polarizing prism 1828 invented by William Nicol(1768?–1851), England

made polarizing prism from thin section of fossilized wood and calcite1851 Henry Clifton Sorby（1826‐1908） used in graduate thesis 1860 Ferdinand Zirkel (1838－1912 ), Bonn learned from Sorby

1873 Zirkel wrote a textbook1881 Bunjiro KOTO learned from Zirkel（Reibzich）

Toyokichi HARADA learned from Harry Rosenbusch（Heiderberg）1873 Rosenbusch wrote a textbook

1932 Edwin Herbert Land discovered Polaroid (polarizing plate)1940s Yasushi HOSHINO in Japan studied man-made polarizing plate

・Universal Stage 1890s E.von Fedorow (Russia)

My talk is neither history of making microscopes,nor history of invention of microscopes

but

aspects of the role of microscopes

in the history of petrology in Japan

1. “We are scientists because we Japanese has microscopes”Late of the 19th Century,

2. From import to home-madeLate of the 19th Century to the beginning of 20th Century

３．Leader of petrology, Seitaro TSUBOI (1893－1986)

In the beginning of the 20th Century

４．Using microscopes for the research of Uranium Hisashi KUNO (1910-1969)

During the World War II

５． “The time of microscopic petrography is over”Akiho MIYASHIRO (1920-2008)

After the World War II

5 episodes

1. “We are scientists because we Japanese has microscopes”

Late of the 19th Century,

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First WesternerB.S.Lyman(1835-19200)From America

Lyman brought only one transitLyman and students(1877)

Edmund Naumann (1854-1927)stayed in JapanIn1875-1885

Geological map 1887

Naumann and his student

Students had hammers in 1877

Aneroid altimeter

Surveying instrument(Altadimass?)

Naumann’s Remembrances

Making maps

Zirkel (1838－1912)

In １８８１Doctoral Degree for study of some Japanese rocks under Ferdinand Zirkel (1838-1912) Leipzig University

Bunjiro KOTO (1856－1935)Japanese first geologist

In 1879Graduated the University of Tokyo Signatures of Edmund Naumann, Curt Adolph Netto(1847-1909）Robert William Atkinson (1850-1929) And W.S.Chopin

In 1887, KOTO wrote papers on Glaucophane and Piedmotite with microscopic petrography

When Koto came back to Japan, Koto wrote the textbook of geology in Japanese“Microscopes are more expensive than

20yen （50Mark）”

This is the first paper on microscopic petrography in Japan.

Until the late of 1890s the Japanese Government was trying to change the one-sided and unequal commercial treaty with Western countries that had been concluded prior to Meiji Era, and one of the points that raised was the claim that Japanese geologists had a superior knowledge of Japanese geology, as compared with some Western scientists working in Japan.

The Japanese geologists claimed that they could become better than Naumann and Lyman because of their use of microscopes.

In １９１３ Japanese professors in the University of TokyoN.YAMAZAKI,M.YOKOYAMA, B.KOTO, K.JINBO

Professors of Geography, Palaeontology, Geology, Mineralogy

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2. From import to home-madeLate of the 19th Century

In 1884 KOTO introduced microscopes in Japanese textbook.

“Microscopes are more expensive than 20 yen

Best one is made by Dr. Hartnack in PotsdamMr. Zeiss in JenaMr. R. Fuess, 108, Alte Jakobstrasse, Berlin ( also thin sections)Mr. Voigｔ, in Goettingen ( also thin sections)”

KOTO offered his thin sections to Japanese researchers.

During the World War I,Japanese people could not import microscopes from Germany.After the war, the prices are soaring.

In 1925After World War I

Shimadzu Factory started to make microscopes with help of Dr. Tadashi HIKI

Microscopes 220 yen (ca $1,100)

First home-made-microscopeHIKI, １９２５

Demonstration’s MicroscopeMade by Fuess

Microscopes 220 yen (ca $1,100)

Thin sections of Japanese rocks60 species 60 yen (ca$300.00)25 species 25 yen 12 species 20 yen (ca$100.00)

Photographs of thin sections 12 species 24 yen

The Prices

３．Leader of petrology,

Seitaro TSUBOI (1893-1986) In the beginning of the 20th Century

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Microscopic petrography in Japan developed gradually and made some significant contributions.For example, Koto’s student, Seitaro TSUBOI (1893-1986) devised a dispersion method of determining plagioclases in cleavage-flakes in 1923. This technique came to be known as the ‘Tsuboi method’ and was used all over the world.

Seitaro TSUBOI (1893-1986)

1922 IGC in Bergium

Tsuboi’s method (1923，1934）

A dispersion method of determining the twinning laws of plagioclase Feldspar in cleavage-flakes in 1923

４．Using microscopes for the investigating Uranium Hisashi KUNO (1910-1969),

During the World War II

Even Japanese people intended to Collect uranium and make atomic bomb

Before and during World War II, Japanese geologists prospected for uraniumbased on the chemical analysis of various rocks.

Hisashi KUNO , associate professor of the University of Tokyo,went as a soldier to the front of Northeast China, where there were no good geological linstruments other than microscopes.

He found small differences in the refractive indices of the quartz in different granites.So the Japanese petrologists and soldiershad to measure the refractive indices of the mineralsin various granites using only microscopes.

Hisashi KUNO (1910-1969)TSUBOI’s student,carried out the most influential studies on the genesis of island arc volcanic rocks.

５． Physico –chemical experiment,Akiho MIYASHIRO (1920-2008)

After the war

After the War, one of TSUBOI’s students,Akiho MIYASHIRO (1920-2008),advanced a physico-chemical theory of the metamorphic rocks of Japanon the basis of microscopic petrography ,and discussed the origin of the Japanese island arc.

Akiho MIYASHIRO (1920-2008)

“This is not the time of microscopic petrology”