Terada Torahiko Materials and the Related Historical Sites (Site of
Terada Torahiko Residence)

Torahiko Terada, known for the adage “Natural disasters strike when they are forgotten,” shines brilliantly in the early history of Japanese physics.In addition to his contributions to early X-ray crystallography, he conducted research on familiar and diverse topics—a field known as “Terada Physics”—and nurtured students in many fields, laying the foundation for academic scholarship. Among his students were Masaharu Nishikawa (crystallography), Ukichiro Nakatani (physics: snow and ice science), Chūji Tsuboi (geophysics), Michitaka Uda (ocean physics), and Morizo Hirata (physics: research on cracks).

The Kochi City Torahiko Terada Memorial Hall (Site of the Torahiko Terada Residence and His Living Quarters) is located in the area where Torahiko Terada—born in Tokyo in 1878—spent approximately 15 years until he enrolled in the Fifth Higher School in Kumamoto in 1896.The Kochi Prefectural Museum of Literature, located a short distance from the memorial hall, was established in 1997 after Torahiko Terada’s family donated his entire collection of materials to Kochi Prefecture in a single donation; the museum houses the “Torahiko Terada Memorial Room.”The Kochi Prefectural Museum of Literature and the Kochi City Torahiko Terada Memorial Hall preserve a vast collection of materials related to Torahiko Terada, which are indispensable for understanding research and education during the dawn of physics in Japan.

Torahiko Terada spent his childhood surrounded by the beautiful, captivating, and abundant nature of Tosa.In 1891, when he was a boy, he was given a microscope and learned how to observe physical phenomena in detail through scientific research. Furthermore, records indicate that he saw the first X-ray photograph, taken in November 1895, in a magazine in April 1896, and this experience led to his later research in “X-ray crystallography.” In this way, the days he spent in Kochi laid the foundation for his talent to blossom fully as a scientist later in life.

The Terada Torahiko Memorial Museum in Kochi City displays items such as a model steam engine that his father bought for him when he was a boy, the travel bag he is said to have used while studying abroad, and letters in his own handwriting. The inscriptions on monuments such as the “Site of Professor Terada Torahiko’s Residence” were written by Tomitaro Makino, with whom Terada had a close relationship.

The Torahiko Terada Memorial Room occupies a large section of the Kochi Prefectural Museum of Literature. In addition to showcasing Torahiko as an essayist, the exhibition also features a comprehensive display on “Torahiko the Scientist.”Items ranging from “early pure physics” to science related to disaster prevention and daily life are on display alongside his handwritten notebooks and other materials. These materials, along with others owned by Kochi Prefecture—most of which were donated by his family—number approximately 3,000 items, though some remain unorganized.

These materials related to Torahiko Terada include hand-painted watercolor postcards from Soseki Natsume, letters from Shiki Masaoka, as well as musical instruments and paintings. They are inseparable from Torahiko Terada’s scientific research and can be considered valuable materials essential for understanding how he established the field of “scientific essays.”One notable example is the scientific analysis that Terada Torahiko later conducted of Sōseki’s haiku: “A camellia that has knocked a horsefly to the ground as it falls.”

Torahiko Terada later wrote essays and papers about natural phenomena he witnessed and heard about during his childhood in Kochi, such as wildfires, the roar of the sea, and the evening calm. In addition, he visited Kochi in 1903 with Kotaro Honda and others to investigate seawater oscillations, and he also conducted research on secondary tidal oscillations. This suggests that his later research in ocean physics also originated from the natural environment of Kochi.The Terada Torahiko Collection and Memorial Museum are valuable resources that illustrate this very point.

The Terada Torahiko Memorial Room at the Kochi Prefectural Museum of Literature is open to the public. Materials in the collection may be viewed upon request. All preserved materials are stored in the archives, and reproductions are used for the display of items that are prone to deterioration. The Terada Torahiko Memorial Hall in Kochi City and its exhibits are open to the public.