Observation and Discovery

2020/10/23

Due to the nature of my work, I often have the opportunity to perform observations using an electron microscope. During those moments when I am immersed in observation, what drives me is the thought, "Perhaps I can discover something interesting that has yet to be seen." Do I observe because I want to discover something, or is there a discovery because I am observing? In any case, I seem to occasionally discover things that most people would not pay attention to. In this article, I would like to write about an episode involving a modest "relic" I discovered previously, relying on my memory.

It was in a room within an old building owned by a certain research institution where I was previously affiliated; the building was said to have been constructed during either the Meiji or Taisho eras. One day, I suddenly noticed that there were traces of newspaper pasted on the wall of a small room used for storage. The paper from the glued section barely remained as a trace about three lines of text wide.

Upon discovering this, I became curious about when the newspaper was from and brought my face close to the fragments of paper that had turned brown from oxidation. Looking back, I am surprised I even felt the urge to observe it so closely. Sure enough, I thought I could decipher words with meanings such as "Overview of Occupied Territories" and Katakana words that seemed to be place names from across Asia. From the sequence of words that would almost never be used in combination in modern society, I imagined that this might have been a newspaper from during the war... and felt a solitary excitement at my great discovery.

Regrettably, however, I did not leave any records, such as photographs of the paper fragments, at that time. This is why the crucial content of the page is described only in vague terms. And now, it is impossible for me to observe those fragments again. The campus itself, which housed that building, has been closed. What on earth was the true identity of those paper fragments? And was my analysis based on the observation results correct or not?

Fortunately, the building was recognized for its value as a historical site, escaped demolition, and is being renovated by the local government. Having had the chance to chat with a local government official, I told them, "There are traces of very old-looking newspaper remaining on the wall of the room," but I wonder if the relic I discovered will remain as it is after the renovation is complete.