4:30 PM - 4:45 PM
[MIS17-08] Meteorological and Astronomical Observations at Nagashima-Aiseien, a Hansen's disease sanatorium
Keywords:Meteorological observation, Astronomical observation, Hansen's disease, Citizen science
In this paper we present a unique history of meteorological and astronomical observations at Nagashima-Aiseien, a Hansen’s disease sanatorium in Japan. Hansen's disease is a chronic infectious disease also called leprosy. It used to be, and still is, stigmatized disease. It was considered to be incurable before an effective medicine was found in 1950s, and it often accompanied significant changes in the appearance of the patients. There was also a misunderstanding as being hereditary, and not only the patients but also their families received fierce discrimination. In Japan, the national policy of forcibly isolating the Hansen’s disease patients to the sanatoria was taken in earth 20th century. Many patients feared that discrimination would extend to their families, and changed their names to break their connection with their home. The isolation policy continued even after the disease became curable until the "Leprosy Prevention Law" the legal foundation of the isolation policy, was finally abolished in 1996. Even after their disease healed, many people did not leave the sanatoria because various social factors prevented them from rebuilding their life in other places. Today, there are about one thousand residents in the 13 national and one private sanatoria in Japan.
Nagashima-Aiseien is one of such sanatoria located in an island in Okayama prefecture. What is unique in Aiseien is that it had meteorological and astronomical observatory operated by its inmates. The Nagashima meteorological Observatory (NMO) was established in 1935. It soon became one of the observation stations of the ward (Kunai Kansokujo) under Okayama Local Meteorological Office, and continued to be so until late 1970s when the Japanese government replaced all the Kunai Kansokujo with an automatic observation system. The task of Kunai Kansokujo was to acquire meteorological data and send it to the local meteorological office. At NMO, it was HD disease sufferers of Aiseien who conducted the observation. Although the observation was institutionalized as patient work, the observers at NMO were not merely doing the assigned tasks. Rather, they proactively developed the observatory, and were proud of making their own contribution to science. The observation was continued even after its closure as the observation stations of the ward, and ended in 2011. Surprisingly, the record of 77 years of observation was neatly kept and preserved by Mr. Mineo Morita, the last chief of the observatory. Currently the record is being digitized and will be provided as a numerical data in future. It will provide a useful data of local weather especially before 1945 as the significant amount of local data kept in the Okayama Local Meteorological Office was lost during the war.
The astronomical observatory was a part of the NMO. It was founded 1949 and continued its activity until sometime around 1960. Its main telescope was a Newton telescope with a 5-inch mirror made by George Calver. It was Professor Issei Yamamoto, the first director of Kwasan observatory, Kyoto University, who donated the telescope previously owned by one of his students who prematurely passed away. The astronomical observatory was founded according to the request from a resident in Nagashima-Aiseien, Mr Takeo Yokouchi. Before he entered the sanatorium he used to work as a technician in optics, There remains a moving letter from Mr Yokouchi to Prof Yamamoto in which Mr Yokouchi wrote about his passion in astronomy and how natural sciences give them the meaning of life. Interestingly, Mr Yokouchi used another name, Teruhiko Yoda, in his daily life due to the reason described above, but he always used his true name, Takeo Yokouchi, when he wrote about the meteorological and astronomical observations.
The observational data, the historical documents about the observatories, and an interview to Mr. Morita will be discussed in the context of its potential scientific value, history of citizen science, and history of Hansen’s disease.
Nagashima-Aiseien is one of such sanatoria located in an island in Okayama prefecture. What is unique in Aiseien is that it had meteorological and astronomical observatory operated by its inmates. The Nagashima meteorological Observatory (NMO) was established in 1935. It soon became one of the observation stations of the ward (Kunai Kansokujo) under Okayama Local Meteorological Office, and continued to be so until late 1970s when the Japanese government replaced all the Kunai Kansokujo with an automatic observation system. The task of Kunai Kansokujo was to acquire meteorological data and send it to the local meteorological office. At NMO, it was HD disease sufferers of Aiseien who conducted the observation. Although the observation was institutionalized as patient work, the observers at NMO were not merely doing the assigned tasks. Rather, they proactively developed the observatory, and were proud of making their own contribution to science. The observation was continued even after its closure as the observation stations of the ward, and ended in 2011. Surprisingly, the record of 77 years of observation was neatly kept and preserved by Mr. Mineo Morita, the last chief of the observatory. Currently the record is being digitized and will be provided as a numerical data in future. It will provide a useful data of local weather especially before 1945 as the significant amount of local data kept in the Okayama Local Meteorological Office was lost during the war.
The astronomical observatory was a part of the NMO. It was founded 1949 and continued its activity until sometime around 1960. Its main telescope was a Newton telescope with a 5-inch mirror made by George Calver. It was Professor Issei Yamamoto, the first director of Kwasan observatory, Kyoto University, who donated the telescope previously owned by one of his students who prematurely passed away. The astronomical observatory was founded according to the request from a resident in Nagashima-Aiseien, Mr Takeo Yokouchi. Before he entered the sanatorium he used to work as a technician in optics, There remains a moving letter from Mr Yokouchi to Prof Yamamoto in which Mr Yokouchi wrote about his passion in astronomy and how natural sciences give them the meaning of life. Interestingly, Mr Yokouchi used another name, Teruhiko Yoda, in his daily life due to the reason described above, but he always used his true name, Takeo Yokouchi, when he wrote about the meteorological and astronomical observations.
The observational data, the historical documents about the observatories, and an interview to Mr. Morita will be discussed in the context of its potential scientific value, history of citizen science, and history of Hansen’s disease.