Hideyo Noguchi statue

[Inawashiro, Fukushima Prefecture] The elaborate robot at the Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Museum is a hot topic! Have fun learning about great people in history

  • Last updated: 2023.09.7

Inawashiro Town in Fukushima Prefecture is famous as the town where Hideyo Noguchi grew up. The Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Museum is located here, and Hideyo Noguchi's birthplace has been preserved in its entirety as it was back then.

There are also plenty of other things to see in the museum, such as a recreation of Hideyo Noguchi's laboratory and his favorite items on display. Hideyo Noguchi, whose portrait is featured on the 1,000 yen bill, is known to everyone in Japan.

However, there are many people who only know his name and face, but know almost nothing about Hideyo, such as how he became famous and what kind of personality he had.

The Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Museum we introduce today is designed to be easy to understand and enjoy even for those without prior knowledge.

Actually a wonderful birthplace

It is sometimes written in biographies that Hideyo Noguchi was born into a poor family. However, when you actually look at the house where he was born, you realize that it is too big to be considered poor.

Visually, it's over 15m wide and about 10m long. Furthermore, there is also a stable, so even if the house cannot be called wealthy, it cannot be called poor.

Maybe it's because the stories of people rising from poverty are more prominent in the story, but when you actually go there, you get the impression that the family was not as poor as it is often said to be, but that it was above average.

The hearth where Hideyo Noguchi fell also exists.

There is a mulberry tree in the garden that my mother Shika planted. He looks quite old now. The hearth that Hideyo Noguchi fell into when he was one and a half years old, which is often mentioned in biographies, still exists.

It is said that the fingers of one hand were fused together due to the burns. Hideyo Noguchi had a complex about this, but he took this opportunity to become interested in medicine.

It was through this path that he became famous all over the world, so the fall into the hearth was truly an incident that could be called a feat of injury. Hideyo Noguchi's roots remain intact.

A floor pillar carved with a strong determination to move to Tokyo

Hideyo Noguchi's famous words, ``If I don't get what I want, I won't set foot on this land again,'' are engraved on the pillars. It is often talked about as proof that he had a great deal of determination when he came to Tokyo.

Daibokubashira and tokobashira are said to be sacred places in the house that should not be polluted. It is thought that he had an unusual determination because he carved the words above into it.

“Mother Deer’s Letter” conveys her feelings in a real way

Hideyo Noguchi did not return to his hometown for a long time after moving to America. The original letter that a lonely mother, Shika, sent to her son is preserved in the museum.

Although the handwriting is not very well-written, it clearly conveys the mother's feelings. I would like you to take a look at the handwritten letter and enjoy the content as well as the typeface that evokes the emotion.

At that time, sending a letter from Japan to America would not have been as easy as it is now. The strength of her mother's action in putting this into practice makes me feel that she is the mother of a great person.

Hideyo Noguchi welcomes you at the “Doctoral Laboratory”

Inside the museum, there is a very well-made robot modeled after a young Hideyo Noguchi. In the corner called ``Doctor's Laboratory'', Hideyo Noguchi is sitting at the desk where he was actually doing research. His facial expressions move and he speaks with body language.

There are buttons to ask Hideyo Noguchi questions such as "Why did you want to become a medical scientist?", "What made you the happiest?", and "How do you feel about being on the 1,000 yen bill?" . Press this and it will answer your question.

The video below shows him actually talking. It's very interesting, as it's filled with answers that reveal Hideyo Noguchi's personality, such as his beliefs.

Get to know the true face of Hideyo

In "Hideyo Noguchi's True Face," you can learn about Hideyo Noguchi's diverse hobbies and favorite items. He liked shogi and chess, and often enjoyed them in his spare time.

My villa in Shandeken, a suburb of New York, had a river flowing behind it, and I liked that it resembled my hometown of Inawashiro. We also enjoyed fishing here.

Hideyo also loved drawing, and left behind a portrait of his wife, Mary. Of course, this painting is also on display, and it is very well drawn with a unique touch.

Self-portraits and paintings of mother deer are also on display.

I also like new things.

The fact that he loves new things is also an essential element when talking about Hideyo Noguchi. At the time, color photography was extremely rare and cutting-edge technology.

In 1914 (Taisho 3), he quickly became the subject of this color photograph. She is standing in front of many red roses with a yellow rose in her chest. You can also see the actual item in this photo.

He also loved fashion, and his favorite hats are also on display.

A day in the life of a doctor told in American comics

``A Day in the Life of a Doctor'' describes a day in the life of Hideyo, who was working at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research at the time. A day in the life of a doctor is depicted on the entire wall in an American comic book style.

It's not text, but rather manga pictures that are easy to understand, so you can enjoy it visually as well. It is clear that he arrived at the research institute at 8:30 a.m. and worked until late into the night, observing animals and bacteria.

Have fun learning about difficult bacteria through quizzes and games

At "Experience! Bacterium," you can gain a deep understanding of the bacteria studied by Hideyo Noguchi. There are quizzes and games available to make learning fun.

Bacteria vary from those that are harmful to the body to those that are good for the body. Hideyo Noguchi conducted a wide range of research, but his work on pathogenic bacteria, which he risked his life to study, has received high acclaim from around the world.

He was nominated for a Nobel Prize for his research on spirochetes, a pathogenic bacterium. Later, spirochetes were discovered in patients in Ecuador, and a vaccine was created that saved many lives.

In this way, even children can enjoy learning about bacteria, which is a factor in Hideyo Noguchi's achievements.

Summary about Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Museum

The appeal of the Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Museum is that its birthplace and many of his memorabilia are on public display. Hideyo Noguchi's exhibits, such as robots and quizzes about bacteria, are designed to make the exhibits of great people, which tend to be formal, easy to watch.

It is a spot that can be enjoyed by everyone from children to adults. This is the perfect facility to learn about Hideyo Noguchi, a person familiar to Japanese people, through a visual impact rather than a biographical text.

INFORMATION

  • Name: Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Museum
  • Address: 81 Maeda, Mitsuwa, Inawashiro-cho, Yama-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
  • Phone number: 0242-65-2319
  • Official URL: http://www.noguchihideyo.or.jp/

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