4.1.4 Popularization Activity
After retirement Yamamoto constructed a private observatory, Yamamoto Observatory, equipped with a 46-cm refractor made by Calver. The observatory was opened
for amateur astronomers and for the education of young astronomers (Tomita 2012).
Figure 4.9 illustrates the exterior of Yamamoto Observatory, the first and second
floors to the left are rooms where astronomers can stay to conduct observations and
astronomical experiments. To the right, the upper floor is the observing room with a
sliding roof, where the Calver telescope is installed. The lower floor is an optical
laboratory.
Yamamoto’s other contribution in the popularization of astronomy was to found
the Oriental Astronomical Society. While he was in the USA, he wrote a paper titled
“Astronomy in Japan” (Yamamoto 1923) in which he compared the two astronomical societies:
Fig. 4.8 An overview of Kwasan Obsertatory. Left dome contains the Sartorius 18-cm refractor,
and the right main dome is the Cooke 30-cm refractor. (Kwasan Observatory, its 80-year path, 花山
天文台80年の歩み, p. 132)
Fig. 4.9 Exterior of
Yamamoto Observatory.
(Tomita 2012)
88
4 Astronomy in Early Showa. II. Kyoto 1926–1945