A game for association to powder: which included a historical meaning

If do you hear the word "powder", what powder do you associate? Most Japanese associate "wheat flour", and mostly some westerner associates gunpowder (powder). This was a fact which is my discovery. Memory of people of the Meiji era (the end of the19th century) that all Japanese looks at the pure white wheat flour which imported from America call Japanese"merikenko(in Japanese: American powder)", and was surprised . The vfvid impression was a hereditary the root in today. A head at the beginning of 1970's, in the beginning of my lecture of university, a small paper was distributed to all students, and I ordered to the students that" write down 10 name of powder which do you know. After10 minutes I will collect all " . I say it is a fortunetelling of powder. Such fortunetelling is useful for university. For general public, he can know his occupation only. Housewife will food only. Following　table are a data of a sum total of count of the big historical questionnaire. Most student were pure department of engineering students.
Investigation 1. of 1970's

1, wheat flour 548l
2. cement 463
3. sand 299
4. sugar296
5. lime 250
6. salt 244
7. cosmetics 214
8. powder detergent 193
9. instant coffee 182
10. chemical seasoning 178
11. powdered milk　124
12. tooth powder　108
13. Medical powder　93
14.instant　juice 86
15. Insect powder 79
Total student 850 (almost male)
After ten years, I try same check. The top of wheat flour was same, but others was food or cosmetics. This means what cement, lime or sand, which as production goods materials which do not watch in a town. It was a trial to ask knowledge of a youth. It is one scenery of modern civilization. When it is 2004, even the first place of wheat flour disappears. Memory engraved into a gene of a Japanese was disappeared. I shocked to know that. In addition, when I tried to hear it in a certain chemical factory ,the most were only product names of the company. It is a strange fact that there was nobody show soil, which existing to most universally. Human being lives on the soil, and fate to come back to the soil, and from which we get a benefit.

Now a student in corporation with the total is a president of a company.

T.Enomoto: enomoto@ss4.inet-osaka.or.jp
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