In 1901, as he began sharing a room with a chemist Kikunae IKEDA for two months, he was stimulated and immersed himself in study alone in the boarding house.
明治34年（1901年）、化学者の池田菊苗と2ヶ月間同居することで新たな刺激を受け、下宿に一人こもり研究に没頭しはじめる。