At RISH, light or electromagnetic radiation is used in various research fields, depending on the size of objects to be characterized and on the purpose of the measurements. In our laboratory, -Biomass Morphogenesis and Information-, we use lights of much shorter wavelength such as infrared, visible light, UV, X-ray and electron. We focus on structure from the cellular to molecular levels.

Here, "Biomass" is extended to mean "organic compounds from biological origins". "Morphogenesis" is the "structure and formation". "Information" is meant to say "acquisition of knowledge and investigation of biological diversity". Structure-function and formation-mechanism of the plant cell walls in woody plants are of our great interests: for instance, how cellulose molecules are synthesized, assembled, and crystallized is a long-term project in our laboratory.

As one can distinguish plant flowers, there are macroscopic and microscopic features of wood, which are diagnostic. Such anatomical features from a variety of woods and related database are the strong link to the archeological and historical science between human and wood.

"Seeing is believing" is somehow true, but "seeing is not always believing" is also true. In order to justify what we see or want to see, we make efforts to introduce a number of techniques in immunology, cytology, molecular biology, physical chemistry, polymer chemistry and crystallography and so on.