Coining a Discipline: The Formation and Perpetuation of a Japanese Branch of Physics of Matter

Busseiron (Bussei Butsurigaku, or Bussei) is a term used in Japan to refer to a branch of physics concerning matter. While the lack of corresponding terms in foreign languages has augmented the perception of its uniqueness, Busseiron was, in fact, an evolving concept whose meaning varied across scientists and stages of its development as a discipline. The discipline did not simply grow directly out of early activity with its name; rather, the term’s loose definition yet clear dichotomy against Soryûshiron (the theory of elementary particles) allowed for more directions related to the study of matter to be assembled under its coverage, eventually earning enough recognition to become solidly embedded in Japanese physicists’ nomenclature. The development of Busseiron as a story of its name thus illuminates how deeply the discipline’s formation was intertwined with the changing connotations and eventual perpetuation of the term in the national context. As this Japanese case attests, such an etymological study offers new possibilities for exploring the role of national contexts in the development of disciplines in an age when the globalization of science tends to be taken for granted.