Before he graduated from university, his greatest wish was to research Japan's more than 120 imperial tombs, because he believed that studying the changes in their architecture, and in the villages built to tend and manage them, was the best way to learn about the evolution of Japanese society and culture.
在大學畢業以前，他最大的志願是研究日本一百二十多代皇陵，因為他認為從這些陵墓建築、看管陵墓的村落「陵戶」等變遷，最容易看出日本社會文化的演進。