Towards the understanding of MendelJapan Mendel Society Toshiyuki NagataAs the father of genetics, there have been published not a few numbers of literature onGregor Johann Mendel (1822-1884); however, understanding of his real shape andrecognition is still far from satisfaction. This is based on my personal reflection from mystudies on Mendel. On this occasion, I present a couple of examples to find certain cluesto understand him.1. Shape of Mendel’s rule in textbooksAlthough most of people learn Mendel’s rule in the school, way of handling of the ruleseems to be misleading. In the chapter of development, first sexual cells appear, thenfertilization follows. After reduction division is handled, Mendel’s rule appears. Sometimechromosome is described before Mendel. This may be a kind of educational concerns.However, Mendel presented his rule without knowing such developmental processes. Hededuced his discovery only from mathematical analyses of offsprings of meticulouscrossings of pea. By the time of rediscovery of Mendel’s rule in 1900, such developmentalprocesses have been gradually characterized. Really Mendel went ahead the time. In thiscontext, Mendel introduced himself as an experimental physicist, whose significance shouldbe more carefully considered.2. Change of environmental conditions of MendelIt is not so easy to understand change of political situation surrounding Mendel. He wasborn in Austrian Empire and passed away in Austrian-Hungarian Double Empire. Now hiscountry is Czech Republic, while in-between there was Czechoslovakia. Such change maybe difficult in particular for Japanese people to understand. I try to explain summary ofthese changes.3. Genome features of MendelNow I add completely new information on Mendel. I attended ‘Mendel GeneticsConference’, in which bicentenary from Mendel’s birth was celebrated. On this occasion,groups of Masaryk University demonstrated genome features of Mendel. In fact, his bodywas identified in the Central Cemetery in Brno according to archeological manner.Subsequently, the body was analyzed according to modern molecular biological way,whose results indicates some features of his illness. Summary of such results should beinterested to Japanese people.Other general features on Mendel and recent progresses in genetics have been compiledas Bicentenary Issue in ‘Iden’ (Genetics or Heredity) by my editing. Readers who haveinterests in much wider aspects can refer this special issue.