▁was ▁situated ▁near ▁the ▁Ky ō to ▁Z oo , ▁and ▁handled ▁most ▁of ▁Hir ase ' s ▁correspond ence ▁with ▁foreign ▁research ers . ▁He ▁also ▁helped ▁compile ▁and ▁edit ▁Hir ase ' s ▁Con ch ological ▁Magazine ▁( 1 9 0 7 - 1 9 1 5 ). ▁ ▁Hir ase ’ s ▁Con ch ological ▁museum ▁hous ed ▁his ▁collection ▁from ▁ 1 9 1 3 ▁until ▁ 1 9 1 9 .   ▁The ▁museum ▁was ▁comp elled ▁to ▁close ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 9 ▁due ▁to ▁his ▁ill ness ▁and ▁the ▁financial ▁pan ic ▁brought ▁about ▁by ▁World ▁War ▁I . ▁ ▁At ▁its ▁largest , ▁the ▁Hir ase ▁collection ▁grew ▁to ▁ 1 5 , 0 0 0 ▁pieces .   ▁Prior ▁to ▁W W II , ▁the ▁collection ▁was ▁split ▁to ▁ensure ▁its ▁surv ival .   ▁One ▁third ▁was ▁don ated ▁to ▁various ▁museum s , ▁including ▁the ▁Smith son ian , ▁one ▁third ▁was ▁kept ▁at ▁the ▁house ▁of ▁his ▁son , ▁Sh int ar ō ▁Hir ase ▁in ▁Tokyo , ▁and ▁the ▁last ▁third ▁was ▁stored ▁in ▁the ▁Research ▁Institute ▁for ▁Natural ▁Resources ▁in ▁Tokyo . ▁  The ▁majority ▁of ▁the ▁collection ▁was ▁destroyed ▁during ▁inc endi ary ▁bomb ing ▁of ▁Tokyo ▁during ▁the ▁war .   ▁Only ▁ 5 0 0 0 ▁pieces , ▁mostly ▁consisting ▁of ▁the ▁minute ▁marine ▁spec im ens , ▁the ▁land ▁spec im ens , ▁and ▁fresh ▁water ▁spec im ens , ▁surv ived ▁the ▁war