Since Dr. Y. Tawara started investigation of the lethal paralytic toxin (tetrodotoxin) from globefish just 100 years ago, Japanese researchers have contributed greatly at every stage of its chemical and pharmacological analysis as well as to the molecular studies which led to the discovery of the sodium channel as its target. On this special ocasion, I briefly review the pharmacology of tetrodotoxin and the molecular structure of the sodium channel.