TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: (p1) has crystalline carbon regions and amorphous carbon regions. The ratio by area of crystalline carbon regions of (p1) serving as a nucleus to amorphous carbon regions of the powder is 95 - 50:5 - 50 as calculated from a bright-field image of the powder obtained by use of a transmission electron microscope. The ratio by area of the crystalline carbon regions of (l1) to the amorphous carbon regions of (l1) is 99 - 60:1 - 40, as calculated from a bright-field image of (l1) obtained by use of a transmission electron microscope.The size Lc10 f crystallites constituting (l1) as measured along the c-axis of (l1), and the size Lc2 of crystallites constituting (p1) as measured along the c-axis of (p1), satisfy the relation represented by formula Lc1 less than Lc2 (I).The size La10 f crystallites constituting (l1) as measured along the a-axis of (l1), and the size La2 of crystallites constituting (p1) as measured along the a-axis of (p1), satisfy the relation represented by formula La1 less than La2 (II).In a bright-field image of (l1) obtained by use of TEM, the amorphous carbon regions are randomly dispersed in the crystalline carbon regions.(l1) is formed by depositing a composition containing a phenolic resin, and a drying oil or a fatty acid derived from it onto (p1) in the presence of water, and thermally treating the composition-deposited powder optionally with vapor grown carbon fiber (0.01 - 20 mass.%) in a non-oxidative atmosphere at 2500degreesC.The average roundness of particles of (p1) is 0.85 - 0.99 as measured by use of a flow particle image analyzer (FPA). (p1) contain particles having a roundness of less than 0.9 as measured by use of FPA in an amount of 2 - 20%. A fiber filament of the vapor grown carbon fiber includes a hollow space extending along its center axis, and having an outer diameter of 2 - 1000 nm and an aspect ratio of 10 - 15000. The vapor grown carbon fiber is branched carbon fiber, and contains carbon having, at a (002) plane, an average interlayer distance (d002) of less than or equal to0.344 nm as measured by means of X-ray diffractometry.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Components: (l1) formed on the surface of (p1) is obtained by: firing a composition, deposited on (p1), containing a polymer selected from the group consisting of a phenolic resin, a polyvinyl alcohol resin, a furan resin, a cellulose resin, a polystyrene resin, a polyimide resin, and an epoxy resin, in the presence of water; mixing the resultant (p1) with vapor grown carbon fiber; and subsequently thermally treating, in a non-oxidative atmosphere, (p1) on which the polymer-containing composition has been deposited. The thermal treatment step involves firing at 2500degreesC. EXAMPLE - Carbonaceous powder was prepared, as a carbon material serving as a nucleus. In the carbonaceous powder, the particles of the powder had an average volume-based particle size (D50) of 20 microns and an average roundness of 0.88, in which the ratio by area of crystalline carbon regions of the powder to amorphous carbon regions thereof was 80:20 as calculated from a bright-field image of the powder obtained by use of a transmission electron microscope. Separately, water (5 parts by mass (pbm)) was added to varnish A (5.5 pbm as reduced to resin solid content), and the resultant mixture was stirred, to completely dissolve varnish A in the water. The resultant solution was added to the carbonaceous powder (100 g) such that the amount of the modified phenolic resin solid became 10 mass.% based on the entirety of the carbonaceous powder, and the resultant mixture was kneaded for 30 minutes by use of a planetary mixer. The resultant mixture was dried in a vacuum drying apparatus at 80degreesC for two hours.    The dried mixture was placed in a heating furnace, and the interior of the furnace was evacuated and then filled with argon. The furnace was heated under a stream of argon gas. The temperature of the furnace was maintained at 2900degreesC for 10 minutes, and then the furnace was cooled to room temperature. Thereafter, the heat-treated product was screened using a sieve of 63 microns mesh, to a negative electrode material (test). The procedure was repeated, except that there was employed, as a carbon material serving as a nucleus, graphitized mesocarbon microbeads having D50 of 23 microns and an average roundness of 0.93, to a sample (comparative). Also, the ratio by area of crystalline carbon regions of the microbeads to amorphous carbon regions was 97:3 as calculated from a bright-field image of the microbeads obtained by use of a transmission electron microscope.    The samples were subjected to battery evaluation by use of a single-cell-type battery evaluation apparatus employing the EC electrolytic solution. In the charging/discharging cycle test, the capacity and coulomb efficiency at the 1st cycle and the capacity at the 50th cycle were measured. The results for (test/comparative) were: 1st cycle capacity (mAh/g) = 355/330; 1st cycle coulomb efficiency (%) = 93/90; and 50 th cycle capacity (mAh/g) = 352/325.