Notes from the President's Office

February 6, 2026

Shiki Senior High School Rugby Football Club: The Good Loser

Over the New Year’s season, the Keio Shiki Senior High School Rugby Football Club became the talk of the town among Keio students and alumni.

In its 68th year since its founding, the team qualified to play at the National Rugby Football Tournament for the first time, competing in the 105th tournament held at the Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Osaka.

The team defeated Aomori Yamada High School 48-12 in their first match on December 27, followed by a 31-17 victory over Kagoshima Jitsugyō High School in their second match on December 30, advancing on to their third match on New Year's Day.

For rugby enthusiasts, spending New Year’s Day at the Hanazono Rugby Stadium is a dream. I was also able to cheer for them in the second and third rounds at Hanazono.

Walking along the street from Higashi Hanazono Station to the rugby stadium, you will find utility poles adorned with the names and jerseys of past championship winners. Among them are the Keio Futsubu School, victors of the 12th tournament in 1929, and the Keio Senior High School, who won the 34th tournament in 1954, both displayed with the iconic tiger jerseys. They evoke the long history of Keio’s rugby teams and their tiger jerseys, while also making one keenly aware that Shiki Senior High School has opened a new page in that legacy.

Many of the high school’s students and alumni, as well as those from the Keio University community, gathered inside the stadium to watch the match. Among them were former members of the Shiki Rugby Football Club: Junichi Kawakami, president of the Kokko-kai (alumni association of the Keio University Athletic Association’s Rugby Football Club) and Hiroshi Matsuki, president of the Rakushi-kai (alumni association of Shiki Senior High School’s Rugby Football Club). Both university students and high school students from Hiyoshi lend their support when the Shiki Senior High School Rugby Football Club practice. Kawakami is an avid supporter of the all-Keio rugby culture. Matsuki is a famous kicker who once scored six points against Meiji University in a close 6-7 runner-up finish in the snow-capped National Stadium in 1977, where the semifinals and final of the National University Rugby Championship were held on January 1 and 3. The two of them and other Shiki alumni remind one of how the long, challenging journey of their Rugby Football Club, often falling short of reaching Hanazono, brought us to this moment.

The opponent in the third round was Higashi Fukuoka Senior High School, a rugby powerhouse in recent years.

The match saw Higashi Fukuoka pull ahead in the first half with their fast, expansive play. However, Shiki gradually found their rhythm in the second half. Facing a 0-69 after the halftime, they scored a try just before the end of the match to finish 14-69.

The team stayed determined despite the deficit, pushing to score even after the clock ran out and all that was left was for the referee to blow the final whistle. They worked hard to skillfully bring the ball into their opponent’s territory. At last, Shiki formed its signature maul and pushed over for a try. Spectators who had come to support the team applauded them through tears as the players remained true to their style and played with conviction until the very end.

When the match was finished, the team came out to the plaza in front of the stadium and was met by rugby alumni, parents, faculty and staff, as well as Keio University students and alumni. Following a greeting from the team captain and a commemorative group photo, the team’s fans continued celebrating their valiant efforts. A particularly memorable scene was seeing Akira Takei, who instructed students for 40 years as both teacher and coach, glancing at the current roster of players with eyes full of warmth and compassion as he caught up with alumni.

It seemed like everyone wanted to commend the players and bask in the afterglow of the game with them forever. I watched the exchanges from a distance with Fumihiko Kono, the principal of Shiki Senior High School, and we felt fortunate to be able to take in such a wonderful scene.

In sports, you can tell if you have a good team or a good game by the way the players look after a loss. The former president of Keio University Shinzo Koizumi once told the members of the Athletic Association, "Be a hard fighter and a good loser." The members of the Shiki Senior High School Rugby Football Club were truly "good losers."

Ongaku Mita-kai Concert: Music through Integrated Education

There were other memorable events, not only in sports but also in the arts.

On November 30 last year, a lecture and concert titled "Songs of Keio University and Affiliated Schools" was held by the Ongaku Mita-kai in the auditorium of Keio Yokohama Elementary School.

Beginning with a chorus of "Here Stands Yukichi Fukuzawa" sung by Yochisha students and elementary students, the concert included 17 songs carefully selected from Keio’s affiliated schools. These ranged from the 1925 "Yochisha Anthem," celebrating the founding of the school in 1874, to the school anthem of Keio Yokohama Elementary School, founded in 2013, as well as songs composed for each school’s anniversary events. Also included were pieces rarely heard even at formal ceremonies, such as the anthem of the Keio High School and Shiki Senior High School’s "Harvest Festival Song," which were performed by the Ongaku Mita-kai’s volunteer choir. The program also featured live recreations of rare audio recordings. Among these performances, I found it both nostalgic and a great joy to be able to listen to music brought back to life 51 years after its recording at the commemorative concert of Yochisha’s 100th anniversary held in 1974, and to hear "There's a Shining Pen in My Heart" sung in the harmonies of the Dark Ducks.

All 20 songs featured at the concert were composed in different eras for different schools. Nevertheless, when you listen to them, you become aware that their lyrics and musical character have consistently reflected the values Keio University has long cherished, entirely unaffected by the prevailing social climate or popular trends of their times. For example, even in the prewar era of strong nationalism, no songs reflecting such ideologies were ever sung. Their song lyrics show that freedom and independence have always been valued, as well as "playing hard and studying hard." It is also gratifying to know that the musical pieces were created by distinguished poets and composers who each had ties to Keio, reminding us once again of its rich musical culture.

At the end of the concert, everyone sang the Keio anthem, the "Juku-ka." It was incredibly moving to hear several attendees remark that they felt that all of the songs at the concert converged into one crescendo represented by the school song itself.

Ongaku Mita-kai Holds Lecture and Concert: "Songs of Keio University and Integrated Schools of Education"(Japanese)

KeMCo’s New Year Exhibition "The Foals of Yochisha" Everyday Encounters with True Beauty

KeMCo opened its 2026 New Year Exhibition Where the Horses Are at the Keio Museum Commons in Mita on January 8. The exhibit will remain on display until February 7.

Every year at this time, an exhibition is held showcasing Keio’s diverse collections, inspired by an animal of the Chinese zodiac. These are impressive exhibitions showcasing the breadth of the works featured and the creativity of the curation.

This year’s special exhibition "The Foals of Yochisha" features a collection of original cover artwork for Ko’uma (lit. "foals"), a magazine published by the Keio Yochisha Elementary School. The magazine was founded in 1949, continuing its legacy from Chie, which began publication in 1922, and Bun to Shi, first published in 1932. It continues its run to this day, and is published five times a year. Within its pages are collections of student essays and poems.

The first issue of Ko’uma was published at a time when families were struggling to recover from World War II. It was during this time that the head of the school at the time, Kogoro Yoshida, decided to publish a new magazine, proclaiming, "I want to make a magazine that serves as a laboratory, a salon, and a dining table for the ‘family’ that is Yochisha." Yoshida told the editorial staff that the magazine should be as inexpensive as possible and should not carry any advertisements. At the same time, it should have top-notch production quality. Yoshida was a man with a keen aesthetic and respect for authenticity.

Since Ko’uma started with these points in mind, we have commissioned cover paintings from exceptional artists who have a direct or indirect connection to the elementary school. In this exhibition, the original artwork from Yochisha’s collection are displayed alongside their respective magazine cover. The actual venue is nothing short of spectacular. One cannot help but feel grateful that Yochisha students grow up surrounded by such exceptional cover artwork on a daily basis.

Today, we are in an era of digitalization and publishing is transitioning to digital formats. Yet, if everything were converted too readily to digital media, we would not be able to experience excellent covers like these that carry a real sense of presence in real life, nor would we be able to place ourselves in the midst of their continuum, as this exhibition allows. This exhibition serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of continuing Keio’s integrated educational philosophy, one that values simplicity while steadfastly upholding the pursuit of "the best and finest," so that students may continue to encounter true beauty.

Now on Display: KeMCo New Year Exhibition 2026: Where the Horses Are | Keio Museum Commons