Eikichi Kamada

2017/08/08

"One who maintains the independence of mind and body, respects oneself, and does not disgrace the dignity of a human being is called a person of independence and self-respect." This is one of the 29 articles in the Shūshin Yōryō: Fukuzawa's Moral Code, which is the culmination of the Fukuzawa spirit and explains independence and self-respect from various perspectives. After Fukuzawa's death, there was a President who continued to advocate this spirit and supported Keio University for 25 years. That person was Eikichi Kamada.

Eikichi Kamada was born on January 21, Ansei 4 (1857), in Noto-cho, Wakayama, Kii Province (now Wakayama City), as the sixth son of Kuzo Kamada, a member of the samurai class. As a boy, he studied Chinese classics at a temple school and English studies at the Gakushukan domain school. Kamada, whose academic performance was so excellent that he was called a child prodigy, was selected by Wakayama Prefecture to study in Tokyo in April 1874 and entered Keio University at the age of 17. In April of the following year, he graduated in a flash with excellent grades and simultaneously became a teacher at the university. From then on, Kamada would be involved as a teacher at Keio University for 47 years, including 25 years as President.

Fukuzawa described Kamada as "a person who commands respect wherever he goes." True to those words, after becoming a teacher at Keio University, Kamada gained various experiences through Fukuzawa's recommendations and mediation. For example, from August 1881 to January 1883, he served as the vice principal of Kagoshima School. Dispatched to Satsuma, the center of clan-based politics, Kamada was said to be not just a pure English teacher, but also a politician and a socialite. During his tenure, he actually established a branch of Kojunsha (Kamada was also involved in the founding of Kojunsha and was later entrusted with giving public speaking engagements across the country as a master orator). Additionally, from September 1886 to June of the following year, he was appointed principal of the normal school in Oita Prefecture, Fukuzawa's hometown. At that time, many Keio University alumni were dispatched to regional schools with missions similar to diplomatic envoys or propaganda organs for the Juku's philosophy. The fact that Kamada was sent to the special locations of Kagoshima and Oita suggests that he enjoyed Fukuzawa's deep trust. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that he served as a junior official (goyogakari) at the Ministry of Home Affairs from January 1884 to September 1886. While the Juku and the government had been estranged since the Political Crisis of 1881, Fukuzawa looked to Kamada to act as a bridge to restore relations with the political world and to play a role in initiating the theory of harmony between the government and the people.

Of course, his presence was also felt within Keio. Around 1879, Keio University was hit by a critical financial crisis. Fukuzawa proposed reducing the number of teachers at a faculty meeting. However, Kamada argued that the appeal of the Juku lay in the number of its teachers, and that it would be better to halve the teachers' salaries than to reduce their numbers, which was then implemented. While salaries at the university were low compared to government institutions, Kamada's affection and spirit—his desire to sustain the Juku and its appeal no matter how poor they were—became a great source of strength for the Juku. Furthermore, as a scholar, he was so well-versed in parliamentary systems that Fukuzawa consulted him when opening a mock parliament at Keio University.

It was in April 1898 that Kamada became President. The previous Presidents, Nobukichi Koizumi and Tokujirō Obata, had resigned one after another due to disagreements over management policies with Fukuzawa, the head of the school. In this context, the selection of Kamada, who was then in the prime of his life at age 42, was a major promotion that injected new vitality. However, just five months after Kamada took office as President, a great misfortune befell Keio University: Fukuzawa's serious illness. After collapsing from a cerebral hemorrhage, Fukuzawa showed a miraculous recovery once, but in February 1901, a second onset finally brought his life to a close.

For Keio University after Fukuzawa's death, the most urgent task was to establish a stable financial foundation. Fukuzawa had managed to keep things going by investing his personal funds, reducing teachers' salaries, and collecting temporary funds from graduates, but there were limits to that management style. Therefore, the establishment of The Iji-kai (Support Group) to solicit donations through annual fees was proposed. Kamada insisted on collecting donations in small amounts of 50 sen per unit, taking inspiration from the British postal system, rather than just the traditional method of obtaining large sums from powerful wealthy individuals. He believed that after Fukuzawa's death, it was vital for Keio University to be supported by a larger number of Keio University alumni. Incidentally, it was at this time that the system of presenting Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press) (then its predecessor, the "Keio Gijuku Gakuho") to members of the Iji-kai was devised.

Kamada, along with other teachers and senior volunteers, toured the country to mediate and promote enrollment in The Iji-kai (Support Group). This activity served to convey the current state of the Juku and the true meaning of the Shūshin Yōryō: Fukuzawa's Moral Code to Keio University alumni in the regions, and it played a role in making the relationship between the Juku and its alumni very close, going beyond mere fundraising. These efforts bore fruit, and by around 1903, the number of Iji-kai members had increased dramatically, and the Juku's accounting showed a surplus for the first time. Kamada used that money to enhance facilities within Keio, such as purchasing the Tsunamachi Field, where early matches of the Waseda-Keio rivalry were held, expanding and renovating dormitories, and constructing a new auditorium. This was likely because he firmly understood Fukuzawa's philosophy of valuing physical education, the cultivation of character and refinement of personality through dormitories, and the importance of public speaking and gatherings within Keio.

Kamada's fundraising skills were also demonstrated during the 50th anniversary of the university's founding. The library, which could be called the symbol of the university, was built with a large amount of donations under the ideal of incorporating fireproofing and making it open to the public. Furthermore, at this time, he also achieved the incorporation of Keio University, which had been held in Fukuzawa's name—a task that had been pending for several years. He also made other important decisions that shaped the current Keio University, such as the establishment of the School of Medicine. As an intangible contribution, the establishment of the first overseas study program for faculty at a private school can be cited. By sending talented young individuals from within Keio abroad as international students, the Juku's own professors came to stand at the lectern without relying on foreign teachers. Future President Shinzo Koizumi also used this system to go to the UK and Germany.

Kamada and independence and self-respect are inseparable. One year before Fukuzawa passed away, several senior disciples, including Kamada, compiled the Shūshin Yōryō: Fukuzawa's Moral Code as the culmination of Fukuzawa's spirit, acting on behalf of the ailing Fukuzawa. This Shūshin Yōryō: Fukuzawa's Moral Code, consisting of 29 articles, subsequently became the guideline for Keio University. It is said that about 17 of those articles were adopted from the original draft conceived by Kamada. At the core of this Shūshin Yōryō: Fukuzawa's Moral Code was "independence," which Fukuzawa had advocated for many years. Furthermore, Kamada was one of those who proposed the word "self-respect" to create a four-character slogan. The phrase "independence and self-respect," which would also become Fukuzawa's Buddhist name, took shape through the proposals of Kamada and others. Fukuzawa was greatly pleased when the Shūshin Yōryō: Fukuzawa's Moral Code was completed, reportedly saying that it should be spread even if it meant closing Keio University.

In his later years, Kamada looked back on his life and said, "If someone asked me to write something, I would write 'independence and self-respect'; if someone asked me to say something, I would say 'independence and self-respect,'" showing how thoroughly he continued to advocate for independence and self-respect. For a "person who respects themselves and regards themselves as a precious jewel," then "others are also precious jewels just like oneself." For example, a person of self-respect would never cause a nuisance in a place like a library where people gather to learn with all their heart or to enjoy themselves, and there is no need to dictate small details to encourage this. He said that the single phrase, "A person of self-respect is silent and removes their hat in this hall of art," is sufficient. Precisely because the world had gained freedom, independence and self-respect were necessary for self-restraint. To ensure it was not confused with individualism or egoism, he continued to advocate its significance, sometimes for children and sometimes through discussions on current events.

"Until now, I have said 'independence and self-respect, independence and self-respect,' and have focused solely on independence and self-respect. People asked if it was 'independence and self-respect' again, but if you take independence and self-respect away from Keio University, it is the end. Isn't independence and self-respect the signboard of Keio University? ... Today, focusing only on management and planning the corporatization of school management without considering the guiding spirit makes the school a for-profit company. A school is not a for-profit company. Management is necessary for a school, but the guiding spirit is even more necessary," he also said. It can be seen that his many actions and decisions as President were always based on the guiding spirit of independence and self-respect. In terms of financial reconstruction, he also worked hard as a private school to be independent from the state, aiming for "self-effort and self-support," which is one of the definitions of independence and self-respect.

Furthermore, Kamada's view of Fukuzawa is extremely sharp. While Fukuzawa's remarks changed depending on the state of society and the world at the time, his principles remained consistent when viewed over decades. Kamada described this beautifully with the metaphor of a "person like a compass," where one leg remains fixed at the center while the other leg expands and contracts freely to draw circles of various sizes. This expression has become an important perspective in researching Fukuzawa's words and actions today.

It was fortunate that such a good understander of Fukuzawa and a messenger of independence and self-respect continued to support Keio University for 25 years, inheriting and establishing the Fukuzawa spirit.

In his later years as President, he was sometimes criticized by some as being vague, indecisive, or "nouveau-style." However, based on his strong desire that "I do not get angry if I am slandered, nor am I happy if I am praised, but I want to somehow solidify the foundation of the Juku and allow it to develop forever," he maintained his actions while looking at the whole and observing the timing, without being swayed by his surroundings. Additionally, after being appointed as a member of the House of Peers in 1906, he concurrently held positions such as a member of the Education Research Committee in 1911 and a member of the Extraordinary Education Council in 1917 alongside his role as President, contributing to the independent development of private schools from that position. Shinzo Koizumi also described Kamada as a "benefactor of private schools." One must not forget his contribution to establishing Japan's international standing as the Japanese representative at the first International Labour Conference held in Washington in 1919.

In 1922, Kamada was appointed Minister of Education in the Kato Tomosaburo Cabinet and resigned as President. In his resignation greeting in the Keio University Gazette, he described the current situation and celebrated the fact that the differences in rank and privilege between public and private schools—a long-held wish of the Juku—had disappeared, stating that "the future of Keio University is like a vast spring sea." This departure is very impressive. Although the Kato Cabinet was short-lived, he subsequently held a series of positions unusual for someone from a private school background, such as President of the Imperial Education Association, and contributed to Japanese education.

In 1934, Kamada passed away. Hiroshi Shimomura, who was also from Wakayama and later served as the president of the Broadcasting Corporation of Japan, eulogized Kamada's life, saying, "There were mountains, valleys, rivers, and seas, yet he passed through everything smoothly, as if it were all ordinary, without any incidents occurring, and without wind or waves. In short, the deceased was a person of great ordinariness." If Shinzo Koizumi, the President during the pre-war and wartime periods, was a leader of independence and self-respect in times of emergency, then Kamada, who steadily supported Keio University, continued to convey the Fukuzawa spirit, and advanced the development of private schools step by step, could be called a leader of independence and self-respect in times of peace—a person of great ordinariness.