Ikunoshin Kadono

2021/05/27

Image: Collection of the Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies

"For thirty years, although I was close to the Master, I did not gain his trust. Nor did I dare seek to obtain it. From time to time, I opposed him and incurred his wrath more than a few times. On this day, receiving news that the Master's illness is almost hopeless, in a room of a guest house in a distant land ten thousand miles away, does the Master know or not that there is one person lying on a couch, unable to stop weeping?"

This passage, expressing complex feelings toward Fukuzawa, is an excerpt from a diary written by Ikunoshin Kadono in 1898 while he was traveling in Europe.

Kiroku Hayashi, a later President, evaluated Ikunoshin Kadono as follows: "Among many teachers, he ranked first as a scholar," "he bore the academic authority of the entire Juku on the side of learning," and he was a "benefactor who built the Great Keio." Kadono served as the Vice Principal of the Juku for a long time, initiating numerous institutional reforms and facing as much opposition as the number of challenges he took on. After resigning as a teacher, he entered the business world, founded many insurance companies including Chiyoda Life Insurance, served as president of each, and was a figure who laid the foundation of the insurance industry.

Ikunoshin Kadono was born in 1856 in Toba, Shima Province, as the eldest son of Toyoemon, who served as a Karo (elder) in the Toba Clan.

Toyoemon, who held a high rank within the clan, had a strong interest in learning, and Ikunoshin began studying Western subjects such as geography, physics, and Dutch from around the age of six. In 1869, at his father's recommendation, Ikunoshin went to Tokyo and entered Keio University as a student sponsored by the Toba Clan.

At the Juku at that time, there was "no relationship of teacher and student," but rather a "relationship like older and younger brothers," and they even went to yose (storytelling theaters) together. During this period, Fukuzawa was still lecturing on Wayland's 'Moral Science' and 'Political Economy,' and Keio students attended regardless of their grade level. Fukuzawa did not just lecture on books; when there was an issue such as "whether Masajiro Enomoto would be killed or not," he would throw questions to the Keio students like "What should be done about this?" and provide commentary on current events. It was said to be like "the feeling of listening to a speech." On the other hand, to Kadono, Fukuzawa's English seemed "arbitrary," and while his "writing" was certain, it appeared as if he was "speaking whether Westerners understood or not." Kadono and others spent their time ambitiously, going to the British Legation in Hijirizaka themselves to learn English from cavalrymen and striving to master French.

In 1871, taking the opportunity of the move to Mita, Keio University gradually began to take the form of a school. Around the same time, Kadono became the youngest teacher. Initially, he was teased by those around him as the "Boy Teacher," but his ability was certain, and he was later admired as one of the "Three No-Sensei of the Juku" along with Sadashiro Hamano and Makizo Ashino. Yukio Ozaki evaluated Kadono, saying, "No matter what I asked, he answered promptly, and I could not stump him," and "I was not just impressed; because Mr. Kadono was a smart person, I thought I must use his mind as a model to develop my own academic side, and since then I have strived to do so." Sei'ichiro Takahashi also remarked, "Among the seniors of that time, the one who voiced the most certain opinions that should be listened to was, after all, Mr. Kadono." Kadono possessed English proficiency that was among the best not only within Keio but also in the country, and it is said that it was Kadono who translated the suffix "-tic" as "nani-nani-teki." In 1877, he was dispatched to Mitsubishi Commercial School, and in 1878 to Risshi Gakusha, standing at the lecterns of various schools along with other faculty members. Furthermore, around 1880, during a period of financial difficulty for the Juku, he proposed reducing the salaries of young faculty members like himself along with Eikichi Kamata, and even made donations himself to save the Juku from crisis.

From 1883, he assumed the post of Vice Principal. Under the up-and-coming President Nobukichi Koizumi, he embarked on reforms of the examination system, making grading and passing methods stricter. However, there was a storm of criticism from Keio students, and in 1888, a boycott of classes for over ten days and a withdrawal disturbance broke out (the Student Strike Incident). In the end, Yukichi Fukuzawa stepped in between the two parties, gathered the Keio students and faculty at the Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall), delivered a speech, and held a garden party to seek reconciliation. Fukuzawa advised Kadono to take a leave of absence for about two academic terms until the problem subsided. Looking back after this incident, Kadono reflected, "I lost a great deal of trust from the Master," and "He probably thought Kadono does reckless things."

However, from Fukuzawa's letters, it can be confirmed that Fukuzawa continued to rely on Kadono thereafter, bringing him various consultations and asking him to be present when important people visited the Fukuzawa residence. Even so, when Kadono received an inquiry from Tokujirō Obata about assuming the presidency in 1898, he declined, saying it was "no" because if he became President, there would surely be a time when he would quarrel with Fukuzawa, and he recommended Eikichi Kamata, saying he wanted to support him. Incidentally, while Fukuzawa evaluated Kadono as having "brilliant literary talent" from that time, in his later years he also advised, "It is good that you understand things very well, but you oppose people's theories and say that won't do," and "If someone says right, you say left. Even if you do such things, there is rarely any great interest at stake. On the contrary, it only irritates people and is not beneficial at all, so I am cautioning you."

In 1890, the Juku launched the college. The original plan was researched almost entirely by Kadono alone, created mainly with reference to American curricula. Although the college was launched with great fanfare, it did not attract as many students as expected and strained the management of the entire Juku. Nevertheless, it was decided that the college would continue according to Fukuzawa's wishes. Subsequently, it was also Vice Principal Kadono who worked on the school system reform plan centered on the college.

Amidst this new momentum, Kadono traveled to Europe from 1898 to the following year to inspect further educational improvements. The diary at the beginning of this article was written exactly during this time. After returning to Japan, Kadono implemented a new college system reform plan that removed the boundaries between departments (faculties) and allowed students to freely choose subjects according to their respective goals. It was created with the philosophy that students entering society could be active after graduation with free will and independence, but the demand for a departmental system was persistent, and unable to gain the understanding of those around him, it was abolished after one year. On the other hand, the system of sending students abroad for the purpose of training the Juku's own teachers was an achievement of Kadono's proposal at this time. Additionally, Kadono was involved in the compilation of the Shūshin Yōryō: Fukuzawa's Moral Code and took on lectures nationwide, moving energetically within Keio until Fukuzawa passed away.

After Fukuzawa's death, the Juku established a new system with Kamata remaining as President, Tokujirō Obata as Shato (Head of the Corporation), and Kadono as Vice Shato concurrently serving as Vice Principal. However, the following year in 1902, when Reisuke Kitagawa assumed the post of Jukukan (Superintendent), complaints from Keio students overflowed. The state where the areas of responsibility for President Kamata, Vice Principal Kadono, and Superintendent Kitagawa were ambiguous was ridiculed and criticized as a "triumvirate." In response to this, Kadono resigned as Vice Principal and retired from being a teacher at the Juku altogether.

At that time, Kadono turned his attention to the life insurance business, which few among the Juku's alumni were engaged in, and immediately planned a business venture with Kitagawa, who had also left the Juku. Insurance was a business that Fukuzawa had introduced to the world ahead of others as "guarantee" in Things Western (Seiyō Jijō), and it was also a business where it was easy to demonstrate academic knowledge. After a one-year preparation period, in 1904, he founded Chiyoda Life Insurance as a mutual company that did not prioritize profit, and Kadono became the president.

At the time of its founding, it was supported by the enrollment of many Keio University alumni and was even called the "Juku's company." Eventually, gaining trust through the boom of the Russo-Japanese War and the response to the Great Kanto Earthquake, it rose to second in the industry by 1928. Ryōzō Hiranuma evaluated, "I think Chiyoda Life became what it did because there were many capable executives, but one reason is that it is a great manifestation filled with the sense of gratitude from the many people of Keio University toward Mr. Kadono. Because Keio University had an academically great person like Mr. Kadono under Yukichi Fukuzawa, it has become what it is today, and I think the circle of gratitude for that appeared in Chiyoda Life." In addition to Chiyoda Life, Kadono founded Dai-ichi Boiler Insurance in 1908, Nippon Conscription Insurance in 1911, Chiyoda Fire Insurance in 1913, and Chitose Fire and Marine Insurance in 1920, serving concurrently as president of each. Kadono's achievements in the insurance industry were recognized by the Griffith Insurance Education Foundation in the United States after his death, and he was inducted into the Insurance Hall of Fame in 1983.

In addition to the insurance business, he showed a great presence in the country, serving as a director of Mitsui Trust in 1880 and being appointed as a member of the House of Peers by imperial command in 1932. Furthermore, he showed care for his hometown, Toba, by giving books to children and establishing a scholarship system. In 1943, after his death, following Ikunoshin's wishes, the "Aikei Scholarship Society" (Aikei being a pen name punning on Kadono's initials I.K.) was established by his bereaved family. To date, it has provided scholarships and commemorative gifts to over a thousand children and donated approximately 25,000 books to elementary and junior high schools.

Even after resigning as Vice Principal and Councilor, Kadono did not withhold his support for the Juku. He served as Vice Shato and Director for a long time, and until he passed away at the age of 82, he was respected as one of the most senior members of the Keio Gijuku Shachu. In 1922 (when President Kamata resigned) and 1927 (when President Koizumi went to the U.S.), he also served as the acting President.

Furthermore, he continued to provide financial support, such as making a large donation at the time of the establishment of the School of Medicine in 1916 and donating the executive bonus he received on the 15th anniversary of Chiyoda Life in 1919. Moreover, he contributed by serving as chairman of both Kojunsha and Jiji Shimpo, which were Fukuzawa's three major enterprises, and at Jiji Shimpo, he invested a large amount of his private fortune for reconstruction during the management difficulties of 1928.

In a memorial tribute from Takuzō Itakura, Kadono was described as having a "stubborn disposition" and being a "terrible contrarian," yet he made it his creed to "strive to care for the school as long as I have strength in my life." This was because of the thoughts entrusted to him by none other than Fukuzawa. One day after Fukuzawa recovered from his first major illness, he earnestly told Kadono, "One thing I ask of you is that nowadays there are not many people who will devote their lives to caring for the school, so I am asking you. Will you not care for it from now on without ever looking away?"

In the first half of the diary mentioned at the beginning, which said, "I did not gain the Master's trust. Nor did I dare seek to obtain it," it is written: "I cannot stop mourning. Looking back, when we parted at the Master's residence in Azabu a few months ago, he came to the doorway to see me off, and like a father to a child, he cautioned me to be careful of the heat of the Indian Ocean and the cold of Northern Europe; that face and that voice are still clearly present in my eyes and ears." Although Kadono had complex feelings toward Fukuzawa, one can feel that the relationship with Fukuzawa, connected at the bottom of their hearts, was also deep and firm. (All quotations of Kadono's and others' remarks in this article are based on the 'Collection of Deeds of Mr. Ikunoshin Kadono')