Tsuneki Mori

2025/05/23

Image: Collection of the Keio University Keio Institute of Cultural and Linguistic Studies

It was the fourth headmaster, Tsuneki Mori, who created the system of having the same homeroom teacher for all six years, which is a hallmark of Yochisha. Mori was the last headmaster to receive direct guidance and training from Yukichi Fukuzawa.

On February 3, 1901 (Meiji 34)—coincidentally the day Fukuzawa passed away—Mori published an article titled "Education at Yochisha" in the Jiji Shinpo newspaper. In the article, Mori introduced the "scoldings" he had "received" from Fukuzawa. "Children must be raised like children; if you interfere in every detail and lead them to act like adults, the children will become timid, which is very harmful to their development. It is not good to interfere recklessly in trivial matters." He also noted, "Current educational methods are troubling because they try to teach children things that are far too difficult." Furthermore, Fukuzawa said, "Rather than putting things in through the ears, it is better to show examples where they can be seen with the eyes; rather than just being noisy with the mouth, it is better to use the eyes." Fukuzawa reportedly gave such advice whenever he visited Yochisha classes.

Mori continued in his own words, stating that when adults "suppress activity and tell children to be quiet, not to make a fuss, and to behave," such "restraint causes them greater pain than the pain an adult feels when imprisoned," and it "hinders physical and mental development." He wrote that interference is "even more harmful than leaving them to natural development," and that in order to handle children, one should "allow them to use all their abilities freely, equally, and in many directions," and "develop their abilities harmoniously" according to their "strength."

In the "Biographies of Famous Keio University Figures," Mori is described as "our ideal elementary school educator" who "did not put on airs, did not envy the wealth of others, and single-mindedly aspired to the true meaning of education."

Tsuneki Mori was born in 1859 (Ansei 6) in Sashiki, Ashikita District, in present-day Kumamoto Prefecture, as the eldest son of Yashichi and Hachika Mori. In his childhood, he studied under Tenta Takato at the domain-run school, Keibido. In 1872 (Meiji 5), at the age of 13, he became an assistant at Sashiki Elementary School, where Tenta's son, Masana Takato, served as the first principal. At a time when various Western-style textbooks were beginning to circulate, Sashiki Elementary School adopted Fukuzawa's works, such as "Junior Book of Ethics with Many Tales from Western Lands" and "Sekai Kunizukushi" (All the Countries of the World), as textbooks.

When Mori was 18, the Satsuma Rebellion broke out. Mori joined the local defense unit and was caught in the conflict between the government forces and the Satsuma army. He survived life-threatening situations, sometimes escaping into the mountains under the cover of darkness to hide for a month, and at other times participating in front-line combat.

In 1878 (Meiji 11), he went to Tokyo to study. Mori served under Chikanobu Tonami and studied English in his spare time. In March of the following year, he entered Keio University. It is said that his life was difficult due to a lack of funds.

He was a classmate of Fukuzawa's second son, Sutejiro, and during his time at the Juku, he frequently visited the Fukuzawa household, seemingly having opportunities for direct contact with Fukuzawa. Mori graduated at the top of his class. Upon the launch of the Jiji Shinpo, Fukuzawa invited him to join the editorial staff, but Mori declined due to circumstances in his hometown. At age 24, he worked at Sashiki Elementary School and became the principal two years later. Fukuzawa could not give up on Mori, and letters remain from this period urging him to come to Tokyo.

In 1887 (Meiji 20), he became the first principal of Ashikita Higher Elementary School, but five years later, he faced the misfortune of the school's sudden closure due to a revision of the Elementary School Ordinance. Mori single-handedly taught the hundreds of children who were left on the streets, supporting them until the school reopened the following year.

In 1897 (Meiji 30), the 38-year-old Mori responded to Fukuzawa's repeated invitations and moved to Tokyo alone, leaving his wife and children in Kumamoto (he later brought his family over). Following the custom established by the first headmaster, Yoshiro Wada, he took up residence within the school grounds, looking after the children 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. His appointment as headmaster occurred almost simultaneously with the completion of the integrated education system that progressed from Yochisha to the general course and then to the university.

In the first issue of the Keio University Gazette, the characteristics of Yochisha were described as a place to "cultivate a healthy spirit, focus education on English, and prepare the ground for entering the university from the Keio Futsubu School." It was noted that from clothing and food to the "minor details of bathing, children are cared for so kindly that they feel as if they are in their own home." Furthermore, it was written that Yochisha was necessary because the elementary school system at the time was underdeveloped and schools were of "mixed quality," public safety was poor, and peerage schools were "too aristocratic and not suitable for educating the children of commoners, which was a source of distress for concerned parents."

As headmaster, Mori personally planned and executed the construction of a new main building, auditorium, and science classroom, the establishment of a singing department, the creation of a botanical garden, and the refinement of various regulations, renovating Yochisha one after another.

Yochisha students had the impression that he was "gentle-looking" and "friendly" but "somewhat scary" and "very proper." It is also written that they "spent time as if in an extension of their own home," being treated to pears from Kumamoto or playing with Mori's son.

Mori valued moral training (shūshin) so much that he personally took charge of the moral training classes for the upper grades. His commitment was such that he was dissatisfied with the moral training textbooks available in the city and even consulted Fukuzawa about compiling his own textbook.

According to the recollections of graduates, Mori's moral training was "simple" enough for children to understand and was "carried out based on Yukichi Fukuzawa's principles, without touching upon the feudalistic Imperial Rescript on Education." Furthermore, those who transferred from other schools were "shocked to the core" because while "at municipal elementary schools, it was all about loyalty to the Emperor and patriotism day in and day out, at Yochisha it was completely different, with not a single word mentioned about loyalty or patriotism."

Believing that "the influence of good books is truly great and children should be made to read biographies of great figures," Mori used "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" and "The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa" as materials for moral training. In addition, he personally established the "Ten Virtues and Ten Commandments," which defined ten guidelines for action, and the Yochisha "Shūshin Yōryō: Fukuzawa's Moral Code" as the pillars of his teaching.

The "Shūshin Yōryō: Fukuzawa's Moral Code" is a moral code consisting of 29 articles with the slogan "independence and self-respect," representing the culmination of the Fukuzawa spirit.

In 1900 (Meiji 33), Mori requested Fukuzawa to visit the school after his illness, but it could not be realized. Instead, he received a calligraphy piece stating, "The way of independence and self-respect for those who are children today is simply to act according to the teachings of their parents." Since "independence and self-respect" was a term intended for "those with firmly established thoughts," it was given so that children would not misunderstand it. After Fukuzawa's death, Mori took this idea into account and established Yochisha's own 10-article (initially 6-article) moral code. It was created using simple language for children, referencing works like "Hibi no Oshie" (Daily Lessons) which Fukuzawa had written for his own sons. Mori utilized it in actual situations; for example, when a fight occurred, he would have the students recite the relevant part, such as "Article 7: You must treat everyone, not to mention siblings and friends, with kindness and gentleness." According to Mori, after reciting it, the parties involved would start smiling, admit their faults, and apologize, so the matter could be settled simply by saying "Very well."

One of the characteristics of Yochisha is the system where the same homeroom teacher stays with the class for six years. Mori questioned the common practice of the time, where moral training was set in the timetable and taught using lofty, "stiff language" to make children listen with seemingly solemn "proper posture." As a mechanism to overcome this, he advocated for "total class charge," where "as much as possible, one teacher is put in charge from the first to the sixth grade." During these six years, "the teacher takes responsibility to infuse the spirit of moral training into all instruction," "teaches lessons based on incidental events" that occur among the students, and corrects them by "occasionally telling stories or folk tales." By doing so, "children are not made to feel that 'this is the moral training subject,' and the teacher can pay attention to the students' words and deeds at all times." Furthermore, although teachers' personalities vary, if the homeroom teacher changes every year, "students will compare and criticize the previous teacher with the current one, and the teacher-student relationship naturally becomes cold." By keeping the teacher fixed, students do not get confused in adapting.

Before Mori's appointment, Yochisha students of different ages, including those of middle and high school age, were mixed and studied in groups organized by ability. Explaining the drawbacks, Mori stated that advancing to a "grade inappropriate for one's age" places an excessive burden, causing "fatigue that hinders normal development and instead ruins the future." He explained that in early childhood, it is necessary to consider giving "ample room for rest for the mind and body" as appropriate.

In the aforementioned "Education at Yochisha," Mori conveys an anecdote that Fukuzawa's principle for educating children was to "nurture the human spirit after developing a robust physical body," and thus he was "quite strict about physical education." He noted, "When the Professor's grandchildren come over, he does not rejoice even if told they did well in their school subjects, but he praises them when they return from a hike in high spirits without having used a carriage. This is the opposite of parents in the world who tend to say 'study, study' and only praise children for being quiet and reading." Mori himself included "Health" as one of the pillars in his "Ten Virtues and Ten Commandments," telling students: "It is said that a healthy spirit resides in a healthy body; therefore, a person must first have a healthy body. If the body is weak, even if one has talent and wisdom, they will be unable to utilize them, and it will be a waste of a treasure. Therefore, one should always value hygiene, keep regular hours for sleeping and eating, and strive to increase health as much as possible."

Regarding specific exercise, he believed that "making a whole class do the same activity as one mass might be effective for some, but some feel considerable pain due to differences in physical strength. Making a large number of people do the same thing strictly and simultaneously is something that requires much thought." He stated that "free play is the best form of physical exercise." He said, "Play is suited to one's own strength... and because it is accompanied by the pleasure of interest, it is very effective for physical development." He cited sumo as an example, noting that the skill with which children give names to wrestlers or make loincloths out of paper is superior to what a teacher teaches in the classroom, and they "continue for a long time and do it with great interest and total absorption."

At the opening ceremony in 1915 (Taisho 4), Mori said, "In general, no matter what a person does, if they do not have a pleasant and cheerful mood, not only will the work not progress, but it will become a burden and they will tend to be lazy." He spoke the words: "If you go about it with the feeling of testing the strength of your limited self, even painful things will not be a burden and you will enjoy your work. It is important to study with enjoyment." This resonates with Fukuzawa's calligraphy "Geki-kyo Geki-rai" (Play comes and play goes) currently displayed in the Jisonkan (Auditorium of Keio Yochisha Elementary School), or the term "Greatest Happiness" mentioned in the final article of the "Shūshin Yōryō: Fukuzawa's Moral Code," showing the underlying current of Fukuzawa's thought.

Mori resigned as headmaster in 1919 (Taisho 8) at the age of 60. His tenure of 21 years and 5 months is the longest in history. For Mori, who in his later years said, "To educate young children and forget old age in the enjoyment of it—this is the ultimate bliss of life," the 21 years and 5 months of 'playing' with the children must have been happy and enjoyable years.