Kentaro Moto: A Gift from the Athletic Association

Kappabashi Dougu-gai is an 800-meter-long shopping street located between Asakusa and Ueno. It is a unique district in the world where you can find everything a restaurant needs. Before the pandemic, it was bustling with many foreign tourists due to inbound tourism, but since our primary clients are restaurants, we are currently facing a very difficult situation.

In that area, I run a pottery shop called Komatsuya. Founded in 1908, we have been doing business in Kappabashi for over 100 years, and I have also been entrusted with the heavy responsibility of serving as the Chairman of the Tokyo Kappabashi Shopping District Promotion Association. Both in business and in managing the association, I am struggling to overcome the great enemy that is COVID-19.

However, I have the confidence to overcome these difficult times. This is because I have a strong sense of pride and attachment as an alumnus of the Keio University Athletic Association. I spent my student life in the Athletic Association Kendo Club. At that time, the Kendo Club won the All Japan Intercollegiate Kendo Championship, and it could be called the strongest era in history. The director was Mr. Mutsuo Okada. There is a famous story that he was the captain when former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto entered the university and that he forcibly recruited Hashimoto-senpai into the Kendo Club. He was strict with members regarding lifestyle habits and untidy clothing, telling us to wear white shirts under our school uniforms and white underwear when competing. At the time, I didn't understand why, but now I can somehow understand. Rather than just kendo techniques, I was taught spiritual preparation and the traditions of Keio Kendo. I also learned the three treasures that sports provide, as taught by former President Shinzo Koizumi: 1. Practice makes the impossible possible, 2. The spirit of fair play, and 3. Gaining good friends for life. When I lost my father at a young age and was anxious about the future of the business, I was helped by the director's advice and the story of these three treasures.

Last year, when Yamashoku in Mita faced a crisis of survival due to the pandemic and held a crowdfunding campaign, the curry plates made by Komatsuya were selected as a return gift. At that time, Director Okada told me that if I could contribute to Yamashoku—a part of Keio culture—through my own work, I should put my heart and soul into it. We produced over 4,000 plates in a short period and delivered them with the "Gratitude Yamashoku" mark on the back. Many alumni of the Athletic Association cooperated in this funding, and I felt a strong bond and love for the Juku. Through the Athletic Association, people care for one another, and even after graduation, each club connects through their shared wish for victory in the Waseda-Keio rivalry, building wonderful human relationships. With this gift from the Athletic Association, I want to do my best in life with the spirit of fair play.