[Special Feature: Keio 4—150 Years Since the Naming of the Gijuku] Keio 4 as Sung in the Juku-ka

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Meiji era, and interest in the first year of Meiji is growing. The year 1868, which was the first year of Meiji, was also the critically important year of Keio 4 in the history of Keio University. Two episodes from that year, Keio 4, are sung in the first and second verses of the Juku-ka.

In contrast to the former Juku-ka, which began with "Ten ni afururu bunmei no," discussions about creating a new Juku-ka arose in 1926 (Taisho 15). Since then, prize competitions for Keio students and requests to Hiroshi Yosano and Shinobu Orikuchi were made, but none resulted in satisfactory lyrics. Therefore, in 1936 (Showa 11), Masafumi Tomita was newly commissioned, partly due to the trust of Shinzo Koizumi, who had assumed the role of President in 1933 (Showa 8). Tomita had been engaged in the compilation of the four-volume "Biography of Yukichi Fukuzawa" (1932) and the seven-volume "Continued Collected Works of Fukuzawa" (1933–1934) under Motoaki Ishikawa. Upon completing that work, he became a staff member of the Gijuku and served as the editor for the Mita-hyoron.

The lyrics of the Juku-ka were completed in the autumn of 1940 (Showa 15) and were performed by the Wagner Society at the celebration of Yukichi Fukuzawa's birthday on January 10 of the following year. Additionally, the lyrics were included in the February issue of the Mita-hyoron, accompanied by a brief explanation by Tomita titled "Regarding the Juku-ka." Based on this, I have researched the two historical episodes Tomita had in mind when writing the lyrics, and I would like to introduce them here.

Behold

Our flag fluttering in the wind

Flapping in the storm

Of the dawn when the new tide surges

The pride of having stood firm

As a loud guardian of culture

Let us raise it, this flag

Let us raise it strong and brave

Ah, our Gijuku

Keio, Keio, Keio

In Keio 4, the country was in chaos due to the momentum of the movement to revere the Emperor and expel the barbarians and the Boshin War. Even as academic schools, both public and private, were closing and scholars were disappearing, Keio University continued its daily classes. It is famous that on May 15, the day of the Battle of Ueno fought by the Shogitai, Yukichi Fukuzawa lectured on Wayland's book on economics while listening to the sound of cannon fire. In his explanation of the first verse, Tomita wrote that at that time, "it was truly only our Keio University that maintained the lifeblood of our country's learning and protected the banner of Japanese civilization." He noted that the fact that "Yukichi Fukuzawa inspired and encouraged the 18 young students remaining in the Juku at that time, saying that as long as this Juku exists, Japan's literary fortune has not yet fallen to the ground, and that you all must strive," is a proud story in the history of our country's academic education, and that he expressed this in the lyrics. The episode of Yukichi Fukuzawa's encouragement at that time was later recounted by Fukuzawa himself in the section of the "Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi" titled "Only Keio University in All of Japan" as follows.

"Looking back at society, the Tokugawa schools had naturally collapsed, and even their teachers' whereabouts were unknown. Furthermore, the Restoration government was in no position to worry about schools. In all of Japan, the only place where people were actually reading books was Keio University, and at that time, I spoke to those in the Juku.

"'Long ago, during the Napoleonic Wars, the fate of the Netherlands was severed, and not only the homeland but even the Indies were all taken away, leaving no place to raise the national flag. However, one single spot in the world remained. That was Dejima in Nagasaki, Japan. Dejima had been a residence for the Dutch for years, and the influence of the European wars did not reach Japan. The Dutch still take pride in the fact that the flag of Dejima always fluttered at the top of a hundred-foot pole, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands never perished. Looking at it this way, for Western learning in Japan, this Keio University is just like the Dutch Dejima. No matter what turmoil or rebellion occurs in the world, the lifeblood of Western learning has never been extinguished. Keio University has never closed for a single day. As long as this Juku exists, Great Japan is a civilized nation of the world. Do not worry about the world,' I said, encouraging the many young men."

In other words, the "flag" in "Behold our flag fluttering in the wind" does not simply refer to the blue-red-blue Keio School Flag, but the song overlays it with the spirit of that time as recounted in the "Autobiography."

Incidentally, this event took place at the Juku in Shiba Shinsenza. It was just after the relocation from Tsukiji Teppozu.

Ten years earlier, in 1858 (Ansei 5), when Yukichi Fukuzawa was summoned from the Tekijuku in Osaka by order of his domain and opened a Dutch studies school within the Nakatsu Domain's middle residence in Tsukiji Teppozu, he had a temporary feeling that it would be for "three or four years." However, as he became familiar with the situation in the West, he came to strongly recognize the importance of education based on Western learning for the civilization and independence of Japan. Gradually, it began to take shape as a Juku.

Under such circumstances, partly because the Tsukiji Teppozu area was designated as a foreign settlement and they had to vacate, he purchased about 400 tsubo of land in Shiba Shinsenza on December 25, Keio 3—the day the Satsuma Domain residence was burned down. The Juku building was constructed and the relocation completed in April, Keio 4. In the midst of the Edo disturbances, while being viewed as eccentric by those around him, he proceeded with the relocation of the Juku alone and composedly.

When the relocation was completed, he wrote the "Keio Gijuku no Ki (Notes on Keio Gijuku)," which could be called the naming document and declaration of independence for Keio University. There, too, he detailed the lineage of Western learning and strongly showed his sense of mission as one who would carry on that lineage. This is also an important background for the lyrics of the first verse.

Yukichi Fukuzawa cherished throughout his life the historical episode of protecting the lifeblood of Western learning, which was also sung in the first verse of the Juku-ka, and emphasized it at every milestone of Keio University. The same is true of his final speech, in which he spoke of "The Mission of Keio University," famous for the words "source of honorable character" and "a paragon of intellect and morals for the entire nation." In it, he spoke as follows.

"In a world of darkness on all sides, to alone light the torch of civilization and show the direction, and to only move forward despite a hundred hardships. Before and after the military disturbances, not to mention the Western schools of the old Shogunate, other private schools also quickly vanished without a trace, and the educational affairs of the new government could not easily be established. If one speaks of Western learning, there was only one place in all of Japan: Keio University, namely the Shinsenza Juku in Tokyo."

He then introduced the aforementioned episode of the Dutch flag at Nagasaki Dejima and concluded as follows.

"Let those of the same mind tell these stories, saying that our Keio University is no different from Dejima, where the Dutch flag fluttered, and is the one that maintains the academic lifeblood of Japan."

Go forth

On this boundless path

Even if the end is ever so far

The torch held in our hands

Clearly shines the light of wisdom

And correctly illuminates the way

Let us go forth on this path

Let us go forth far and distant

Ah, our Gijuku

Keio, Keio, Keio

The opening part comes from the phrase "Iyoiyo kiwamete iyoiyo toshi" (The more one pursues it, the further it becomes), which Yukichi Fukuzawa often wrote in calligraphy. Also, the part "The torch held in our hands" corresponds to the phrase "In a world of darkness on all sides, to alone light the torch of civilization and show the direction, and to only move forward despite a hundred hardships" from the aforementioned speech on "The Mission of Keio University."

In other words, although the path of learning becomes ever more distant the more one pursues it, the song says that the direction to proceed will continue to be shown without error, no matter how dark the era, and let us continue to walk composedly toward that goal.

So, what is that path to be taken? What Tomita had in mind was the episode of Jinzaburo Obata. Tomita wrote, "The spirit of study unto death for the service of the country, which the Keio Gijuku Shachu has held firmly and unwaveringly since the founding of the Juku, points the way clearly across the wilderness of arts and sciences that we are opening up. The second stanza has this meaning." It is necessary to be careful not to misunderstand the meaning of the words "service to the country unto death" based on the times back then. When Tomita wrote of the "spirit of study unto death for the service of the country," he was always recounting the episode of Jinzaburo, and it comes from the words Yukichi Fukuzawa used when speaking of that matter.

Jinzaburo Obata was the younger brother of Tokujiro, who later became Yukichi Fukuzawa's right-hand man. In the early days of the Gijuku, he was not only excellent in practical matters and played a major role in the relocation from Shiba Shinsenza to Mita, but also contributed greatly to reforming the customs within the Juku, which until then had been disorganized and undisciplined in the student style. His talent was highly anticipated, and he went to study in the United States in 1871 (Meiji 4), but he died in a hospital in Philadelphia in January 1873 (Meiji 6). He was a person whose death Yukichi Fukuzawa continued to lament and regret throughout his life.

What was this episode of Jinzaburo? I would like to look at it through "The Words of a Deceased Member Still Live in Spirit," which Yukichi Fukuzawa wrote in the Jiji Shinpo. I will introduce its meaning in modern language.

In the midst of the Boshin War, when the government army was attacking from the west and the city of Edo was about to be engulfed in war the next day, the citizens of Edo were in a great panic trying to ensure their own safety. Among Western scholars, some fled to the foreign settlement in Yokohama, and some temporarily entered Western registries, believing that the government army would surely not want to cause trouble with foreigners. Also, some who had connections tried to obtain certificates stating they were employees of foreign legations to use for self-protection. Someone even kindly offered to arrange an employment certificate from the American legation for the Juku.

At that time, Jinzaburo ran out into the hall and spoke to everyone as follows. That is, even if the Eastern and Western armies were fighting, it was ultimately a domestic war in Japan, an internal conflict. Although we are engaged in learning and have nothing to do with this war, we must not forget the distinction between domestic and foreign. The purpose for which we founded this Gijuku together and are studying hard is to achieve the independence of the individual and to extend that principle to the entire nation of Japan. To forget this great cause and try to escape under the protection of foreigners is to mistake our purpose and would sever the lifeblood of our Gijuku.

The expression on Jinzaburo's face as he spoke was said to be: "He said that such seals should be promptly thrown into the fire, his tone of voice was awe-inspiring, as if he had made a firm resolution. Those who heard him were struck with awe and did not utter another word." Due to this resolute attitude of Jinzaburo, the people of the Juku not only declined the offer but also regained their composure and devoted themselves to their studies. It is said that the spirit of the Shachu became even more certain and never wavered thereafter.

Yukichi Fukuzawa spoke in this way and wrote, "Service to the country unto death is the spirit of our Shachu." In his later years, in the "Foreword to the Collected Works of Fukuzawa," where he looked back on his own writing activities, he specifically introduced this anecdote before explaining his own works, writing, "The words of Jinzaburo Obata are a model for civilized and independent men, and they are passed down forever within the Juku, with no one forgetting them."

Tomita mentions this episode of Jinzaburo in "The Life of Yukichi Fukuzawa," written around the same time as the Juku-ka, and continues by introducing the following passage: "Let us look into the teacher's state of mind at that time by quoting a passage from his autobiography below."

"My state of mind at that time was truly lonely, and I have never spoken of it to anyone, but I will now reveal it and confess. Seeing the reckless situation around the time of the Restoration, I thought it would be difficult for the country to remain independent in this state. One day in the future, we might suffer some kind of insult from foreigners; however, looking at the east, west, south, and north of the entire country today, there is no one to talk to."

"Yet, I am Japanese and cannot remain idle. Regardless of politics, I will leave that to its course, and I myself will teach the Western learning I have slightly mastered to younger students, and strive to write and translate as much as my patience allows, in the hope that by some stroke of luck I might lead these people to civilization. With little support, I prepared myself alone."

Considering that the episode of Obata took place in such a situation, the "spirit of study unto death for the service of the country" can be thought of as the determination to persistently continue pursuing the learning one believes to be important for the true future of this country, without catering to the trends of the times or behaving in a way that loses the pride of independence. It can also be said to connect to the "spirit of independence" in "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)," which states, "When the individual is independent, the nation is independent," and "Those who lack the spirit of independence do not have deep concern for their country."

The third verse of the Juku-ka sings "Shunju fukame yuruginaki," meaning that even as the years pass, the spirit of the Gijuku does not waver in the slightest. What kind of era was the year 1940 (Showa 15), when the Juku-ka was created?

At that time, Keio University was beginning to face various false accusations from the military and its surroundings as the school of Yukichi Fukuzawa, who had introduced Western civilization, and as a school of liberalism. Washichi Konno, a staff member of the Gijuku, wrote of those days, "From somewhere, attacks on Fukuzawa and theories for the eradication of Fukuzawa's thought were powerfully disseminated. Although not in newspapers or magazines, rumors bred rumors, and for Keio University graduates, it was something they could not help but be concerned about... the situation was such that they felt it affecting their daily lives."

Although the Gijuku was placed in such a difficult position, it did not lose its resolute stance. For example, when the Thought Bureau of the Ministry of Education demanded the punishment of a teacher for ideological reasons, President Koizumi stubbornly refused the Ministry's demand until the end. Tomita was in charge of the negotiations with the Ministry of Education and later recalled, "The President was truly strong at such times. He often said things like, 'I won't be told what to do by some official from the Ministry of Education.'" Furthermore, because he continued to keep the library open even to professors who had been driven out of other universities due to ideological issues, it is said that plainclothes police officers trying to monitor the situation would sometimes hide behind the ancient cedar trees next to the library.

Knowing the meaning of the lyrics in this way and further understanding the atmosphere of the times, the Juku-ka feels like a song that hides a spirit of resistance at its core. When the social conditions of Keio 4 described in the explanations of the first and second verses are reread by replacing them with the wartime situation, one cannot help but feel a deep sense of emotion at that courage.

However, the Juku-ka does not shout a spirit of resistance loudly; rather, combined with Kiyoshi Nobutoki's composition, it is aloof from the trends of the times, and its characteristic is that it is never trivialized into mere resistance to the circumstances of the moment. It is truly "Let us go forth far and distant" and "Let us live high and anew." This is likely because the two episodes from Keio 4 sung in the Juku-ka were things that Tomita consistently cherished even in the peaceful eras before and after the war, and because Tomita worked on the lyrics with the awareness that they would be sung for a long time into the future.

Furthermore, the Juku-ka was born only because of Shinzo Koizumi's resolute stance and trust in Tomita, Tomita's accumulation of sincere and meticulous research on Yukichi Fukuzawa, and the Keio University-style writing style polished within that research. In a postscript when Koizumi presented Tomita with a letter from Yukichi Fukuzawa addressed to his father Nobukichi Koizumi in gratitude for Tomita's daily hard work, Koizumi wrote as follows.

"Mr. Tomita previously assisted Mr. Motoaki Ishikawa in writing the biography of Yukichi Fukuzawa, and later entered the Keio University Office of the Secretary and also took charge of the Gijuku's writing. That his writing contains a fierce spirit that moves people within its clear and simple words can be said to be the most esteemed quality among our group of writers since Yukichi Fukuzawa."

In his explanation of the third verse, Tomita wrote, "Our hearts, which protect this stronghold of learning that has established an unwavering foundation, are filled with boundless pride, but those who hold this pride must also bear the responsibilities that correspond to it." On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the naming of Keio University, I would like to reconsider the meaning of the fact that two episodes from Keio 4 are sung in the Juku-ka, and that it was created aloof from the trends of the times, without catering to them, during a difficult era when Yukichi Fukuzawa and the Gijuku were being falsely accused as traitors to the country. When singing with these things in mind, I feel a different weight than before in the passage of the third verse, "The honor of the emblem on my brow, held with the pen I wield, shall be spread throughout the world."

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication of this journal.