[Feature: Keio 4—150 Years Since the Naming of the Juku] "Wayland" in 1945

2018/05/01

On May 15, Keio 4 (1868), Yukichi Fukuzawa continued his lecture on Wayland's economics textbook according to the schedule, even as the Shogitai were fighting the New Government Army in Ueno. This episode has been remembered as a symbolic scene of the historical figure Fukuzawa—much like Ninomiya Kinjiro reading while carrying firewood or Franklin flying a kite in a thunderstorm—and has been recalled by people from time to time. Most recently, it was revived within Keio in March 2011 during the Great East Japan Earthquake, when discussions arose regarding when to start classes for the new academic year. While other universities announced one after another that they would wait for the chaos to subside and start classes in May, creating an atmosphere where delaying the start seemed to demonstrate the morality of educators, voices within the Juku argued that the new semester should begin as usual. On that occasion, this historical anecdote was brought up. I remember hearing the proponents of this position being referred to, somewhat ironically, as the "Wayland faction."

At that time, there was instability as the radiation issues following the nuclear accident remained unpredictable, but Keio University has faced many states of emergency. Long ago, around 1877, the number of students entering the Juku plummeted, and management became unsustainable. In a petition Fukuzawa submitted to the Minister of Education in 1878, he emphasized that the school never stopped the sound of reading (the sound of "igo") even amidst a rain of bullets, stating: "The old systems have been abolished and the new administration is not yet in place; universities are not yet established, and the Ministry of Education is not yet set up. In such a dark time for culture, Keio University alone gathered dozens of scholars to read books in peace, never ceasing the sound of recitation amidst the rain of bullets." He sought assistance for its maintenance.

The death of Fukuzawa in February 1901 was also a crisis. "Yukichi Fukuzawa has passed away; should Keio University be buried with him? No, we cannot bear to bury it. ... The history of Keio University is very old... at a time when the world was in chaos like tangled hemp and not a single person in the country spoke of literary affairs, Keio University alone calmly lectured on learning and did not allow the lifeblood of our literature to be cut off for even a single day..." These words are from the prospectus for the establishment of The Iji-kai (Support Group), which was launched that month.

So, what about crises during wartime? In the late autumn of 1943, when the deferment of conscription for students was suspended and the so-called "student mobilization" was decided, Sei'ichiro Takahashi wrote in the "Mita Shimbun" after seeing students attending classes until just before their induction into the Army and Navy in early December.

The Keio students of today, inheriting the spirit of the late master, are about to stand up bravely to clear the national crisis and realize the ideal of establishing the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, yet they have not lost their calm attitude and refuse to leave the lecture halls. Such a sight should truly be called the reappearance, 76 years later, of the Keio University spirit that quietly finished the lecture while hearing the sound of cannons and seeing the flames on the day in May of the first year of Meiji when the temple towers of Ueno were all ablaze under the bombardment of the government army. ("Mita Shimbun," November 10, 1943)

However, during the war, Fukuzawa became a figure who had to be spoken of in hushed tones, much like faith in mission schools during wartime. This is symbolized by Tokutomi Soho's criticism of Fukuzawa. Soho, who was the president of the Great Japan Press Association for Public Service, wrote a series of reminiscences in its journal, fiercely criticizing Fukuzawa and implicitly condemning the existence of Keio University.

In any case, Yukichi Fukuzawa was the greatest presence against the Satsuma-Choshu government. In this respect, I think he was truly great, but in terms of recklessly importing Western things, he is beyond comparison to the likes of Ito or Mutsu. He is something more. ... I believe Yukichi Fukuzawa bears a truly grave responsibility for causing Japan's traditional good customs to be swept away. ... I think his disciples have fallen to a level considerably lower than their master. This utilitarianism has become extremely prevalent. And Yukichi Fukuzawa's final conclusion ended up being independence and self-respect. Independence is, in short, an explanation of individualism in different words. ... For example, even in great matters of the state, one has no concern for oneself. Even in today's war, who is fighting? It is as if someone else entirely is fighting... as long as one proceeds with independence and self-respect, the result is that one cannot help but become distant from things like patriotism. ("So-o Mandan," Genron Hokoku, Vol. 2, No. 3)

This was in March 1944. In September of the same year, a book was published containing the following.

In May of this year [Keio 4], the war to suppress the Shogitai broke out in Ueno. At Keio University in Shiba Shinsenza, Wayland's economics was lectured upon despite the war. Fukuzawa, proceeding with the lecture while hearing the sound of cannons, seemed to feel a pride and joy that could be described as a kind of sublime. However, that could ultimately only be the attitude of a bloodless and frivolous advocate of enlightenment who looked upon the great affairs of the state as someone else's business. For Fukuzawa, the way of accumulating wealth was more important than the great cause. It was considered more valuable to be absorbed in business than to throw away one's life for the country. This is why Master Masuda could not help but rise up to stab Fukuzawa. (Kazuma Takeda, "Masuda Sotaro Kashu," 1944)

"Master Masuda" refers to Sotaro Masuda, a scholar of Japanese classical literature and a second cousin of Fukuzawa, who is known for attempting to assassinate Fukuzawa around the time of the Restoration. However, he was a man of passion who later entered the Juku and eventually died in battle after raising an army following Saigo in the Satsuma Rebellion.

Afterward, the students remaining on campus were scattered across the country for labor mobilization, and the Yochisha (Elementary School) students were evacuated in groups. I have been continuing research on the Juku during the war for about five years now, and I once wondered if the Yukichi Fukuzawa Birthday Commemoration Ceremony on January 10 was still held during that time. I found records up to 1944, but none for 1945. Even in the chronological biography of the then President Shinzo Koizumi's collected works, the description skips from December 9, 1944, to January 23, 1945. Was it really not held?

"Illustration of Yukichi Fukuzawa Lecturing on Wayland" by Yukihiko Yasuda (Collection of Keio Institute for Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies)

Later, while leafing through Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press), I found the following description in an article by Washichi Konno titled "Two Contrasting Yukichi Fukuzawa Birthday Commemoration Ceremonies" (May 1958 issue).

In the ceremonial records of Keio University, not a single line is written about the events of the Yukichi Fukuzawa Birthday Commemoration Ceremony on January 10, 1945. There are records for Meiji-setsu on November 3 of the previous year and the visit to the grave on the anniversary of the master's death on February 3 of this year, but the entry for January 10 is missing. There is a fear that someone researching the history of the Juku later might conclude that this commemoration ceremony was canceled only once during the war because there is no record. Far from being canceled once, a solemn ceremony was actually held.

According to Konno, in 1945, there was an air raid on Tokyo starting from midnight on New Year's Day, and enemy planes attacked every day thereafter. Neither faculty nor Keio students were in Mita due to mobilization.

The day of the January 10 commemoration ceremony arrived at such a time. The then President Dr. Shinzo Koizumi stated, "There is no need to worry about the number of people in the gathering," and held the meeting at the scheduled time as in previous years. On that day, twelve or thirteen people gathered...

Konno's memory is quite vivid and detailed.

President Koizumi's lecture was solemn. He began by saying, "On May 15, Keio 4, while hearing the sound of cannons from the Ueno War, Yukichi Fukuzawa continued his scheduled lecture before the few remaining students. I now speak of Yukichi Fukuzawa at this time when enemy planes may attack," and then discussed Yukichi Fukuzawa as a patriot, quoting the anecdote of the philosopher Fichte, who gave a lecture titled 'Addresses to the German Nation' while hearing the sound of military boots in Germany occupied by Napoleon's army. President Koizumi concluded as follows: "We have now held a commemoration ceremony here with a dozen or so like-minded friends. We take pride in the fact that we met and did not interrupt the master's commemoration ceremony even during an air raid. In later years, this will surely become a story to be told."

Konno also records an anecdote where Masafumi Tomita, who was then the head of the General Affairs Section of the Jukukan-kyoku (Keio Corporate Administration), said, "We were in trouble because there were no tea and sweets after the commemoration ceremony, but sweet potatoes arrived from the student farm in Hiyoshi, so we steamed them and everyone ate them." Tomita himself, recalling this day on another occasion, wrote that President Koizumi gave that speech before a small group of a dozen or so people who "had little fuel to warm the venue and had gathered despite the difficulties, all wrapped in overcoats and bracing themselves against the cold" ("Keio University Almanac (January)," Mita-hyoron, January 1963 issue).

1945. For Keio University, the simple act of gathering to remember Fukuzawa had become an act that overlapped with the "Wayland" anecdote.

I started this draft intending to introduce Konno's reminiscences, but I decided to look through the materials at the Fukuzawa Memorial Center again. Before reaching the thick volumes titled "Ceremony Related Files" that I had opened before and that Konno likely investigated as well, a thick document titled "Annual Event Documents" caught my eye. It contained drafts of New Year's greetings in the President's name from the early Showa era, invitation letters for regular events, and approval documents for mailing lists. As the years progressed into the war, the records took on a heavy atmosphere along with the deterioration of the paper quality. Before I knew it, the title became "Recipients of Bombing Sympathy Letters, November 30, 1944," and flipping further, an approval document for "Matters Regarding January 1st and January 10th Events" appeared, stamped with the date "December 19, 1944." In the "President" column on the far right was "Koizumi" signed in pencil. In the "Director" column was also a pencil signature for "Maki" (Tomoo) and a red pen circle likely for Tomisaburo Nishimura. In the "Chief" column was the stamp of "Yamamoto" (Toshio: later a professor in the Faculty of Letters) and a characteristic pen signature of "Tomi" (Masafumi Tomita). And from there, documents for the schedule of events for January 1945 were filed over several pages. Transcribing the mimeographed sheet titled "Notice to Students" yields the following:

The New Year's Greeting Ceremony and the Yukichi Fukuzawa Birthday Commemoration Ceremony will be held as usual next January at the Mita Main Juku as follows.

Attendance is requested.

December 1944, Keio University

Note

New Year's Greeting Ceremony

1. Date and Time: New Year's Day, 9:30 AM

1. Venue: Mita Main Juku, Classroom 23

Yukichi Fukuzawa Commemoration Ceremony

1. Date and Time: Wednesday, January 10, 1:30 PM

1. Venue: Classroom 22

1. There will be a commemorative lecture.

Note: If the air raid warning is not cleared two hours before the start of the day's events, they will be canceled.

This mimeographed sheet seems to have been sent to each faculty and school, and a draft of the cover letter is also included. The record did exist. And what is surprising once again is that despite being announced so thoroughly, there were only "twelve or thirteen" attendees. Later, in May, Mita would lose many buildings to war damage, and President Koizumi would be injured. However, the "Annual Event Documents" say nothing of that, and as if nothing had happened, they were followed by a draft of an invitation for the Yukichi Fukuzawa Birthday Commemoration Ceremony on "this coming January 10," dated December 26, 1945, sent to those associated with the Juku. It was in the name of President Koizumi, but the handwriting was the characteristic hand of Masafumi Tomita.

The anecdote of "Wayland" has been recalled during every crisis as an opportunity to re-examine the meaning of Keio University's continued existence. Without raising one's voice, but without forgetting. It is best that "Wayland" be spoken of in that way.