[Special Feature: Exhibiting the History of the Juku] Expectations for the Keio History Museum: From the Reality of a Mita Campus Visit by Keio Yokohama Elementary School Students

"I have made many mistakes, but that is exactly why my days have been fun and fulfilling."

This is part of a speech given by a 6th-grade student from the 3rd graduating class of Keio Yokohama Elementary School. He stood at the podium in the Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall) on the Mita Campus and addressed his classmates with whom he had spent six years. He had practiced many times in preparation for the day of the presentation. As his homeroom teacher, I felt his certain growth as I watched him—someone who tends to get nervous when speaking in public—speak slowly and powerfully while reflecting on his school life at the elementary school.

In March 2021, with graduation fast approaching, the 6th-grade students of the 3rd class of Keio Yokohama Elementary School were blessed with the opportunity to learn at the Keio University Mita Campus. They visited various locations, including not only the Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall) but also numerous historical sites on campus such as the Old Library, and the Fukuzawa Yukichi Memorial Keio History Museum, which was nearing its opening. This activity was the first of its kind for Keio Yokohama Elementary School. Although measures and considerations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 were required, through collaboration and cooperation with various people, a day of irreplaceable and fulfilling learning for the students was realized.

In this article, I will introduce the reality of the Mita Campus visit where Keio Yokohama Elementary School students deepened their learning through experience. While reflecting on the process leading up to this day and the events of the day itself, I would also like to consider the possibilities for learning at the Keio History Museum, which is expected to be a new resource for the school.

In November 2020, due to the spread of COVID-19, we were forced to cancel the school trip (to Nagasaki and Nakatsu) that the students had been looking forward to the most. Given the current state of the pandemic, it was unavoidable, but the anxiety that had been in the back of our minds since the school closure in April became a reality, and it was clear that the students were disappointed.

Up until then, in their weekly "Yukichi Fukuzawa Time" classes, students had been learning about the birth of Yukichi Fukuzawa, his youth in Nakatsu and Nagasaki, and the opening of the Dutch Studies school in Edo which later became Keio University. They used the "History of Yukichi Fukuzawa and Keio University" (chronology) in "The Almanac of Yukichi Fukuzawa and Keio University" (written by Hidehiko Saito, Izumibundo) as their primary material. That is why we at the elementary school had planned to visit sites associated with Yukichi Fukuzawa (such as the Former Residence and Memorial Museum of Yukichi Fukuzawa in Nakatsu, and Koun-ji Temple in Nagasaki) as the culmination of such learning. However, when that became impossible, the faculty and staff always felt, "We have to do something for the students..."

On the other hand, at Keio Yokohama Elementary School, the concept of a "Mita Campus stroll by elementary school students" had been discussed since before the school opened. Seeing the place where they will one day study with their peers when they enter the university is significant in primary education, both from the perspective of having aspirations and goals, and from the point of feeling the history of the Juku firsthand. However, amidst daily school management and classroom practice, that concept had remained on hold. Therefore, by combining the situation of the cancelled school trip with the pre-opening concept, we set out to realize the "Mita Campus visit by elementary school students" to ensure that the learning of each individual student would not stop.

The development from there was very speedy. Through collaboration and cooperation with the Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies and the Keio University Office of Facilities and Property Management and Administrative Affairs Office, we moved forward with a concrete implementation plan. We also received advice from Vice-President Masahito Omori regarding infection control measures, and it was decided to divide the grade into three groups, and further divide each group into two or three subgroups for activities. This resulted in activities in small groups of 12 to 18 people. This was a moment where the strength of Keio University, which prides itself on integrated education, was fully demonstrated. The ideas and thoughts of many people came together, and the visit moved forward toward realization.

Next, I would like to share the details of the visit. On the day, activities were divided into five parts: A: Visit to the Old Library and the Fukuzawa Yukichi Memorial Keio History Museum, B: Campus stroll, C: Speeches in the Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall), D: Lunch, and E: Visit to Zenpuku-ji Temple. Here, I will describe the visits A through D, which were the activities on the Mita Campus, in order.

In "A: Visit to the Old Library and the Fukuzawa Yukichi Memorial Keio History Museum," students acted under the guidance of Takeyuki Tokura, Daiki Shiraishi, and Hiroshi Yokoyama from the Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies. The visit locations included the exterior and interior of the Old Library, the seismic isolation devices in the basement, and the Keio History Museum. Students visited each location in small groups on a rotating basis. During the tour of the Old Library's exterior and interior, they saw actual items such as the large clock (by Kazumasa Numata) featuring the words "TEMPUS FUGIT" (Time Flies), the marble sculpture "Tekona" (by Shikai Kitamura) which bears the painful scars of war damage, and the stained glass (original drawing by Eisaku Wada, produced by Sanchi Ogawa, restored by Ryuzo Otake) at the top of the stairs. While listening to the explanations, the students observed the actual objects closely and learned while taking notes.

In particular, looking at the images depicted in the stained glass, they spoke with surprise, saying, "It's about the pen being mightier than the sword!" Also, being able to see the framework of the first stack room's attic, which remains bent from the fire of the air raid in May 1945, was a valuable experience for the students. During the visit to the seismic isolation devices in the basement, guided by staff from the Office of Facilities and Property Management, they actually went underground to see more than 50 seismic isolation devices. Learning that the building's earthquake resistance was improved by lifting the building itself using the seismic retrofit method, one student commented, "I was surprised that there is such latest equipment underground."

We also had an interesting tour of the Fukuzawa Yukichi Memorial Keio History Museum before its official opening. Upon opening the door and seeing the statue of Yukichi Fukuzawa in his walking attire, we were immediately drawn into the world of the museum. The students listened intently to Mr. Tokura's explanation and showed particular interest in the part where the history of Yukichi Fukuzawa and Keio University continues to the present day, depicted in a "single-stroke" graphic. When they discovered the figures of elementary school students wearing the same uniforms as themselves within the single-stroke drawing, they couldn't help but smile. At the same time, some students showed a heightened awareness that they are part of the history of the Juku and that they will be the ones creating the future beyond that.

The students were also very curious about the actual exhibits that they could not see in classroom lessons, and they discovered new ways of looking at and thinking about things from the explanations attached to the actual exhibits. In this way, I believe the visit to the Keio History Museum solidified the learning of the students who had studied the history of Yukichi Fukuzawa and Keio University in "Yukichi Fukuzawa Time," and connected their own presence as Keio students to the future.

In "B: Campus stroll," under the guidance of Naoko Nishizawa and Keita Yamauchi from the Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies, the students were divided into two groups and visited Bungaku no Oka → Maboroshi no Mon → Fukuzawa Park (the site of his death) → Ginkgo Tree in the Quad → Student Cafeteria Hall → Noguchi Room in the South Building → Bronze Statue of Yukichi Fukuzawa in front of the Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall). When they closely observed the mural "Democracy" (by Genichiro Inokuma) on the opposing walls of the Student Cafeteria Hall, following Mr. Yamauchi's prompt to "First, look slowly and imagine what this painting is depicting," one student, after looking closely and imagining, shared their diverse thoughts, such as "Maybe it represents 'freedom'."

In the Noguchi Room (created by Isamu Noguchi; building designed by Yoshiro Taniguchi), students walked around and saw various floor surfaces—Teppei stone, wood planks, and tatami mats—experiencing the differences firsthand. Some students asked, "Why did they make the differences like this?" Also, being allowed to sit on the chairs and tatami mats and looking at the space from right to left, they felt as if time was slowly passing, and they could feel the power of the space with their own skin. One student, while gazing leisurely at the windows and ceiling, discovered a fusion of Japanese and Western styles, saying, "Oh, it's like a fusuma (sliding door)." Also, when passing near Inariyama where the Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall) is located, the students felt the passage of time and were surprised by the difference when they heard that "In Yukichi Fukuzawa's time, you could see the sea from here."

In "C: Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall)," each student was blessed with the opportunity to stand at the podium and deliver a speech of about 30 seconds that they had prepared in advance to their classmates. Upon opening the doors of the Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall), one sees "Yukichi Fukuzawa Giving a Speech" (original drawing by Eisaku Wada) directly ahead, depicting Yukichi Fukuzawa in traditional Japanese clothing with his hands clasped while giving a speech. Amidst the atmosphere of the interior of the Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall), with its rows of dignified wooden chairs, an open ceiling, and second-floor seating, the students felt the joy of being in that space, even while feeling nervous. As mentioned earlier, each student worked hard to present the thoughts they were feeling now, just before graduation. In one class, some students were even moved to tears as they listened to their classmates' earnest speeches, partly because graduation was so close.

For "D: Lunch," everyone had the Yamashoku curry, which has been loved by many people associated with the Juku for over 80 years since its founding. Ideally, we would have liked to have lunch while discussing our impressions of the visit, but due to infection control measures, the students ate quietly in front of splash guards. Even so, the students, who had moved around a lot during the Mita Campus visit, finished their Yamashoku curry with satisfaction.

Above, I have shared the reality of the "Mita Campus visit" by the 6th-grade students of the 3rd class of Keio Yokohama Elementary School. Through each visit activity, the students encountered numerous actual historical sites and learned parts of the history of Yukichi Fukuzawa and Keio University while making great use of their five senses. As can be seen from the way the Keio Yokohama Elementary School students learned, the Keio History Museum connected the learning at various locations on the Mita Campus and allowed them to perceive the history of the Juku not as isolated points, but as a continuous line. I look forward to further utilization of the museum after its opening and wish to continue our inquiry together from the standpoint of being responsible for integrated education.

This "Mita Campus visit" could never have been realized without the cooperation and collaboration of many people involved with the Juku. Through the visit activities, the students must have felt firsthand the enthusiasm of the people of the Juku and the way their hearts care for others. I believe that very realization is the important "another kind of learning." I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported this activity. Thank you very much.