[Feature: 125 Years Since the Establishment of Integrated Education] Tadamune Okubo: 125 Years Since the Establishment of the Integrated Education System—One Must Experience a Certain Spirit

2023/10/05

At Koshien this summer, under rising clouds and overflowing light, the crown of the National High School Baseball Championship shone upon the members of the Keio Senior High School (hereafter Jukuko) baseball team. It was their first victory in 107 years. As the team advanced, it was impressive to hear the announcers repeatedly use phrases like "since appearing as Keio Futsubu" and "the great Keio cheering squad."

By the way, these words seem to reflect the individuality of the group known as Keio University. Behind the fact that the current Jukuko baseball team inherits the baseball record once established under the name of the Futsubu lies the history of the Juku, which has undergone many transitions. Furthermore, the "great cheering squad" that the world watched with eyes of surprise is a manifestation of the characteristic of this school pointed out by Yukichi Fukuzawa more than 140 years ago—namely, a "certain special spirit" where "there are no commanders, yet the actions of the whole are unified, and there are no encouragers, yet the joys and sorrows of the masses are shared"—taking shape in the special setting of Koshien.

The long and rich history since the founding of the school and the unique spirit born and inherited within it together constitute the major characteristics of the Juku. In considering these characteristics, the structure of its unique integrated education holds particularly important meaning. This year marks the 125th anniversary since May of Meiji 31 (1898), when the integrated education system was established. On this occasion, I would like to consider the characteristics of this private school while leafing through the history of the Juku.

When we speak of "integrated education" at the current Keio University, it refers specifically to the overall system in which children and students who enter each school from elementary to high school level learn and grow within their respective school cultures and environments, advancing through the stages of education, and finally completing their studies at the university or graduate school before entering society.

Currently, the Juku has two elementary schools, two junior high schools, three senior high schools, and one combined junior and senior high school in Japan, as well as the Keio Academy of New York (High School) overseas (Figure).

Since May of Heisei 14 (2002), the Juku has used the term "affiliated schools" to collectively refer to schools at the primary and secondary education levels, and continues to use this term today. However, for those who enter at the elementary, junior high, or high school level, the completion of that integrated education is at the point of finishing higher education, with the university and graduate school being the final stages of integrated education.

In Japan today, there are many schools that provide "integrated education" spanning multiple stages from pre-school to primary, secondary, and higher education. How does Keio's system differ from these?

When discussing the characteristics of integrated education at Keio University, the phrase "diversity within identity" is often used.

I understand this as a whole consisting of the following four characteristics.

First, the Juku offers a wide range of options, including boys' schools, girls' schools, co-educational schools, combined junior and senior high schools, and overseas schools, as well as 10 undergraduate faculties and 14 graduate schools. Second, the independence and freedom of each school are well respected, and each conducts education according to its own policies within its unique educational climate, tailored to the characteristics and developmental stages of the children and students. Third, while the university and graduate school are the final stages of academic education, the schools at the primary and secondary levels are not merely preparatory or experimental schools for the university; rather, all levels from elementary school to university respect one another. Fourth, the entirety of this school shares a common spirit at its root, summarized by the words independence and self-respect, existing with a sense of unity.

The fact that each school aims for a Keio-style education while remaining autonomous and independent, without losing a sense of unity as a whole today, is the result of historical developments and various efforts made in each era. I will describe the sequence of these events below.

As mentioned earlier, it was in May of Meiji 31 (1898) that Keio University established its integrated education structure.

Prior to that, the Yochisha, Futsubu, and college already existed within the Juku. However, the independence of each was too strong, and coordination between them was poor. The Yochisha, which originated from Yoshiro Wada's private school, was a school for ages and levels spanning elementary to junior high school. The Futsubu was the collective name given to the existing curriculum when the college was established in January of Meiji 23 (1890). From Meiji 29, it was divided into a five-year general course (middle school level) and a three-year higher course (junior professional level), with a seven-year term for those studying through both courses. In other words, the curricula of the Yochisha and the Futsubu of the main Juku completely overlapped at the junior high school stage.

The college (consisting of three departments: Literature, Economics, and Law), which was the course above the Futsubu, was a three-year program. It invited lead professors from the United States and assembled many experts, achieving the highest standards among private schools. However, enrollment in the college did not grow, and the advancement rate from the Futsubu was particularly low at around 14%, leading to management difficulties. This was because at the time, one was recognized as a Keio graduate whether they finished the Futsubu or the college, and while the college only had one entry period in January, the Futsubu had three graduation periods a year in April, July, and December. Under these circumstances, it was only natural that the number of students proceeding to the college, which required high tuition fees, did not increase. The capital collected at the time of the college's establishment was also dwindling, and by the late Meiji 20s, its continuation or abolition was being debated.

Looking outward, since the School Ordinance of Meiji 19 (1886), the national education system had been significantly developed. The old-system high schools born in Meiji 27 were able to establish preparatory courses for the Imperial University, which threatened to affect the recruitment of Keio students.

In this situation, from August of Meiji 30 (1897) onward, in order to resolve the issue of the college's survival and the management problems of the entire Juku, and to foster more excellent talent, the school requested Yukichi Fukuzawa to take overall charge of Juku affairs and decided to reform the system across the entire Juku.

The form of integrated education was created through this reform. Specifically, the Yochisha first became a six-year elementary school. Next, within the Futsubu, the general course was made to correspond to a five-year middle school curriculum and renamed the General Academic Department. Furthermore, the higher course of the Futsubu and the college were merged into a single five-year University Department, with a new Department of Politics added. From then on, the main trunk of Keio's education was placed in the Yochisha, Futsubu, and college, and only upon graduating from the college was one recognized as a Keio graduate (the General Academic Department and University Department were renamed Futsubu and college in Meiji 32). On the management side, the "Purpose of Raising the Keio University Fundamental Fund" was announced in August of Meiji 30 to strengthen the financial base, while the complicated accounting systems were unified. Through these measures, the number of Keio students proceeding to the college increased, and the immediate crisis was averted. Incidentally, the predecessor of this magazine, Mita-hyoron, the "Keio Gijuku Gakuho," was also an institutional journal born during this reform to widely publicize the principles and spirit of the Juku and to maintain close contact with those involved.

By making the path from the Yochisha to the college a "connected whole" (Keio Gijuku Benran), the form of Keio's education changed significantly. However, it must not be forgotten that this new system was also intended as a mechanism to inherit Keio's education.

On September 18, Meiji 30 (1897), when the basic policy for the reform was set, Yukichi Fukuzawa gathered faculty, staff, and Keio students at the Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall) to announce the policy, where he explained the significance of this connected whole as follows:

...That is to say, calculating that one enters the Yochisha at the age of six and leaves the school gates at twenty-two, the graduate will not only not yield to other students in terms of scholarship, but during those sixteen years of hard study, they must experience a certain spirit. That is the Keio University spirit, and whether that spirit is useful to a person or not, if one analyzes it, one will find that it consists of independence and freedom, and moreover, a practical spirit. This is the characteristic of the Juku, and it is primarily here that it differs from others. ("Essentials of the Improvement of Academic Affairs at Keio University")

By being part of the Juku for up to sixteen years, Keio students can receive into themselves not only scholarship but also a unique spirit consisting of independence and freedom and the spirit of jitsugaku (science). This spirit is the very characteristic that makes the Juku different from others—this was the teacher's explanation.

The spirit of independence and freedom, the spirit of jitsugaku (science) that values scientific and rational thinking, and the practice of these in action are all things for which Yukichi Fukuzawa and the Juku have consistently preached the necessity. However, the teacher himself was already sixty-five by the traditional count.

The public speaking known for the phrase "source of honorable character, a paragon of intellect and morals" took place the previous year, in November of Meiji 29. Before the gathered alumni of the Juku, the teacher revealed his inner thoughts, saying that while it is our responsibility to maintain and transmit the unique spirit and character (honor) of the Juku, thinking about whether we can fulfill that responsibility brings "infinite pain" alongside the joy of the world's progress. He then stated the words of "The Mission of Keio University" and concluded by entrusting this to everyone as if it were his last will and testament. The teacher also said that character is originally something intangible, like "filling the air." His wish, embedded in integrated education, was for students to experience that character during their long student life and to inherit it well.

What is interesting is that a movement as if in response to this wish immediately arose from the Keio students. In the autumn of Meiji 31, volunteers among the students established the "Keio University Student Self-Government Regulations" and began a movement to improve the Juku spirit. Meanwhile, Yukichi Fukuzawa wanted not only to make the Juku a source of honorable character and a paragon of intellect and morals, but also to "gradually lead the character of men and women nationwide to a higher level, so as not to be ashamed of the name of true civilization" (Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi, completed in May of Meiji 31). Therefore, he commissioned Tokujirō Obata and others to compile a moral code that the Juku should show to the world today. That was the "Shūshin Yōryō: Fukuzawa's Moral Code," announced in February of Meiji 33. With the four characters for "independence and self-respect" as the overarching slogan and summarized into 29 articles based on the teacher's daily words and deeds, this moral code remained an important foundation for the moral standards of the Keio Gijuku Shachu and for inheriting the Juku spirit long after the teacher's death in February of Meiji 34.

Subsequently, Keio University would significantly change the form and content of its education due to the effects of war and war damage, and further after the war due to the shift to the 6-3-3-4 system, the compulsory education of junior high schools, and the movement toward co-education.

The Futsubu converted to a three-year boys' junior high school in Showa 22 (1947), and in the same year, the co-educational Chutobu Junior High School was also established. The following year, the Yochisha became co-educational, and Keio Senior High School (converted from the Futsubu and the School of Commerce and Industry; initially the First and Second High Schools, renamed after merging in Showa 24) and Keio Shiki Senior High School (initially the Agricultural High School, converted and renamed to a general high school in Showa 32) were opened. Furthermore, the new-system university was launched in Showa 24, and in Showa 25, the Girls' Senior High School was opened as the first girls' school, and the Jukukan-kyoku (Keio Corporate Administration) also significantly reformed its official organization.

By the way, the term "integrated education" that we commonly use today actually began to be widely used within Keio after the war. Leafing through the Juku's yearbook, "Keio Gijuku Soran," published from the late Meiji era until Showa 34 (1959), surprisingly, the term integrated education is not seen in those from the old-system era. It first appears in the post-war 1951 edition with the description, "This integrated education from elementary school to university is something that this Juku alone takes pride in," and in the next 1954 edition, an article titled "Regarding Integrated Education" was placed within the overview of the schools, going so far as to emphasize this system as an educational characteristic of the Juku. Regarding the nature of Keio's education, research and studies had already been conducted during the war under President Shinzo Koizumi, so the term integrated education might not have been sudden. However, as post-war educational reforms progressed, while the Juku established many new schools and courses, it was making efforts to maintain its unchanging and inherent principles. I believe it is certain that during that period, the term "integrated education" was widely shared within the Juku as a slogan for proactively conducting education.

With the 100th anniversary of its founding in Showa 33 (1958) as a major impetus, the Juku devoted itself to expanding its facilities and equipment. Also, after the war, the number of Keio students increased significantly. Around Showa 7 or 8, there were about 10,000 students, but around Showa 40, the number had reached about 40,000, including the university's correspondence courses. Furthermore, during the period of high economic growth, the world and the content of education and research changed significantly.

In this context, the Juku took the bold step of creating a Juku-wide committee to analyze the actual state of education and research and conduct a self-evaluation with an eye toward the future. This took place from Showa 40 to 43 during the presidency of Kunio Nagasawa, and the characteristics, problems, and directions of the Juku came to be shared considerably at this time.

What is important in the history of integrated education is that this "Research and Education Planning Committee" conducted a thorough analysis and discussion on the nature of Keio's integrated education and summarized it into a report containing much content that should still be looked back upon today. First, the report of the First Subcommittee, "Basic Philosophy Regarding Research and Education at the Juku," organized the direction the Juku should take into ten items, the tenth of which stated, "The advantages of integrated education should be demonstrated and made the core of forming a good Juku spirit." Furthermore, the report of the Fourth Subcommittee, which discussed Keio's educational system, began its results of "examining the educational system of Keio University as it 'should be' in the near future and over the next 100 years" as follows:

The raison d'être of Keio University in terms of education lies in its integrated education and Juku spirit. That is to say, the uniqueness of Keio University lies precisely in the integrated education conducted under the Juku spirit, and the significance of Keio University's existence can be said to lie in effectively demonstrating this uniqueness. (Fourth Subcommittee Report, "Introduction")

Under this premise, it showed the strengths and weaknesses of integrated education and, dividing it into the university and the schools below high school, discussed in detail measures to permeate the Juku spirit, measures to correct various harmful effects, measures to improve the environment, and everything from examining the appropriate scale to measures for improving the entrance examination and recommendation systems.

This committee report has had many influences to this day. In particular, Tadao Ishikawa, who was a Vice-President at the time and later became President, inherited the position that the significance of this school's existence lies in the philosophy of Keio's founding, its unique Juku spirit, and its integrated education, and continued to preach their importance. Furthermore, in his New Year's address in Showa 61 (1986), he mentioned the current situation where the proportion of university students from within the Juku had dropped to about 20% and said that this could not be allowed to drop further. He preached that "the most appropriate form for a private school is for people with various qualities to gather and, within the unique spirit of that school, influence each other, study, and form their character," and that it is necessary for students with diverse qualities to enter through diverse entrances, indicating his idea to create another series of schools from elementary to senior high school. It is clear that this positive evaluation of the role of affiliated schools bore fruit in the opening of the Keio Academy of New York (High School) in Heisei 2 (1990) and the opening of the Keio Shonan Fujisawa Junior and Senior High School in Heisei 4.

Furthermore, in Heisei 19 (2007), the report of the "Integrated Education for the Future" Advisory Committee, which re-examined integrated education during the presidency of Yūichirō Anzai, added many new points of discussion while being largely conscious of and based on the report of the "Research and Education Planning Committee." And it was based on this concept that the Keio Yokohama Elementary School, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, was conceived. The youngest school, while teaching the philosophy of Keio's founding and the significance of integrated education alongside new education, shows a sense of pride that "we too bear the history of this characteristic Keio."

The Juku possesses a unique spirit, and a rich history, language, and form of education that convey it, in a place deeper than the superficial appearance seen at a glance. Let us cherish these as we create the next era.