[Book Review] "A Seasonal Almanac of Yukichi Fukuzawa and Keio University"

2018/10/31

Hidehiko Saito, a teacher at Keio Yokohama Elementary School, has been publishing a series of research papers on the history of Yukichi Fukuzawa and Keio University. He is a frequent contributor to the Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press) series "People Around Yukichi Fukuzawa," where he introduces figures from Japan and abroad who were connected to Yukichi Fukuzawa, starting with Momosuke Fukuzawa. I read these with great interest every time. Furthermore, last year he published "Learning About the World Through Yukichi Fukuzawa's 'Sekai Kunizukushi'" as a textbook for Keio Yokohama Elementary School, and he is truly becoming a presence that brings a fresh breeze to the field of affiliated schools.

And now, "A Seasonal Almanac of Yukichi Fukuzawa and Keio University" (Senbundo) has been published, with text by Mr. Saito and illustrations by his colleague at the elementary school, Shigeru Nobutoki. From my position as a teacher at an affiliated school, I have always wanted to convey the footsteps of Keio University and Yukichi Fukuzawa to young Keio students. However, contrary to my intentions, there were situations where their interest was somewhat lacking. This book focuses on conveying the history of the Juku and Yukichi Fukuzawa in relation to the seasons, using the twenty-four solar terms of the seasonal almanac as an entry point. I felt this was a very effective and clever approach. It is wonderful not only to convey the transition of seasons through text but also to insert illustrations for each solar term. The seasonal illustrations drawn by Mr. Nobutoki will resonate with the sensibilities of young Keio students and lead to a deeper understanding that goes beyond mere knowledge. I suspect I am not the only one who feels a deep connection to the Juku upon hearing the name "Nobutoki."

As an example of an approach to historical matters, there was a previous project at the Yochisha Elementary School where a large collection of books was organized and classified, and an exhibition was held using "ex-libris stamps" as the theme. I visited the exhibition at that time and was impressed by the focus on "ex-libris stamps," but the author's focus this time is the seasonal almanac, which felt like a very natural approach. I believe this book is very easy to use in the field of affiliated schools, which operate on a one-year academic cycle, as it allows one to feel the transition of the seasons throughout the year and synchronize those observations with the history of the Juku and Yukichi Fukuzawa. While the book uses seasonal milestones as topics, the author also writes in the introduction: "You may open the page of a solar term that interests you whenever you feel like it. I hope readers will feel the atmosphere of the times behind various events while reading through this book at their own pace." Rather than trying to cram everything into a single year, I think it would also be good to use it over multiple years as appropriate for each stage of integrated education. It is a book that allows for flexible use at each school.

Furthermore, it is a book I would highly recommend not only to Keio students but also to anyone interested in the integrated education of Keio University. This book suggests that becoming a member of the Keio Gijuku Shachu means spending a year in this manner. It allows one to foresee that as Keio students grow older, they will develop into successors of the spiritual culture of the Juku.

When I served as the Principal of Keio Futsubu School, I often spoke to the students about "The Mission of Keio University." I spoke about it out of a deep desire for young Keio students to grow into individuals who contribute to society as leaders of the whole community. I added that this is by no means an impossible task, nor does it necessarily mean starting from zero; there is the expression "standing on the shoulders of giants," and it can be interpreted as eventually stepping down from the giant's shoulders to take a step forward on one's own feet.

This book carefully describes how Yukichi Fukuzawa was involved in historical events in our country. For example, on the page for "Usui (Rain Water): Kanrin Maru," it describes the connection between Yukichi Fukuzawa, who was likely nearly unknown at the time, and the Commissioner of Warships, Kimura Settsu-no-kami. On the page for "Toji (Winter Solstice): Calendar Reform," it describes Yukichi Fukuzawa's style of social contribution, where he quickly published "Kairekuban" (An Explanation of the New Calendar) in response to the public confusion over the "reform of time" to spread awareness of the superiority of the new calendar. Rather than just explaining events, the author focuses on expressing the movements of the people involved, showing his dedication to making the descriptions convincing to the reader.

The book describes Yukichi Fukuzawa's encounters with mentors and peers, and his attitude of trying to be useful to society throughout. I feel the author is telling us that within the daily life of integrated education, there are hints that allow us to learn from and empathize with the predecessors of the Juku.

This summer, I traveled to Koshien to cheer for the Keio Senior High School baseball team, which participated in the commemorative tournament. Since the place I stayed the night before was near Fukushima Station in Osaka, I visited the birthplace of Yukichi Fukuzawa and the Tekijuku before the game. It can be said that this book inspired me to visit both sites. While touring the Tekijuku in the sweltering heat, I wondered which staircase was the one from the anecdote in the "Taisho (Great Heat): Summer is Truly Naked" page, where he accidentally went out naked in response to a call from Ogata Koan's wife from downstairs. I believe this is a book with the charm to make the history of Yukichi Fukuzawa and Keio University feel much closer to us.

"A Seasonal Almanac of Yukichi Fukuzawa and Keio University"

Hidehiko Saito [Text] / Shigeru Nobutoki [Illustrations]

Senbundo

226 pages, 2,700 yen (excluding tax)

*Affiliations and titles are those at the time of publication.