[Special Feature: The Great Kanto Earthquake and Keio University] The Great Kanto Earthquake as Seen by Yochisha Students in "Chie"

2023/08/21

The "Draft History of Keio Yochisha Elementary School" written by former headmaster Kogoro Yoshida and published in 1965 records the damage sustained by the school during the Great Kanto Earthquake. At the time, the school was located in Mita, and fortunately, the damage was minor—only some roof tiles were broken—allowing the opening ceremony to be held on September 8. However, due to the chaos in Tokyo and the paralysis of transportation, the start of classes was postponed to October 1 by agreement of the headmasters' meeting within Keio.

Keio Yochisha Elementary School began in 1874 when Yoshiro Wada, a senior disciple acting on the wishes of Yukichi Fukuzawa, took in and educated school-aged children at his own home within the Keio University grounds in Mita (it was initially called Wada Juku but became known as Yochisha around 1880).

In 1919, the fourth headmaster, Tsuneki Mori, who had served for a long time, left, and the school entered the era of Director Sumie Kobayashi (from this time, the title was changed from Headmaster to Director). Immediately upon taking office, Director Kobayashi began by repairing the entire foundation of the school building, followed by the relocation of the dormitory and the establishment of a new school building. By 1921, he had successively worked on improving the facilities of the Mita campus. It is believed that these efforts were successful in preventing the school from suffering major damage during the earthquake.

The status of the students' damage is recorded in the "Draft History of Keio Yochisha Elementary School" as follows:

Deaths: 5; Injured: 2; Houses burned down: 104; Residences only burned (shop remains): 17; Shops only burned (residence remains): 60; Shops only completely destroyed: 2; Residences only completely destroyed: 8; Shops only partially destroyed: 2; Residences only partially destroyed: 11 (Total enrolled children: 631) (From the Juku History Compilation Office, "Great Earthquake Related Documents")

Director Kobayashi was a professor in the Faculty of Letters specializing in pedagogy. He was particularly well-versed in New Education, emphasizing subjects that allowed for self-expression, and unique teachers carried out activities that showcased their respective strengths. There were many teachers who were particularly enthusiastic about literature and composition education. When Tomoyu Kikuchi, who was developing a composition movement nationwide, transferred to the school, he joined forces with fellow teachers such as Zenzo Oikawa and Seiichiro Samejima to launch the school's composition magazine "Chie" (Wisdom) in April 1922.

After the July 1923 issue was published, the printing office became unable to print due to the Great Earthquake on September 1. Consequently, the next issue was delayed until March 1924 and was finally published in April. This issue was edited to record the Great Earthquake and featured many works about the disaster (hereafter referred to as the Special Issue).

The "Special Issue" contained nearly a hundred works, including prose and poetry, about the earthquake by students from the 1st to 6th grades. Let's look at a few of these works (grades and classes at the time are noted; honorifics are omitted).

* "Looking at the Burned Ruins" 1B Shigeru Ota

(Mitsukoshi and Shirokiya have burned down, and although they are operating in barracks, there is nothing I want. It is truly a waste. My heart aches for the poor people.)

"It makes me cry to see them selling evening newspapers so pitifully. They probably can't make a living just from evening newspapers. They probably don't even make 10 sen. People like us who can eat rice at home are truly happy. If I complain, I'll be punished by heaven. (Omitted)"

* "Saved Inside a Boat" 2K Susumu Hata

(While I was playing inside the house, there was a sudden cracking sound, and the brick house in front collapsed onto my house all at once, crushing it. My family was safe, but since fires broke out everywhere, we had our belongings loaded onto a friend's boat and set out toward the Okawa River. Large barge boats and boats heavily loaded with cargo couldn't pass under the bridges, and most of them burned there.)

"Even inside the boat, sparks would fly and land on people's clothes or luggage, so it was hard to put them out. I was startled when a large fire flew right in front of my eyes. Just then, a boat that was on fire almost drifted into the boat I was on. At that moment, I was prepared to die. But it was successfully washed straight downstream, so I was saved. (Omitted)"

When the earthquake struck, the students were still on summer vacation, spending pleasant days with their families at home or at summer resorts. One can feel how even the young 1st and 2nd graders desperately survived amidst unimaginable terror.

* "Until Returning to the House in Tokyo" 3K Nobunosuke Yasoshima

(On September 1, I was in Oiso with my family when the earthquake hit. Suddenly, the earthquake came with a 'rumble.' Wall plaster fell like rain from above, and the fixtures collapsed all at once. I escaped outside, staggering this way and that. Fortunately, my family was safe, but I was shocked to hear stories from my older brother, who went to see Tokyo, about the places burned by the great fire. On September 11, we could finally return to Tokyo by warship. We went to the port and everyone boarded the warship 'Hakaze.')

"The ship moved steadily and reached a place where Jogashima was visible. The ship passed right by Jogashima, so the lighthouse on the island was clearly visible. Turning here leads to the Uraga Channel. (Omitted) Finally, we arrived off the coast of Shinagawa. From here, we transferred to a minelayer called 'Kiji' to go to the pier at Shibaura. (Omitted) We were held by sailors and transferred to the Kiji. Once everyone had moved over, it started to move quietly. In ten minutes, we arrived at the Shibaura pier. I was finally able to step on the soil of Tokyo, which I had wanted to see so badly."

Mr. Yasoshima, who later became a forensic scientist, wrote in the "Ko'uma Keio Yochisha 90th Anniversary Issue" that his joy at having his long composition about the earthquake days published in "Chie" was great. He had hoped to one day let his children read about their father's experience, but he unfortunately lost the copy of "Chie" while serving in the war. I realized once again what harsh times the people of this era lived through.

* "Encountering the Great Earthquake" 3O Hiroshi Minami

(While spending time with my family, I thought I heard a roar, and then the house started shaking violently. I jumped out into the garden, but the house hadn't budged. Doctors from the hospital next door were able to safely move the patients to my house. We spent the second morning after sleeping in a tent outside.)

"The sky was very clear. But perhaps it had rained during the night, as the grass was dripping with dew. As I walked around, I thought, 'My house is supposed to be small, but it's amazing that all these people from the hospital could fit in. And there's no shortage of food. This is strange.' (Omitted) In any case, the day is long. I suddenly thought about school. 'I wonder if my school burned down. Or maybe it collapsed? Surely it wouldn't collapse.' (Omitted)"

Mr. Minami, who later became a social psychologist, reflected on his Yochisha days in the "Ko'uma Keio Yochisha 90th Anniversary Issue," writing that "the Great Earthquake was a shock that made even elementary school students feel a sense of nihilism." Even while spending time happily with friends, such thoughts must have crossed his mind.

* "Autumn in the Burned Ruins" 4O Shigeyasu Setsuya

(Autumn has come even to the burned ruins. Autumn in Tokyo is lonely. The sky turned dark and it started to rain.)

"The rain gets stronger and stronger. But before I knew it, it stopped and evening came. Looking out the window, the soil on the road glitters. The leaves are shining in the sparkling red sunset. Ah, somehow that light feels lonely. I involuntarily remembered that September 1. 'Ah, I really never dreamed of such a thing. Even the inside of Mitsukoshi became hollow. Oh, what a terrifying great fire. And now this lonely autumn has layered on top of it.' The leaves fall while shining in the sunset. Ah, people also leave the world like that, experiencing joy once and suffering once. (Omitted)"

There were many works that grieved over the past few months while gazing at the burned ruins as the days passed.

* "From Memories of the Great Earthquake" 5O Noboru Yamamoto

(The day of the great earthquake. After 3:00, my father, and soon after, my older brother returned from work, and it was certain that the whole family was safe. When we escaped to the small hill in the garden, I noticed the pond had turned into muddy water and many carp were looking distressed. Every time an aftershock came, the carp and crucian carp got mixed up, and they died one by one.)

"The second day dawned. Aftershocks still come occasionally. Several more died this day. My brother and I scooped up those carp and crucian carp with a net and let them all flow into the stream in the back. On the afternoon of the third day, I looked closely at a carp I had scooped up without thinking, and I suddenly became sad. It was the largest and oldest carp in the pond. Since we had kept it for about six or seven years, I had been fond of it since I was little. When I took that carp to the stream in the back to let it go, I couldn't help but feel sorry for it. (Omitted)"

The kind-hearted young Yamamoto worried about the safety of the carp. In the "Ko'uma Keio Yochisha 90th Anniversary Issue," he reminisced about his homeroom teacher, Mr. Tomoyu Kikuchi, writing that he was gentle and taught in a way that felt like he was always talking to the students, giving the impression that "teachers are people you can be close to." He stated that the root of his desire to "always be close to the students" when he later served at Keio University likely lay in those memories of his days at Yochisha.

* "About the Great Earthquake" 6O Goro Yasukawa

(He encountered the September 1 earthquake in Karuizawa and initially thought it was caused by an eruption of Mount Asama. He spent the night with the earthquakes continuing and no electricity. The next morning, he received news that "Tokyo is in a great fire, corpses are piled up, and the number of dead is unknown. All large buildings are destroyed," and the whole family worried about his father, who was on a business trip to Tokyo. Fortunately, his father's safety was confirmed, and he returned to Tokyo after a while, but the scenery of the scorched fields seemed like nothing but a dream.)

"The power of nature is great. Seeing things like this, the power of human wisdom is fragile. No matter how civilized we become, can we not win against nature? This time, the imperial capital must be made to prevent fires and earthquakes. The reconstruction of the imperial capital is by no means an easy task, but the citizens must strive to build an even finer imperial capital."

Among the sixth graders, there were several works that delivered powerful messages, stating that each person should brace their spirit, strive to learn without giving in to natural disasters, and "build an even better imperial capital when we grow up."

This special issue can be said to be a volume that proves that the wish the teachers of that time placed in "Chie"—that "the shortcut to creating a good learning attitude for a child's growth is to gaze at one's own past and reflect on the traces of one's achievements through subjects aimed at student expression, namely, compositions and poetry"—was certainly nurtured in the hearts of the Yochisha students. I am proud that there were seniors who had the will to face difficulties without flinching.