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

2023/08/21

The "Draft History of Keio Yochisha Elementary School" written by former Keio Yochisha Elementary School Principal Kogoro Yoshida and published in 1965 (Showa 40) records the damage situation of Yochisha during the Great Kanto Earthquake. At that time, Yochisha was located in Mita, and fortunately, the damage was minor, with only some roof tiles broken, allowing the opening ceremony to be held on September 8th. However, due to the chaos in Tokyo and the paralysis of transportation, the start of classes at Yochisha was postponed to October 1st by agreement of the Juku's committee of department heads.

The origin of Keio Yochisha Elementary School dates back to 1874 (Meiji 7), when Yoshiro Wada, a senior disciple who received the instructions of Yukichi Fukuzawa, took in and educated children of school age at his own home within the Keio University grounds in Mita (it was initially called Wada Juku, but began to be called Yochisha around 1880).

In 1919 (Taisho 8), the 4th principal, Tsuneki Mori, who had served for a long time, left, and Yochisha entered the era of Director Sumie Kobayashi (from this time, the title was changed from Principal to Director). Immediately upon taking office, Director Kobayashi began by repairing all the foundations of the school buildings at the time, and by 1921 (Taisho 10), he successively worked on improving the facilities of the Mita Yochisha, including moving the dormitory and establishing new school buildings. It is believed that these efforts fortunately resulted in Yochisha not suffering major damage during the earthquake.

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

Deaths: 5; Injured: 2; Houses burned down: 104; Only residence burned down (shop remains): 17; Only shop burned down (residence remains): 60; Only shop completely destroyed: 2; Only residence completely destroyed: 8; Only shop partially destroyed: 2; Only residence 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 at the Juku 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 Tomotake Kikuchi, who was developing a composition movement nationwide, transferred to Yochisha, he joined fellow Yochisha teachers such as Zenzo Oikawa and Seiichiro Samejima to launch the Yochisha composition magazine "Chie" (Wisdom) in April 1922 (Taisho 11).

After the July 1923 issue was published, the printing office became unable to print due to the Great Earthquake on September 1st. Consequently, the next issue was delayed until March 1924 (Taisho 13) and was finally published (issued 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).

In the "Special Issue," nearly a hundred works including prose and poetry about the earthquake by students from 1st to 6th grade were published. 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 was 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. It would be a sin to complain. (Omitted)"

* "Saved Inside a Boat" 2K, Susumu Hata

(While 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. The family was safe, but soon fires broke out everywhere, so we loaded our belongings onto a friend's boat and set out toward the Okawa River. Large barges 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 a struggle to put them out. I was startled when a large fire flew right in front of my eyes. A boat that was on fire almost drifted close to the boat I was on. At that time, I was prepared to die. Fortunately, it was washed straight downstream, and I was saved. (Omitted)"

When the earthquake struck, Yochisha students were still on summer vacation, spending pleasant days with their families at home or at summer resorts. The accounts convey how even young 1st and 2nd graders fought to survive amidst unimaginable terror.

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

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

"The ship moved steadily forward 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 Shibaura pier. (Omitted) We were held by sailors and transferred to the Kiji. Once everyone had moved over, it started to move quietly. In about ten minutes, we arrived at the Shibaura pier. At that moment, I was 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 Yochisha 90th Anniversary Issue" that he was very happy to have his long composition about the days of the Great Earthquake published in "Chie." He had hoped to one day let his own children read about their father's experience, but he unfortunately lost his copy of "Chie" while serving in the war. I was reminded once again of just how harsh the times were that 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 roaring sound, and then the house began to shake 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 slept in a tent outside at night and welcomed the second morning.)

"The sky was clear. However, 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 so many people from the hospital could fit in. And there is 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 Yochisha 90th Anniversary Issue," noting 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 grew dark and it began to rain.)

"The rain gets 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 1st. 'Ah, I really never dreamed of such a thing. Even Mitsukoshi became hollow inside. 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, having enjoyed once and suffered once. (Omitted)"

Many works were seen that grieved over the days of these 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. My father returned from work after 3:00, and soon my older brother returned as well, so 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 seemed to be suffering. 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 today. 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. We had kept it for about six or seven years, so 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 felt so sorry for it. (Omitted)"

Young Yamamoto was a kind-hearted boy who worried about the safety of the carp. In the "Ko'uma Yochisha 90th Anniversary Issue," he wrote about his memories of his homeroom teacher, Mr. Tomotake Kikuchi, who was gentle and always taught as if talking to the students, giving him the impression that "a teacher is someone 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 lay in those memories of his days at Yochisha.

* "About the Great Earthquake" 6O, Goro Yasukawa

(He encountered the September 1st earthquake in Karuizawa and initially thought it was caused by an eruption of Mt. 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 have been 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 sight of the scorched plains 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. Reconstructing 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 themselves and strive to learn without giving in to natural disasters, and "build an even better Imperial Capital once we have grown up."

This special issue is 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 self 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 Yochisha students. I am proud that there were seniors who possessed the will to face difficulties without flinching.