May 1, 1995. Published in "Juku" No. 191 (1995).
May 15 is an important anniversary for Keio University.
On this day in the fourth year of the Keio era, the flame of learning that Yukichi Fukuzawa kept alive amidst the turmoil of war went on to play a major role in the formation of Japan as a modern, civilized nation.
And that flame continues to burn brightly here today.
At Keio University, May 15 is designated as the "Yukichi Fukuzawa-Francis Wayland Lecture Day." The events of that day in the fourth year of the Keio era (1868) reveal to us the extraordinary passion that Yukichi Fukuzawa poured into the education at his school.
In April of that year, Fukuzawa moved his school from Tsukiji Teppozu to Shiba Shinsenza (present-day 1-chome, Hamamatsucho, Minato-ku) and named it "Keio University" after the era name. He also published his educational manifesto, the "Keio Gijuku no Ki" (An Outline of Keio Gijuku). The school, transformed from Fukuzawa's private academy into a modern educational institution, was full of life as it embarked on a new beginning. Meanwhile, the world at the time was in a period of great transition from the shogunate system to the Meiji Restoration. Although negotiations for the bloodless surrender of Edo Castle between the imperial army and the shogunate had reached an agreement, some dissatisfied shogunate retainers formed the "Shogitai" and barricaded themselves on Ueno Hill, prompting the imperial army to launch an attack. That was on May 15. According to "Fukuō Jiden" (The Autobiography of a Humble Old Man), "A great battle began in Ueno, and before and after, all the theaters, vaudeville halls, shows, and restaurants in Edo were closed, plunging the entire city into true darkness, a confusion so great that no one knew what was happening." The sound of cannons from Ueno could also be heard at the school in Shinsenza.
However, despite the turmoil, Fukuzawa took up Wayland's economics book and, with the strong conviction that "no matter what changes occur in the world, the flame of learning must not be extinguished. As long as Keio University exists, the lifeblood of Western learning in Japan will never be severed," he continued to teach as usual while encouraging his Keio students. For Fukuzawa, the most urgent task was to teach Western scholarship and civilization in order to cultivate the human resources who would promote Japan's modernization and independence.
On May 15, 1956, Keio University established this day as a school anniversary to pass down as a tradition the spirit of Fukuzawa, who prioritized respect for academic education above all else. Every year, a commemorative lecture is held at the Mita Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall). This year, a lecture will be given by Professor Toyomi Fujino of the School of Medicine.
Furthermore, last October, President Yasuhiko Torii received an honorary doctorate from Brown University in the United States, where Wayland once served as president.