Stained Glass

July 1, 1995 / Published in "Juku" 1995, no. 192

The Keio University Athletic Association currently comprises 38 clubs.
This Athletic Association was founded in May 1892, but its history can be traced back to the Shiba-Shinzenza period.
It was Yukichi Fukuzawa who first advocated for the importance of physical education in Japan and introduced it into the curriculum.

"First build the body, then cultivate the mind." This assertion by Yukichi Fukuzawa, based on the Western idea of physical education—incorporating sports into education to cultivate the physical and mental health essential for an independent life—has been a fundamental policy of Keio since its founding. Physical education was already being practiced during the Shiba-Shinzenza period, and when Keio moved to Mita in 1871 (Meiji 4), activities such as equestrianism, kendo, judo, and gymnastics flourished. Baseball was introduced in 1884 (Meiji 17), and the "Mita Baseball Club" was formed in 1889 (Meiji 22).

Amidst this backdrop, the "Keio University Athletic Association" was founded in May 1892 (Meiji 25) to systematically unify seven clubs: judo, kendo, baseball, rowing, archery, military drills, and walking. The minutes of the board of councillors from that time state that the Athletic Association was "to be granted the funds for the spring and autumn athletic meets and to hold said meets twice a year," revealing its role within Keio at the time. At the time, the term "undokai" (athletic meet) was used more broadly than it is today, and even excursions were called undokai. While there are records of the first "undokai" at Keio being held around 1883–1884 (Meiji 16–17), the first athletic meet in the modern sense seems to have been held on June 6, 1886 (Meiji 19), at the athletic field on Mita Hilltop Square. Subsequently, "Keio's Undokai" gained a reputation among the citizens of Tokyo, and by 1895 (Meiji 28), it was attracting as many as 10,000 spectators.

The Athletic Association continued to introduce new sports, and clubs for tennis, swimming, and rugby were established. The Waseda-Keio rivalry baseball games began in 1903 (Meiji 36), but by 1906 (Meiji 39), the games were suspended due to overly zealous cheering from students of both universities. Entering the Taisho period, the Athletic Association developed further, growing to include 14 clubs. Around this time, the skill level of each club improved dramatically, and they achieved spectacular success in external competitions. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that Keio students and Keio University alumni were sent to the Olympic Games on several occasions during the Showa period.

The Keio University Athletic Association, which had achieved such remarkable development, went into decline in the late 1930s due to the intensification of the war. In 1943 (Showa 18), when the student mobilization took place, a Waseda-Keio baseball game was held as a send-off for the departing students—the so-called "Last Waseda-Keio Game." Accompanied by the solemn singing of "Umi Yukaba," which spontaneously arose from the cheering squads of both universities, the Athletic Association temporarily suspended its long and brilliant history since 1892, awaiting the arrival of peace.