March 1, 1996
Published in "Juku," no. 196 (1996)
The commencement ceremony for the 1995 academic year will soon be held, but in its early days, Keio University had neither commencement ceremonies nor a system of graduation. The first graduates from the university emerged in 1874, after its relocation to Mita, and the first commencement ceremony was not held until 1893.
Let's trace the origins and evolution of commencement ceremonies at Keio University.
In its founding days, Keio University did not have a system of graduation. This was true not only during the Teppozu period at the end of the Edo period but also after the school moved to Shiba-Shinzenza and was renamed Keio University, and even at the time of its relocation to Mita in 1871. There was no system of graduation or commencement ceremonies.
From the Shiba-Shinzenza period to the time of the Mita relocation, there was a prescribed order of books to be read, with several levels of grades established. Once a student completed the prescribed curriculum, their coursework was considered finished. However, the practice of *hangaku hankyo*—learning while teaching, teaching while learning—was highly valued for mastering one's studies. Those who finished the curriculum would continue their own independent study while guiding their juniors. From a strict perspective, the idea of "graduation" was inconceivable because it was believed that truly mastering a field of study was extremely difficult and, moreover, that there is no end to learning.
The system of graduation was established in 1873. With the revision of the University Regulations, new rules were created: "One, a certificate of completion (*seigyō no menjō*) shall be awarded to those who have fully completed the main course of study at this school. One, a certificate of graduation (*sotsugyō no shōmei*) shall be awarded according to their grade level to those who withdraw without issue." This established a provision to award a certificate of completion to those who finished the curriculum and a graduation certificate to those who withdrew, based on their grade level. What we call "graduation" today was then called *seigyō* (completion of studies), while *sotsugyō* (graduation) was used for those who had studied up to a certain grade level. In the following year, 1874, the first seven graduates of Keio University emerged in accordance with this regulation.
Later, following the establishment of the college in 1890, the first commencement ceremony for the college was held in 1893. Initially, the commencement ceremonies were held at the Mita Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall), but in 1915, the newly opened Public Hall on the Mita Hilltop Square became the venue. However, the Public Hall was destroyed by fire in an air raid in 1945. The commencement ceremonies were then unavoidably held outdoors at the Mita Hilltop Square (the present-day courtyard). In 1958, the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall was completed for the university's 100th anniversary, and since the following year, 1959, the commencement ceremonies have been held there to this day.
Additionally, the tradition of inviting Keio University alumni celebrating their 25th and 50th anniversaries of graduation to the commencement ceremony began in 1953 and continues to this day. However, as the number of new graduates and Keio University alumni grew each year, the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall reached its capacity. Therefore, starting with the commencement ceremony for the 1993 academic year, only alumni celebrating their 25th anniversary are invited to the commencement ceremony, while those celebrating their 50th anniversary are invited to the entrance ceremony. While some universities in the United States have long had a tradition of inviting alumni celebrating their 25th anniversary to commencement ceremonies, Keio University is likely the first to do so in Japan.