The Keio University "Pen Mark"

2004/07/01

Published in "Juku" No. 237 (2004) — A Special Issue for the Keio Gijuku Shachu

When one thinks of the symbols of Keio University, The Pen Mark likely comes to mind, along with the red-brick Old University Library. It is a very simple design of two crossed pens, yet nothing so succinctly symbolizes the spirit of Keio. This article will introduce the history of The Pen Mark and the story behind the English aphorism, "The pen is mightier than the sword."

For over a century, The Pen Mark has been a symbol of Keio University. This mark is also featured on the blue, red, and blue Keio School Flag (Sanshokuki) that waves proudly in the stands during the Keio-Waseda games. It is well known not only to the Keio Gijuku Shachu but also to the general public. And now, it also serves as a symbol of Keio University to the world.

In 1990, a new emblem for Keio University was established following a proposal from the University of Queensland in Australia, one of our partner universities for student exchange. The cloisters surrounding the main courtyard on the University of Queensland campus feature stone pillars, each engraved with the coat of arms of a renowned university from around the world. The university's proposal was to add the Keio University emblem to one of these pillars. The new emblem designed as a result of this is based on The Pen Mark and the colors of the Keio School Flag, and consists of the university's English name, its founding year, and the Latin phrase "Calamvs Gladio Fortior," which is the origin of The Pen Mark, meaning "The pen is mightier than the sword."

Currently, the university emblem, The Pen Mark, and the Keio School Flag are all registered as trademarks with the Japan Patent Office and are legally protected as service marks of Keio University.

Although The Pen Mark is widely cherished, there are various theories about its origin.

Commemorative medals for the university's establishment and graduation certificates from the 1880s and 1890s show a design quite different from the current one, featuring a quill pen and a sword tied with a ribbon. What is known from the limited available materials is that The Pen Mark was not officially established by Keio University, but rather seems to have originated from an idea by a group of Keio students, which was then officially recognized over time. The catalyst for its creation was the shift from "wafuku" (Japanese clothing) to "yofuku" (Western clothing)... According to the recollections of former Keio students Ichimatsu Fujita and Genjiro Takata, the story goes roughly as follows.

Around 1885, several Keio students voluntarily had matching Western-style uniforms and school caps made. However, when they walked around town in their Western attire, they felt that something was missing without an insignia on their caps. Inspired by the phrase "The pen is mightier than the sword" from the textbook "Composition and Rhetoric" by Quackenbos, which they were using in their lectures at the time, Mr. Fujita came up with the idea of an insignia with two crossed pens. With the approval of his peers, the cap badge with The Pen Mark was created.

However, there is an alternative theory. It is said that around the same time, in 1885, a student devised it at the behest of Yukichi Fukuzawa. That student was Matsunosuke Tsukamoto, who would later become a pioneer of Japanese immigration and a prominent figure in San Francisco, USA. His nephew's son, Kazuya Tsukamoto, who is also among the Keio University alumni, introduced the story of The Pen Mark's creation as told by Matsunosuke in the Sankei Shimbun newspaper in 1958. According to the article, Yukichi Fukuzawa said to him, "The school doesn't have a set emblem. Tsukamoto, why don't you try to think of one?" He then devised "two designs: one combining a pen and an anchor, and another with two pens crossed diagonally." "However, the combination with the anchor seemed unbalanced and could be confused with the logo of a steamship company, so the crossed pens were chosen." When he sought Yukichi Fukuzawa's judgment, he immediately approved, saying, "It's a very good design." Incidentally, the use of an anchor in the rejected design was said to be "in deference to Yukichi Fukuzawa's advocacy for overseas expansion."

It is impossible to determine which theory is true now, but it seems certain that the design itself was conceived by Keio students. It is also possible that Mr. Fujita and Mr. Tsukada coincidentally came up with similar designs around the same time. The school emblem of Kyoritsu Gakko (now Kaisei Junior & Senior High School), founded in 1871, slightly after Keio, is also a graphic representation of "The pen is mightier than the sword," suggesting that this aphorism may have been widely popular among students in the early Meiji era.

In any case, an article in the "Jiji Shimpo" newspaper dated December 21, 1885, reported that "Although most Keio University students have traditionally worn Japanese clothing, a majority of them have now agreed to switch to Western-style uniforms, and their caps will feature an insignia of crossed Western pens on the front." Then, in 1900, the wearing of "caps with the insignia" was announced, especially for Keio students in the college, and The Pen Mark was officially adopted as the insignia of Keio.

By the way, the original source of "The pen is mightier than the sword" is said to be the play "Richelieu" by the 19th-century British writer Bulwer-Lytton. This Lytton was the grandfather of Lord Lytton, who was appointed by the League of Nations in 1932 to lead the Lytton Commission to investigate the conflict between Japan and China. Isn't it a deeply fateful coincidence that the descendant of the creator of the aphorism "The pen is..."—so familiar in Japan—was sounding a warning to our country at a time when the power of the sword was attempting to overwhelm the power of the pen? In the 21st century, as the international situation becomes increasingly chaotic, all members of the Keio Gijuku Shachu should once again reflect on the meaning of Keio University flying The Pen Mark.

Former President Shinzo Koizumi's masterpiece, ""The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword,"" clarifies the responsibility of those involved in public discourse. The book introduces words from Yukichi Fukuzawa such as, "With a single pen, we should be able to prevent tens of thousands of soldiers from acting," and "My personal theory is that one should write with courage and complete freedom." The ""Jiji Shimpo"" newspaper, founded by Yukichi Fukuzawa in 1882, was a pioneer in Japanese journalism, with impartiality and non-partisanship as its main editorial principles.