Einstein and Keio University

2005/10/18

Published in "Juku" 2005, no. 248

The year 1905 was the *annus mirabilis* (miracle year) when Dr. Albert Einstein, the greatest physicist of the 20th century, published three papers, including his "special theory of relativity."
This year, which marks the 100th anniversary, has been declared the "World Year of Physics" by the United Nations.
Dr. Einstein visited Japan in 1922 (Taisho 11), but did you know that the first lecture he gave in Japan was at Keio University in Mita?

Einstein's lecture tour of Japan was planned by Sanehiko Yamamoto, the president of Kaizosha, the publisher of the general-interest magazine "Kaizo," which was widely supported by intellectuals of the time. Einstein, who had developed a considerable interest in Japan as a beautiful island nation in the Far East through the works of Koizumi Yakumo (Lafcadio Hearn), readily accepted Yamamoto's request. On October 8, 1922 (Taisho 11), the 43-year-old Dr. Albert Einstein and his wife Elsa departed from Marseille aboard the NYK Line's *Kitano Maru*. On November 10, the Nobel Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that Einstein would be awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics, and the doctor received this good news aboard the ship. This news further fueled the enthusiasm in Japan for the genius physicist of the century, and when the doctor arrived at Kobe Port on November 17, he received an unexpectedly grand welcome. Subsequently, a major boom, which could be called an "Einstein whirlwind," swept through every Japanese city he visited.

The Einsteins, who stayed in Kyoto on the day of their arrival in Japan, headed for Tokyo the next day on the 9:15 a.m. express train. The weather was fine that day, and it is said that the couple enjoyed the scenery of Lake Biwa and Mt. Fuji from the train window. They arrived at Tokyo Station at 7:20 p.m. The area inside and outside the station's ticket gates was overflowing with welcoming crowds, making it almost impossible to move. After finally arriving at the Imperial Hotel where he was staying, Einstein met late into the night with Dr. Jun Ishiwara, a theoretical physicist who would serve as his interpreter for the lecture at Keio University, to discuss the lecture.

On the 19th, Einstein visited Keio. The lecture venue was the Public Speaking Hall (Dai-kodo) on the Mita Hilltop Square, completed in June 1915 (Taisho 4). This facility, commonly known as the "Great Hall," was located south of the current West School Building on the Mita Campus and served not only for Keio University's main ceremonies but also as a cultural center for the public (it was destroyed by fire in the great air raid of May 1945 [Showa 20]).

It is said that on the morning of the lecture, Einstein abstained from stimulants, coffee, and tea, declined visitors as much as possible, and sat at his desk with a calm mind to formulate the content of his lecture. However, his preparation apparently consisted of only simple notes. This is because when Dr. Ishiwara asked him the day before to prepare a rough draft of the lecture in advance to facilitate smooth interpretation, Einstein replied, "If I prepare a manuscript beforehand, my thoughts become fixed, which is not good. I prefer to see the faces of the audience and speak freely on the spot" (from Tsutomu Kaneko's "Einstein Shock," Iwanami Gendai Bunko).

And as Einstein stood on the stage, he faced an audience of some two thousand several hundred people, including students, citizens, and Keio University affiliates, who filled the Great Hall. In the invited guests' seats on the second floor were Eikichi Kamata, former President of Keio University who had just been appointed Minister of Education, as well as leading pre-war Japanese physicists, including Hantaro Nagaoka, the proponent of the Saturnian model of the atom.

From 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., for about three hours, Einstein explained the "special theory of relativity," using gestures. After a one-hour break, he spoke again from 5:30 p.m. for about two hours, this time on the "general theory of relativity." It was a long lecture, just as the notice published in the newspaper the day before had stated: "Note: As Professor Einstein wishes the lecture to be lengthy, please be prepared with bread." According to the *Yomiuri Shimbun* of the time, the audience was captivated by Einstein's "musical voice, like the ringing of a golden bell," and listened quietly and intently until the very end.

An outline of the lecture at Keio University was published as a half-page article in the November 21, Taisho 11 issue of "Mita Shimbun," Japan's first university student newspaper, under the headline "An Overview of the Special and General Theories of Relativity—My Theory of Relativity Consists of the Special Theory of Relativity and the General Theory of Relativity." In addition, a summary of the lecture by the interpreter, Jun Ishiwara, was published in the January issue of "Kaizo" the following year, and that article was included in "Professor Einstein's Lectures" (published by Kaizosha) in 1933 (Showa 8). The book contains not only the transcript of Einstein's lectures but also his own impressions of Japan, as well as sketches and writings by manga artist Ippei Okamoto (father of the late artist Taro Okamoto), who accompanied him on the lecture tour. Keio University holds a copy of the book donated by Mr. Okamoto himself.

After his lecture at Keio University, Einstein gave a lecture at the YMCA in Kanda, Tokyo, on November 24, and then delivered a series of six academic lectures at Tokyo Imperial University starting November 25. He then gave one public lecture each in Sendai, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and Fukuoka. It seems that between his busy schedule, he and his wife were able to experience Japan's culture and nature and enjoy interacting with students across the country. Then, on December 29, they boarded the NYK Line's *Haruna Maru* from Moji Port in Fukuoka Prefecture and set off on their journey home. During his 43-day stay in Japan, Einstein grew to deeply love the country's culture and people, and the Japanese people, in turn, respected his great achievements and loved his unpretentious personality.

However, an unfortunate era awaited them both. In 1933 (Showa 8), when Hitler came to power in Germany, Einstein, who was Jewish, emigrated to the United States. Then, on August 6 and 9, 1945 (Showa 20), atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The atomic bomb was the weaponized embodiment of the formula from the special theory of relativity, E = mc ² , which states that matter can be converted into energy. Upon learning of this first-ever tragedy in human history, Einstein is said to have lamented, "Oh, Weh! (Oh, the horror!)" and was left speechless. He later said, "I made one great mistake in my life—when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt recommending that atom bombs be made" (from "Einstein Shock"). In 1939 (Showa 14), fearing that Nazi Germany had begun developing an atomic bomb, Einstein, on behalf of several scientists, had urged US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to produce one. He regretted this for the rest of his life. In his later years, while conducting research at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, Einstein was also actively involved in the peace movement, advocating for the establishment of a world federation. Then, on April 11, 1955 (Showa 30), he signed the "Russell-Einstein Manifesto" with British philosopher Bertrand Russell, calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons and an end to war. Coincidentally, Russell had visited Japan the year before Einstein, in 1921 (Taisho 10), and had also lectured in the same Public Speaking Hall at Keio University. However, one week after signing, on April 18, Albert Einstein passed away, mourned by people all over the world. This "World Year of Physics" also marks the 50th anniversary of Einstein's death, the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the 50th anniversary of the first World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs.