Anniversaries at Keio University

2008/04/01

Published in "Juku" No. 258, 2008

At Keio University, it is not only Keio Foundation Day that is celebrated; a variety of anniversaries related to Yukichi Fukuzawa have been passed down through the generations. This article introduces the origins of these anniversaries and the events associated with them.

It was in 1909, more than 50 years after its founding, that Keio designated April 23 as its Keio Foundation Day. According to the "Keio Gijuku Gakuho" (Keio University Report) published in May of that year, "Keio University moved from Shiba Shinsenza to its current location in Mita 2-chome on April 23, 1871 (March 23 by the old calendar). Therefore, starting this year, Keio will designate this day as Keio Foundation Day, close the school, and hold various beneficial events. At the same time, the Kishukusha Memorial, which was previously held every September, will also be held on this day."

However, this date is questionable from a modern perspective. First, converting March 23, 1871, to the solar calendar results in May 12, not April 23.

Second, the historical evidence for the Mita relocation date is weak. According to the "Shoda Heigoro Nikki" (The Diary of Shoda Heigoro), a partial move began on January 16, 1871, and the entire school moved to Mita on March 16. The "Keio Gijuku Gojunenshi" (Fifty-Year History of Keio Gijuku) also states, "The complete relocation of the school from Shinsenza to the Mita hill was finished on March 16, 1871." Based on this, it would seem appropriate to consider March 16 as the relocation date, but one wonders why March 23 was chosen.

In any case, some might say that this lack of insistence, in a good way, is very characteristic of Keio. Regardless, it is undoubtedly an opportunity to reflect on Keio's origins and the people of its founding era.

The year 1868 was when Yukichi Fukuzawa moved his school from Tsukiji Teppozu to Shiba Shinsenza and named it Keio University after the era name. A fresh spirit filled the air both within and outside Keio, with the issuance of a new educational declaration titled "Keio Gijuku no Ki (Notes on Keio Gijuku)."

Meanwhile, the world was in the midst of the Boshin War. On May 15 of that year, a battle took place in Ueno between the imperial army and the Shogitai, throwing the city of Edo into chaos. According to "Fuku-o Jijoden" (The Autobiography of a Humble Old Man), "Theaters, vaudeville halls, shows, and restaurants were all closed, and the eight hundred and eight towns of Edo were in true darkness, to the point where no one knew what was happening."

However, amidst the turmoil, Yukichi Fukuzawa calmly continued his Saturday lecture on Wayland's economics textbook, encouraging Keio students by telling them that no matter what changes occurred in the world, the lifeblood of learning would never cease as long as Keio existed.

In 1956, Keio established the "Yukichi Fukuzawa-Francis Wayland Lecture Day" with the aim of making Fukuzawa's spirit of prioritizing academic education above all else a tradition of the university. To this day, a commemorative lecture is held annually at the Mita Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall).

The "Yukichi Fukuzawa Birthday Celebration" on January 10 is a major New Year's event for Keio.

Although the university is closed on January 10 each year, the Keio Gijuku Shachu, including Keio students, Keio University alumni, and faculty and staff, gather at the Mita Campus. Members of the Fukuzawa family are also invited to celebrate Yukichi Fukuzawa's birthday together. The day begins with a chorus of "Here Stands Yukichi Fukuzawa" by students from the Yochisha Elementary School, followed by the President's New Year's address and a commemorative lecture. After the birthday celebration, it is customary to move to another location for the "New Year's Card Exchange Reception."

Yukichi Fukuzawa was born on the 12th day of the 12th month of the 5th year of the Tenpo era (January 10, 1835, in the solar calendar). Ten years after his death, the Fukuzawa family began to celebrate his birthday on January 10. Following their lead, Mita-kai (gatherings of Keio University alumni) in various regions also began to hold meetings on this day to commemorate it. Until then, it had been customary for Mita-kai to commemorate February 3, the anniversary of his death, by gathering to share memories of Fukuzawa during his lifetime and visiting his grave. However, with some expressing that "it is not right to mourn his passing forever," they followed the Fukuzawa family's lead in celebrating his birthday. Subsequently, Keio University also came to designate January 10 as a commemorative day.

February 3, the anniversary of Yukichi Fukuzawa's death, is also known as "Yukichiki," and from morning onward, there is a constant stream of visitors—including Keio students and their families, Keio University alumni, and faculty and staff—who come to pay their respects at his grave.

Yukichi Fukuzawa passed away at his residence on the Mita Campus on this day in 1901. He was 66 years old, and the cause of death was a cerebral hemorrhage. Respecting Yukichi Fukuzawa's wishes, the funeral was not a university funeral held by Keio but was conducted at Zempukuji Temple, the Fukuzawa family's temple. His coffin was buried in a cemetery in Kami-Osaki that Fukuzawa himself had chosen during his lifetime.

At the time, this cemetery was managed by Honganji Temple, but in 1909, Joko-ji Temple, a branch temple of Zojo-ji Temple (Jodo sect), relocated there. Since then, it has been known as the Joko-ji cemetery. In his later years, Fukuzawa often took walks in the vicinity of Mita and seems to have taken a liking to this location in Kami-Osaki, which was on high ground with a fine view. However, because the Fukuzawa family originally belonged to the Jodo Shinshu sect, the gravesite was moved from Joko-ji Temple to Zempukuji Temple in 1977. At the former site of the grave in Joko-ji, a monument inscribed "The Final Resting Place of Yukichi Fukuzawa" was erected by Keio University.