The Old University Library and Its Stained Glass: Preserved Through the Ages

2009/01/26

From "Juku" No. 261 (2009)

The Old University Library on the Mita Campus was built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Keio University's founding.

To the right of the entrance stands a majestic Himalayan cedar, while to the left, a bust of Professor Yukichi Fukuzawa watches over the Keio students.

On the landing of the central staircase in this historic building, a magnificent stained-glass window shines, a masterpiece by a master, painstakingly restored by his disciple.

In 1907, Keio University celebrated its 50th anniversary. The library was constructed as a commemorative project and was completed on April 15, 1912. While it opened to students the following day, the official opening ceremony was held on May 18. Under clear skies, over 800 guests attended. The Keio School Flag fluttered from the eaves of shops lining Mita-dori Street, and the entire Mita area was enveloped in a festive mood, celebrating the completion of the beautiful red-brick, Gothic-style library.

All who visited the library marveled at its magnificent and elegant construction. Three years later, in December 1915, a new beauty was added to delight visitors: a large stained-glass window, 6.45 meters high and 2.61 meters wide, on the landing of the central staircase.

The original painting was created by the Western-style painter Eisaku Wada. The composition depicts a goddess, a symbol of Western civilization holding the Keio pen emblem, emerging from an open gate amidst a brilliant light. She is greeted by a samurai in armor, a symbol of feudalism and militarism, who has dismounted from his white horse. This perfectly represents the spirit of Juku, seeking to usher in a new era. At the bottom is the Latin phrase Calamvs Gladio Fortior (The pen is mightier than the sword), flanked by the Roman numerals for the year of Keio University's founding (1858) and its 50th anniversary (1907).

The stained glass was created and installed based on the original painting by Sanchi Ogawa. Having just completed his training in the United States, Ogawa imported glass from the US and went to great lengths to achieve deep colors, such as layering the glass two or three times. His work was highly praised as "an outstanding achievement for a piece created by a Japanese artist."

Later, during an air raid on the night of May 25, 1945, the library was hit. Although damage to the book collection was minimized, the fury of incendiary bombs engulfed the entire main building, including the octagonal tower, and the stained glass was lost.

The sight after the fire was extinguished was heartbreaking, causing much grief among those associated with Juku. Professor Emeritus Shigetomo Koda wrote, "The sight of the steel frame of the top floor of the burnt-out stacks, visible against the sky from near Mita-dori Street, is truly tragic" (Bungeishunju, August 1946 issue). Shinobu Orikuchi, then a professor in the Faculty of Letters, also lamented the damaged library in a poem published in the Mita Shimbun (February 1947 issue): "Walking from near Akabane Bridge, I am suddenly startled—. Above the ashes, the steel frame of the library's roof ripples—. Like the jagged dorsal fin of a dinosaur reaching for the sky, yet is this ancient knowledge frozen in Paleozoic rock?"

Having lost many of its buildings in the war and with its Hiyoshi Campus requisitioned by the US military, Keio University had to hasten the reconstruction of its school buildings. The restoration of the library building took several years, with the completion ceremony for its renovation held on May 5, 1949. However, the large window where the stained glass had been was fitted with clear glass.

For those who knew the pre-war library, the building without its stained glass felt incomplete and tinged with sadness. For Ryuzo Ohtake, who had studied stained glass under Sanchi Ogawa and become an accomplished artist himself, the fact that his master's representative work remained lost was a source of unbearable sorrow. When the original was created, Ohtake was still just an apprentice and was not directly involved in its production. Nevertheless, the stained glass created by his master, which he had admired during his formative years, was an irreplaceable work of art. Driven by the thought, "I must do something," Ohtake resolved to restore it in 1971. He was already 77 years old.

Wada's original painting had been preserved, but it had faded over time, and no color photographs existed. Recreating the colors was extremely difficult. However, Ohtake imported glass from the same American company his master Ogawa had used and immersed himself in the restoration with persistent and meticulous effort.

"This work, which I would rather call a revival than a restoration, was for my father, on one hand, the best possible report to his master, Sanchi Ogawa, on the revival of the stained glass. On the other hand, it represented the culmination of the path he had walked his entire life." (From his son and successor, Katsuya Ohtake / Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press), January 1975 issue).

Then, as the three-year project neared completion, on October 10, 1974, the day after giving his final instructions on color adjustments to the workers, Ryuzo Ohtake suddenly passed away. The unveiling ceremony was held two months later on December 10, the monthly anniversary of his death. Thanks to Ohtake's tenacity, the restored stained glass of the library was revived in vivid color.

To the right, after passing through the East Gate and climbing the stairs, the Old University Library still stands gracefully, imbued with an ancient charm. Its presence possesses an intellectual dignity befitting a symbol of the alma mater for both current Keio students and alumni who spent their youth studying at Mita. And on the central staircase of that building, the stained glass—created by the master, Sanchi Ogawa, and restored by his disciple, Ryuzo Ohtake—transcends the flow of time, conveying the splendor of knowledge with the message, "The pen is mightier than the sword."