2010/04/26
Published in "Juku," 2010, no. 266
After enrolling at Keio University, the symbols you are likely to see everywhere on campus, at university ceremonies including those at its affiliated schools, and sometimes in the most unexpected places, are likely The Pen Mark and the Sanshokuki. Other unforgettable symbols of our alma mater, which remain cherished even after graduation as Keio University alumni, include the Great Ginkgo Tree at Mita, the avenue of ginkgo trees at Hiyoshi, and the unicorn gargoyle at Chutobu Junior High School.
The Pen Mark: Created Unofficially by Fashionable Keio Students and Later Officially Recognized
When one thinks of a symbol of Keio University, The Pen Mark is undoubtedly the first thing that comes to mind. Even for new students, the mention of Keio University surely brings this mark to mind. Walking around campus, you can find this mark everywhere, from the walls and entrances of buildings to manhole covers (pictured, left).
Surprisingly, however, the prevailing theory is that The Pen Mark was not originally established by Keio University, but was something that Keio students began using on their own.
In 1900 (Meiji 33), Keio students in the college were notified to wear caps with an insignia, and there is no doubt that The Pen Mark became the official symbol of Keio University at this point. However, according to legend, it seems to have been used by some Keio students for about 15 years prior.
The story goes that a few fashionable Keio students, tired of traditional Japanese clothing, had matching Western-style clothes and hats made. Inspired by the phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword," which they had learned in a lecture around that time, they devised a design of crossed pens and attached it to their hats as a common insignia.
However, there is another theory. It suggests that a student designed it at the behest of Yukichi Fukuzawa, who had asked, "Why don't you try to think of an emblem for Keio University?" As it stands, it is impossible to know which story is true.
Blue, Red, and BlueThe Sanshokuki That Traveled to Space
Keio University's Sanshokuki has traveled beyond the atmosphere and into outer space. Chiaki Mukai (a Keio University alumni and 1977 graduate of the School of Medicine), who became Asia's first female astronaut to go to space in 1994 (Heisei 6) and 1998, took it with her on the Space Shuttle. Current Keio students may have seen this on the news.
Be that as it may, not only at sporting events but at various other functions, things feel somewhat incomplete if this Sanshokuki is not displayed. Although we are accustomed to calling it the Sanshokuki (three-colored flag), the background of this flag actually uses two colors. The blue stripes above and below the red are the same color. Incidentally, many of the Mita-kai, the Keio University alumni organizations formed throughout Japan, also create and possess their own Sanshokuki bearing the name of their respective Mita-kai.
Similar to The Pen Mark, this flag also seems to have been devised and used by Keio students before being officially recognized as the flag of Keio University around 1898 (Meiji 31). This is because articles in the *Jiji Shinpo* newspaper and other publications from before that time, in 1894 (Meiji 27), reported that Keio students carrying the Sanshokuki alongside the national flag participated in the Kandelaar March to celebrate the fall of Port Arthur during the First Sino-Japanese War.
In 2005 (Heisei 17), Visual Identity (VI) guidelines were created for three types of symbols—the Sanshokuki, The Pen Mark, and the Keio University emblem—making them easier to use in various situations.
The Avenue of Ginkgo Trees at Hiyoshi and the Majestic Great Ginkgo Tree at Mita
Many people must have savored the joy of becoming Keio students as they were greeted by the avenue of ginkgo trees stretching from Hiyoshi Station. This avenue of ginkgo trees at the Hiyoshi Campus was planted in 1935 (Showa 10), the year after the campus opened. There are about 100 trees lining both sides of the central road leading from the gate to the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall, and now, 75 years after being planted, they have acquired the majestic appearance of a grand tree-lined avenue.
However, boasting an even more imposing and majestic presence is the Great Ginkgo Tree that towers on the south side of the First School Building on the Mita Campus. "Under the great ginkgo tree..." has become a common phrase used by Keio students for meeting up. It is not certain, however, when this Great Ginkgo Tree was planted here. While it cannot be confirmed in photographs from the Meiji period, photos from the Taisho period show it towering above the roof of the two-story wooden school building, lending it an air of mystery.
The poet Haruo Sato, who entered Keio University in 1910 (Meiji 43), nostalgically recalled his student days at Mita about 20 years later, writing in a poem: "The leaves of a lone ginkgo tree have withered and scattered to fill the garden / The winter exams are drawing near, and I can't understand a single line of French." However, it cannot be confirmed whether these ginkgo leaves were from the Great Ginkgo Tree. It is possible that other ginkgo trees were planted on campus.
The Unicorn Gargoyle: Bizarre in Appearance, Yet Endearing
A unicorn is a mythical one-horned beast. Although it is an imaginary creature, it is generally known as a horse-like animal with a single long horn on its forehead. However, it is difficult to readily imagine a horse when looking at Keio University's unicorn. If anything, it brings to mind the monstrous gargoyles of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Its fate has also been rather curious (?). It was created when the Grand Lecture Hall, which once stood on Mita Hilltop Square, was repaired after the Great Kanto Earthquake, but the intention behind its installation is unknown. It disappeared for a time when the Grand Lecture Hall was demolished after the war, but in 1962 (Showa 37), a decoration modeled after the unicorn appeared at a Waseda-Keio rivalry baseball game. It gradually gained status as a mascot for being endearing despite its bizarre appearance. Then, in 1975 (Showa 50), one was restored, and another was reconstructed the following year. They are now installed on either side of the main entrance of the Chutobu Junior High School main building. It is also interesting that their designs are subtly different.