2024/06/10
On Thursday, May 30, the 150th Anniversary Commemorative Ceremony for Yochisha was held at the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall. The event was attended by approximately 3,000 people, including current Yochisha students, their parents, and alumni, as well as many individuals affiliated with Keio University and Yochisha, such as Hiromichi Iwasawa, Chair, Keio University Board of Councillors; Taro Aso, Chairman of the Keio Rengo Mita-Kai; the President; Vice-Presidents; and the heads of Keio's affiliated schools.
The ceremony began with an opening video, followed by a singing of "Yochisha no Uta" (The Yochisha School Song), a ceremonial address by Headmaster Shigenari Sugiura, a congratulatory address from President Kohei Ito, a presentation of the commemorative logo design by Creative Director Kashiwa Sato, and a congratulatory address (via video) from Headmistress Emma Goldsmith of the Dragon School in the UK. Finally, Rino Funabiki delivered a congratulatory speech as the representative of the Yochisha students. The opening video was directed by Katsuo Fukuzawa (Yochisha Class of 1976), with music by Akira Senju (Yochisha Class of 1973) and narration by Takahiro Inoue (Yochisha Class of 1997). It was a story-driven video that chronicled how Keio University's elementary education began. The powerful video was shown as the hall went dark, leading into the Yochisha students' singing of "Yochisha no Uta," creating a memorable opening.
In the second half of the ceremony, three 150th anniversary commemorative songs were performed. "Aozora Pocket" (lyrics: Akiko Takagi, music: Kan Wakamatsu) was conducted by Kan Wakamatsu (Yochisha Class of 1978). For "Yochisha Kazoku" (lyrics: Yochisha students of 2021 & Eri Ishikawa, music: Akira Senju) and "Pen no Sasu Hou e" (lyrics: Sho Sakurai, music: Akira Senju), the 150th Anniversary Ceremony Choir and all Yochisha students gave a spirited vocal performance under the direction of Akira Senju. For "Pen no Sasu Hou e," Mariko Senju (Yochisha Class of 1975) played the violin along with the SENJU LAB Grand Philharmonic orchestra, adding a beautiful touch to the Yochisha students' chorus. Blessed with fine weather, the commemorative ceremony concluded with great success.
Photos by Takeshi Kishi