2025/05/19
On May 15, 1868, amidst the turmoil of the Boshin War that had engulfed the city of Edo, Yukichi Fukuzawa remained undaunted and continued his lecture on Francis Wayland's book on economics as usual. To perpetuate Fukuzawa's spirit of respecting scholarship and education regardless of any changes in the world, Keio University has designated May 15 as "Yukichi Fukuzawa-Francis Wayland Lecture Day" and has held a commemorative lecture annually since 1956.
This year again on Thursday, May 15, Professor Keigo Komamura of the Faculty of Law gave a lecture at the Mita Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall) titled "The 'Moral Backbone' of the 21st Century:
'Freedom,' 'Happiness,' and 'The Duty of a Maggot' in Fukuzawa's Philosophy." The event was so popular that pre-registration had to be closed after reaching full capacity.
Professor Komamura offered a comparative analysis of the moral spirit of Yukichi Fukuzawa, who advocated for being "a paragon of intellect and morals for the entire nation," and the "moral backbone" inherited from him by Shinzo Koizumi. He explained that today's era of information overload has become an age where "freedom leads to unhappiness," and stated that the question for the 21st century is whether we can act with a "moral backbone" when it counts.
Professor Komamura's lecture, interspersed with humor, filled the hall with occasional laughter, and the audience listened intently. After the lecture, many attendees were seen taking photographs of the Enzetsukan (Public Speaking Hall), a designated Important Cultural Property, which celebrates the 150th anniversary of its completion this year.
A transcript of the lecture will be published in the July issue of "Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press)" .
Photography: Akisue Takematsu