Professor Agawa's Gardening | Motohiro Tsuchiya, Vice-President / Professor, Graduate School of Media and Governance
2024.12.24
On December 4, we held a commemorative tree planting for Professor Naoyuki Agawa. We chose a dogwood tree. When I asked Dean Tomohiro Ichinose, an expert in horticultural science, "What kind of tree is it?" he replied, "It's an exotic species."
We chose this tree because it symbolizes the relationship between Japan and the United States. In 1912, Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki, who had deep ties to Keio University, gifted cherry trees to the US capital, Washington, D.C. Even today, the cherry trees bloom fully in season, and local people look forward to the cherry blossom festival. In return, the United States gifted Japan the dogwood tree, which is native to North America.
Professor Agawa himself was like an exotic species. I first met him when I was still in the Ph.D. program at the Graduate School of Media and Governance. As a guest at Professor Atsushi Kusano's seminar, Professor Agawa's mannerisms were quintessentially American. The way he sat on his desk and propped his feet on a chair while speaking was like a university professor from a Hollywood movie.
Soon after becoming a professor at the Faculty of Policy Management, he became the right-hand man to Dean Tomoyuki Kojima. He had a style befitting a lawyer, raising objections in university meetings with an air that suggested he was about to shout, "Your Honor!" However, he was not always in opposition. The idea for the Miraisozojuku (Institute for Designing the Future) was conceived by Professor Agawa at the request of Professor Kojima. When the issue of a lack of funds came up, his favorite phrase was, "We can just pitch tents and camp." The idea for Miraisozojuku was later brought to fruition through the efforts of many, led by Professor Jiro Kokuryo and Professor Yutaka Murabayashi.
After the tree planting, a memorial gathering was held at Tablier, attended by SFC faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as alumni from Doshisha University. We had initially expected about 40 people, but over 90 came. It was a cheerful gathering, with many familiar faces sharing memories of Professor Agawa. As soon as the decision was made to hold the event, Dean Tomoki Kamo, Tomoyuki Furuya, and Yuichiro Shimizu formed a team and created a wonderful gathering. The administrative staff, led by Administrative Director Hideyuki Nakamine, also provided tremendous support. This is a testament to the character of Professor Agawa, who reached out to so many people and led the campus with his bright spirit.
Professor Agawa was born and raised in Japan, so of course, he was not an exotic species. Perhaps "hybrid" would be a better term. Influenced by his father, he became interested in America at a young age, and his serious engagement with the country began when he studied abroad in Hawaii. After graduating from Keio University High School, he entered the Department of Political Science in the Faculty of Law and studied in Professor Fuji Kamiya's seminar. However, he later studied abroad at Georgetown University in the US and graduated from there, dropping out of Keio. From that point, Professor Agawa's journey involving America, law, and the sea began. His books, "Do You Dislike America?" (Shinchosha, 1993) and "Still, I Remain Pro-American" (Keiso Shobo, 2003), published when US-Japan relations were temporarily strained, had quite an impact.
With "The Birth of the American Lawyer" (Chuko Shinsho, 1986), he guided many young people toward becoming lawyers. With "Friendship of the Sea," he encouraged many officers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Tens of thousands of people were likely influenced by these books.
He probably considered his main area of expertise to be works like "American History Through the Constitution (Vols. 1-2)" (PHP Shinsho, 2004) and "Contemporary American History Through the Constitution" (NTT Publishing, 2017). I also enjoy "Voyage of the Polaris" (Kodansha, 2000) and "My English Is Still on a Journey" (Kodansha, 1998).
When discussing US-Japan relations, Professor Agawa often quoted former Ambassador to the US Ryozo Kato. Professor Agawa served under Ambassador Kato as the Minister for Public Affairs at the Embassy of Japan in the United States (an experience he chronicled in "2520 Massachusetts Avenue" (Kodansha, 2006)). The quote's essence is that if left unattended, US-Japan relations will deteriorate. They require constant care, like gardening. I believe that as Professor Agawa traveled back and forth between Japan and the US, he was engaged in the gardening of this relationship. In the process, he left behind many writings, was involved in university administration, and inspired many young students and junior researchers.
University administration also requires painstaking care, much like gardening. The future of SFC cannot be left to chance. As we nurture Professor Agawa's dogwood tree, planted next to Professor Kojima's tree, let us also nurture the future of SFC. Incidentally, Professor Agawa also once said, " SFC can perish.pdf "