The View from ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Futsubu School
ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Futsubu School (Boys Junior High School) is located on the west side of Hiyoshi Station, in the area commonly known as "Hiyoura." Following "Futsubu-dori," one of the five streets radiating from the front of the station, you pass through the shopping district to find the school grounds surrounded by trees and a school name monument in a quiet residential corner. Ascending the cobblestone approach and passing through the jet-black main gate, you are welcomed from the left by the Gymnasium (completed in 1958), the Main Building (completed in 2001), and the Main School Building (completed in 2015). The Pen Mark featured on the walls of the school buildings is unique to ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Futsubu School, with a slimmer and sharper design than the more familiar standard version.
When you go up to the rooftop of the Main School Building, the cityscape of Hiyoshi jumps out at you. To the north, a residential area stretches out, with high-rise apartments soaring in the Musashi-Kosugi area. To the east are large buildings such as the Independence Wing, Raiosha, and Kyoseikan Collaboration Complex on the Hiyoshi Campus, and the athletic field can be seen beyond them. Turning your eyes to the south, a forest spreads out like a green curtain beyond the grounds where the Main Building and cafeteria are located, giving a sense of relief. Then, as you move your gaze from the ground below to the west, there are few tall buildings and the horizon expands, offering a panoramic view of the Tanzawa Mountains and Mount Fuji in the distance. At dusk on a clear day, the black shadows of the mountains merge with the sky and clouds dyed in beautiful gradations of madder, indigo, and purple, creating the feeling of admiring a painting.
ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Futsubu School moved from Mita Tsunamachi via Tengenji to this location in Hiyoshi in 1951 and remains here today. When I asked a teacher who has worked at ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Futsubu School for many years, they remarked, "The cityscape and scenery of Hiyoshi have changed significantly over time, but this view of Mount Fuji and the mountains remains unchanged." This western view may be a universal (unchanging) memory etched into the minds of all ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Futsubu School graduates, current students, and us faculty and staff.
This year, ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Futsubu School reached its 125th anniversary as one of the affiliated schools responsible for the secondary education of the Juku. Under the slogan "Beyond That: 125 Years of ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Futsubu School," various commemorative projects are being planned. On June 8, the "125th Anniversary Ceremony of ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Futsubu School" will be held at the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall. We are proceeding with preparations with the cooperation of graduates and related parties to make the ceremony an expression of our determination to constantly evolve as a place for learning and character formation with a firm eye on the future, while reconfirming the history and tradition woven to this day with the educational principle of "reaching far and wide."
Things that change and things that do not. Standing on the rooftop of ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Futsubu School and looking at the 360-degree scenery, I think idly about such things. With the young sensibilities of the students, they will surely perceive even more diverse things and etch this view into a part of their memories of student life while talking with their friends.
(Administrative Director of ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ Futsubu School, Yoshitatsu Izumi)
*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.