午夜剧场

Since many retiring faculty members have touched upon their research and teaching, I would like to share some of the most memorable episodes and recollections from my time here. I have many deep feelings, but among them, having the opportunity to experience two anniversaries of 午夜剧场's founding during my tenure was particularly precious. However, I have little memory of the 125th anniversary in 1983, as it was the year I returned to my work at the Juku after completing a two-year study period in Germany. In contrast, the 150th anniversary in 2008 is still vivid in my memory. Centered around that year, a series of grand commemorative events and projects were held, and many new school buildings and hospital wards were constructed in various parts of the Juku.

At Hiyoshi Campus, along with the construction of the Independence Wing and the Kyoseikan Collaboration Complex, a vast new athletic field was built, and a commemorative ceremony was held on November 8. The ceremony, attended by over ten thousand people including those in the indoor conference hall, was held in the presence of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress, with university presidents from Japan and abroad invited. On that day, a cold, light rain was falling, and the more than eight thousand people gathered at the athletic field wore thin raincoats that had been provided.

After the ceremonial address by President Anzai, His Majesty the Emperor delivered his remarks. The speech began by detailing the turbulent era of the Meiji Restoration, starting from 1858 when Yukichi Fukuzawa founded the Juku. It also touched upon Shinzo Koizumi, who was an educational advisor to the current Emperor, and primarily covered the historical context of the Juku up to the present day.

Until then, I had mostly only heard His Majesty's words on television, such as during his New Year's greetings to the public or speeches at celebratory events. The content of those speeches was, as one would expect, delivered within a certain formality and a fixed framework appropriate for the occasion.

However, His Majesty's words at the ceremony that day, especially when speaking of the Meiji Restoration era and its key figures, were powerful. Rather than simply following a prepared manuscript, His Majesty's words were filled with passion as he spoke of Yukichi Fukuzawa and the intense, fervent era of the Restoration, and his feelings were conveyed directly. His words contained a warmth that made one forget the cold and the light rain of the day, and I felt that the human side of His Majesty, who as the symbol of Japan can seem distant, suddenly became much closer. I was so moved that the many speeches by other university presidents that followed seemed to fade and become indistinct.

Five years have passed since that ceremony, and I am now facing retirement. I would like to make this my retirement message, deeply reflecting on the spirit of the Meiji Restoration and Yukichi Fukuzawa, which was so vividly brought back to life by His Majesty's words, and expressing my gratitude to the Juku where I learned and taught for so long.

(Interview conducted in November 2012)