May 17, 2021
The Fukuzawa Yukichi Memorial ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ History Museum, which introduces the life of Yukichi Fukuzawa and the history of ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡, has been completed. The ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ History Museum is not merely a place to look back on the history of a single private university, but an exhibition facility that positions the history of Yukichi Fukuzawa and ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ as the very story of modern Japan's progress, tracing it through numerous precious "actual objects" and "words" from the time. It is housed inside the Old University Library (an Important Cultural Property) on the Mita Campus.
The permanent exhibition will feature a rotating display of over 100 items at all times, including a photograph of a young Yukichi Fukuzawa taken at a studio in the United States, Fukuzawa's writings, the letter of challenge from Waseda University that sparked the Waseda-ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ rivalry, and the last writings of students who went to war during the student mobilization. There will also be digital content introducing figures associated with ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ and a model recreating the Mita Hilltop Square from approximately 100 years ago. In addition to these permanent exhibitions, special exhibitions are scheduled to be held several times a year.
The ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ History Museum was scheduled to open on May 15, which is Yukichi Fukuzawa-Francis Wayland Lecture Day , but the opening has been postponed due to the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, on May 15, the originally scheduled opening day, a "completion ceremony" was held with only a very limited number of attendees, including President Akira Haseyama and Professor Takashi Hirano of the Faculty of Business and Commerce, who serves as the director of the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ History Museum, to celebrate the completion of the museum.
The opening date for the ÎçÒ¹¾ç³¡ History Museum is currently undecided, but it will be announced on the museum's website as soon as it is determined.
Photo: Akisue Takematsu