Mr. and Mrs. Yoshiro Wada

Image: Yoshiro Wada and his wife Kisa

Keio Yochisha Elementary School will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2024, and the origin of this school is Wada Juku. Yoshiro Wada opened Wada Juku and, together with his wife Kisa, took in and educated the youngest children within Keio University.

Yoshiro Wada was born in 1840 as the eldest son of a lower-ranking samurai family in the Wakayama Domain. In 1863, when Yoshiro was 24 years old by the traditional age-counting system, he married Kisa, the daughter of the Egawa family from the same domain.

In 1866, at the age of 27, Wada entered the Fukuzawa Juku in Teppozu as an exchange student from the Kishu Domain along with Nobukichi Koizumi and others, where he studied for about one year and two months. However, amidst the chaotic situation leading to the Restoration of Imperial Rule and the Meiji Restoration, many Keio students from various domains left the Juku. Wada similarly returned to Wakayama, but he came to Tokyo again in 1869, studied at Keio University, completed his studies in 1871, and became an English teacher. In 1873, he translated Edwards' work "A Brief History of England" and published it in two volumes.

As the turmoil of the Restoration settled, the number of Keio students increased, and Keio University moved to Mita in 1871, solidifying the foundation for further development.

Most Keio students at the time lived in dormitories, but Fukuzawa did not think an environment where children and adult Keio students lived together was ideal. Therefore, even before moving to Mita, the Juku had already established a separate room called the Doji-kyoku (Children's Dormitory), and the 1871 "Keio Gijuku Shachu no Yakusoku" (Keio Gijuku Shachu Covenant) also established rules for the Doji-kyoku. Specifically, it set the age for entering the dormitory at between 12 and 16 years old and established rules for daily life, such as entering and leaving rooms and curfews. In reality, there were a significant number of students under the age of 12, such as seven or eight years old. According to the 1872 "Private School Detailed Table," nearly 10% of all Keio students were 13 years old or younger.

Meanwhile, in 1872, the school system was established in Japan, and new elementary schools began to appear in Tokyo. However, these new elementary schools were still not much different from the traditional Terakoya (temple schools) and did not necessarily align with Fukuzawa's ideals. In addition, as his own children reached school age, Fukuzawa began to think seriously about their education.

Fukuzawa must have been wondering if there was someone he could trust with the education of his own children and the younger Keio students—that is, the field of primary education. The person he entrusted this to was Yoshiro Wada.

It is said that Mr. and Mrs. Yoshiro Wada had been taking care of several young Keio students at their home (near the current fire station next to the main gate) since around 1872, but they officially began educating several students by having them board at their home in January 1874. The location moved to the Mita Hilltop Square, near the Old University Library; this was the start of Wada's private Juku, "Wada Juku," and the founding of the Yochisha. Until Wada's death, it was a boarding school economically independent from Keio University, where Wada, along with his wife Kisa and his younger sister Hide, looked after the children as a family. The Wadas had no biological children of their own, but they loved children, making it the perfect role for them. Incidentally, it is said that the name "Yochisha" was attached to Wada Juku around 1879 or 1880.

Why did Fukuzawa entrust primary education to Wada? He speaks about Wada in "The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa."

"I believe it was around the time we moved from Shinsenza to the current Mita in 1871. One day, a man named Yoshiro Wada (now deceased) did something quite daring that surprised the young men. This man later became the head of Keio Yochisha Elementary School; he was of an extremely gentle nature, treating the many young students as kindly as if they were his own children, and the students in turn regarded the headmaster and his wife as their own parents. However, he was originally a samurai of the Wakayama Domain who had aspired to martial arts since his youth, possessed a sturdy physique, was particularly skilled in jujutsu, and was a warrior who feared nothing."

Fukuzawa said, "First develop the animal body, then nourish the human heart," believing it was best to gradually transition from "physical development" to "spiritual education" and then to intellectual education during childhood. Regarding "spiritual education," he valued a peaceful and pure atmosphere, like a spring breeze. In that respect, Wada, with his skill in jujutsu and gentle personality, was the perfect fit.

Regarding Wada's appearance and atmosphere, the "Memorandum" of Sadanoshin Wada, who later became Yoshiro Wada's adopted son, states the following:

"The teacher was of a large, stout build, appearing to be about five shaku five or six sun (approx. 167-170 cm) tall, with full cheeks and a thin, reddish, handsome beard. His appearance was such that one might mistake him for a Westerner, and he was more of a samurai type than a scholar type."

"During the teacher's lifetime, I never once saw a fight or scuffle between students, nor was there any need for aggressive mediation or discipline. If a student behaved poorly, the teacher would bring the student before him and, without saying a single word of scolding, would smile, hold out his large index finger against his palm, and say, 'Now, hold out your hand. I shall give you one shippe (a flick on the wrist).' At the mere gesture of the shippe, even the most mischievous student would shrink back instantly and become a truly gentle student. It was a truly strange punishment. However, not a single person ever actually received the teacher's shippe."

One of the characteristics often cited in the education of the Yochisha at that time, along with jujutsu, was the practice of public speaking. It is said that on the nights of the first and third Saturdays, after dinner, all the boarders were gathered in the large hall to hold a public speaking meeting and practice their speeches. Wakichi Nakayama, who was a Yochisha student, recalled the following:

"For children aged twelve and under, the speeches were extremely simple, such as 'I will speak on the utility of trains' or 'I will speak on the utility of water.' However, as they gradually moved to higher grades and grew older, there were some impressive speeches worth listening to. Also, since every student was always paying attention to what topic they would use and how they would speak at the next meeting, it had the effect of cultivating the students' powers of observation and critical eye."

How, then, did the Yochisha students perceive Wada? Many described the Wadas as being "like a merciful father and mother" and the environment as "homelike."

For example, Ichizaemon Morimura wrote about Wada under the title "An Uncle Like a Merciful Father."

"The Mr. Wada I remember still gives me the feeling of a truly kind uncle like a merciful father, who did not give the students the feeling of being a 'teacher' at all. I believe probably everyone has that same feeling."

Wakichi Nakayama recalled their daily life in detail. For example, the younger children ate in the first dining hall diagonally across from Wada's living room, and it is said that "the mistress and Miss Hide served rice by hand to the young ones and new students." Also, bedtime was at 9:00 p.m., but "an hour later, Mr. Wada would carry a lantern and patrol each room, and he would patrol once more around 2:00 a.m.; if there was a student who had kicked off their bedding, he would carefully cover them back up." Many people also said they were taken care of by Miss Hide when they wet the bed.

Yamaji Muto, in his book "My Life Story," spoke of the homelike atmosphere of Wada Juku, saying, "In this Wada Juku, there was no concept of discrimination between upperclassmen and underclassmen; we were treated exactly like family." He also wrote the following:

"The relationship between Mr. Wada and the students at the Yochisha was entirely homelike, and everyone called him 'Wada-san' instead of Mr. Wada. (Omitted) Also, when Mr. Wada took the attendance of the group, he never called anyone by their name alone, but always called them 'So-and-so-san.' In short, he did not create a hierarchical concept between teacher and student, and it was overflowing with intimate affection."

Furthermore, Muto stated, "Thinking about it lately, I imagine that Yukichi Fukuzawa founded the Yochisha because he had heard that in England there were small schoolhouses where teachers of high character took in a limited number of students to look after them in a homelike way and refine their character, and he entrusted that work specifically to the gentle Mr. Wada, who was of high character."

In January 1892, Wada suddenly fell ill and died of encephalitis. The contents of the speech Fukuzawa himself gave to the Yochisha students upon the resumption of classes after a temporary closure remain. It is a speech that clearly shows Fukuzawa's grief and disappointment, and conveys a sentiment like that of a grandfather speaking to a child who has lost a father.

Fukuzawa also wrote Wada's epitaph himself. It says:

"He not only taught the curriculum but also, together with his wife, paid meticulous attention to everything from morning and evening sleep to meals. He was naturally gentle and resolute, disliked conflict, and preserved the pure etiquette of the Japanese samurai style. The students in the dormitory never heard a shouting voice yet followed the rules well, yearning for him like a parent, to the point that some were not even happy to return home on holidays." It concluded with, "Recorded by his close friend Yukichi Fukuzawa, brushing away tears."

Wada was buried at Shirokane Hongan-ji Temple (now Joko-ji Temple) in Kami-Osaki, and nine years later, Fukuzawa was buried directly across from Wada's grave. Today, although both Wada's and Fukuzawa's graves have been moved, there is a monument to Wada along with a monument to Fukuzawa at Joko-ji Temple, where this epitaph can also be seen.