Leading a New Era: "Fukuzawa Yukichi's Firsts"

The pronunciation of the letter "V" used in English words is often represented by the katakana "ヴ" (vu). In fact, it was Fukuzawa Yukichi who devised this notation.

Originally, the Japanese language had no kana characters corresponding to the "V" sound. However, in English, "B" and "V" are completely different sounds, and confusing them can lead to misunderstandings of word meanings. Fukuzawa wanted to clearly distinguish this difference in pronunciation even in Japanese notation, and he came up with a previously non-existent notation by adding a voiced sound mark (dakuten) to "u" (ウ).

In 1860, while accompanying the Shogunate's mission to the United States aboard the Kanrin Maru, Fukuzawa purchased an English-Chinese dictionary called "Kaei Tsugo." After returning to Japan, he published the English-Japanese dicitonary, which added Japanese translations and English pronunciations. It was in this work that "ヴ" appeared for the first time. Now, more than 160 years later, it has become such a standard notation for Japanese people that "ヴ" appears when typing "vu" in Romanized kana conversion on a computer.

Fukuzawa also left a significant mark on the modernization of "food." For example, the word "Curry" is listed in the aforementioned English-Japanese dicitonary, which is considered the first record of the word "curry" being introduced in Japan. However, its pronunciation was written in katakana as "koruri."

In the newspaper "Jiji Shinpo," which Fukuzawa founded in 1882, a series titled "What Shall We Have?" (Nani ni shiyo ne) began in 1893, believed to be the first cooking column in newspaper history. It was a practical column aimed at housewives struggling with daily menus and was well-received by readers. While the menus introduced were centered on Japanese cuisine using seasonal ingredients, they also included Western-style dishes that were unfamiliar to Japan at the time, such as fried oysters, Turkish rice, soup (soppu), and salad. Incidentally, "Jiji Shinpo" was also the first to publish a weather forecast in a Japanese newspaper in 1888.

In 1870, Fukuzawa suffered from typhus and was in critical condition for a time. However, he recovered safely after drinking milk every day. In response to a request from the Tsukiji Gyuma Company, from which he ordered the milk, he wrote a text spreading the benefits of milk to society, contributing to its popularization.

Fukuzawa, who made Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning) a bestseller in the early Meiji era, was also the first person in Japan to propose the concept of copyright. He mentioned copyright as early as the end of the Edo period in the first volume of Things Western (Seiyō Jijō), and later in the Appendix to Things Western (Seiyō Jijō Gaihen), he applied the translation "license for keeping plates" (zoban no menkyo) to the word "copyright."

Things Western (Seiyō Jijō) was an important work that introduced the latest affairs of Western society to Japanese people during the late Edo and Restoration periods and encouraged modernization. However, many unauthorized "pirated editions" circulated. The publisher of one of these, "Zonho Wakai Seiyo Jijo," was none other than Kuroda Yukijiro (Kikuro), a senior of Fukuzawa's from his days at Tekijuku. Regarding such pirated editions as an "infringement of copyright," Fukuzawa published a protest in the 12th issue of "Chugai Shimbun" in April 1868. He continued to appeal to the Meiji government for the need to protect authors' rights by law, leading to the enactment of the Publication Ordinance in 1869. This is said to be the forerunner of copyright law in our country.

On New Year's Eve in 1900, to mark the beginning of the 20th century, a "Century Send-off and Welcome Party" organized by Keio students was held at Keio University. At the stroke of midnight, under the command of a teacher, Keio students fired all at once at three satirical paintings depicting the evils of the feudal era. Then, the words "20th Century" appeared in the darkness through set-piece fireworks, welcoming the new century. It is said that Fukuzawa chatted pleasantly throughout the "Century Send-off and Welcome Party." The concept of a "century" based on the Western calendar was unfamiliar to Japanese people at the time. However, the details of the party were reported with illustrations by Jiji Shinpo and became a major topic of social discussion.

Then, on New Year's Day 1901, the day the 20th century began, Fukuzawa wrote the words "Independence and Self-Respect to Greet the New Century" (Dokuritsu Jison Gei Shinseiki), the founding spirit of Keio University, in powerful characters. One month later, Fukuzawa Yukichi, the leader of modern Japan, passed away, entrusting the future to his successors.

One hundred years later, on New Year's Eve 2000, the eve of the 21st century, the second Century Send-off and Welcome Party was held at the Mita Campus by Keio students and young faculty members who inherited Fukuzawa's spirit. The third Century Send-off and Welcome Party, 75 years from now, will be led by people not yet born into this world. What can we do for them now? We want to move forward into the future, once again reflecting on the meaning of Fukuzawa's "independence and self-respect to greet the new century."

This article was published in the "Stained Glass" section of Juku WINTER 2026 (No. 329).