Fukuzawa Yukichi Memorial Keio History Museum
2024 Exhibition of Newly Acquired Materials for the
Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies
(January 10 to February 10)

Click here to download the flyer

　For the 2024 rendition of its annual event to kick off the new year, the Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Japanese Studies will showcase the items it acquired in 2023. Keio University commemorates founder Fukuzawa Yukichi’s birthday every year on January 10, a tradition which extends back over 100 years. The exhibition originated as a New Year’s celebration with a display of Fukuzawa’s calligraphy. After the Second World War, it developed into an annual event to introduce Keio’s newly acquired items. Originally, the event was only open to the public on January 10. However, after the museum was founded, visitors were able to access the showcased items for an extended period of time.

　This upcoming exhibition will include calligraphy by Fukuzawa Yukichi; a letter from Fukuzawa to Sugi Koji, a man known as the father of Japanese statistics, which inquires about foreign currencies; a stopwatch used by Koshimoto Hisashi, the former head coach of the Keio University Baseball Club; commemorative awards from Keio University’s sole victory in the Hakone Ekiden relay race; and a 1800×1480 cm oil painting made in memory of the late Keio president Koizumi Shinzo, titled Half-Mast and created by a student from the Palette Club who depicted the scene from the Maboroshi no Mon gatepost.

1. Basic overview

Dates: Wednesday, January 10–Saturday, February 10
*Closed on Sundays
Venue: Old University Library 2nd Floor, Temporary Exhibition Room, Keio History Museum
Open: 10:00–18:00
Admission: Free to everyone
Details: https://history.keio.ac.jp/en/
*Please check the exhibition’s website for the latest information: https://history.keio.ac.jp/en/

2. Featured items

1. Calligraphy by Fukuzawa Yukichi
2. Calligraphy by Fukuzawa Yukichi (entrusted item)
3. Letter from Fukuzawa Yukichi to Koji Sugi Koji(dated July 2, 1877)
4. Letter from Fukuzawa Yukichi to Ishikawa Kanmei (dated February 10, 1897)
5. Half-Mast by Omori Kunihiko
6. Stopwatch used by the former head coach of the Keio University Baseball Club, Koshimoto Hisashi
7. Hakone Ekiden victory plaques (from the former collection of Kitamura Yoshio)