A detailed look into Somei Uzawa's history and contributions made to Meiji University as President. Credit: Masako Nakagawa

1. MEIJI UNIVERSITY & SŌMEI UZAWA
鵜沢総明 (1872-1955)
MASAKO NAKAGAWA
VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY

2. EARLY YEARS
• Somei (Fusaaki) Uzawa was an
educator, attorney, and politician.
• Uzawa was born in Nagara, Chiba
Prefecture on September 4, 1872 as
the oldest son of Minomatsu, a
wealthy farmer and Take.
• Finished a local primary school in
1886 and took up a teaching job at
his school as the youngest teacher.
• Under Ōta Wasai, a local Confucian
scholar, studied Chinese classics
and English.

3. TO TOKYO
• When Uzawa was 12, his father Minomatsu was wrongly
accused for crime involving real estate transactions and
was imprisoned in Chiba for three and a half years.
• Uzawa decided to become a trial lawyer and moved to
Tokyo to attend the First Middle School and then Tokyo
Imperial University. He graduated from the Law School
of Tokyo Imperial University in 1899.
• Meanwhile he began attending the Bible School run by
a Scottish missionary and was baptized by Uemura
Masahisa at Episcopal church 1879.
• Uzawa became a Judicial Doctor in 1908. The topic of
his interest was judicial prudence.

4. In 1900, Uzawa married Ichi Imai, the
daughter of a wealthy merchant/landowner
in Yokohama.
Newly married 27-year-old Uzawa began his
practice in Yokohama at the law office of his
German professor. He also began teaching
at Meiji Law School.
The couple had two sons and four
daughters. The family lived in Sendagaya,
Tokyo. The oldest son later became a judge
and the younger son was appointed the
president of Aoyama gakuin University.
FAMILY

5. MEIJI LAW SCHOOL
明治法律学校
• In 1881 Meiji Law School was founded by three young
lawyers, Kishimoto Tatsuo (1851-1912), Miyagi Kōzō (1852-
1893), and Yashiro Misao (1852-1891).
• They studied French Laws under the guidance of Gustave
Boissonade, a famous French jurist. In 1870 Kishimoto and
Miyagi were sent to France to further their study at Paris-
Sorbonne University.
• Returning after three years of study the three submitted a
request to the Tokyo government for the establishment of the
Meiji Law School. The school opened its doors in Kojimachi
in January 1881.
The school’s guiding principles;
freedom and civil rights.

6. CIVIL CODE DISPUTE
• Private schools such as the Meiji Law School were
considered secondary educational institution below the
seven government sponsored Imperial Universities
• The Meiji Law School had a few hurdles to clear:
• the dispute over which civil code to be modeled on, French,
British/German (favored by Imperial universities).
• After the defeat of the French group, the Meiji Law School
had to face major curriculum overhaul and changes.
• As a result, Imperial University graduates began to join
faculty, including Uzawa Sōmei.

7. MEIJI & UZAWA
Uzawa was appointed the first principal of Meiji
Middle School in 1912, and the President of Meiji
University in 1934. He was elected three more
times until his death in 1955.
Uzawa was one of the most influential figures
and his presence was felt in every fabric of the
school’s academic life.
As his fame rose, he served on both House of
Parliament from 1917 to 1937 (Lower House and
the House of Lords), and he represented interest
of Meiji University as well as that of private
universities in general.

8. UNIVERSITY
ORDINANCE 大学令
• The Meiji Law School was granted a permission to change
its name to ‘Meiji University’ in March 1904.
• In response to this change, the school added two more
majors, commerce and arts & letters, to the already
existing law and politics. However, Meiji was still
categorized as a professional school.
• As part of such efforts Uzawa took the initiative in creating
three important organizations:
• Oratorical Club(Yūben kai)
• Politics and Laws Students Association (Seihō kai)
• Friends of Meiji/Alumni and Students Association (Kōyū
kai).

9. EDUCATION ORDINANCE
学令
• In September, 1917 the government created Ad hoc
Education Committee to discuss major educational
reforms. Uzawa, then a member of the Lower House, was
chosen one of the 36 committee members while serving
on Meiji’s board of trustees.
• In December 1918, the University Ordinance was
promulgated. The ordinance allowed private schools to
obtain university status if they meet all requirements.
• Private schools like Meiji were required to have large
endowment, good facilities and qualified faculty. The
trustees wasted no time in launching the fundraising
campaigns.
• Entire university was mobilized

10. UNIVERSITY STATUS
明治大学
• 20 selected members including Uzawa of the Japan
Lawyers Association made a petition to the government,
asking for mitigating the University Ordinance’s strict
requirements imposed on private institutions.
• On April 15, 1920 Meiji was granted status of university
and great joy and jubilation echoed through campus. Yet,
the celebration did not last long. Ironically, the problem
emerged from the friction between the two new
departments: Law and Politics.
• Two faculty members were dismissed and the situation
quickly went out of control as student riots erupted and
police was called onto campus. As a result the president
and the trustees (Uzawa was one of them) resigned.

11. GIRLS EDUCATION
Uzawa advocated girls education at the Ad Hoc Education
Committee’s general meeting.
He advocated that in response to the changing world, the
goal of education for Japanese girls should go beyond so-
called ‘good wife and wise mother.’
Meiji University permitted female auditors in 1925, and 4
years later it formally opened its doors to girls.
Meiji University came to be known as alma mater of one of
the first female judges as well as prosecutors and lawyers.
In 1944 Uzawa was appointed the principal of Meiji
professional School for Girls.

12. PACIFIC WAR
Since 1927, college students were given temporary exemption from
conscription until age 26. In 1941, with the tension of inevitable war
mounting, things began to change. First, graduation date was
moved up and then upon graduation the students had to take
physical examination for conscription.
By June 1943, it became the norm for the students to undergo
military trainings and to work in factories. In October, the Wartime
Emergency Education Ordinance was issued and all arts and
literature majors were to be conscripted, starting at age 20. By that
time Meiji University and other universities no longer functioned as
an academic institution.
On September 12, 1943 an unscheduled radio announcement of
student conscription was aired. This sent a shockwave throughout
Meiji campus and beyond. Since its official announcement had not
been issued yet, it created so much confusion that no one could
focus on their studies.

13. GAKUTO SHUTSUJIN
学徒出陣
On October 21st, 1943 the formal send-off ceremony of
student-draftees was held in Meiji Shrine’s Gaien Stadium.
About thirty thousand students from 77 schools marched in
formation.
Prior to this ceremony Meiji University held its own ceremony
for their students in the memorial hall. Uzawa made his
send-off speech and expressed hopes that they would meet
in class again. Temporary diplomas were issued to those new
draftees. Approximately 13,000 students, including about
3,600 from Meiji, were conscripted.

14. AFTER THE WAR
On September 17, one month after the end of the war, Meiji
University reopened and President Uzawa gave a short
speech reminding the students and faculty of responsibility
for peace deeply rooted in Japanese culture and encouraged
them to apply it to education.
Due to the severe shortage of transportation, proper
accommodation, and food, attendance rate was low and all
class sessions ended earlier in the day.
Uzawa commuted to campus from a barrack built on the
location of his old house in the Sendagaya district.

15. 70TH ANNIVERSARY
Uzawa was chosen to lead the defense team at the International
Military Tribunal for the Far East in 1945.
Uzawa was elected the president fourth time in May, 1949. Meiji
University was now being transformed, modeling on the American
education system. Uzawa’s new vision of the university was to
cultivate and nourish independent thinking and to disseminate
knowledge to society.
In the summer of 1950, Uzawa led campus-wide preparations for
Meiji’s 70th anniversary ceremony. The guests included the Emperor,
Prince Mikasa, two Speakers of House, the presidents of Tokyo
University and Waseda University.

16. THE WHITE CLOUDS
Uzawa suddenly passed away on October 21, 1955 at age 83, 10
days after he was elected the president of Association of Private
Universities. The day before his passing, Uzawa told his
chauffer and family that he was going to be very busy.
On the day of his funeral, Meiji University’s school song sung by
the students echoed throughout the neighborhood of Uzawa’s
house:
The white clouds trail over Surugadai.
The youths with brilliant mind
Toll the bell of the dawn of the new age.
The tide of cultural enlightenment led to
The glory of the Meiji Restoration.
Meiji is Our alma mater
Meiji is Our alma mater.