Students from top left, clockwise: Rina Kadokura, Naho Genko, Kakuho Furukawa, Wakana Urata and Mari Takino
Yamao Yōzō, Endō Kinsuke and Nomura Yakichi – all went on to become prominent figures in their home country, the last of these men being known as ‘the father of the Japanese railways’. “Modern Japan was shaped by these students,” says Ohnuma. “They came back to the country with new ways of thinking about government, industry and transport. Their influence in creating a new society cannot be overstated.” Closely behind the Choshu Five were a group of twelve students from the Satsuma clan, who arrived at the university in 1865. They also had significant influence on the modern Japan: for example, Yoshinari Hatakayama became the first head of what is now the University of Tokyo, and Muneori Terashima played a leading part in founding the Foreign Ministry. Over time, these two clans came to a mutual realisation that the future lay in the embracing of western technology and it was only by achieving this that they, and Japan, could survive and prosper.
UCL’s strong relationship with Japan continued into the 20th century. Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006, studied Economics at the university from 1968 to 1969. As the maverick leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Koizumi helped to carve out a new future for Japan, focusing on decreasing government debt, privatising the postal service and pushing for ways to revitalise the country’s moribund economy. UCL’s links with Japan are as strong today as they’ve ever been. In the academic year 2012/13, there are 113 Japanese students enrolled on graduate or undergraduate degree programmes at the university, making UCL one of the most popular UK destinations for Japanese students. The university also has formal links with a number of the country’s academic institutions, including Yamaguchi University, which is located where the Choshu Five used to live. The Japanese alumni society – UCL Japan Club – provides members with a chance to keep in touch with friends and exchange career-related information.
And the influence of the Choshu Five still resonates down the generations of UCL students. “I heard about the Choshu Five when I first came to UCL. I find it particularly inspiring that I am studying at the same place as such important people in Japan’s history because it gives me a sense of connection to home,” says Kakuho Furukawa, a current student in his second year of study. Few students nowadays arrive at UCL in the same way as the Choshu Five, but their determination to gain an education and shape the world for future generations permeates the UCL ethos.
–
Remembered on campus The cherry trees in the Quad and the engraved black granite memorial in the garden outside South Cloisters in the Wilkins Building were both installed in memory of the Choshu Five and members of the Satsuma Clan. 17