Introduction

　Kyoto never ceases to attract tourists from Japan and abroad. Having served as the center of politics, religion, and culture for approximately 1,000 years since the relocation of the capital to Heian-Kyo or ancient Kyoto (794) until the relocation of the capital to Tokyo (1869), Kyoto is filled with fascinating history and cultural assets. It might be curious that Doshisha University (Imadegawa Campus) is located in the middle of Kyoto. In Kyoto, where traditional religions such as Buddhism and Shintoism have an overwhelming influence, a Christian school (Doshisha English School, the predecessor of Doshisha University) was founded in 1875. Until 1873, Christianity had been strictly forbidden across Japan.
　Currently, there are 39 universities and junior colleges in Kyoto City. Kyoto City is one of the largest university towns in Japan, with university students accounting for 10% of the population. Doshisha University is not only blessed with a location that would be the envy of many university students, but it is also located in a very special place historically speaking. To the north of Doshisha University is the famous Zen Buddhist temple Shokoku-ji (the Golden and Silver Pavilions are the pagoda temples of Shokoku-ji), and to the south is the Kyoto Imperial Palace where the emperor resided for many centuries. Furthermore, to the south of Doshisha University’s Kambaikan building was the Ashikaga shogun (general)s’ residence, known as the “Flower Palace” from the 14th to 16th centuries, where Kyoto’s traditional culture flourished.
　Today, Doshisha University is recognized as one of Japan’s leading universities, but historically speaking, Doshisha, which was born in Kyoto’s “sacred place” as mentioned above, was initially subjected to fierce attacks by Kyoto traditionalists. Christianity in Japan, which had been banned for a long time from 1612 until 1873, was Catholicism introduced by Francis Xavier and others, while Doshisha’s Christianity was Protestantism (specifically, the Congregational Church) introduced by Joseph Hardy Neesima (called “Jo Niijima” in Japan, 1843–1890) and American missionaries.
　Doshisha English School was established in 1875 by Neesima and Kakuma Yamamoto, who applied to the Ministry of Education for its opening through the Kyoto Prefectural Government. Yamamoto fought on the side of the Edo Shogunate in the Battle of Toba-Fushimi in 1868 but was captured by the Satsuma forces on the side of the Imperial Court and was confined to prison in the Satsuma domain residence in Kyoto. After the Meiji Restoration (1868), Yamamoto was recognized for his erudition and became an advisor to the Kyoto Prefectural Government, but strangely enough, he had acquired the former Satsuma domain residence. Then, after a fateful encounter with Neesima, Yamamoto, who hit it off with Neesima, transferred the property to him. This is how Doshisha University came to be located where it is today.
　Doshisha English School began as a small private school with two teachers (Neesima and his missionary colleague, Jerome Davis) and eight students, but it played a pioneering role in Japanese education by introducing advanced studies, including Western science, and actively developing modern education. Later, the school grew, and in 1920, Doshisha University was established. Today, Doshisha University and its graduate schools have approximately 30,000 students. “The Doshisha,” a school juridical person with two universities, four junior and senior high schools, two elementary schools, and a kindergarten, has approximately 1,600 faculty members and 43,000 students and has produced more than 320,000 graduates, many of whom are active in various fields.
　The life of Neesima, and the history of Doshisha, is full of remarkable stories created by encounters between people. During his many encounters, Neesima told many stories and wrote many letters and documents. Neesima’s words influenced people and became the spiritual foundation of Doshisha. The issues that Neesima raised are still fresh today, and we published To Think about the Doshisha Spirit (in Japanese) in March 2023 to reorganize them in the modern age. This book is a compact English translation of that publication.
　As you will notice in this book, the Doshisha spirit, while having origins in Doshisha, also transcends the boundaries of Doshisha and raises universal issues that appeal to society at large. The spirit still possesses a challenging brilliance that is too good to be kept only within Doshisha.
　The aspects of the Doshisha spirit have been inherited and practiced by many people, but it is the founder, Neesima, who distinguishes them. In this book, various efforts are made to make Neesima’s words “living words.” “Living words” are words capable of reshaping our life. Rather than presenting Neesima’s words as old family precepts, each section of this book has been written while asking oneself whether we can face Neesima’s words as “words capable of reshaping our life” today.
　Doshisha will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2025. It is important to hold various events to commemorate this important milestone, but what is most important is whether or not we can present a broad vision that will enable us to look ahead to the next 50 years. To formulate a vision that can fully demonstrate the characteristics of Doshisha as a private school, while facing the difficulties facing the world, and without easily pandering to the current trends, it is essential to reaffirm and rediscover the Doshisha spirit. In the hope of contributing to this goal, this book is structured as follows.
　Part 1, “The Life and Thought of Joseph Hardy Neesima,” provides a brief biography of Neesima for those who are new to his life and work. This part serves as an introduction to the part that follows, focusing on how identity changes occurred throughout his life and how his words and ideas were formed.
　In Part 2, “Background of the Doshisha Spirit and Its Contemporary Significance,” we have selected particularly important words of Neesima from among his many remaining writings and classified them into five categories (Christian Values, The Spirit of Freedom, The View of Humanity, The View of Education, and Foundations of a University). In doing so, the “Background” of Neesima’s words is described so that the reader can appreciate them more deeply. In addition to describing the historical background, we also note what kind of “Contemporary Significance” each word may have. We hope that this book will provide readers with clues for thinking about the various contemporary meanings that can be drawn from each of the words.

September 2023
Katsuhiro Kohara
Director, Center for the Study of Conscience, Doshisha University