Matsumae's early life
Shigeyoshi Matsumae was born in Oshima Village (now Kashima-cho), Kami-Masuki
Gun, Kumamoto Prefecture and moved to Kumamoto City when he was in his 5th grade
of elementary school. As opposed to the village, the city was lit by electricity
at night, and Shigeyoshi was impressed by the light and Shigeyoshi was impressed
at the light and its beauty, wondering "How can it be lighted like this?"
This simple question in his encounter with the light in his boyhood was the
motive for his study of "electric science," he later said.
He went to Kumamoto Middle School (now Kumamoto High School), Kumamoto Technical
High School (now Kumamoto University, Engineering Department), and then entered
the Engineering Faculty of Tohoku Imperial University (now Tohoku University).
While he was in school, he devoted himself to sports such as judo, influenced
by his big brother. He was absorbed in the study of electric engineering in
the university, and under Professor Heiichi Nukeyama, expert in electromagnetics,
his graduate dissertation was on the property of the vacuum tube, which was
later to develop into the transistor and integrated circuits.
Matsumae's effort for development of Japanese technology - campaign for improvement
of engineers' status
After his graduation from the University, he joined the then Ministry of Communications
(later divided into the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and the Nippon
Telegraph and Telephone Company (NTT)) an engineer, expecting to be engaged
on nationally-important projects. However, the work in the Ministry was dull
and the atmosphere was permeated by the over-prudence of bureaucracy. The deep
rooted principle was there to put law college graduates to top priority, and
there was a deep gap between the graduates from the liberal arts and the technical
and engineering departments. Matsumae was concerned with this state of affairs,
and expressed his opinion that mutual understanding between those involved in
liberal arts and those involved in engineering is essential for the development
of a nation. He started a campaign for technical engineers who were apt to lack
interest in the trend of world and society, for their reform of the consciousness
and improvement of the status of engineers.
Matsumae was also aware that Japan's science and technology at that time was
highly dependent on technology of foreign countries, and he advocated the importance
of developing self-reliant technology, and he himself was engaged in studies
to achieve that end.
The dawn of the information-oriented age - Matsumae's invention of the non-loaded
cable carrier communication system
The challenge of communication techniques in the early 20th century was how
to send more data further and faster. In the area of telecommunications, the
loaded cable system developed by Prof. Pupin at Colombia University, USA, was
the main technique employed by the world at that time. This is the system to
insert a loaded-coil on the telecable to prevent attenuation of the electric
current. This system, however, was not satisfactory, because the sound is not
clear, not efficient and only one telephone call per line at a time was possible.
As the result of studies undertaken with Noboru Shinohara, Matsumae, being not
occupied with preconceived idea, developed a new communication system without
a loaded coil. This was a new system to transmit the sound with the high frequency
electric current, setting an amplifier in the middle of the long distance cable.
This system overcame the shortcomings of the loaded-cable system, and made possible
multiple simultaneous communications on one line. This is the world famous long-distance
non-loaded cable carrier communication system. It was a big breakthrough in
the communications technology.
This invention was eventually adopted as a domestic research project in which
governmental and pri vate organizations both joined. In 1939, the distance of
about 2,700 kilometers between Japan and China was linked with the non-loaded
cable carrier communication system. This system became the main communication
technique of the world and encouraged the opening of information-oriented era
of today.
Matsumae's
determination to engage in education - encounter with Kanzo Uchimura and his
experience in Denmark
During his Ministry of Communications days, while engaged in the new technological
development, he had been asking himself the question, "How should I lead
my life?" attended a Bible Study Group and lecture meetings led by Kanzo
Uchimura (1860-1930) in search for his way of life. Kanzo Uchimura was a pioneer
Christian thinker at that time. Uchimura established an independent or "non-church"
Christianity and his books such as "The Story of Denmark" and "The
Greatest Heritage to the Future" gave deep and great impact on the youth
at that time.
Matsumae was deeply impressed with Uchimura's ideals, and his passionate concern
for the welfare of the humanity. He learned about the history of modern Denmark
to reconstruct the country through education. Learning of the Folke h?jskole
system (Folk High School, sometimes translated as National University), advocated
by N.F.S. Grundtvig who was the spiritual leader of the new movement in Denmark
at that time, Matsumae discovered his pedagogical model there.
The national high schools, sometimes called "school life" or "universities
for the people," has a positive, exciting feeling, where teachers and students
lived together and discussed about the society freely and talked about the philosophy.
Matsumae visited Denmark in 1939 to learn and inspect education there.
What especially impressed Matsumae strongly was, as he later told us, that school
should "help students understand the view of history, view of the life
and mission to work out their own individuality." He then realized that
the result of such an educational system was the creation of the driving force
which had built up the dairy farming nation of Denmark. Through his experience
in Denmark, he made up his mind to engage in education, "with the belief
that the foundation of building a solid nation lies in education. Based on the
ideal education, we must build Japan, a peaceful nation."
Matsumae's first school - Bosei gakujuku, the roots of TES.
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Matsumae, together with his wife Nobuko and his close friends including Noboru
Shinohara and Shintaro Okubo, held meetings of an Education Study Group. There,
they studied the life and ideas of Dr. Schweitzer and J. H. Pestalozzi. When
Matsumae was awarded the 1935 Asano Prize from the Institute of Electrical Engineering
of Japan, he subsequently opened the Bosei Gakujuku in Musashino in 1936, using
the money received for the award as part of the financing for his educational
project, in 1936. The Bosei Gakujuku aimed at the education stressing the discussion
to cultivate the view of the subject and thought, and training of the body to
have passion and life worth to live. It was a learning place full of vitality,
and the study of the Bible and discussion about the future of Japan and of the
world were the central interest; a small educational place with big ideal. This
is the parent body of today's Tokai University Educational System (TES).
Matsumae's consistent belief in world peace - dispatched to the front as a
second class private in the Japanese army.
At the start of World War II, Matsumae examined Japan's production capacity,
and based on what he saw, advocated an early end to the war. Despite his position
as Director-General of Engineering in the Ministry of Communications (the highest
post at that time in the communications sector of Japan at that time), his views
caused him to be conscripted and sent to the south Asian front. On account of
this, the activities of Bosei-gakujuku were suspended at that time. Because
of his such conviction, he was sent to the front in the south of Asia, though
being in the high post of Director-General, Engineering Department of the Ministry
of Communications (the highest responsible person in the communication sector
in Japan at that time) at the age of 42. The activities of Bosei Gakujuku had
to be suspended for that reason
When he returned from the front (one of the fortunate few to do so), he was
appointed to the position of top officer of the Technology Authority, Government
of Japan. On the day following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, he headed a
team that inspected and reported on the effects of the atomic bombing. Immediately
after the Japan's surrender in WWII, he became the president of the Communications
Authority and worked hard on the reconstruction of the Japanese communications
sector. At the same time, he opened Tokai University to promote mutual understanding
and harmony between liberal arts and science graduates, on the foundation of
the Aerial Science College. (The university was then admitted as Tokai University
under the old system in 1946, and later administered under the new system.)
Matsumae sets advanced technology as a goal for the country
Dr. Matsumae was concerned with the poor policy of Japan with regard to science
and technology and advocated the improvement of the status of engineers and
the development of own techniques in the country. The outcome of his long endeavor
was resulted in the invention of the long-distance non-loaded cable carrier
communication system in the prewar year, and the other achievement is the establishment
of the Science and Technology Agency as an organ of the Japanese government.
Dr. Matsumae held the opinion that Japan, having few natural resources, could
make its global contribution as a scientific and technological nation, utilizing
its own indigenous techniques. His experiences of the horrors following the
dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima taught him that the techniques of technology
must be employed for the benefit of humanity. If abused, and handled incorrectly,
science and technology could result in the destruction of our species. Such
techniques must be for the benefit of the human being; this was his conclusion
from the examination into the miseries in Hiroshima of the victims of the atomic
bomb. The science and technology could lead to the destruction of the human-being
if we should fail in handling rightly.
Being fully aware that individual thoughts and opinions would determine the
future of the nation and of mankind, Matsumae worked to establish an educational
system to "nurture the power of thought, and promote understanding between
the students of liberal arts and those of science" as the fundamental program
of TES.
Matsumae's new start in the hardship of being purged from public office
Matsumae's life in the post-war years was a hard one. Because he had occupied
an important position during the war, he was purged from holding public office
in 1946 by the order of the GHQ (General Headquarters of the Allied Powers).
Because of this, Matsumae was unable to participate in the management of his
recently-founded university. Tokai University lost its central support, and
was in danger of being closed down, on account of the prevailing conditions
in post-war Japan: loss of pre-war values, a social and economic confusion,
and a lack of inspiration and ideas.
However, the university had many sympathizers and supporters, and managed to
survive the crisis (albeit with difficulty) thanks to the continued hard efforts
to rebuild the institution. Immediately after the purge directive was lifted
in 1951, Matsumae came back to the University and endeavored for the establishment
of today's TES.
Hitch your wagon to a star! - Matsumae's motto given to his students
Matsumae's hope for his educational system was that it would provide graduates
who would work towards producing the history of tomorrow, based on the principles
of the happiness of the human race, and the promotion of universal eternal peace.
Matsumae's appeal to all his students, in his four-part slogan, ended with "Chain
thy hope to the stars in thy early days." In the same way that Dr. Clark's
famous "Boys, be ambitious," which so influenced Kanzo Uchimura, still
makes an appeal to lofty ideals and a higher cause, Dr. Matsumae's slogan is
applicable to all young people, regardless of the era in which it is uttered.
In today's world, with its many radical and fast changes, we are faced with
many problems. Because of the difficulties that beset us, it is imperative to
face the future with lofty ideals held firmly in our minds. This is the message
of Dr. Matsumae-one which he constantly repeated, and it is one which we at
TES continue to honor and pursue.
