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Keio Fellows | |
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| Downing College > Master, Fellows and Staff > Keio Fellows |
A description of the history of the Downing College – Keio connection from Professor Toshiyuki Takamiya.
I promised to give you a historical account of the Keio-Downing connection, which started soon after my return to Keio from the three-year study at Darwin. When I was to return to Tokyo in September 1978, Derek Brewer, Master of Emmanuel, suggested that I nominate a Keio scholar who would like to take a visiting fellowship in his college in 1979-80. I chose Professor Takako Suzuki, internationally known socio-linguist, whose books have been translated into various languages.
Derek then wanted to launch a firm relationship with a university in Japan, hopefully Keio, but the bureacracy in such an old college had prevented from promoting his idea. He talked about it with Professor John Butterfield [then Master of Downing], who was also keen to launch such a liaison with a Japanese university. Dr John Treherne was also involved in the scheme. John Butterfield invited Professor Suzuki to move from Emmanuel to Downing for a next term. Since Suzuki was well versed in not only European languages and Korean, Turkish, and Russian, but ornithology, fungi, etc. his reputation must have remained long in Downing. In the following year, Professor Shinsuke Ando, spent a term or terms each in Emmnuel and Downing as a visiting fellow; he spoke immaculate British English.
Knowing that Downing wanted to launch some strong link with Keio, I had suggested to the Keio authorities that they should donate some funds for Downing to refurbish what was to be called the Keio Flat at Lensfield Road. After some struggle, it was officially opened in spring 1986, when I accompanied the Keio Rugby Football Club which was touring in England (Keio was beaten by Cambridge, which was in its heyday with Bob Andrew and Gavin Hastings, but we beat Oxford!). At the suggestion of Derek, then the editor of the Cambridge Review, I contributed to it a short article ‘Keio Comes to Cambridge’. Thus, the Keio-Downing link was firmly established, and the Keio visiting fellow came to spend Michaelmas every year, while a few Downing fellows such as Graham Chapman, Richard Bowring and Milly Budny came to Keio. I think Dr David Blackadder [then Bursar of Downing] and Professor Richard Bowring had helped John Butterfield to promote this scheme. Some years afterwards, Keio financially helped Downing to build flats for graduate students. One of the first Keio graduates who were sent here for a Ph.D. in English, Isamu Takahashi is now an Associate Professor at Keio.
And then eleven years ago Professor Peter Mathias [formerly Master of Downing] was instrumental in launching the Keio-Downing summer school here, which has since flourished to a great extent. It is said that almost all the Keio students who came here were happy with the course, and many of them still enjoy reunions regularly.
It is good to note that both John Butterfield and Peter Mathias were conferred a honorary doctorate at Keio for their great contribution in this regard.
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