Night shift 1933
Daily Life
■Dormitory Life
In November 1889, two dormitories (a north and a south) were built in back of the main classroom building. At first, a complete dormitory system was planned, but from 1901 only firstyear students lived in the dormitory. In 1913, the dormitory was closed due to an epidemic and eventually torn down. It was rebuilt and reopened in 1915.
These study dormitories were selfgoverning, with a representative and two committee members chosen from among the 2nd and 3rdyear students to remain as residents. Activities included management of the dormitory, cooking, climbing Mt Aso or Mt Kimpo, and rafting down the Kumagawa River.
Student oath 1935
Dormitory room 1926
Dormitory exterior 1926
Dormitory room 1929
Dining room 1935
Rafting down the Kumagawa River 1939
Climbing Mt. Aso 1935
Dormitory entrance 1924
Dormitory
entrance ceremony 1935
Dormitory representatives 1932
Recreation 1937
Getting a haircut, 1935
studying 1938
Getting the mail 1941
a “storm” 1935
■Club Activities
The “Ryunankai” studentfaculty association of the Fifth High School was begun November 3, 1891. Meaning “South of Mt. Tatsuda” (the ideograph for “tatsu” can also be pronounced “ryu”), it was named by Professor Akizuki in consultation with the students. Focusing on culture and sports, it was independently run by the students.
Every year an executive committee was elected and a budget allocated. Competitions with the Seventh High School in Kagoshima were arranged, and intramural boat races were held on Lake Ezu. Through these activities, students gained experience in leadership and developed selfreliance. These club activities in High Schools and at the Imperial University introduced students early on to Western sports such as baseball, tennis, and boating, as well as to recent Western music and literature, thus acting as conduits for bringing Western culture into Japan.
Climbing 1943
Kyudo 1943
Dressage 1926
Oratorical contest 1941
Rugby
Mountaineering 1937
Music 1936
Kendo 1942
Boat
Swimming 1931
Music 1926
Hockey
Glider 1943
Communication signal 1943
Boat race 1924
■Rivalry between the Fifth High School and the Seventh High School
The Ryunankai and its counterpart from the Seventh High School jointly organized competitions in baseball, track and field, and oratory.
Held in either Kumamoto or Kagoshima, these were major events attended by nearly all students. However, after a baseball game in Kumamoto in 1926, a quarrel broke out between the cheering squads, thus ending competition between the two schools until 1946. The last competition was held in 1948
Baseball game 1936
Storm 1926
■Magazine of the Ryunan Association
The “Ryunankai Zasshi” magazine ran from November 26, 1891 to March 25, 1948, ending with issue number 255. It published a variety of essays, stories, haiku, waka, works in classical Chinese, research on modes of thought, literary creations, etc.
It also kept records of personnel changes, debate topics and committee decisions, budget allocations and expenditures, club activities, and school events. The magazine was edited by a number of students and faculty members who later became wellknown writers: Murakawa Kengo, Goto Fumio, Shimomura Kojin, Umezaki Haruo, and Kinoshita Junji, among others.
Association Election 1926
Magazine of the Ryunan Association
Fifth High School and Kumamoto City
Students often went to the city center, approximately 2 kilometers from the School, to patronize their favorite bookshops, tea houses, movie theaters, oden shops, etc. Dressed in their distinctive capes and hats, they walked the streets singing dormitory songs. They also sometimes made mischief, such as overturning a shop’s signboard, but they were generally welcomed warmly by the city’s residents.
