散詩語録(2025年1月号)

Further challenges for the 100th anniversary

Mitsuo Ochi

 2024年11月2日、3日の広島大学創立75+75周年記念式典・記念事業を無事終えることができました。2日は大雨で山陽本線が一時不通となる中、多くの来賓や同窓生の皆さまのご来場・ご支援に感謝申し上げます。ことに岸田文雄前総理大臣にご来校いただき、祝辞を賜りましたことは広島大学にとり、大変光栄なことでありました。
 これまで2年間にわたり周年事業を教職員一体となり進めて参りました。吉永小百合さんによ
る原爆詩朗読会をはじめ、世界7カ国・地域10大学が参加した第1回平和学長会議、関西・関東で
のイベントなどを経て「広島大学創立75+75周年記念式典・記念事業」でフィナーレを迎えました。

 予定していたフランスの歴史人口学者、エマニュエル・トッド氏は3日前急病による来日中止が決まり、気を揉みましたが、元外交官で作家の佐藤優氏が代わりを務めてくださり、素晴らしいご講演をいただきました。まさに天の配剤と感謝いたしました。また山極壽一前京都大学総長、国連事務次長の中満泉氏、同窓生の田中卓志氏らをお招きした講演やトークショーも素晴らしいものでした。

 原爆投下から4年後の1949年に創立した広島大学にとって、戦後の混乱と原爆被災が重なる中での開学への道のりは、決して平坦ではありませんでした。広島大学の創設に必要な資金は約4億5千万円。県有土地建物等の現物寄附分を除いた約3億4千万円を調達する必要がありました。その3分の1が県費、残り3分の2は県内外の寄附金によって賄われたのです。県内募金は郡市別に割り当てられ、例えば広島市の場合1世帯あたり290円、比婆郡は35円などと負担額が算定されました。

 さらに資金募集のため1949年に開催されたのがプロ野球公式試合「阪神対東急」戦です。入場料は内野席で大人150円。1万2千人の想定を大きく上回る3万5千人余りの観客が詰めかけ、20万円以上の設立募金が集まったといわれています。この時のプロ野球に対する県民の熱気が広島カープの誕生につながりました。他にも広島おどり特別公演、広島県教育宝くじの収益などが設立資金に充てられました。

 このように、広島大学は県民の皆さんのご支援によって開学にこぎつけたのです。私たちはこうした歴史をしっかり記憶にとどめ、県民の皆さんへの敬意を持ち続け、次の節目となる100周年に向け、「地域に愛され、世界から選ばれる大学」を目指して、一層努力していく所存です。

On 2 and 3 November 2024, we successfully hosted the 75+75th Anniversary Commemorative Ceremony and
Events at Hiroshima University (HU). I would especially like to thank the many guests and alumni who attended the events on 2 November, despite the heavy rain that temporarily disrupted the JR Sanyo-Honsen train services. It was a great honor to have former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visit our university and deliver a congratulatory speech.

Over the past two years, our faculty and administrative members have collaborated on various anniversary projects. We kicked off the celebrations with an A-bomb poetry reading by Sayuri Yoshinaga, followed by the first Peace Presidents' Conference, which welcomed representatives from ten universities across seven
countries and regions around the world. There were also various events in the Kansai and Kanto regions, and the culminating event was our HU 75+75th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony.

I was initially concerned when I learned that the French historical demographer Emmanuel Todd, scheduled to
speak in Hiroshima on 2 November, suddenly became ill three days before his planned visit to Japan and thus had to cancel his lecture. Fortunately, the former diplomat and author Masaru Sato graciously stepped in and
delivered an excellent lecture. I am extremely grateful for his contribution, and for saving the day. We also
hosted insightful lectures and discussions featuring former Kyoto University President Juichi Yamaguchi, UN
Under-Secretary-General Izumi Nakamitsu, and alumnus Takushi Tanaka.

Founded in 1949, just four years after the atomic bombing, Hiroshima University faced numerous challenges in its early days, as the post-war turmoil compounded the devastation caused by the bombing.

The funds needed to establish Hiroshima University were approximately 450 million yen. It was necessary to raise about 340 million yen, excluding the in-kind donations of prefectural land and buildings. One-third of the necessary funding was provided by the prefectural government, while the remaining two-thirds came from donations both within and outside the prefecture. Donations were allocated based on district and city, with contributions calculated at approximately 290 yen per household in Hiroshima City and 35 yen per household in Hiba County.

To gather additional funds, a professional baseball game between Hanshin and Tokyu was held in 1949, with ticket prices set at 150 yen for adults in the infield. The event attracted over 35,000 spectators, far surpassing the expected 12,000, and raised more than 200,000 yen for the university’s foundation.

The local enthusiasm for professional baseball during that time contributed to the establishment of the
Hiroshima Toyo Carp baseball team. Additional funds were also raised through a special performance of the
Hiroshima Odori dance and proceeds from the Hiroshima Prefecture Education Lottery.

Thanks to the generous support of the prefectural citizens, we successfully launched HU.

We aspire for HU to become ‘a university loved by the community and chosen by the world,’ by honoring its
history, respecting the people of Hiroshima Prefecture, and diligently working toward our next milestone: the
university’s 100th anniversary.


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