Connected through a legacy of learning

Thomas E.J. de Witt (left) and Minoru Yamawaki (right) plant cherry blossom trees at the building dedication in 1993. Photo courtesy of Winslow Archives

As the cherry blossom trees in the North Quad begin to bloom, the Lasell community is reminded of their origin, and the legacy and connections they uphold to this day. For nearly 40 years, Lasell University has shared the status of “sister school” with Yamawaki Gakuen Junior College in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.

The two schools share a rich history full of exchange programs, educational material donations, and, perhaps the most recognizable, a building named in honor of one of the Junior College’s directors.

“In the 1980s, that was when Japan became a financial and economic powerhouse, and enjoyed this big bubbled economy, so much so that in America, there was fear that we were losing out to Japan,” Associate Professor of Humanities Halliday Piel said.

“There was a lot of interest in Japanese culture and language at that time, and Lasell had a relationship with the school, and their students would come and study in the summer. We had an exchange relationship with the school, and you could take Japanese language classes at Lasell at that time.”

Beginning in 1988, representatives from Lasell and Yamawaki Gakuen visited both institutions’ campuses to begin discussions about forming an official relationship. The concept of connecting the two schools was based on their shared missions, specifically their goals “to emphasize both practical and scholarly education of women to prepare them for successful professional and personal lives,” as explained in the program from the Yamawaki Art and Cultural Center’s dedication ceremony.

On May 8, 1990, an agreement was signed by former Lasell President Thomas E.J. de Witt that outlined the terms of the sister schools’ relationship. On Lasell’s side of the agreement, it was required that the school host three-week “English Language Study” programs each summer for exchange students and faculty, and the dedication of the Yamawaki Art and Cultural Center. From Yamawaki Gakuen Junior College, contributions would be made to the cultural center in the form of programming support and a monetary donation of $1 million.

Lasell’s Yamawaki Art and Cultural Center was built from what once was Carter Hall, a white Victorian house situated on the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Grove Street. With the money from Yamawaki Gakuen, the building was transformed to hold an auditorium, a space for art exhibitions—later named the Wedeman Gallery—and classrooms that would cater to photography, ceramics, and other artistic studies.

The building was named in honor of Kyo Yamawaki, a picture book author and board member of Yamawaki Gakuen Junior College. Minoru Yamawaki, Kyo’s husband and chairman of Yamawaki Gakuen, also contributed two traditional Japanese kimonos, which now reside in the Lasell Fashion Collection, as well as copies of the books Kyo had written.

The dedication of the building, taking place on Oct. 6, 1993, featured a gallery including alumni artwork, a recital with international performing artists, and a ceremonial tree planting carried out by Minoru Yamawaki and President de Witt.

In addition to Yamawaki Arts and Cultural Center, Kyo Yamawaki is also honored in name by the Kyo Yamawaki Education Room and Education Collection, a study space on the ground floor and a children’s book collection on the second floor of Brennan Library.

“[Kyo] was a very spunky, self-confident, kind of bohemian character. She was very proud of her excel- lent English, really smart,” Piel said, “But around 2016, the junior college went bankrupt because education was changing in Japan, and junior colleges are a thing of the past now. So when the college closed because they didn’t get enough enrollment, [she] retired.”

Yamawaki Arts and Cultural Center was dedicated to Kyo Yamawaki on Oct. 6, 1993. Photo courtesy of Winslow Archives

Piel first met Kyo Yamawaki in 2010, when the Yamawaki Gakuen Junior College’s enrollment was beginning to decline. After its closure, Yamawaki remained on Lasell’s Board of Trustees for many years, and would visit the university annually for trustee meetings. During these visits, Piel and other faculty members would join Yamawaki on trips to museums and restaurants.

Founded in 1903, Yamawaki Gakuen operated similarly to Lasell University in its early years as a junior college for women. The institution had departments focused on homemaking, food science, and English studies. In March 2011, the school was closed due to low enrollment, as the educational structure and values in Japanese culture shifted toward university instruction.

The institution’s impact on Lasell University, however, remains to this day, as students continue to learn with the items donated and in the facilities built by the generosity of Kyo and Minoru Yamawaki.