Boys, Be Ambitious

Today, and April 16th annually, is Boys Be Ambitious Day ボーイズビーアンビシャスデー in Japan. It may sound random, but it is a day dedicated to a famous quote by Dr William Smith Clark and as such commemorates his legacy in Japan.

Dr William Smith Clark, known in Japan as Clark Hakase, was the vice principal of the newly founded Sapporo Agricultural College from 1876 to 1877. On this day, April 16th, in 1877 he left Sapporo after completing his one-year contract as vice-principal with the parting words, "Boys, Be Ambition". The phrase became a symbol of aspiration in modern Japan, echoing far beyond the campus he helped shape.

Clark had been president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College and came to Japan upon invitation from the Meiji Government. They requested his expertise in building a Western-style agricultural school. Which by all accounts Clark was very successful and Clark's impact immediate. Reportedly, near the end of his life, Clark said that the nine months he spent in Sapporo were the brightest of his career.

Today, not only is there a day in his memory, but you can also see a statue of Clark in Sapporo. A figure pointing toward the horizon at Hitsujigaoka, keeping his message alive and reminding us to dream boldly and aim high.

The photo in this post is just of an agricultural building and is not of the Agricultural College mentioned in this post.