Sophia Archives of Sophia School Corporation has discovered valuable historical documents related to the founding of Sophia University.
Two diaries written by Fr. Henri Boucher, S.J., one of the three Jesuit priests (*) who arrived in Japan in 1908 to establish a Catholic university, have been found.
One diary was written in French, Fr. Boucher’s native language, and the other in Latin, which was then the official language of the Catholic Church. Both volumes cover the period from 1908 to 1921.
According to Collected Historical Materials on Sophia University, Vol. 1 (Jochi Daigaku-shi Shiryoshu, Vol. 1), Fr. Boucher originally kept a diary in French during his years in Japan.
After returning to Shanghai in 1921, he rewrote the account in Latin based on his original French diary, providing a more detailed record of the circumstances surrounding the founding of Sophia University and preserving it as a permanent historical record.
Although a Japanese translation of the diary was published in Collected Historical Materials on Sophia University, Vol. 1, the whereabouts of the original manuscripts had long remained unknown. Both diaries were identified among archival materials that had been transferred from the SJ House Archives to Sophia Archives.
(*)The three Jesuit priests who arrived in Japan on July 31, 1908, to establish a university were Fr. Joseph Dahlmann, S.J., from Germany, Fr. James Rockliff, S.J., from England, and Fr. Henri Boucher, S.J., from France.
Fr. Yuichi Tsunoda, S.J., Director of Sophia Archives and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Theology, commented on the discovery:
The discovery of the diaries of Fr. Henri Boucher, S.J., one of the three Jesuit priests who came to Japan in 1908 to prepare for the establishment of Sophia University, is of tremendous significance not only for the history of our university but also for the study of higher education and Catholic Church history in modern Japan. These documents provide a detailed firsthand account, written in both French and Latin, of the process from the return of the Jesuits to Japan through the University’s formative years, making them exceptionally valuable historical sources.
The discovery of the diaries of Fr. Henri Boucher, S.J., one of the three Jesuit priests who came to Japan in 1908 to prepare for the establishment of Sophia University, is of tremendous significance not only for the history of our university but also for the study of higher education and Catholic Church history in modern Japan.
These documents provide a detailed firsthand account, written in both French and Latin, of the process from the return of the Jesuits to Japan through the University’s formative years, making them exceptionally valuable historical sources.
Due to the condition of the materials and preservation considerations, they are not open to the public at this time.
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Discovery of Valuable Historical Documents Reveals Details of Sophia’s Founding Years
