Tokyo's First Yun Dong-ju Memorial to Be Unveiled at Rikkyo University in October

A memorial dedicated to the influential Korean poet Yun Dong-ju will be unveiled for the first time in Tokyo at Rikkyo University this October.

Rikkyo University, located in Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo, announced on September 25 that it will hold the unveiling ceremony for the Yun Dong-ju Memorial on October 11. The university holds special significance, as Yun Dong-ju enrolled there after graduating from Yonhui College (now Yonsei University) and coming to Japan for further studies.

During his time at the Faculty of Literature at Rikkyo University, Yun Dong-ju composed five notable poems, including “Easily Written Poem,” “White Shadow,” and “Flowing Streets.” These works were preserved through letters that Yun sent to his friend Kang Cheo-jung. The poems were written on letter paper bearing Rikkyo University's official emblem, providing clear evidence of where and when they were composed.

Although Yonsei University currently owns the original letters, Rikkyo University, with Yonsei’s cooperation, has displayed high-quality copies at its memorial hall for years in honor of Yun Dong-ju.

The new memorial takes the form of an elongated rectangular stone, featuring Yun Dong-ju’s photograph at the center. To either side, concise biographical details and information about the poet will be inscribed, along with the original version of “Easily Written Poem” in Korean and its Japanese translation.

A QR code on the monument will allow visitors to access detailed information about the poet’s life and works using their smartphones.

President Renta Nishihara of Rikkyo University remarked, “While I have not conducted a detailed search, to my knowledge there is no other Yun Dong-ju memorial in Tokyo.”

Yun In-seok, an emeritus professor at Sungkyunkwan University and nephew of Yun Dong-ju, expressed his delight: “To my knowledge, this is the first memorial to Yun Dong-ju in Tokyo. I deeply appreciate Rikkyo University’s decision, which was not an easy one.”

Until now, most monuments dedicated to Yun Dong-ju in Japan have been erected in Kyoto, where his second alma mater, Doshisha University, is located. A monument was built at Doshisha in 1995, and another marks the site of Yun’s former boarding house, which now serves as part of the campus of Kyoto University of the Arts. In 2017, local literary enthusiasts and residents erected the “Monument of Memory and Reconciliation” along the Uji River in Kyoto, where Yun and friends once enjoyed a picnic and took their last photo together during his time at Doshisha.

The unveiling ceremony will be attended by several distinguished guests, including Yun In-seok, President Dong-seop Yun of Yonsei University, and others.

Yun Dong-ju remains widely recognized in Japan, in part due to Japanese essayist Noriko Ibaraki (1926–2006) referencing his poetry in works that were later included in Japanese textbooks.

In celebration of the unveiling, the Korea Education Foundation—which offers scholarships to Korean residents in Japan—will partner with Rikkyo University’s Center for Foreign Language Education and Research to host a recital and poetry contest titled “Autumn at Rikkyo with Poet Yun Dong-ju.”

Photo credit: Yonhap News, Yonsei University Museum

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Yonhap News, Yonsei University Museum