84 some.” After parting ways he said he was impressed to find that At that time Kaishū was sixty-seven years old and Enryō was thirty-two. Since Kaishū also loved a challenge, there must have been a mutual resonance that transcended the thirty-five year age difference. On September eleventh, one week after his meeting with Kaishū, a massive typhoon hit Japan. Many people were killed, and the school-house that was nearing completion was destroyed. At the time Enryō was on a tour of Buddhist organizations in Kyoto promoting the Movement for the Official Acknowledgment of Buddhism. After re-ceiving the news via telegram he immediately headed for Tokyo. As the Tokkaidō train line was stopped, he had to travel by boat from the town of Yokkaichi to Yokohama in order to get to Tokyo. Enryō was forced to make a decision: move forward or retreat. Enryō called this calamity the “storm disaster.” After making arrangements for the start of classes at the school he recommenced the construction pro-ject nine days later on the twentieth. A week later after hearing about the rebuilding, Kaishū called Enryō to his private residence. Kaishū is said to have given earnest advice to Enryō on realizing the Philosophy Academy project, “If you concentrate your spirit and apply yourself there is nothing you cannot accomplish.” During the turmoil at the end of the Edo period, Kaishū had saved Japan from political upheaval through his sincerity of heart, meaning his advice Enryō had actually been so young. Construction of the New Schoolhouse and the “Storm Disaster”
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