Boys, Be Ambitious Day

What Is Boys, Be Ambitious Day?

Every April 16th is "Boys, Be Ambitious Day" (ボーイズ・ビー・アンビシャス・デー, Bōizu Bī Anbishasu Dē) in Japan. On April 16, 1877, William Smith Clark (ウィリアム・スミス・クラーク), the American agricultural educator who had been invited to Hokkaido to help establish the Sapporo Agricultural College (later Hokkaido University), departed Sapporo after completing his contract. As he left, he reportedly delivered the famous parting words: "Boys, be ambitious!" — a phrase so brief yet so resonant that it became one of the most quoted statements in modern Japanese educational history.

William Smith Clark and Hokkaido's Development

William Smith Clark (1826–1886) arrived in Hokkaido in 1876 as a Massachusetts Agricultural College president invited by the Meiji government to help establish scientific agriculture in Japan's northern frontier. During his 8-month stay, Clark helped design the curriculum of the Sapporo Agricultural College, introduced Western agricultural methods, and — perhaps most significantly — embodied the spirit of purposeful ambition that the Meiji government wanted to instill in the students who would develop Hokkaido's resources. His influence on his students was profound, and several became major figures in Hokkaido's development.

The Full Quote

The full text of Clark's parting words is reportedly "Boys, be ambitious! Be ambitious not for money or for selfish aggrandizement, not for that evanescent thing which men call fame. Be ambitious for the attainment of all that a man ought to be." In Japanese cultural memory, however, the phrase is universally condensed to the memorable six-word version — a compression that has made it one of Japan's most recognized English-language quotations.

Clark's Legacy in Hokkaido

A famous bronze statue of William Clark with his arm raised in the gesture of his departing words — pointing toward the horizon with the spirit of "be ambitious" — stands at the Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill (羊ヶ丘展望台) in Sapporo and is one of Hokkaido's most photographed landmarks. Hokkaido University, the institution Clark helped found, has become one of Japan's leading research universities, fulfilling the ambitious vision of its American founding spirit.

Fun Facts

• Clark's Christianity: Clark was a devout Christian who encouraged his students to adopt Christian values alongside Western scientific methods — several of his students became prominent members of Japan's early Christian community, making Clark an unlikely contributor to Japanese religious history as well as agricultural education.
• Hokkaido University today: Hokkaido University (北海道大学) is one of Japan's seven former Imperial Universities, with strong research programs in agriculture, veterinary medicine, fisheries, and environmental sciences — a direct outgrowth of the institution Clark helped establish in 1876.