TOA SEINAN GAKKO ; IKENOBU SAN, TSUBOCHI SAN AND NIPPON-GO

In the 1930s world events were moving inexorably toward cataclysm. But they were far away, unreal and, perhaps, irrelevant to the British colonial administration in Malaya. Life went on at its languid and complacent pace in British Malaya.
Kajang High School had to say good-bye to the Mr. Gates who went on retirement in 1936 and sailed for England, the Englishman’s “other Eden”. Little did he know foresee that the school he had helmed for many years were soon to undergo a drastic makeover in form and substance.
On June 6 1937 Kajang Town was honored by the visit of the famous Indian Nationalist, Pandit Mehru. The Headmaster, J. B Carr gave permission for pupils and Masters to attend a public rally for Mr. Mehru from 11.00 am to 11.30. The pupils must have come away imbued and flushed with patriotic and nationalist sentiments after having heard Mr. Mehru spoke about India’s struggle for freedom.
About a month after the historic visit of Pandit Mehru, Kajang High School hold its 9th School Sports on July 17 1937. For the 1st time in the school’s history, real hurdles, most probably imported direct from England, were used courtesy of Towkay Low Ti Kok, one of the school’s founders.
The ominous visit to the Kajang High School by several British and Australian military top brass on Sept 14 1941 caused consternation to the school pupils and masters. The Commonwealth Military entourage were led by Major General Stardes, Chief of General Staff (C. G. S), Australian Army and Major General Officer Commanding (G. O. C) Northern Area of the British Army. They told the Headmaster, O. G Williams that the military would take over the school in February 1942.
Despite the spectre of war in Europe and Asia, Peninsular Malaya “slumbers”1 but woke up to learn that Japanese forces has landed on the beaches of Kota Bharu, Kelantan on December 8 1941. The Japanese invesion of British Malaya was under way.
The Japanese Soldier camouflaged themselves with leaves and twigs as they swept down the Peninsular on their bicycles. Their fighter planes had earlier neutralized British positions in advanced of the bicycle onslaught. In Kajang, the Rice Stockpile Center in Reko Road was sprayed with machine-gun bullets from the air. There were scores of civilian fatalities. Dead bodies were sprawled along Reko Road between the Sun Cinema and the Muslim graveyard. The Kajang High School was spared, probably because it was not considered a legitimate target. They might have obtained intelligence from their resident Japanese spies in Kajang that the school had been evacuated earlier.
On Thursday morning Dec 7 1941 Mr. O.G. Williams were instructed on the telephone by Bloomfield to evacuate the school by Monday morning Dec 11 1941. Misjudging the gravity of the situation and oblivious to the reality of war, the Head Master told the pupils and masters to move over to the Kajang Convent Church Road (now Jalan Gereja) on the appointed day and date. The Kajang High School pupils attended classes in the afternoon from 1.15p.m to 5.30p.m. the Convent girls attended classes in the morning. The Headmaster, O.G. Wlilliams must have left soon after to join the rest of the British community in their helter-skelter dash to their fortress in Singapore. Mr. T. Mailvahanam, a senior member of the teaching staff took over as Headmaster.
The Japanese army seized the Kajang High School building the moment they occupied Kajang in 1942. They henceforth called the school by its Japanese name – TOA SEINEN GAKKO. They also removed the brass plaque commemorating the school’s official opening. It was the only “collateral damage” sustained by the school during the war, they turned it into their military Headquarters. The school mythology claims that it was here that summary executions of anti-Japanese elements in the Kajang population were carried out.
An incident in 1949 tends to lend credibility to this mythology. A senior pupil og the school discovered a human skeleton while playing on the site which was being cleared for the Primary Department building. The school’s first Senior Science Master, Mr. A. Dennison kept the skeleton in the Science Laboratory for use during biology classes later during his tenure.
In 1942 Mr. T. Mailvahanam was allowed to continue as Headmaster and he was instructed by the Japanese military to shift the Kajang High School classes held in the Convent to the Queen’s Theatre on the bank of Sg. Jelok, a stone’s throw from the Convent2. The English Language was abolished and Nippon-go was mandatory. Two Japanese teachers were assigned to teach Japanese. They were Ikenoba-san and Tsubochi-san. Mr. Mailvahanam wrote in his report that the Japanese teachers were assigned to the classes in July 1942.
One of the pupils who enrolled in the TOA SEINEN GAKKO was young V. Pathmanathan. He had to learn Nippon-go and he recalls two other classmates who were also learning Japanese. They were Hashim (tall and fair) and Ismail. They were both from Cheras. But he doesn’t remember most of the others who attended TOA SEINEN GAKKO.
In 2008, V. Pathmanathan related that besides learning Nippon-go they had to tend vegetable plots in the morning as well as in the afternoon. They were to turn every vacant lot on both banks of Sg. Jelok into vegetable plots. In this way, Pathmanathan added, the Japanese tried to instill a sense of self-reliance among former British colonial subjects. They also drove them to achieve self-sufficiency in their daily needs during the Allied blockade of the Malay Peninsular.
After the Japanese defeat in the Pacific War, Kajang High School was reopened on Sept 27 1945. Mr. Mailvahanam was still in-charge but had to hand over the school to Major Waters in July 11 1946. Pathmanathan, who had undergone the rigor and tough discipline during his time as a pupil in the Japanese school, enrolled himself in the Kajang High School. He emerged as one of the brilliant pupils of Kajang High School in the immediate post-war years, besides having the distinction of the only known living alumnus of TOA SEINEN GAKKO. He went on to serve his Alma Mater as a full-fledged teacher for a number of years before assuming the post of Headmaster of a prestigious Primary School in Petaling Jaya.
References:
1. Zainal Abidin bin Abdul Wahid – NST Focus, Nov 8 1999.
2. Ms. Sivamalar - KHS Class ’56 Souvenir Magazine BY HANAFIAH LUBIS  KHS ALUMNUS 1956.