Suga sips Japanese tea of getting cold and picks up a slice of adzuki-bean jelly.
After a while, he says embarrassingly,
"I have wandered off the subject again. Well, I wanted to talk about the Shishin-kai."
"Now, finally. I have been worried."
Mari says, faking a smile. But this matter does not seem to be followed even by Tsubune, the junior.
Because of it or not, the senior hands out a brief note to the three.

The graduate party of the school's boat club named it officially as Shishin-kai (Four-God Party) in Taisho 8 (1919).
In Meiji 22 (1889), thirty years before, the club had built the four boats of their own and named each of them after Shishin (Gembu, Suzaku, Byakko and Seiryu).
The graduates of the club was the bread winner not only of the club but also of the whole school. Shishin-kai has always been the money source and has directly handed down the fighting and indomitable spirit.

On the other hand, his talk has gotten here now neglecting the listeners' understanding.
"I am afraid this part may have been difficult for you even Mr. Tsubune to understand since it is a little far from the main subject not to mention it's a family talk. But it is related to the Four-God Statues on the facade of Kanematsu Auditorium."
The elderly makes a trying excuse.

Eriko changes the topic looking at the chronology of art history, seeming to ease the tention.
"It was in Meiji 42 (1889) that the four boats were built, wasn't it? The Eiffel Tower was completed in Paris the same year. That tower is said to have had a bad reputation at first, though it is now the symbol of Paris. And also Vincent van Gogh painted 'Road with Cypress and Star' and 'Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear and Pipe' then."
Apart from Tsubune, weak in fine art, Mari is now not tired.
Thanking Eriko for her interjection, the elderly says,
"The concept of Shishin is said to have been the guardian deity of not only the boat club but also the whole school at least since the four boats appeared on Sumida River. Therefore it was natural for the alum group of the boat club to be named Shishin-kai in Taisho 8 (1919), twenty years after that event."
The following document is mostly what he continued to talk about .

Tokyo High Commercial School (THC) was promoted to Tokyo Commercial College (TCC) in the next year of the start of Shishin-kai. (It is impossible to imagine this great birth difficulties in the present situation of too many universities.)

Principal Sano was appointed as the first president, pushing the intervention of the Government aside. Were Old Shibusawa and Old Okura the power behind the throne?
Sano concurrently held the manager of the boat club.

Managers of the boat club were:

1st		Hajime Seki (1903-14)
2nd		Kotaro Shida (1914-19)
3rd		Tokuzo Fukuda (1919-20)
4th		Zensaku Sano (1920-27)
From that time until 1949, Torajiro Takagaki, Sentaro Iura, Teijiro Ueda, Sotaro Takase, Ichiro Nakayama

Tsubune says to the senior in a loud voice.
"Is it true that the first president concurrently held the manager of the boat club? I cannot understand why, but it has a big meaning, doesn't it, sir?"
Elderly Suga is pleased to answer him.

Fukuda prepared to resign the manager at that time and strongly advised Sano, saying "You, the president of the college, should be the manager of the boat club, too."
This suggestion made Sano decide the concurrence.
As soon as Fukuda came back from Keio-gijuku University, he undertook its manager, which explains why he is called the foster father of the boat club even now.
Also it is well imagined that Seki and Shida had a strong approach to Sano.

"President Sano, the boat club, Shishin-kai, ... got it!", says the junior Tsubune, not noticing the two of them are getting back to their private talk.
The elderly senior continues the talk with smile forgetting himself.

The boat club naturally increased its power. So, the crew of Tokyo Commercial College (TCC) tried to play the regatta against Tokyo Imperial University (TIU), the old enemy, which had defeated TCC for more than 30 years since the first regatta in Meiji 20 (1887).
And in Taisho 10 (1921) TCC won the championship of the regatta on Sumida River. It was the 2nd Inter College Regatta with nine universities including TIU.

Suga the elderly, a famous former cox, is playing the fool with funny gestures and inadequate words, apparently backing to such days.
Mari is finally gesturing cheers with a carefree smile.
"Gembu reached the goal lightly in the first place. The other 8 crews are running a very close race before the goal. Look at the cheering section of enthusiasm!"