Photo/Illutration Hirofumi Tsurumoto and his wife, Saki, receive a commemorative certificate after submitting the 100,000th “vow of ambition” form at a statue of William S. Clark at the Sapporo Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill on April 16. (Osamu Hiura)

SAPPORO—April 16 has proved a particularly important date for Dr. William S. Clark (1826-1886) and his legacy in Hokkaido.

On April 16, 1877, Clark, then vice president of Sapporo Agricultural College, which is now Hokkaido University, said in his now-famous parting words to his students: “Boys, be ambitious!”

Nearly a century later, on April 16, 1976, a bronze statue of Clark was set up at the Sapporo Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill. Under the statue is a box where visitors can submit “vow of ambition” forms detailing their promises, hopes and dreams for the future.

On April 16 this year, the cumulative total of forms submitted hit 100,000.

Clark, a U.S. educator, was invited by the Japanese government to help in the development of Japan’s northernmost main island.

The vow of ambition forms cost 100 yen ($0.60). They are collected every day and kept permanently at the administration office.

Hirofumi Tsurumoto, 47, and his wife, Saki, 29, together dropped the 100,000th form into the box.

The couple, who are from Fukuoka and work at a game company, didn’t know about the service until they came to the observation park.

On a gold-colored form, Hirofumi wrote about his wish for success of his project, while Saki expressed her desire to improve her CGI animation skills and lead her team.

They were given a life-time free pass to the park and a stuffed toy of “shima-enaga,” a subspecies of long-tailed tit, as mementos.

According to park officials, the number of vows submitted increases in March and April when many people make fresh starts in their lives.

In many cases, couples return to the site after marriage to renew their pledges, while students come back to see the vows they made before they passed their entrance exams.

Return visitors can look at their previous messages but not ones submitted by others because the forms contain personal information such as names, addresses and ages.

However, bereaved family members are allowed to see forms written by their loved ones.

One woman shed tears when she found a form left by her now-deceased mother that read: “I want to come here with my daughter someday.”

Professional baseball players on the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters often visit the park because it is close to Sapporo Dome, their previous home stadium.

In 2018, rookies on the team submitted their forms.

The one written by Chusei Mannami, which was released to the media, promised that he would become a star player.

Mannami lived up to that vow by winning the Golden Glove award and being named to the Pacific League’s Best Nine last year.

In 2013, a Fighters rookie Shohei Ohtani came to the park on a private trip and took a commemorative photo.

Unfortunately, the future superstar now with the Los Angeles Dodgers did not make a pledge, park officials said.

The number of forms dropped into the box reached 50,000 in 2013. It then took about 10 years for the figure to surpass 100,000, meaning the tourist attraction has gained recognition over the years.

“We want visitors to remember their dreams, do their best to fulfill them and come back here when they come true,” a representative said.

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