Doshisha University
Encyclopedia
, or is a prestigious private university
in Kyoto
, Japan
. The university has approximately 27,000 students on three campuses, in faculties of theology
, letters, law
, commerce, economics
, policy, and engineering
. The curriculum also has graduate programs in American studies and policy and management.
The university maintains many international relations for research and exchange of students with american and french institutions, notably with the Harvard University
, Princeton University
, Stanford University
, the groupe des Écoles Centrales, Sciences-Po Paris and the École supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la ville de Paris
.
Doshisha was founded by an ex-samurai
named Niijima Jō
. Niijima left feudal Japan in 1864 when going abroad was illegal by Sakoku
policy, at the age of twenty-one, and found his way to Boston, Massachusetts, where he attended Phillips Academy
, Amherst College
, and Andover Theological Seminary under the name Joseph Hardy Neesima
. After he returned to a westernizing Japan in 1875, he founded Doshisha English School in Kyoto. Canadian Methodist missionary G. G. Cochran played a role in the establishment of Doshisha University, and his contribution to the improvement of Japan's educational system is considered an important episode in the early history of Japanese-Canadian relations. The institution took its present form in by incorporating a law school, normal school, and women's college.
By 1920, Doshisha was a full-fledged university in the Anglo-American tradition. During World War II
, its buildings were given Japanese names and its curriculum was stripped of its pro-Western elements, but the pre-war conditions were restored after Japan's surrender.
Amherst College has maintained close ties with Doshisha since its founding. Amherst and Doshisha are considered sister schools and have had a long running student and faculty exchange program that was interrupted only by the Second World War. Additionally, Doshisha collaborates with a consortium of prestigious American liberal arts colleges (including Amherst) to host the Associated Kyoto Program, an 8-month long study abroad
program offered every year to students of American colleges.
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The university has approximately 27,000 students on three campuses, in faculties of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, letters, law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, commerce, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, policy, and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
. The curriculum also has graduate programs in American studies and policy and management.
The university maintains many international relations for research and exchange of students with american and french institutions, notably with the Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, the groupe des Écoles Centrales, Sciences-Po Paris and the École supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la ville de Paris
École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris
The école supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la ville de Paris or ESPCI ParisTech is a chemistry and physics engineering college run by the city of Paris, France and a member of ParisTech...
.
Doshisha was founded by an ex-samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
named Niijima Jō
Joseph Hardy Neesima
was a Japanese educator of the Meiji era, the founder of Doshisha University and Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts.Neesima was born in Edo , the son of a retainer of the Itakura clan of Annaka...
. Niijima left feudal Japan in 1864 when going abroad was illegal by Sakoku
Sakoku
was the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner could enter nor could any Japanese leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633–39 and remained in effect until...
policy, at the age of twenty-one, and found his way to Boston, Massachusetts, where he attended Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
, Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, and Andover Theological Seminary under the name Joseph Hardy Neesima
Joseph Hardy Neesima
was a Japanese educator of the Meiji era, the founder of Doshisha University and Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts.Neesima was born in Edo , the son of a retainer of the Itakura clan of Annaka...
. After he returned to a westernizing Japan in 1875, he founded Doshisha English School in Kyoto. Canadian Methodist missionary G. G. Cochran played a role in the establishment of Doshisha University, and his contribution to the improvement of Japan's educational system is considered an important episode in the early history of Japanese-Canadian relations. The institution took its present form in by incorporating a law school, normal school, and women's college.
By 1920, Doshisha was a full-fledged university in the Anglo-American tradition. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, its buildings were given Japanese names and its curriculum was stripped of its pro-Western elements, but the pre-war conditions were restored after Japan's surrender.
Amherst College has maintained close ties with Doshisha since its founding. Amherst and Doshisha are considered sister schools and have had a long running student and faculty exchange program that was interrupted only by the Second World War. Additionally, Doshisha collaborates with a consortium of prestigious American liberal arts colleges (including Amherst) to host the Associated Kyoto Program, an 8-month long study abroad
Study abroad organization
Study abroad organizations, also referred to as study abroad providers, and third-party study abroad providers are independent organizations that facilitate or administer study abroad programs...
program offered every year to students of American colleges.
University Presidents
- Joseph Hardy NeesimaJoseph Hardy Neesimawas a Japanese educator of the Meiji era, the founder of Doshisha University and Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts.Neesima was born in Edo , the son of a retainer of the Itakura clan of Annaka...
(1875–1890) - Yamamoto KakumaYamamoto Kakumawas a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, who went on to become an educator and politician in the Meiji era.-Biography:A native of Aizu, Yamamoto claimed descent from the famed military strategist Yamamoto Kansuke. A child prodigy, he could read at age four, and recite Chinese Jueju poetry at...
(1890–1892) Neesima's brother-in-law. SamuraiSamuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
, Captain in the AizuAizuis an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...
domain's artilleryArtilleryOriginally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
corps, served at the Hamagurigomon no Hen, and later in the Boshin WarBoshin WarThe was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
. - Hiromichi Kosaki (1892–1897)
- Tokio Yokoi (1897–1899) Deputy prime ministerDeputy Prime MinisterA deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some counties, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
of MinistryMinistry (government department)A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
of Communication, member of the House of Representatives of JapanHouse of Representatives of JapanThe is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...
. - Seito SaibaraSeito Saibarawas a Japanese parliament member, politician, administrator, colonist, and farmer. Apart from his missionary activities, he is credited with having first established the rice industry on the Gulf Coast of the United States.- Overview :...
(1899–1902) Establishment of the U.S. Gulf Coast riceRiceRice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
industry in TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
., Japanese politician. - Kenkichi Kataoka (1902–1904) Speaker of the House of RepresentativesSpeaker of the House of Representatives-National governments:* Speaker of the House of Representatives of Antigua and Barbuda* Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives* Speaker of the House of Representatives of Belize* Speaker of the House of Representatives...
; the Lower House Speaker. - Kotaro ShimomuraKotaro Shimomurawas a Japanese chemical engineer known for many famous inventions.- Early life and education :When about 12 years of age, he attended the Kumamoto Yogakko where American soldier Capt. L. L. James was engaged. In 1876, he was studying theology in Doshisha. He went to America in 1885 when 25 years of...
(1904–1907) Chemical engineerChemical engineerIn the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is the profession in which one works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products, and deals with the design and operation of plants and equipment to perform such work...
, President of Osaka Gas Co., Ltd, Formation of Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. - Tasuku Harada (1907–1920) The University of HawaiiUniversity of HawaiiThe University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
pioneered the study of Japan in the U.S. starting with the appointment of Dr. Tasuku Harada as the first professor of Japanese Studies, Establishment of Institute of Pacific Relations, Yale Divinity School BD 1891, University of HawaiiUniversity of HawaiiThe University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
LLD, University of EdinburghUniversity of EdinburghThe University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
LLD, Amherst CollegeAmherst CollegeAmherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
DD. - Danjō Ebina (1920–1929)
- Gintaro Daikobara (1929–1935) Agricultural scientist, President of Kyushu UniversityKyushu UniversityKyushu University is one of the most prestigious universities in Japan. It can be seen in the several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:The university has been ranked 8th in 2010 and 2009 in the ranking "Truly Strong Universities" by Toyo Keizai...
. - Hachiro Yuasa (1935–1941) Entomologist, President of International Christian UniversityInternational Christian UniversityThere are several rankings related to ICU, shown below.-Alumni rankings:According to the Weekly Economist's 2010 rankings and the PRESIDENT's article on 2006/10/16, graduates from ICU have the 24th best employment rate in 400 major companies, and their average graduate salary is the 4th best in...
. - Toraji Makino (1941–1947)
- Hachiro Yuasa (1947–1950)
- Setsuji Ōtsuka (1950–1963)
- Sumiya Etsuji (1963–1985) Kyoto newspaper Chief Executive, meeting with Zhou EnlaiZhou EnlaiZhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
, teacher of Japanese economic history in Italy's Padova University. - Naozō Ueno (1975–1985)
- Yoshinori Matsuyama (1985–2001)
- Minoru Ōya (2001-)
Famous faculty
- Sidney GulickSidney GulickSidney Lewis Gulick was an educator, author, and missionary who spent much of his life working to promote greater understanding and friendship between Japanese and American cultures.-Biography:...
: Educator, Author, and MissionaryMissionaryA missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
. - J. Martin HolmanJ. Martin HolmanJames Martin Holman, Jr. is a literary translator, professor, puppeteer, and puppet theater director. He received a BA in Japanese from Brigham Young University and did graduate work in Japanese literature at the University of California, Berkeley.Holman lived in Japan for more than ten years as a...
: Littérateur.
Famous alumni
- Yuji IjiriYuji IjiriYuji Ijiri is a retired accounting researcher and educator. He was the Robert M. Trueblood University Professor of Accounting and Economics at Carnegie Mellon University until his retirement on June 30, 2011....
: Academic expert in accounting, President of the American Accounting Association, Carnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
Professor. - Choichiro YataniChoichiro YataniChoichirō Yatani is a Doctor of Psychology, and Professor of Psychology at Alfred State College. He also taught Japanese at Alfred University, just across the street from Alfred State....
: Psychologist, The State University of New YorkState University of New YorkThe State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
Professor. - Yun Dongju: Korean poet.
- Shiggy KonnoShiggy Konno, more often known by his nickname of Shiggy Konno, was a noted figure in post-war rugby union in Japan for over fifty years. He was a strong advocate of amateurism in the game.-Biography:Konno had been educated in the UK, and was a fluent English speaker...
, a major figure associated with rugby union in JapanRugby union in JapanRugby union in Japan is a popular sport. Japan has the fourth largest population of rugby union players in the world and the sport has been played there for over a century... - Hiroaki Sato: President, the Haiku Society of America, Professor of Japanese Letters from 1985 to 1991, Visiting Faculty in Literature since 1992, St. Andrews Presbyterian College, Laurinburg, North Carolina. Adjunct Faculty since October 1998, the University of Massachusetts AmherstUniversity of Massachusetts AmherstThe University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
. - Abe IsoAbe Isowas a well known Japanese Christian socialist, parliamentarian and pacifist.Abe was born in Fukuoka, and studied at Doshisha University and abroad, including at the University of Berlin, before becoming a Unitarian preacher. He taught at the Waseda University from 1899...
: Christian socialist in Japan, Chairman of Shakaitaishuto. - Glenn HoriuchiGlenn HoriuchiGlenn Horiuchi was an American jazz pianist, composer, and shamisen player. He was a central figure in the development of the Asian American jazz movement....
: The Japanese American pianist and shamisen player. - Aki KurodaAki Kuroda, real name , is a Japanese painter based in Paris, France.Aki Kuroda, well known for his silhouettes and figures painted with line strokes, which has been considered like a symbol of “passage” to the labyrinth....
: Painter, artist. - Shingai TanakaShingai TanakaShingai Tanaka was a Japanese calligrapher who studied under Master Goshin Yasui, becoming one of the country's best shodō artists. He is the author of the book Sho, Le calligraphes de kyoto, ed...
: President of Sho International,Honorary vice-president of Kyoto Calligraphers Association,President of Bokushin Calligraphy School,A member of Kyoto City Art & Culture Foundation,An honorary member of Art & Culture promoting Committee of Shimogyo-ward, Kyoto City,Special instructor of Kyoto Saga Art College. - Shannon GilliganShannon GilliganShannon Gilligan is an author of interactive fiction and computer games. She graduated from Williams College in 1981 and spent a year abroad at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. She has been extensively involved in the Choose Your Own Adventure series, having written five books in the main...
: Author of interactive fiction and computer games. - Tsuneyasu MiyamotoTsuneyasu Miyamotois a Japanese soccer player. He currently plays for Vissel Kobe but spent his career to date at Gamba Osaka in the J.League.-Career:He continued to study at Doshisha University well into his professional career, graduating and finishing his studies...
: Professional footballer with Gamba OsakaGamba Osakais a Japanese professional association football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 1. The team's name comes from the Italian word "gamba" meaning "leg" and the Japanese , meaning "to do your best" or "to stand firm". Located in Suita, Osaka, the team's home stadium is Osaka Expo '70...
and captain of the Japan national football teamJapan national football teamThe Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan... - Masaki SumitaniMasaki Sumitaniis a Japanese comedian, retired professional wrestler and tarento , best known under his performing name of , which he adopted the name from the original wrestler Razor Ramon...
: Television performer. - Gunpei Yokoi: Famed NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
employee responsible for MetroidMetroidis an action-adventure video game, and the first entry in the Metroid series. It was co-developed by Nintendo's Research and Development 1 division and Intelligent Systems, and was released in Japan in August 1986, in North America in August 1987, and in Europe in January 1988...
, Kid IcarusKid IcarusKid Icarus, known as in Japan, is an action platform video game for the Famicom Disk System in Japan and the Nintendo Entertainment System in Europe and North America. The first entry in Nintendo's Kid Icarus series, it was published in Japan in December 1986, and in Europe and North America in...
and the Game BoyGame Boy lineThe line is a line of battery-powered handheld game console sold by Nintendo. It is one of the world's best-selling game system lines with a combined 200+ million units sold worldwide....
, among other creations. - Shinji MikamiShinji Mikamiis a Japanese video game designer best known for creating the seminal survival horror series Resident Evil. He also contributed to some of Capcom's most popular post-32-bit era franchises, including Viewtiful Joe, Devil May Cry, and Ace Attorney, where he served as an executive producer...
: Celebrated Japanese game designer best known for creating the survival horror series Resident Evil.
External links
- http://www.doshisha.ac.jp
- Associated Kyoto Program
- Doshisha Portal
- Doshisha-Navi
- Doshisha Alumni Association