University of Tokyo

University of Tokyo
東京大学 (Tōkyō Daigaku)

Established	1877
Type	Public
Location	Bunkyo, Tokyo Japan
Website	www.u-tokyo.ac.jp

The University of Tokyo (東京大学; Tōkyō Daigaku, abbreviated as 東大 Tōdai) is one of the leading research universities in Japan. It is rivaled by the other six of the Seven Universities, which were Imperial Universities before World War II. Kyoto University has produced more top scientists and Nobel prize winners; however, according to the Institute of Higher Education the University of Tokyo is the best in the Asian Pacific Region. The University has five campuses in Hongo, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano and 10 departments with a total of around 30,000 students. The university has produced many Japanese politicians and prime ministers, and is also notable as one of the Tokyo 6 Universities in baseball.

History

The university was founded by the Meiji government in 1877 under its current name by amalgamating older government schools for medicine and Western learning. It consisted of law, science, literature and medicine departments as well as institutions for Japanese and Chinese literature, occidental studies and vaccinations. These institutions dated back to 1789, 1855, and 1860.It was renamed the Imperial University (帝國大學 Teikoku Daigaku) in 1886 and then "Tokyo Imperial University" (東京帝國大學 Tōkyō Teikoku Daigaku) in 1887. At this time, the University absorbed Kobu Daigakko, an engineering college, and established a college for agriculture and an institute for infectious diseases in 1890. In 1919, departments for economics were added, and an aeronautical research institute followed in 1921.

In 1947, after Japan's defeat in World War II, the university again assumed its original name and began admitting women. With the start of the new university system in 1949, the University of Tokyo was reorganized with a four-year undergraduate program for most courses of study. In the late 1940s through the 60s, departments for education as well as institutes for earthquake research, oriental culture, industrial science, social science, journalism historiography, nuclear study, solid state physics, microbiology and ocean research were created. In 1953, the university's first graduate school system was established, and in 1965 was reorganized to comprise ten divisions.

In the 1970s and 80s the University of Tokyo added considerably to its research facilities, creating centers for nuclear and environmental science, cryogenics and radioisotopes, and laboratories for molecular biology and study of radioisotopes as well as an astronomical observatory. During those decades the university continued to restructure its graduate school and other facilities. In recent years the university has expanded its research even further, to include topics as diverse as artifacts, particle physics, the biology of disease, and economic engineering. The University of Tokyo has since 2004 been incorporated as a national university corporation under a new law which applies to all national universities. Despite the incorporation, which has led to increased financial independence and autonomy, The University of Tokyo is still partly controlled by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT, Monbukagakusho, or Monbusho).

Mission Statement

The University of Tokyo's website contains a message from its president, Hiroshi Komiyama, that states the university's goal "of becoming the 'World's Tokyo University'." He goes on to detail that "it is the mission of the University of Tokyo to present to the world a new model for a university that re-establishes faith in knowledge..Let us put into practice the bold claim that we offer the 'best education and research in the world.' The University of Tokyo will promote excellent research and encourage the integration of the latest expertise in all fields."

Facilities

File:Tokyo University Akamon 2004-11-16.jpg

The Akamon (Red Gate)

The main Hongo campus occupies the former estate of the Maeda family, who were the feudal lords of the Kaga Province during the Edo period. The university's best known landmark, the Akamon (Red Gate), is a relic of this era. The symbol of the university is the ginkgo leaf, which comes from the trees that are abundant throughout the area.

Campuses

Most of the graduate schools and undergraduate departments are located on the Hongo Campus. This campus also includes the General Library, Student Counseling Center and University Hospital. The Komaba campus contains several research centers and laboratories as well as a day care center and many athletic facilities. The smaller Kashiwa Campus houses the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences as well as the institutes for cosmic ray research and solid state physics and other facilities. The Human Genome Center is located on the Shirokane Campus, and the Nakano Campus contains the Ocean Research Institute and Secondary Education School.

University of Tokyo Library

The University of Tokyo Library consists of three main branches: the General, Komaba, and Kashiwa Libraries. The General Library plays the central role in providing service to all the researchers and students of the university as well as in giving administrative support to other branch libraries. The library houses approximately 1,090,000 books, and its valuable collections attract many researchers in and outside of the university. The library was originally opened in 1878. The smaller Komaba Library mainly supports the studies of the first two years of undergraduate education; and the Kashiwa Library, opened in 2004, is devoted to the natural sciences, functioning as the back number center for those materials. The University of Tokyo also houses more than 60 faculty and institution libraries in various academic fields. The library system at the University of Tokyo has the largest collection in Japan, holding a total of over 8,000,000 books.

The University of Tokyo Library houses many major collections. These include the Akiba Collection, nearly 17,000 volumes which list the title and the casts of the Kabuki presented on the stage during the Empo-Meiji eras, and the Katei Collection of Japanese fictions in the Edo period. The library also houses the Ogai Collection, with nearly 19,000 volumes of biographical and historical books, old maps from the Edo period, and European literature, and the Seishu Collection of Chinese classics and Japanese literature. The library also contains a large collection of literature on politics and economic policy during the World War II.

All persons affiliated with the University of Tokyo are eligible for use of the library. This includes faculty members, graduate students, undergraduate students, auditors, personnel, and others who have been approved by the director. Persons from outside University of Tokyo, such as former faculty members, personnel, alumni, and others can also use the library for reference only. Inter-library loan & delivery service between libraries in the campuses is available for researchers as well as teachers and graduates. The University of Tokyo Library has extensive online resources as well. For example, the Online Public Access Catalog can be used by the general public to search the journals and books held in the University libraries. In addition, the online Book Contents Database allows for access to the actual content of the library's books. The library's online resources also include a doctorial dissertation database, a database of newspapers and a list of microforms held at the library, a catalog of classical chinese books and a catalog of historical documents.

Sanshiro Pond

Sanshiro Pond detail, Tokyo University's Hongo campus.

Sanshiro Pond, in the heart of the university's Hongo campus, dates back to 1615. After the fall of the Osaka Castle, the Shogun gave this pond and its surrounding garden to Maeda Toshitsune. As Maeda Tsunanori further developed the garden, it became known as one of the most beautiful gardens in the region. It has the traditional eight landscapes and eight borders, but is also known for the originality of its artificial pond, hills, and pavilions. It was at that time known as Ikutoku-en (Garden of Teaching Virtue). The pond's contours are in the shape of the character kokoro or shin (heart), and thus its official name is Ikutoku-en Shinjiike. However it has been commonly called Sanshiro Pond since the publication of Natsume Soseki's novel Sanshiro.

Athletic Facilities

The university boasts extensive facilities for athletics and physical fitness, including several baseball grounds and gyms located throughout the campuses. The Hongo and Komaba campuses both contain archery facilities as well as general athletic grounds. Several gyms, volleyball courts, a rugby field and combat sport gymnasium are also located on the Komaba campus. Finally, the Secondary Education School has track and soccer grounds as well as a swimming pool and tennis courts.

Departments and Graduate Schools

Departments

The Yasuda Auditorium on the University of Tokyo's Hongo Campus.

• Law
• Medicine
• Engineering
• Letters
• Science
• Agriculture
• Economics
• Arts and Sciences
• Education
• Pharmaceutical Sciences

Graduate Schools

• Law and Politics
• Medicine
• Engineering
• Humanities and Sociology
• Science
• Agricultural and Life Sciences
• Economics
• Arts and Sciences
• Education
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Mathematical Sciences
• Frontier Sciences
• Information Science and Technology
• Interdisciplinary Information Studies
• Public Policy

Research Institutes

• Institute of Medical Science
• Earthquake Research Institute
• Institute of Oriental Culture
• Institute of Social Science
• Institute of Socio-Information and Communication Studies
• Institute of Industrial Science
• Historiographical Institute
• Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences
• Institure for Cosmic Ray Research
• Institute for Solid State Physics
• Ocean Research Institute

Academic Programs

While nearly all academic disciplines are taught at the University, it is perhaps best known for its faculties of law and literature.

Notable alumni

Prime Ministers

• Shigeru Yoshida (1946-1947,1948-1954)
• Nobusuke Kishi (1957-1960)
• Eisaku Sato (1964-1972)
• Takeo Fukuda (1976-1978)
• Yasuhiro Nakasone (1982-1987)
• Kiichi Miyazawa (1991-1993)

Mathematicians

• Tadatoshi Akiba
• Kiyoshi Itō
• Kenkichi Iwasawa
• Yasumasa Kanada
• Kunihiko Kodaira
• Mikio Sato
• Goro Shimura
• Yutaka Taniyama
• Teiji Takagi

Architects

• Kenzo Tange
• Fumihiko Maki
• Arata Isozaki
• Toyo Ito

Authors

• Kobo Abe
• Akutagawa Ryunosuke
• Yasunari Kawabata, Nobel laureate
• Yukio Mishima, Author
• Wafu Nishijima, Zen Buddhist priest
• Mori Ogai
• Natsume Soseki
• Kenzaburo Oe, Nobel laureate
• Osamu Dazai (dropout)

In entertainment

• Isao Takahata, Anime director
• Mayuko Takata, Actress
• Rei Kikukawa, Actress
• Towa Oshima, Manga-ka
• Yoji Yamada, Movie director
• Koichi Sugiyama, Music composer

Others

• Ah Syong, Founder of Japanese Electric Pole
• Hisashi Owada, International Court of Justice Judge
• Toshihiko Fukui, Governor of the Bank of Japan
• Tadatoshi Akiba, Mayor of Hiroshima
• Leo Esaki, Physicist, Nobel laureate
• Masatoshi Koshiba, Physicist, Nobel laureate
• Hiroo Mori, Real Estate Developer
• Kitaro Nishida, Philosopher
• Ong Iok-tek, Linguist
• Princess Masako, Crown Princess
• Kitsune Ouzora, Founder of OGc and GGB
• Eiji Toyoda, Industrialist
• Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, Buddhist scholar
• Manshi Kiyozawa, Buddhist thinker
• Toshihiko Atsuyama, professor of Japanese studies at Harvard University
• Watsuji Tetsuro, Philosopher
• Kazuhide "Mirrorman" Uekusa, Economist, former professor at Waseda University graduate school and sex offender
• Takashi Yuasa Lawyer, Economist
• Takafumi Horie, ex-CEO of Livedoor (dropout)

Student Body

Admission to the University of Tokyo is quite competitive; in 2005 there were over 14,000 applicants for just three thousand spots. The university offers deferrment or exemption from tuition for students who have difficulty paying and who have shown considerable academic promise or for students to whom extenuating circumstances apply. The university currently employs around 2,800 faculty and has 30,000 enrolled students. Some 2,100 of these students are foreign, which is a large fraction by Japanese standards. Over 42% of the foreign students who study at Japanese language schools are in Tokyo, but if the university is to live up to its goal of becoming "the World's Tokyo University" then it should try to recruit more foriegn students.

Conclusion

Does the University of Tokyo live up to its president's claim of presenting "a new model for university"? It's extensive facilities for research and education have grown in recent years to explore an astonishing variety of topics, from economic engineering to climate research. The university established a center for collaborative research in 1996, and has been taking steps recently to increase the courses of study available for graduate and undergraduate students. Professor Koshiba won the 2002 Nobel Prize for Physics, and this accomplishment as well as the successes of alumni and low student to faculty ratio testify to the excellence of education offered at the university. The University of Tokyo is well on the way to living up to its goals, but it remains to be seen if it will be counted among the world's best universities in the future.

External links

• Book Content Database
• General Library Page
• Komaba Library Page
• Kashiwa Library Page
• Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC, English)
• Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC, Japanese)
• The University of Tokyo Library website (Japanese)
• The University of Tokyo Library website (English)
• Top 100 Asia Pacific Universities
• University of Tokyo

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