 | University of Tokyo: Encyclopedia - University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
The University of Tokyo (東京大学; Tōkyō Daigaku, abbreviated as 東大 Tōdai) is generally ranked as Japan's most prestigious university, as well as a leading university in Asia. The University has five campuses in Hongo, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano and 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, some 2,100 of them foreign (a large fraction by Japanese standards). While nearly all academic disciplines are taught at the University, it is perhaps best known for its faculties of law and literature. This university has produced many top Japanese politicians though the power of the school has been gradually decreasing. For example; the ratio of its alumni in prime ministers is 2/3, 1/2, 1/4, 1/5 and 1/6 in the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s respectively. The University of Tokyo is widely thought of as being one of the most prestigious schools over many areas while its rival schools are Kyoto University as a public university, and Waseda University and Keio University as private universities. In science, Kyoto University has produced more top scientists and Nobel prize winners. One of the presidents of Tokyo Imperial University was Kikuchi Dairoku.
It is one of the Tokyo 6 Universities.
The main Hongo campus occupies the former estate of the Maeda family, Edo period feudal lords of Kaga Province. 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, from the abundant trees throughout the area.
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 was renamed to 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, when the imperial university system was created. In 1947, after Japan's defeat in World War II, it assumed the original name again. With the start of the new university system in 1949, Tōdai swallowed up the old First Higher School (today's Komaba campus) and the old Tokyo Higher School, which henceforth assumed the duty of teaching first and second-year undergraduates, while the faculties on Hongo main campus took care of third and fourth-year students.
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 Japanese Ministry of Education (Monbukagakusho, or Monkasho).
University of Tokyo - Faculties and Graduate Schools
University of Tokyo - Faculties
- Law
- Medicine
- Engineering
- Letters
- Science
- Agriculture
- Economics
- Arts and Sciences
- Education
- Pharmaceutical Sciences
University of Tokyo - 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
Kikuchi Dairoku, Imperial College of Engineering, The University of Tokyo Library
University of Tokyo - 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
University of Tokyo - Faculty members
- Basil Hall Chamberlain
- Shinichi Kitaoka, Japan's United Nations representative
- Dairoku Kikuchi
University of Tokyo - Famous alumni
University of Tokyo - 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)
University of Tokyo - Mathematicians
- Tadatoshi Akiba
- Kiyoshi Itō
- Kenkichi Iwasawa
- Yasumasa Kanada
- Kunihiko Kodaira
- Mikio Sato
- Goro Shimura
- Yutaka Taniyama
- Teiji Takagi
University of Tokyo - Others
- Kenzo Tange, Architect
- Fumihiko Maki, Architect
- Arata Isozaki, Architect
- Toyo Ito, Architect
- Hisashi Owada, International Court of Justice Judge
- Toshihiko Fukui, governor of the Bank of Japan
- Tadatoshi Akiba, mayor of Hiroshima
- Kobo Abe, Author
- Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Author
- Leo Esaki, physicist, Nobel laureate
- Yasunari Kawabata, Author, Nobel laureate
- Masatoshi Koshiba, Physicist, Nobel laureate
- Yukio Mishima, Author
- Hiroo Mori, Real Estate Developer
- Mori Ogai, Author
- Natsume Soseki, Author
- Kenzaburo Oe, Author, Nobel laureate
- Ong Iok-tek, Linguist
- Princess Masako, Crown Princess
- Eiji Toyoda, Industrialist
- Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, Buddhist scholar
- Manshi Kiyozawa, Buddhist thinker
- Watsuji Tetsuro, Philosopher
- Takashi Yuasa Lawyer, Economist
- Takafumi Horie, CEO of Livedoor (dropout)
- Mayuko Takata, Actress
- Rei Kikukawa, Actress
- Osamu Dazai, Author (dropout)
University of Tokyo - Sanshiro Pond
Sanshiro Pond, in the heart of the university's Hongo campus, dates 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 Edo (now Tokyo), with the traditional 8 landscapes and 8 borders, but also known for its originality in 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.
University of Tokyo - University of Tokyo in fiction
- In the manga and anime Love Hina, the main character, Keitaro Urashima, is a ronin who failed the entrance exam for the University of Tokyo several times. He later passes the exam.
- The manga Dragon Zakura is about a poor lawyer—and former motorcycle gang member—who tries to make students from a high school with a poor academic standing enter the University of Tokyo directly upon graduation.
- The DC Comics character Superman is frequently seen in flashbacks as attending the University of Tokyo in his secret identity of Clark Kent.
University of Tokyo - University of Tokyo in Asia
Best Universities Ranking by Asiaweek Magazine (1998) (now defunct)
- 1. University of Tokyo, Japan
- 2. Tohoku University, Japan
- 3. Kyoto University, Japan
- 4. University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
- 5. National University of Singapore, Singapore
- 6. Seoul National University, South Korea
- 7. National Taiwan University, Taiwan
- 8. Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
- 9. University of Melbourne, Australia
- 10. University of New South Wales, Australia
- 11. Yonsei University, South Korea
- 12. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR
- 13. Australian National University, Australia
- 14. National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan
- 15. Korea University, South Korea
- 16. Central University, Taiwan
- 17. National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
- 18. National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan
- 19. Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
- 20. University of Sydney, Australia
- 21. Ewha Woman's University, South Korea
- 22. Pusan National University, South Korea
- 23. Keio University, Japan
- 24. Monash University, Australia
- 25. University of Western Australia, Australia
- 26. Waseda University, Japan
- 27. University of Adelaide, Australia
- 28. Tongji University, China
- 29. Jawaharlal Nehru University, India
- 30. National Chengchi University, Taiwan
- 31 Kyungpook National University, South Korea
- 32. Sogang University, South Korea
- 33. University of Malaysia (Universiti Malaya), Malaysia
- 34. Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR
- 35. University of Auckland, New Zealand
- 36. University of Otago, New Zealand
- 37. Kyung Hee University, South Korea
- 38. Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
- 39. University of Punjab, Pakistan
- 40. Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
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See also
- Kikuchi Dairoku
- Imperial College of Engineering
- The University of Tokyo Library
Other related archives2004, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Arata Isozaki, Architect, Australian National University, Bank of Japan, Basil Hall Chamberlain, Central University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Chulalongkorn University, Clark Kent, DC Comics, Dairoku Kikuchi, Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, Edo, Edo period, Eiji Toyoda, Eisaku Sato, Ewha Woman's University, Fumihiko Maki, Goro Shimura, Hisashi Owada, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hongo, Imperial College of Engineering, Japanese Ministry of Education, Japanese politicians, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Kaga Province, Kashiwa, Keio University, Kenkichi Iwasawa, Kenzaburo Oe, Kenzo Tange, Kiichi Miyazawa, Kikuchi Dairoku, Kiyoshi Itō, Kobo Abe, Korea University, Kunihiko Kodaira, Kyoto University, Kyung Hee University, Kyungpook National University, Leo Esaki, Livedoor, Love Hina, Maeda, Maeda Toshitsune, Masatoshi Koshiba, Mayuko Takata, Meiji, Mikio Sato, Monash University, Mori Ogai, Nakano, National Cheng Kung University, National Chengchi University, National Chiao Tung University, National Sun Yat-sen University, National Taiwan University, National University of Singapore, Natsume Soseki, Nobusuke Kishi, Ong Iok-tek, Osaka Castle, Osamu Dazai, Princess Masako, Pusan National University, Rei Kikukawa, Seoul National University, Shigeru Yoshida, Shinichi Kitaoka, Sungkyunkwan University, Superman, Tadatoshi Akiba, Takafumi Horie, Takashi Yuasa, Takeo Fukuda, Teiji Takagi, The University of Tokyo Library, Tohoku University, Tokyo, Tokyo 6 Universities, Tongji University, Toshihiko Fukui, Toyo Ito, Universiti Malaya, University of Adelaide, University of Auckland, University of Hong Kong, University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, University of Otago, University of Punjab, University of Sydney, University of Western Australia, Victoria University of Wellington, Waseda University, Watsuji Tetsuro, World War II, Yasuhiro Nakasone, Yasumasa Kanada, Yasunari Kawabata, Yonsei University, Yukio Mishima, Yutaka Taniyama, academic disciplines, anime, ginkgo, imperial university, law, literature, manga, ronin
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "University of Tokyo", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
