Through the first 140 years. Into the Next 140 Years

It was in October 1877 that Chūshū Mishima established the "School of Sinology, Nishogakusha"—the forerunner of today's University—in the Kudan district of Tokyo. 138 years have passed since then, and we celebrate the 140th anniversary of the School in the year 2017. A Meiji-era sinologist and jurist, Mishima founded the school on two ideals: to "develop character through study of the Asian mind and heart", and to "strengthen the ability to think and act independently, while educating students to contribute to society". His guiding principle was to emphasize moral and ethical values as the basis for an education; and to this end, he saw his mission as one of cultivating sincere, diligent, and broadly skilled graduates.

In 1928, Nishogakusha established a vocational school, with the aim teaching secondary-school kokugo while also training teachers in Chinese classics. Nishogakusha High School was established in 1948. The following year, Nishogakusha became a University. In 1969, the attached Shōnan High School was started; and in 2011, the attached Kashiwa Junior High School was added. Many historic figures have studied at Nishogakusha on their way to fame—including Natsume Sōseki, Tsuyoshi Inukai, Jigorō Kanō, and Raichō Hiratsuka. And the University's presidents include leading lights of the political and business world: Eiichi Shibusawa and Shigeru Yoshida, among others. The University is also highly respected for its contribution as a trainer of junior and senior high school educators.

Today our country is facing challenges from major changes in our society and social structures: rapid globalization; a growing population of elderly and a shrinking population of youth; and a transition to a more knowledge-driven way of life. Universities are being called upon to serve a growing diversity of social needs. With this in mind, our school's "long-term vision", the "N' 2020 Plan", continues to stress the importance of classics as a source of wisdom and deep historical experience; and our starting point remains the mastery of our language. Our policy shall be to promote deep thinking, with the goal of teaching our students to act independently and with drive and self-control, so that they are equipped to meet the challenges and contribute to the betterment of our increasingly complex world. Our most important role, we believe, is to help train our young people to carry our country successfully into the future. And the reason we have succeeded in this role through our 140-year history is precisely because of the principles embedded by our founder, which have guided our educational and research approach and enabled us to play such a respected and important role in society.

As we advance into the future, we shall continue to build on these principles—finding within the classics the wisdom to meet the rapid changes in our local and global environments. Educating our students in accordance with these principles remains the bedrock of our mission, which we hope shall be carried forward for at least another 140 years.

Hidenori Mito
Board Chairman Nishogakusha Educational Corporation