Kyushu University
Fourth Imperial University of Japan, based in Fukuoka.
Kyushu University, often called Kyudai, is a public research university in Fukuoka on Japan’s Kyushu island. It was founded in 1911 as Japan’s fifth Imperial University (after Tokyo, Kyoto, Tohoku, and Hokkaido) and is considered a top school for higher education and research in the region and beyond. The university’s roots stretch back to 1867, when the Fukuoka Domain set up a medical school. That school became the Fukuoka Medical College under Kyoto Imperial University in 1903, then broke away as Kyushu Imperial University in 1911.
The medical school, originally called Sanshikan, opened in Fukuoka’s Tenjin area in 1867 but closed in 1872, though its hospital kept running. By 1879, it was part of the Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka Medical School, later becoming the Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka Hospital. The push for an imperial university in Kyushu led to the Fukuoka Medical College in 1903 as a branch of Kyoto Imperial University. Money problems slowed things down until a donation from the Furukawa Zaibatsu in 1906 helped launch Kyushu Imperial University in 1911, with Kenjiro Yamakawa, a former University of Tokyo president, as its first leader. In 1947, it was renamed Kyushu University, and in 1949 it grew by taking in several local schools. In 2003, it merged with the Kyushu Institute of Design, and its Ito campus opened in 2005.
The current president, Tatsuro Ishibashi, took office in 2020 and is set to serve until September 2026. The university has 16 faculties, 11 undergraduate schools, and 18 graduate schools. These cover humanities, social and cultural studies, human-environment studies, law, economics, languages and cultures, sciences, mathematics, medical sciences, dental science, pharmaceutical sciences, engineering, engineering sciences, design, information science and electrical engineering, and agriculture.
Kyushu University Hospital traces back to the 1867 Sanseikan, a clinic started by the Kuroda Clan. It became linked to the Fukuoka Prefectural Medical School in 1879 and then to the Fukuoka Medical College in 1903. When Kyushu Imperial University formed in 1911, the hospital fell under its Faculty of Medicine. After World War II, in 1947, it was renamed the Kyushu University Faculty of Medical Sciences Affiliated Hospital, adding dental science departments.
Quick Facts
- Native Name
- ja · 九州大学
- Established
- Founded 1903, / Chartered 1911
- President
- Tatsuro Ishibashi
- City
- Fukuoka
- State
- Fukuoka Prefecture
- Country
- Japan
- Faculty
- 2,110 (As of May 1, 2021)
- Administrative Staff
- 2,351 (As of May 1, 2020)
- Students
- 18,560 (As of May 1, 2022)
- Undergrad
- 11,683
- Postgrad
- 6,877
- Language
- Japanese and English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Kyushu University traces its origins to 1867, when the Fukuoka Domain established a medical school called Sanshikan in Tenjin, Fukuoka. Although the school closed in 1872, its affiliated hospital continued operating. By 1879, it became part of the Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka Medical School, later continuing as the Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka Hospital. The push for an imperial university in Kyushu led to the establishment of Fukuoka Medical College in 1903 as a branch of Kyoto Imperial University. Financial challenges delayed further development until the Furukawa Zaibatsu's donation in 1906 facilitated the establishment of Kyushu Imperial University in 1911—making it Japan's fifth Imperial University, after Tokyo, Kyoto, Tohoku, and Hokkaido—with Kenjiro Yamakawa, former president of the University of Tokyo, as its first president. In 1947, it was renamed Kyushu University.
Reader's Guide
Kyushu University is significant as one of Japan's seven former Imperial Universities, historically the fourth such institution, and remains a leading research university in the Kyushu region. Its medical school roots date to the late Edo period, and its development was aided by private donation from the Furukawa Zaibatsu. The university's hospital has a dark legacy: in 1945, its medical faculty conducted fatal and torturous medical experiments including live dissection on American POWs, resulting in war crimes convictions. Academically, Kyushu University ranked 5th in the 2020 Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings and 132nd in the 2020 QS World University Rankings. Its notable alumni include physicist Kyozi Kawasaki (2001 Boltzmann Medal winner), engineer Genichi Taguchi, and medical scientist Hakaru Hashimoto, discoverer of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The university offers scholarships for international students and has 16 faculties, 11 undergraduate schools, and 18 graduate schools.
Did You Know?
- Kyushu University was founded in 1911 as the fourth Imperial University in Japan.
- The university's medical faculty conducted fatal experiments including live dissection on American POWs in 1945, leading to war crimes convictions.
- In 2003, Kyushu University integrated with the Kyushu Institute of Design.
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