Tohoku University facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tohoku University

東北大学
Motto	研究第一主義 (research first principle) 門戸開放 (open-door policy) 実学尊重 (respect for practical studies)
Type	Public (National)
Established	June 22, 1907
Academic affiliations	APRU, AEARU, HeKKSaGOn, T.I.M.E., RENKEI
Endowment	US$1.3 billion (JP¥120.138 billion)
President	Teiji Tominaga
Administrative staff	5,756
Undergraduates	11,094
Postgraduates	7,704
Other students	1,346 (international students)
Location	Sendai, Miyagi , Japan
Campus	Urban, 250 ha (620 acres)
Colors	Violet      Black
Sporting affiliations	TCAA, SEN6 [ja]

Tohoku University (東北大学, Tōhoku daigaku) is a public research university located in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. People often call it Tohokudai (東北大, Tōhokudai) or Tonpei (トンペイ, Tompei).

It was started in 1907. It was the third of Japan's important "Imperial Universities," following the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University. At first, it focused on science and medicine. Later, it also began teaching subjects like history and literature.

In 2016, Tohoku University had 10 main colleges, 16 graduate schools, and 6 research centers. A total of 17,885 students were studying there. The university has three main ideas it believes in: "Research First," "Open-Doors," and "Practical Studies." "Open-Doors" means being welcoming to everyone.

A Look at Tohoku University's History

Albert Einstein visited Tohoku Imperial University in 1922.

The main gate of Tohoku University's Katahira campus.

On June 22, 1907, the Japanese government created Tohoku Imperial University (東北帝國大學, Tōhoku teikoku daigaku). It was the third "Imperial University" in Japan. The first two were Tokyo Imperial University (started in 1877) and Kyoto Imperial University (started in 1897).

From the very beginning, Tohoku University had an "Open-door" policy. This meant it was the first university in Japan to welcome both female students (in 1913) and students from other countries.

Teaching and research began in Sendai in 1911. When the university first opened in 1907, it only had one college, the College of Agriculture, located in Sapporo, Hokkaido. This college was actually older than the university itself, having started in 1875 as the Sapporo Agricultural College (札幌農學校, Sapporo nō gakkō). In 1918, this college became its own separate university, Hokkaido Imperial University.

Over the years, more colleges were added in Sendai. The School of Science opened in 1911. The School of Medicine (which used to be Sendai Medical College) joined in 1915. The Faculty of Engineering was added in 1919. Finally, the Faculty of Law and Literature started in 1922.

In 1947, after World War II, Japan changed its education system. The university dropped the word "imperial" from its name and became Tohoku University. In the same year, it started teaching agriculture again with a new Faculty of Agriculture in Sendai. In 1949, the Faculty of Law and Literature split into three separate colleges: Law, Literature, and Economics. A Faculty of Education was added in 1949, Dentistry in 1965, and Pharmacy in 1972. Since April 2004, Tohoku University has been a National University Corporation.

How the 2011 Earthquake Affected the University

After the big 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the university closed for a while. It planned to reopen by the end of April that year. Luckily, the main campuses (Aobayama, Katahira, Amamiya, and Kawauchi) are far from the ocean, up in the mountains. This meant they were not damaged by the tsunami. No students or staff on campus were seriously hurt or died.

However, the earthquake itself did cause damage. Twenty-seven buildings had to close, and equipment worth millions of dollars was damaged. Classes started again normally in early May 2011. The university has been working on fixing, strengthening, or replacing the damaged buildings since then.

University Campuses

Kawauchi

Aobayama

Katahira

Seiryo

Campus locations

Tohoku University has four main campuses in Sendai City, Japan:

• Katahira (片平, Katahira)

* This campus holds the main administration offices and important research centers.

• Kawauchi (川内, Kawauchi)

* North-Kawauchi is where all first and second-year undergraduate students study. * South-Kawauchi is home to the colleges of Law, Education, Economics, and Letters.

• Seiryo (星陵, Seiryō)

* This campus is for students studying Medicine and Dentistry.

• Aobayama (青葉山, Aobayama)

* Here you'll find the colleges for Science, Engineering, Pharmacy, and Agriculture.

The Amamiya campus and some other centers moved to a new part of the Aobayama campus in April 2017.

Research Centers

Tohoku University has several special research centers:

• Research Institute of Electrical Communication (電気通信研究所, 通研, Denki Tsūshin Kenkyūsjo, Tsūken)
• Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer (加齢医学研究所, Karei Igaku Kenkyūjo)
• Institute of Fluid Science (流体科学研究所, Ryūtai Kagaku Kenkyūsyo)
• Institute for Materials Research, IMR (金属材料研究所, 金研, Kinzoku Zairyō Kenkyūsjo, Kinken)
• Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials (多元物質科学研究所, Tagen Busshitsu Kagaku Kenkyūjo)
• International Research Institute of Disaster Science (災害科学国際研究所, Saigai Kagaku Kokusai Kenkyūjo)
• Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (東北メディカル・メガバンク機構, Tōhoku Medikaru Megabanku kikō)

University Facilities

Tohoku University offers many facilities for its students and researchers:

University Libraries

• Tohoku University Library (main library)
• Medical Library
• Kita-Aobayama Library
• Engineering Library
• Agricultural Library

University Hospital

• Tohoku University Hospital Seiryo

Other Important Centers

• Center for Northeast Asian Studies
• Center for the Advancement of Higher Education
• The Center for Academic Resources and Archives
• Institute for International Advanced Research and Education Organization
• Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center
• New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe)
• Center for Interdisciplinary Research
• Technology Center for Research and Education Activities
• Information Synergy Organization

Student Housing

Tohoku University provides several dormitories for students:

• Ibun-ryo (以文寮, Ibun ryō)
• Josyun-ryo (如春寮, Josyun ryō)
• Seifu-ryo (霽風寮, Seifū ryō)
• Nissyu-ryo (日就寮, Nissyū ryō)
• Meizen-ryo (明善寮, Meizen ryō)
• Matsukaze-ryo (松風寮, Matsukaze ryō)
• University House Sanjo (ユニバーシティ・ハウス三条, University House Sanjo)
• International House (国際交流会館, Kokusai kōryū kaikan)

University Rankings

Tohoku University is known for its strong reputation, which is shown in various university rankings.

General Rankings

In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2024, Tohoku University was ranked 130th globally. This makes it the third-highest-ranking university in Japan, after the University of Tokyo (29th) and Kyoto University (55th). The Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings, which focuses on teaching, placed Tohoku University first in Japan for 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

In the QS World University Rankings for 2024, Tohoku University was ranked 113th worldwide and fifth in Japan. It was ranked after UTokyo, KyotoU, OsakaU, and Tokyo Tech.

Research Achievements

Tohoku University is one of Japan's top research institutions. According to Thomson Reuters, Tohoku University is the ninth most innovative university in the Asia-Pacific region. Its research is especially strong in Materials Science (ranked 1st in Japan, 3rd in the world), Physics (2nd in Japan, 10th in the world), Pharmacology & Toxicology (3rd in Japan, 64th in the world), and Chemistry (6th in Japan, 20th in the world).

Nature Index ranked Tohoku University as 4th in Japan (90th in the world, 38th in Asia Pacific) in its 2023 tables for institutions. These rankings are based on research data from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021.

Tohoku University focuses on "practical" research. Because of this, it received the top spot for the number of patents it was granted (324) in 2009 among Japanese universities.

Graduate School Rankings

Tohoku University Law School is very well-known in Japan. In 2020, it was ranked fifth for the number of its students who passed the Japanese Bar Examination.

Alumni Success

Mines ParisTech : Professional Ranking World Universities ranked Tohoku University 13th in the world (and 5th in Japan) in 2011. This ranking looked at how many alumni from each university became CEOs in the 500 largest companies worldwide.

Popularity and How Hard It Is to Get In

Tohoku University is considered a selective university, meaning it's quite competitive to get in. Its Faculty of Medicine is especially known for being difficult to enter. It is usually ranked among the most selective STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs in Japan. This includes medicine, engineering, and science degrees at the University of Tokyo, and the medicine faculties at TMDU, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, and Keio.

Business World Opinion

University Presidents

Akihisa Inoue (left) talking with James P. Zumwalt (a diplomat) and Ann Kambara at Tohoku University in 2009.

Here is a list of the past and current presidents of Tohoku University:

• Masataro Sawayanagi
• Kiyuki Ho (北条 時敬)
• Ryojiro Hukuhara (福原 鐐二郎)
• Masataka Ogawa
• Nikichi Inoue (井上 仁吉)
• Kotaro Honda
• Taizo Kumagai (熊谷 岱蔵)
• Yasutaro Satake (佐武 安太郎)
• Satomi Takahashi (高橋 里美)
• Toshio Kurokawa (黒川 利雄)
• Teruji Ishizu (石津 照璽)
• Koichi Motokawa (本川 弘一)
• Mutsuo Kato (加藤 陸奥雄)
• Shiro Maeda (前田 四郎)
• Nakao Ishida (石田 名香雄)
• Shigemori Ohtani (大谷 茂盛)
• Jun-ichi Nishizawa
• Hiroyuki Abe (阿部 博之)
• Takashi Yoshimoto (吉本 高志)
• Akihisa Inoue (井上 明久)
• Susumu Satomi
• Hideo Ohno
• Teiji Tominaga (冨永 悌二)

Famous People from Tohoku University

Scientists

• 

  Masataka Ogawa, a chemist and former president. He discovered rhenium.

• 

  Koichi Tanaka, a chemist who won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

• 

  Akira Endo, a biochemist who discovered the first statin. He won the 2008 Lasker Award and 2017 Gairdner Award.

• 

  Atsuto Suzuki, a physicist who won the 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.

• 

  Hideo Ohno, a physicist and the 22nd president of Tohoku University.

• Hitoshi Oshitani, a scientist who studies viruses and public health.
• Tetsuo Nozoe, a chemist known for hinokitiol.
• Tsutomu Ōhashi, an artist and scientist.
• Syun-Ichi Akasofu, a geophysicist and founding director of the International Arctic Research Center.
• Hiroshi Maeda, a pharmacologist and chemist who discovered the EPR effect.
• Chen Wei-jao, a surgeon and former president of National Taiwan University.
• Lo Tung-bin, a biochemist who was a pioneer in protein research in Taiwan.
• Susumu Satomi, a surgeon and former president of Tohoku University.
• Ryuta Kawashima, a neuroscientist who helped create the Nintendo DS games Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! and Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain?.
• Noriko Osumi, a neuroscientist and vice president of Tohoku University since 2018.
• Mahmoud Nili Ahmadabadi, president of University of Tehran.

Engineers

• 

  Kotaro Honda, an inventor and former president. He was nominated for the 1932 Nobel Prize in Physics.

• 

  Hidetsugu Yagi, an engineer who helped create the Yagi–Uda antenna.

• 

  Shun-ichi Iwasaki, an engineer who pioneered perpendicular recording for modern hard disk drives.

• 

  Jun-ichi Nishizawa, an engineer who invented optical communication systems like optical fiber and laser diode.

• 

  Fujio Masuoka, an engineer who developed flash memory.

• 

  Sumio Iijima, a physicist who invented carbon nanotubes.

• 

  Masatoshi Shima, an inventor of the CPU Intel 4004.

• 

  Masato Sagawa, an inventor of special magnets, who won the 2022 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.

• Shintaro Uda, an inventor of the Yagi-Uda antenna, which is a common television antenna.
• Masayoshi Esashi, an engineer and a global expert in Microelectromechanical systems.
• Toshitada Doi, a pioneer in digital audio who also created the Aibo robot dog.
• Fumihiko Imamura, a civil engineer and expert on natural disasters for NHK.
• Masataka Nakazawa, a pioneer in high-speed optical communication.

Writers and Artists

• 

  Lu Xun, a very important writer in modern China.

• 

  Hajime Tanabe, a philosopher.

• 

  Ido Reizan, a journalist, writer, and poet.

• 

  Morio Kita, a novelist who won the 1960 Akutagawa Prize.

• 

  Terumi Tanaka, a former professor and representative of Nihon Hidankyo. He attended the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony.

• Ben Goto, a Japanese writer.
• Hayao Hamada [ja], a Taiwanese author.
• Tadao Ooike [ja], a novelist who won the 1938 Naoki Prize.
• Yō Tsumoto [ja], a novelist who won the 1978 Naoki Prize.
• Akihiko Nakamura [ja], a novelist who won the 1994 Naoki Prize.
• Kenichi Satō [ja], a novelist who won the 1999 Naoki Prize.
• Toh EnJoe, an author who won the 2012 Akutagawa Prize.
• Yuichi Kodama, a Japanese video director.
• Kazumasa Oda, a famous pop musician in Japan since the 1970s.
• Kōtarō Isaka, a mystery fiction writer.
• Hideaki Sena, a science fiction writer.
• Chūsei Sone, a Japanese film director and screenwriter.
• Kenji Suzuki, an announcer for NHK.
• Chinggeltei (1924–2013), a Mongolist and former vice-rector of Inner Mongolia University.

Mathematicians, Economists, and Business Leaders

• 

  Hirofumi Uzawa, an economist known as the father of Theoretical Economics in Japan.

• 

  Shizuo Kakutani, a mathematician and professor at Yale University. He is known for the Kakutani fixed-point theorem.

• 

  Ryōji Chūbachi, a Japanese businessman and former president of Sony Corporation.

• Nobuhiko Kawamoto, CEO of Honda Motor until 1995.
• Su Buqing, a Chinese mathematician and former president of Fudan University.
• Chen Jiangong, a pioneer of modern Chinese mathematics.
• Yasumasa Kanada, a mathematician known for calculating many digits of π.
• Shigeo Sasaki, a mathematician who introduced the Sasaki manifold.

Politicians

• 

  Shigeyoshi Matsumae, a Japanese politician and engineer who founded Tokai University.

• 

  Yukio Edano, a Japanese politician and member of the House of Representatives.

• 

  Eisuke Mori, a Japanese politician.

• 

  Masako Mori, a Japanese politician.

• Masayuki Aoyama, a Japanese politician.
• Mitsuru Sakurai, a Japanese politician.
• Kenya Akiba, a Japanese politician.
• Akira Koike, a Japanese politician.
• Nori Sasaki [ja], a Japanese politician.
• Yoshihisa Inoue, a Japanese politician.
• Emiko Okuyama, Mayor of Sendai from 2009 to 2017.

See Also

• Tohoku Mathematical Journal
• Institute for Materials Research
• Sendai
• List of National Treasures of Japan (writings)
• Tegula kusairo