Some University’s school motto, “To–So–Kyo–Ai,” from which the name of Soai derives, has guided this school for a long time. “To–So–Kyo–Ai” comes from a line of the “Sutra of Immeasurable Life as Expounded by Sakyamuni Buddha,” which is one of “The Three Pure Land Sutras” upon which Mahayana Buddhism (especially Jodo Shinshu Buddhism ) is based. As for the translation of “To–So–Kyo–Ai,” “To” means “should,” “So” means “each other,” “Kyo” means “respect,” and “Ai” is “love.” In total, the phrase means that people should love and respect each other. In extending this phrase, we can arrive at the meaning, “You should love and respect other people just as you do yourself.” Moreover, this motto teaches us to live our lives with “mind,” “behavior,” and “words” well-proportioned. Therefore, the spirit of “To–So–Kyo–Ai” is a fundamental concept for living together in harmony and acting unselfishly. This is the basis of educational ideology today.
The Fundamental Law of Education revised in 2006 indicates that a decline in internal normative consciousness exists based on contemporary social problems that occur frequently. It takes notice of the role religious education plays in shaping a person’s character. In a present-day society where social gaps are widening under globalization and economic confusion, the educational ideology based on the motto “To–So–Kyo–Ai” contributes profoundly to forming the internal normative consciousness that enables us to live together in harmony and act unselfishly, and, therefore, “To–So–Kyo–Ai” can be regarded as a motto that is essential for human education even today.
Since the foundation of Soai School in 1888, the motto “To–So–Kyo–Ai” has gradually become the whole Soai academic institution (including Soai Junior and Senior High School and Soai Junior Conservatory of Music). The motto has also become Soai University’s motto because it is based on the sort of human education that society demands from universities, regardless of the times.
The Soai University campus is filled with lush greenery. While walking, sounds of stringed and wind instruments are carried to us from somewhere in the breeze. Students in the Faculty of Music are practicing. They demonstrate their skills, honed from profound daily practice, in various concerts. In 2010, they even held concerts in China, impressing the Chinese people.
At a supermarket near the campus, box lunches that a student in the Faculty of Human Development designed are sold. That student won first prize in a competition which involved devising nutritionally well-balanced box lunches. Her lunch was commercialized and lined up on the shelves of many convenience stores.
The Faculty of Humanities has planned and held symposiums for the general public which involved such interesting content as “laughter and culture,” “problems about life and death,” and “the roles that the Humanities play,” each receiving good reviews. In addition to these symposiums, the faculty has held various other activities that have drawn outside interest.
As globalization continues in the world and society, values will be diversified, and competition will become more cutthroat. Under these conditions, knowing the preciousness of “loving and respecting other people just as we do ourselves” and putting this idea into practice will give us a great power to survive intact in the future society. What the students learn and experience in this university will become the basis of their lives and help them become useful to society.
This university has made academic agreements with many foreign universities. In recent years, above all, the opportunities for exchange with universities in China have increased, and many international students from China are studying Japanese culture on our campus. They exchange culture and opinions with Japanese students, which stimulates their intellects and helps broaden their perspectives and world views.
Some University is located near Osaka Port. Since ancient times, Osaka has prospered as an important place for marine traffic. During the Qin and Tang dynasties of China, the Japanese mission set out for the Asian continent from the old Osaka port, “Naniwatsu,” which played the role of the gateway where people, things, culture, and advanced technology entered Japan from foreign countries and which was the center of international exchange. Also, Osaka is located in the center of the Kansai region (the south-western half of Japan), so it takes only one or two hours to go to one of the former capital cities, Kyoto and Nara, the international city, Kobe. These points are thought to be very attractive to those who want to learn about Japanese culture and history.
