In 1911, Vice Minister of Education Masataro Sawayanagi moved to Sendai to become Tohoku University's first president. Sawayanagi firmly believed that academic research should be integrated with education. He also believed that a university should not discriminate based on class or gender.
Following this principle, Tohoku University accepted graduates from technical and higher regular schools. Despite opposition from the government at that time, it became Japan's first university to admit female students in 1913.
The ancient castle grounds of Sendai's famous feudal warlord Masamune Date, are home to the majority of Tohoku University's facilities.
The primeval forest served as a natural fortress for Sendai castle, which was built in 1602. It was protected under the strict supervision of the Sendai clan. This protection continued under the auspices of the national military following the Meiji Restoration in 1868. When World War 2 ended in 1945, the area was home to the occupation forces' military base. It remained off-limits to civilians for many years.
The Tohoku University Botanical Gardens was founded for research and education on Aobayama mountain in 1958. Due to its preservation for 400 years, it is now home to flora and fauna of priceless academic value. In 1972, the garden was designated a natural monument, a first for a national university botanical garden. It is one of only three national university botanical gardens in Japan.
Today, Aobayama's 400-year history of natural beauty endures next door to the thriving metropolis of Sendai city, home to more than one million people.
In more than 100 years since Tohoku University was founded in 1907, the constant goal has been to become one of the world's great research universities.
As the 21st President of this university, I pledge to continue pursuing international excellence in education. We take great pride in the past successes of our students and faculty. Their innovations in science and engineering have helped make the world a better place in which to live.
Through the 3-11 disaster, we learned that there is so much more we can do to develop new technologies to make the entire world safer and more environmentally friendly. At the same time, while medical support is critical in the aftermath of a disaster, we also know that the arts give us the medium of expression to heal the human heart. Thus at Tohoku University, we are committed to graduating students with a well rounded, complete education.
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