is a women's

national university A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. In the United States, the term "national university" connotes the highe ...

in the Ōtsuka neighborhood of Bunkyō-ku,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Ochanomizu is a neighborhood in Tokyo, Japan. It extends from the Yushima section of Bunkyo-ku to the Kanda section of Chiyoda-ku. Sundai Preparatory School, Meiji University, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, and Juntendo University all have mai ...

is the name of a

neighborhood where the university was founded.

History

The university traces its origins to 1875, when Tokyo Women's Normal School was founded in Tokyo's

neighborhood (now Yushima, Bunkyo-ku). It subsequently underwent a series of name changes: "The Women's Campus of Tokyo Normal School", "The Women's Campus of Higher Normal School", "Women's Higher Normal School", and "Tokyo Women’s Higher Normal School". The original campus was destroyed in the

Great Kantō earthquake Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...

; on 31 August 1923, a new campus was established in its present location in the Ōtsuka neighborhood of Bunkyō, Tokyo, where the school buildings were constructed by 1936. It was established as Ochanomizu University in 1949 and became a

National University Corporation A is a corporate body (legal entity) established under the provisions of the ''National University Corporation Act'' (2003) for the purpose of establishing a national university in Japan. History As part of promoting the reform of Japanese univ ...

under Japan's ''National University Corporation Act'' in 2004. Its faculties of graduate schools with Home Economics (master's program), Humanities and Science (doctoral program), started respectively in 1963 and 1976, and they were reorganized into the Graduate School of Humanities and Science starting in 1997 with master's research courses in humanities, science, and home economics. Since 2007, the Graduate School was positioned to lead and strengthen education and research when they reorganized Graduate School of Humanities and Science to the Institute for Human Life Innovation and the Institute for Education and Human Development.

School Song

みがかずば Migakazuba is a poem-based school song which was composed by

Empress Shōken , who adopted the imperial given name in 1867 and was posthumously honoured as , was the wife of Emperor Meiji of Japan. She was one of the founders of the Japanese Red Cross Society, whose charity work was known throughout the First Sino-Japa ...

みがかずば玉も鏡も　なにかせん学びの道も　かくこそありけれAbout Ochanomizu University
/ref> Without polishing, Gemstones or bronze mirror will not shine and transform into jewelry, Likewise, studying continuously is important.

The song was sung by the students of the affiliated elementary school before

Helen Keller Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. Born in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, she lost her sight and her hearing after a bout of illness when ...

on April 26, 1937 in the Kiindo, auditorium.Helen Keller's visit｜Ochanomizu University Digital Archive
/ref>

Alumni

Alumni include: Sada Orihara - the first woman to attend the

Tokyo Institute of Technology The Tokyo Institute of Technology () was a public university in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. It merged with Tokyo Medical and Dental University to form the Institute of Science Tokyo on 1 October 2024. The Tokyo Institute of Technology was a De ...

in Japan

Affiliated institutions

Ochanomizu's campus also contains a number of schools for pre-university students affiliated with the university: Ochanomizu Kindergarten, Ochanomizu Elementary, Ochanomizu Junior High School, and Ochanomizu High School. In March 2022,

Prince Hisahito of Akishino is the youngest child and only son of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan. He is the nephew of Emperor Naruhito and second in line to the throne after his father, Fumihito. Preceding his birth, the paucity of male hei ...

graduated from Ochanomizu Junior High School.

References

External links

* * {{authority control Japanese national universities Universities and colleges established in 1875 Women's universities and colleges in Japan Bunkyō 1875 establishments in Japan Universities and colleges in Tokyo