Ōtani University

Ōtani University (大谷大学, Ōtani Daigaku) is a private Buddhist university in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Ōtani University is a coeducation institution with an emphasis on Buddhist studies. A two-year private junior college is associated with the university. The university is associated with the Ōtani School of Jōdo Shinshū, or Shin, school of Buddhism.[1][2][3]

Ōtani University
Main Gate of Ōtani University
Former names
Shinshū University
Established1901
AffiliationBuddhist
Location
Kyoto
,
Japan
Websitehttp://www.otani.ac.jp/

History

Ōtani University traces its origin to the early Edo period (1603 – 1868). It was founded in 1655, and served as the seminary of Higashi Hongan-ji. The shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu founded Higashi Hongan-ji in 1602 by splitting it from Nishi Hongan-ji to diminish the power of Buddhism's Shin sect. The seminary was strengthened and revived in 1755, and developed a broader curriculum throughout the 19th century.[3][4]

The modern university was founded in 1901 as Shinshū University in Tokyo's Sugamo neighborhood. Shinshū University was closely associated with Kiyozawa Manshi (1863–1903), a Shin Buddhist reformer from a low-ranking samurai background who studied at the University of Tokyo under the American philosopher Ernest Fenollosa (1853–1908).[5] Kiyozawa also served as the first dean of the university.[1][2][6] In 1904 the university achieved the legal status of senmon gakkō, or vocational school.

Shinshū University moved from Tokyo to Kyoto in 1911. It had a curriculum of three years of general study, two years of specialized study, and four years of graduate-level study. The university moved to new buildings in the Koyamahigashifusa-chō neighborhood of Kita-ku in 1913, remains at this location. Shinshū attained university status in 1922, and was renamed Ōtani University the same year. Under the Education Law of 1947 Ōtani University transitioned to the post-World War II educational system, and was reclassified as a university.[2][4] Ōtani University Museum opened in 2003.[7]

Notable alumni and faculty

Notes
  1. "Ōtani University". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  2. "大谷大学" [Ōtani University]. Dijitaru Daijisen (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  3. "大谷大学" [Ōtani Daigaku]. Kokushi Daijiten (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 683276033. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  4. "大谷大学" [Ōtani Daigaku]. Nihon Kokugo Daijiten (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  5. "Kiyozawa Manshi". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  6. December Fan: The Buddhist Essays of Manshi Kiyozawa translated by Nobuo Haneda, pp. 86–87 (biography by Thomas Kirchner) / Kyoto: Higashi Honganji 1984, OCLC 20248970
  7. 大谷大学博物館 [Ōtani University Museum] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  8. "金子大栄" [Kaneko Daiei]. Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 153301537. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  9. "曽我 量深" [Soga Ryōjin]. Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 153301537. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  10. "鈴木大拙" [Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki]. Nihon Jinmei Daijiten (日本人名大辞典) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.


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