History
Founded by an American missionary, Kwansei Gakuin aims to train missionaries and educate young people based on the principles of Christianity
Kwansei Gakuin was founded in 1889 in Kobe, Japan by Dr. Walter Russell Lambuth (later Bishop), a missionary of the Southern Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. It was intended to be a small private institution with two departments, a theological school and a middle school. In 1910, the Canadian Methodist Church and the Japanese Methodist Church joined its operation, and Kwansei Gakuin was able to open a college with literary and commercial courses in 1912.
In 1929 a growing Kwansei Gakuin moved to a rural farmland area which is now the site of the current Nishinomiya-Uegahara campus. Three years later, it acquired the status of a full degree-granting university, and continued as one of 54 such institutions in Japan until the end of World War II. In 1948, the university embraced the new 6-3-3-4 school system (six years in elementary school, three in junior high, three in senior high, and 4 in college), based upon the American educational framework.
Throughout its history, Kwansei Gakuin has strongly emphasized its international character. A variety of programs aim to develop globally-minded people who understand other cultures and countries of the world, and inspire them to help others, in the spirit of the school’s motto, “Mastery for Service.”
Kwansei Gakuin University is now an independent co-educational institution offering Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees to around 25,000 students in almost 40 different disciplines, across 11 undergraduate and 14 graduate programs. The university is also affiliated with a kindergarten, an elementary school, Kwansei Gakuin Junior and Senior High School and Seiwa Junior College, as well as the Senri and Osaka International Schools of Kwansei Gakuin. Kwansei Gakuin University consistently achieves the highest academic standards among Japanese private universities and colleges.
The Meaning of KG's Symbol
Kwansei Gakuin's symbol, the crescent moon, represents its purpose of education, growth to fullness in knowledge and wisdom. The educational system at this institution is built on its motto, " Mastery for Service, as envisioned by Dr. C.J.L. Bates, the fourth Chancellor, when Kwansei Gakuin was an all-male institution. The university encourages students not only to strive for the mastery of academic knowledge for their own career, but also to nurture their personality and character for the purpose of serving others.
