History of Kyoto University

Award-Winning Research

Kyoto University was established in 1897 as Japan’ssecond imperial university. It is located in the historiccity of Kyoto, which flourished as the nation’s capital forover a thousand years until that status was transferredto Tokyo in the wake of the Meiji Restoration. Even after
the relocation of the capital, Kyoto continued to be a
hub of culture and technology. Japan’s first elementary
school and girls’ school were opened there, and it
was the location of the country’s first commercial
hydroelectric plant and first streetcars. It was withinthat milieu of cultural, technological, and industrial
advancement that Kyoto University was established.

Kyoto University is one of the most respected research universities in Asia. This is testified by the accolades
conferred upon its researchers past and present.

History of Kyoto University

It was also in the early phase of its development that
Kyoto University firmly grasped the importance ofuniversity autonomy. Academic freedom is essential
to the scholarly quest for the truth—a goal common
to all universities—and university autonomy isessential in ensuring academic freedom. Kyoto
University was the first university in Japan toimplement a structure whereby its faculty were freefrom external interference.
Through its pioneering approach to education andresearch, Kyoto University has cultivated some ofJapan’s finest minds and made significant
contributions to the advancement of scholarshipand science. Numerous winners of majorinternational awards are affiliated with the university,
such as renowned physicist Hideki Yukawa, Japan’s
first Nobel laureate. To this day, the university is
known throughout Japan and around the world for its
unique culture of academic freedom, and for being at
the vanguard of cutting-edge research.
51949
Physics

Hideki Yukawa

1965
PhysicsSin-itiro Tomonaga

1981
Chemistry

1970

Mathematics

Heisuke Hironaka

199 0

Mathematics

Shigefumi Mori

Gauss Prize
2006

Mathematics

Kenichi Fukui

Lasker Award

The view through the main gates (circa 1900)

1987
Physiology or Medicine

Susumu Tonegawa

2001
Chemistry

2008
Physics

Ryoji Noyori

Makoto Kobayashi

1987

Basic Medical Research

Susumu Tonegawa

1989

Basic Medical Research

Yasutomi Nishizuka

1998

Basic Medical Research

Yoshio Masui

2009

Basic Medical Research

Shinya Yamanaka

2 014

Basic Medical Research

Kazutoshi Mori

Japan Prize
2004
2008
Physics

Toshihide Maskawa

2012
Physiology or Medicine

Shinya Yamanaka

2014
PhysicsIsamu Akasaki

Chemical Technology
for the Environment

2005

Information andMedia Technology2005
The university library in the Meiji period (circa 1909)

Cell Biology

Kyoto Prize
2018
Physiology or Medicine

Tasuku Honjo

2019
ChemistryAkira Yoshino© Nobel Media AB 2018. Photo Alexander MahmoudStudents in front of the university clock tower (circa 1928)

Kiyoshi Ito

Dr. Tasuku Honjo, distinguished professor and deputy director-general of theKyoto University Institute for Advanced
Study (KUIAS), receiving the 2018
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

© Nobel Media. Photo Nanaka Adachi

Dr. Akira Yoshino, honorary fellow ofAsahi Kasei Corporation, professor at
Meijo University, and alumnus of Kyoto
University, receiving the 2019 Nobel
Prize in Chemistry.

Kenichi Honda
Makoto Nagao
Masatoshi Takeichi

1995

Basic Sciences

Chushiro Hayashi

1998

Basic Sciences

Kiyoshi Ito

2004

Advanced Technology

Alan Curtis Kay

2009

Advanced Technology

Isamu Akasaki

2010

Advanced Technology

Shinya Yamanaka

2 013

Basic Sciences

Masatoshi Nei

2 016

Advanced Technology

Takeo Kanade

2 016

Basic Sciences

Tasuku Honjo

2018

Mathematical Sciences

Masaki Kashiwara

Chern Medal
2018

Mathematics

Award-Winning Research

During its early period, Kyoto University developedvarious new approaches to education and research,
including small-group seminars that emphasizeinteraction between students and instructors,
incorporating thesis submission as a graduation
requirement, and providing students with increased
freedom in selecting their study subjects as a way toenhance motivation and encourage creativity. These
innovative approaches pioneered by the university
were eventually adopted as standard practices inJapanese higher education.

Fields Medal

Nobel Prize

Masaki Kashiwara
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