Hokkaido University: An Introduction

Video 2 (Length 12:25): The History of Hokkaido UniversityHokkaido University has over 130 years of history. As you walk aroundcampus, you can often see that history right before your eyes.
There are five important periods in the history of Hokkaido University. They
correspond to the five different names that the university has had: theSapporo Agricultural College, Tohoku Imperial University, Hokkaido
ImperialUniversity,Hokkaido

University,andNationalUniversity

Corporation Hokkaido University. For each period I will be introducing someinteresting facts about the university that you might not have heard before.
Let's start with the origins of the university. After the Meiji Restoration of1868, the settlement of Hokkaido became national policy. Sapporo became
the administrative centre of Hokkaido. In 1876 the Sapporo Agricultural
College was established. Dr William Clark, then President of theMassachusetts Agricultural College, arrived in Sapporo to spend ninemonths as the Sapporo Agricultural College's Vice-President. He only stayed
for a short time, but he had a large impact in his stay in Sapporo. He isespecially famous for saying, "Boys, be ambitious". This has become themotto of the university.
This is a picture of the Sapporo Agricultural College when it was founded.
However, did you know that the location of the Sapporo Agricultural College
was not the same as the present location of Hokkaido University? TheCollege was at what is now North 1 West 1. And did you know that one of themost famous symbols of Sapporo, the Clock Tower, used to be part of theuniversity? The clock tower was built in 1878 as the college drill hall,although the clock was not added until 1881.

Have a look at this old picture of the drill hall.
Now look at the Clock Tower today. Can you see the similarity? After 1899,
the college started its move to the current site at North 8. The clock tower
was sold to Sapporo City in 1906.
The second period starts in 1907. Sapporo Agricultural College became partof the Agricultural Department of Tohoku Imperial University. However, theUniversity was short of money. Around this time, the Furukawa family
donated a lot of money to the university. One of the buildings built using
money donated by the Furukawa family is the Furukawa Hall.
This is a picture of the Furukawa Hall just after it was built. It looks quite
different then compared to now. Back in the late Meiji Period it was notsurrounded by trees and large faculty buildings.
Also, notice how there is a lake in front of the Furukawa Hall in this photo.
This area is now the Chuo Lawn. I will talk more about Chuo Lawn a bitlater.
However, did you know that the Furukawa Memorial Hall is not the oldest
building on campus? That record belongs to the Old School of Entomology,
which was the visitor centre, before the new visitor centre opened next to themain gate.
The oldest concrete building on campus is the Science Faculty. It was built in1929.
In 1918, Hokkaido Imperial University was founded. Hokkaido University
had gone from college, to part of another university, to full university status
in its own right. There was an expansion in the number of departments. In
addition to the Agriculture Department, departments of medicine,engineering and science were added in the decade or so after achieving
university status.
If you look at old pictures of Hokkaido University students, you will see that
almost all are male. This picture is from 1878.
Did you know that the first woman to enter Hokkaido University (thenHokkaido Imperial University) was Kato Sechi. She only studied electivecourses. However, in 1930, Yoshimura Fuji became the first woman to passentrance exams and become a full student. Up until 1947 only 25 women had
studied at Hokkaido Imperial University. Even today the number of malestudents is much larger than the number of female students.
Another important first came in 1936. Dr Nakaya Ukichiro produced theworld’s first artificial snow crystal. There is a monument to mark this event
just outside the Trillium Faculty House in the centre of campus.
Dr Nakaya’s achievements paved the way for the establishment of theInstitute of Low Temperature Science in 1941.
After Japan’s defeat in World War II, Hokkaido Imperial University wasrenamed Hokkaido University. This fourth period in Hokkaido University’s
history began in 1947. The university continued to expand. New
departments and buildings were added. The university gradually took theshape that it is today. The 1960s were a radical period and there were a lot ofstudent demonstrations on campus. By the 1980s, internationalization was abuzzword in Japan and there was a rapid increase in the number ofinternational students during the 1980s.
Today one of the most recognizable parts of campus is the Chuo Lawn. But,
did you know that up until 1935, the stream used to be dammed so Chuo
Lawn could be used as a skating rink in winter?

This explains why we saw the lake in front of the Furukawa Hall in thisphoto, which we saw earlier in the video.
Also, the present appearance of Chuo Lawn only dates from 1994.
With the development of Sapporo city, the Sakushukotoni River, which ran
through Chuo Lawn, largely dried up. But, in 1994 a pump was built near
the location of the University Cooperative. The pump ensures that we canonce again enjoy a stream flowing through Chuo Lawn.
From the mid-1990s parts of campus were managed as if they were a park.
Benches were placed around the Ono Pond, which is now a popular rest area;
signs were put around campus to tell visitors about the interesting places oncampus; and the University Museum was opened in 1999. All these things
show that by the 1990s, Hokkaido University's campus was not only a placeof learning. It had become one of the key tourist attractions in Sapporo.
The final and current period in Hokkaido University’s history began in 2004.
The university was effectively privatized by the government. It now has
more freedom to develop its own research and teaching identity. But in thetwenty-first century, universities are facing more and more competition to berecognized as leading centres of learning, not only on a local scale, but on aglobal scale.
One the biggest events of the period since 2004 was typhoon number 18 in2004. This typhoon knocked down many trees around campus. The scars arestill visible, in Chuo Lawn, and the Poplar Avenue. However, did you knowthat wood from the knocked down Poplar trees was used to make aharpsichord? In this way, a tree that was knocked down is still able to givepleasure to people in concerts at the university.
But the most significant event in Hokkaido University’s recent history is theNobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Emeritus Professor Suzuki Akira in2010. This great scientific achievement has played a huge role in making thename of the university known around the world. It is an inspiration to thosewho work and study here and reminds us to always remember the university
motto: “Be ambitious”.
Finally, let’s look at the changing face of campus and see some pictures from1937.
Today, Hokkaido University is in the middle of the bustling city of Sapporo.
But in 1937, this area was still very rural.
This photograph shows the view from campus toward Okurayama. As you
can see, there are no large buildings. Nor is there the Okurayama ski jump,which was used in the Sapporo Olympics in 1972. Now let's look at the scenetoday.
Or how about this view towards Mt Teine? Again there are few buildings in1937, but today the city stretches as far as the eye can see.
This next photo is the view northeast from the southern end of campus. Thebig building is the Science Faculty, where the University Museum is located.
This is the view northeast in 2008. Not only the campus but also the city isvery built up in comparison.
And can you guess what these buildings are? Perhaps not. In fact, this is theold university hospital. It is very different to the large hospital building
today.
This is the view north. Can you see the Poplar Avenue to the left of thepicture? Now, here is the view today.
Poplar Avenue has not changed that much since 1937. Of course, many trees
were knocked down in 2004, but from ground level the tunnel of trees stilllooks similar.
Finally, can you guess what this building is? It is the old Department ofEngineering. This is the modern building.
As you can see, campus has changed a lot over the years.
If you are interested in learning more about the history of the university, goto the university bookshops and you will find a number of books on sale, orvisit the University Museum.
(Credits): Hokkaido University has over 130 years of history. How will thestudents at the university today be remembered in the coming years? "Boysand Girls, be ambitious!"

QuestionsOf the five periods in the history of Hokkaido University, which one was thelongest?
FirstSecond
Third
FourthFifthAnswer Fourth: 1947-2004, 57 years.
If you stand at Hokkaido University’s main gate today, in which direction
must you travel to reach the original site of the Sapporo AgriculturalCollege?
North West
North EastSouth West

South East
Answer: South East. The current main gate is North 8 West 5, the SAC wasat North 1 West 1. You must travel in a South East direction to get to it (i.e.
the current location of the Sapporo Clock Tower).
Which of these is NOT correct about Chuo Lawn?
In the past it was called a park.
It used to be used as a skating rink.
The river running through the lawn dried up.
A pump was built in the 1990s.
Answer A. The text says, “From the mid-1990s parts of campus weremanaged as if they were a park.”
After Kato Sechi became the first woman to study at Hokkaido University,
there was a rapid rise in the number of female students. True or False?
Answer: False. Up until 1947 only 25 women had studied at Hokkaido
Imperial University.
A harpsichord was made using the tree knocked down in Chuo Lawn. True orFalse?
Answer: False (it was using Poplar trees).
Which of the following statements about the section “The Changing Face ofCampus” is False?
Mt Teine is visible in some of the pictures.
It compares photos from 1927 and today.
There are photos of the university hospital.
The last photographs in that section are of the Engineering Department.
Answer B. The old photos are from 1937.