Spring 2018

A news magazine presented by Hokkaido University

Litterae Populi Spring 201801

R ec ent Ne w s f rom
Hok k a ido Un iver sit yContents

Litterae Populi
Litterae Populi is a bi-annual magazine
with the latest news about Hokkaido
University. Its name is Latin for “lettersof the poplar trees.”

Feature:Nurturing

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Feature: Nurturing

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Interview by the President

In 2018, Hokkaido University celebrates the 142nd anniversary

Tsunehiko Iwai
Director, Shiseido Company, Limitedof its foundation as Sapporo Agricultural College. During those

Refining Taxonomy

as well as its relationship with society. It also works towards

Kazunori Yoshizawa
Associate Professor, Research Faculty of Agriculture

fostering human resources capable of leading its initiatives.

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Alumni Interview

Under the theme of “nurturing,” this feature highlights

Shuichi Tsuji
Sports Doctor, Eminecross Co., Ltd.

initiatives at three Hokkaido University facilities.

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Letters from Ambassadors and Partners #01

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Letters from Ambassadors and Partners #02

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140 Years of Challenge

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04 Nurturing legacies — The Hokkaido University Museum
10 Education and Research Center for Mathematical and Data Science
12 Hokkaido University Office in the Heart of the Nation's Capitalmany years, the university has nurtured its history and traditions,

1891-1913 Birth of Seminar

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Topics30

Campus Landscapes

Litterae Populi 2018 Spring Vol. 60
Published by:
Public Relations Division
General Affairs and Planning Department
Kita 8, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo,
Hokkaido 060-0808, JAPAN
pr@oia.hokudai.ac.jp
https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp
Edited by the Litterae Populi Planning and Editing Team
Cover photo by Akihito Yamamoto (HARE-BARE SHA-SHINN)
Photos by Hiromi Terashima (Kotoha-sha)
Production assisted by Morikatsu Sato (Morikatsu Sato Design Office)Printing by Sato Printing
Cover photo taken at Elm Grove

Picture: Ono Pond
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Litterae Populi Spring 2018

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Nurturing Insights
into History

Connecting with
PeopleThe Paleobiology Gallery is one of the most popular permanent exhibition rooms at the Hokkaido University Museum.

Nurturing legacies —The Hokkaido University Museum

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Litterae Populi Spring 2018

Feature:Nurturing

The mission of the Hokkaido University Museum is to preserve the vast amounts of valuable
scientific specimens and academic resources it has accumulated over the course of more than
140 years and use them to help create new research horizons. In July 2016, the museum wasreopened after a large-scale renovation that took one year and four months. As the museum willcelebrate the 20th anniversary of its opening in 2019, it continues to enhance its strong presence.

Litterae Populi Spring 201805

Feature: Nurturing

Nurturing | Nurturing legacies — The Hokkaido University Museum

research horizons. Old specimens may provide new insights
through organizing and storing specimens, as shown by thediscovery of many new species among old insect specimens.
As research methods and instruments advance with thetimes, new discoveries are made among old specimens,
which indicates “the value of preserving specimens andmaterials from the past for the future,” he says.
The Hokkaido University Museum also plays a central
role in new research activities. Recent notable research
includes a study that led to the discovery of a fossilized
Mukawaryu dinosaur skeleton. A joint excavation survey
conducted by the museum’s Associate Professor Yoshitsugu
Kobayashi along with the Hobetsu Museum in Mukawa
Town, following indications that a fossil found by anenthusiast might actually be part of a dinosaur, led to thediscovery of Japan’s largest complete dinosaur skeleton.

Museum: a center for development
There are several features that set the Hokkaido University
Museum apart from other university museums. One isits unique educational programs, including the Museum
Meister Course and Graduation Thesis Poster Presentations.
The Museum Meister Course, a certification program
launched in AY2009, encourages students to learn and gain
experience in various fields through museum activities andcoursework. Taking full advantage of the characteristics ofa comprehensive university, the course offers an opportunity
to study across the fields of science and humanities in linewith one of the university’s basic philosophies of education
and research — all-round education.
The course’s curriculum includes lectures and practicums
at the museum, in which students plan exhibitions and otherprojects as well as design museum merchandise. Every year,
several students receive the certificate of Museum Meister,and graduates use the experience to play active roles in theirrespective specialisms.
The Graduation Thesis Poster Presentations are an eventfor seniors to make poster presentations on their graduation
thesis. Explaining one’s research in terms that can beunderstood by local residents visiting the museum is noteasy, and students must prepare themselves by learning how
to make posters and presentations. The event gives a valuable

Einstein Dome has welcomed numerous students and researchers since the early Showa era (1926 – 1989) andcontinues to greet a large number of visitors as the museum’s symbol.

The Hokkaido University Museum is the dark-brown stately
building on the left when you head north along the mainstreet in central Sapporo Campus. The museum, opened
19 years ago, houses vast amounts of valuable scientificspecimens and academic resources, including plants,
insects, rocks and minerals, collected over more than acentury since the university’s foundation. Previously, manyof these specimens had been left ignored in laboratories andcorridors. It was not until the 1990s that the importance ofstoring and managing such specimens and resources drew
nationwide recognition and spurred lively debate over theneed for university museums. After urging the Ministry of
Education, Science and Culture, the seven former Imperial
Universities and other time-honored universities established

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their own museums. Hokkaido University opened its
museum in the spring of 1999, following the University ofTokyo, Kyoto University and Tohoku University.
Selected as the perfect location to house the Hokkaido
University Museum was the former School of Science mainbuilding, a historical structure that had been just vacatedfollowing the Faculty’s relocation to a new building. Whenit was built back in 1929, the modern-Gothic style, threestory reinforced concrete building was a splendid sight
signaling the arrival of a new era. Today, it is one of theoldest fully reinforced concrete buildings on campus.
Opening its grand doors to enter the building, you will findit exudes an air of magnificence. The high, white-ceilinged
dome in the center of the building, popularly known as

Einstein Dome, has windows around it through which
sunlight shines, and the third floor in particular creates an
air of openness. The building has been used as a film set
several times. This building has enabled visitors to enjoy
both the exhibits and historical structure that dates back to
the early Showa era.
A major role of the Museum is to organize and store
the valuable scientific specimens and academic resources
collected over more than 140 years and to catalogue them toprevent them from getting scattered, lost or deteriorating.
However, Professor Mitsuhiro Nakagawa, the Museum
Director, stresses that the mission of the museum is not justpreserving past research materials and specimens, but that
it is more important a mission to use them to open up new

The lyrics of the dormitory song “Miyakozo Yayoi” (Twilight on the
Ridge of Teine) on the walls of the stairs between the first and second
floors draw the attention of visitors.

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Feature: Nurturing

Nurturing | Nurturing legacies — The Hokkaido University Museum

opportunity for exchanges among students in different
fields and also between local residents and ever-developing
students.
Opened on the first floor after the renovation, theExchange of Intellect Hall, which is next to a shop anda café, has an open space where visitors can take a breakand students can study. The space is also used as a place
for candid exchanges of ideas between students and visitors,
where elderly citizens are often seen having discussions withstudents.

Museum: bringing people together
The Hokkaido University Museum consists of the Divisionof Academic Resources and Specimens and the Research
Division. The Division of Academic Resources andSpecimens plays a key role in organizing, managing andarchiving scientific specimens and academic resources, butthese tasks are also interrelated with the Research Division.
Thus, full-time researchers of the Research Divisionalso engage in specimen preservation and managementin addition to their respective studies. What makes the
Hokkaido University Museum stand out is the Research
Division’s Section of Museum Education and Media
Studies, where two researchers specializing in museum
pedagogy, museology and media studies do researchon museum activities and share their research resultswith society. Additionally, researchers in the Division of
Academic Resources and Specimens, who specialize infields such as the humanities and social sciences, the naturalsciences, science and technology, and multidisciplinary
northern biosphere research, include teaching staff fromother departments of the university, and the staff also liaise
and coordinate with their home departments.
In addition to these staff, volunteers also play a pivotal

Museum Director Mitsuhiro Nakagawa, who researches fields such as
volcanic geology and mineralogy, explains the permanent Mineralogy
and Petrology exhibition.

role in running the museum. Currently, the museum hasapproximately 220 registered volunteers who organize fossil
and plant specimens, produce exhibit descriptions andassist with other tasks depending on their fields of interest,
hobbies and available time. These volunteers, who are of
all ages and backgrounds, including elementary school
students and senior citizens, do backyard work essential forthe museum. As such, the museum brings people together
across generations via common interests and hobbies.

Attracting one of the largest numbers of visitors
among university museums in JapanThe Hokkaido University Museum boasts among thelargest number of visitors annually for a university museumin Japan. The free admission could be a factor behindthe popularity, but the appealing permanent and special
exhibitions are significant factors as evinced by the museum
having many repeat visitors. One of the museum’s mostpopular special exhibitions is its dinosaur exhibit, hugely

Reconstruction of a complete Nipponosaurus dinosaur skeleton discovered by Professor Takumi Nagao of Hokkaido Imperial University(the predecessor of Hokkaido University). Nipponosaurus is the first dinosaur unearthed and named by a Japanese citizen.

popular with children during the summer holidays. The
museum’s official branch on the Hakodate Campus —the Fisheries Museum — also provides opportunities forexchanges and hosting special exhibitions. When it held aspecial exhibition several years ago showcasing the Oshoro
Maru training ship affiliated to the School of Fisheries
Sciences, children and grandchildren of former crew
members and elderly people with experience of boarding
the ship gathered together and enjoyed inter-generational
exchanges.
It showcased to visitors a “Cutting-edge Hokkaido
University.” Newly opened exhibition areas show thecharacteristics and appeal of the university’s research
institutes and 12 undergraduate schools. Visitors canalso observe the inside of the museum’s three laboratories(Archaeology Lab, Cosmochemistry Lab, and FossilLab), giving an insight into behind-the-scenes activities
normally conducted away from the public eye, which
Director Nakagawa hopes will inspire high school students
to head for Hokkaido University and help guide first-year
undergraduates who have not yet determined their careerplans. The area featuring the university’s top-notch researchshows how Hokkaido University continually rises to newchallenges to meet the ever-changing demands of society.
Currently, it highlights the Global Research Center for
Food and Medical Innovation and the Arctic ResearchCenter. The museum also makes efforts to offer hands-on
exhibitions to allow visitors to use all five senses to enjoy
the exhibits, also making them accessible for people withdisabilities.

together facilities previously separately engaged in the
management and preservation of scientific specimens,
academic resources and documents under the umbrella
name “campus museums” to disseminate research results
and information about the university. These facilities include
the Hokkaido University Museum, Library, Archives, andBotanic Garden. The idea is that local residents and tourists
will enjoy exhibitions and tours even more under common
themes.
Director Nakagawa hopes that the Hokkaido University
Museum will become the first place people will go to learn
more about Hokkaido University, saying: “It would be
my pleasure if people will frequent the museum to learn,socialize and unwind.” The Hokkaido University Museum
connects the past, present and future while nurturing
relationships between people.

Clear vision for the museum
Visually compelling full-scale reconstruction of a mammoth appears poised and ready to spring back to life.

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Director Nakagawa’s vision for the museum is encapsulated
in the Campus Museum Project, which aims to bring

Reconstructed laboratory of University Professor and Emeritus Professor Akira Suzuki, a 2010 Nobel chemistry laureate,
recalls to mind bygone days.

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Driving Social Changewith New Personnel

include the latest online content. The Specialized Education
Program aims to lay the solid foundations for mathematicaland data science through cross-faculty collaborations,offering a total of six subject groups on Basic and Advanced
Courses in the life sciences, mathematical and social sciencefields. The Practical Education Program, a tailor-madeprogram for selected students, offers Practical Courses
designed to develop problem-solving abilities that can meetsocial needs. The course instructors will coordinate with thestudents’ supervisors as students do research and other work
toward their graduation. Completion certificates will beawarded to students who successfully complete the course.
The Director of the center, Professor Miki Haseyama,
says: “The center’s primary mission is to foster humanresources capable of taking a data-oriented approachin a wide range of fields. Due to a serious shortage ofmathematical and data science experts, there is a pressing
need to foster human resources who have a solid grounding
and skills in those fields regardless of whether they are in thehumanities or sciences. Therefore, the center’s major role is
to offer courses designed to give students a firm grounding
in data science.”

The only core university in Japan north of the
Kanto region
Prior to the official launch of the programs in AY2019, a pilot program has been under way since February
2018 for students who indicated in a needs assessment survey that they would participate in such programs.

Education and ResearchCenter for Mathematicaland Data Science

Feature:Nurturing

Hokkaido University is set to offer data science education to help realize a “super-smart society.” Thetailored educational programs will bring the university even closer to society to foster human resources whowill meet society’s needs.
Driven by today’s rapid development of networking
technology and the growing use of cyberspace, new values
and services are being created using information andcommunication technology (ICT) toward the realizationof a “super-smart society” that brings affluence to people.
However, Japan is facing a serious shortage of workers
with ICT skills as shown by an estimate that demand for
ICT skills will outstrip supply by 369,000 people by 2020,and Japanese universities afford few opportunities to learn
how to do practical data analysis. This means that Japan isconfronted with an urgent need to foster human resources
with expertise in data science who can analyze and use
data. Building a university education system is pivotal inthis endeavor.
To enhance education in data science in Japan, theMinistry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and10

Litterae Populi Spring 2018

Technology (MEXT) designated Hokkaido University
and five other universities as core institutions in December
2016, and Hokkaido University established the Education
and Research Center for Mathematical and Data Scienceon July 1, 2017.
This center, a joint-use facility with full-time faculty
members, will offer a curriculum designed to help students
develop the ability to use practical data in their respective
specialisms regardless of whether they are in the humanities
or sciences. The center’s well-designed three-step programs
will be offered from AY2019. The General Education Program
will offer general data science courses that are open to theentire university. To develop basic skills in mathematicaland data science, the existing General Education Course
content will be modified as necessary, a new educational
system will be introduced, and the course materials will

The six core universities selected by MEXT for theenhancement of mathematical and data science educationare Hokkaido University, the University of Tokyo, Shiga
University, Kyoto University, Osaka University and Kyushu
University. What is Hokkaido University's strength?
Director Haseyama says that offering mathematical anddata science programs that are open to all undergraduates
regardless of whether they are in the humanities or sciences
is unique. “We aim to create an environment encouraging
all students enrolled at the university, approximately 2,500
students, to develop a firm grounding, skills and practicalproblem-solving abilities in mathematics and data science.”

The Practical Education Program is appealing as itprovides problem-solving education in line with respective
research topics. The program has drawn a high interest fromstudents, as highlighted by a needs assessment survey of allsenior students in which more than the expected numbersof students indicated their desire to participate in such a
program. The plan is that the program will also be madeopen to Master’s and Doctoral students in the future. The
university's strength is that it will offer programs from basic
to advanced levels that are tailored to the knowledge andneeds of individual students.
The six core universities across Japan have formed aconsortium, meeting regularly to strengthen their ties. They
are discussing the development of a standard curriculum fordata science education, which will be ultimately introduced
across Japan. One of the major roles of the university is tobuild a network of local universities and technical colleges
to promote data science education across Hokkaido.
Companies and local governments are also scheduled tojoin the center’s educational programs to allow students tolearn how to solve problems using real datasets provided bycompanies. Such industry-academia collaboration will help
students become well-grounded in data science and affordthem an insight with which to create innovations down
the road. According to Director Haseyama, the center alsobegan looking into the feasibility of admitting businesspeople to the educational programs. She says: “We are also
considering admitting business people at the center. Since
Hokkaido University is engaged in many research projects
jointly with or commissioned by private enterprises, I believe
it also has an important role to play in connecting theuniversity with businesses in human resources development
to provide solutions to social problems in addition toproviding undergraduate education.
Hokkaido University is taking steady steps forward tonurture its relationship with society toward the realizationof a “super-smart society.”

New learning commons space located in the Education and Research Center for Mathematical and Data Science.

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Hokkaido University
Office in the Heart of
the Nation’s Capital

Feature:Nurturing

The Hokkaido University Tokyo Office is located on the 10th floor of Sapia Tower by JR Tokyo Station’s
Nihonbashi Exit. The building, taking its name from the Greek “sapience” (meaning knowledge), is home
to more than 10 university offices, branches and networking hubs. Relocated from the Takanawa districtof Minato Ward in 2007, the Hokkaido University Tokyo Office plays a key role as the public face of theuniversity in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
The open space in the office is often filled to its capacity during Japan’s peak job-hunting season.

The Hokkaido University Tokyo Office is a 184-squaremeter multi-purpose facility used by as many as 8,000
people per year. Equipped with small and large conference
rooms and an open space/lounge, it provides a home base for
Hokkaido University faculty, staff members and students inTokyo free of charge.
The conference rooms are used mainly for gatheringsand meetings of Hokkaido University faculty and staff
members, but also serve a variety of other purposes for theuniversity: information sessions for students in Tokyo who
aspire to pursue graduate studies; entrance examinations forgraduate schools; lecture meetings hosted by the Hokkaido
University Tokyo Alumni Association; and seminars
featuring alumni who are at the forefront of business. The
rooms are also used by faculty and staff members to prepare
for their visits to the Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and for work
after such visits.
The open space offers almost the same working
environment to faculty and staff members as on the Sapporo
Campus. It is also used by numerous job-seeking Hokkaido
University students, up to 1,000 in peak months, to take arest, to share information with other job-seeking students
after arriving in Tokyo the day before job interviews,
or to use the computer terminals to collect information
about potential employers and fill out application forms.
Many of those students learn about the Tokyo Office byword of mouth from their seniors or other seminar/clubmembers. The Director of the Tokyo Office and Specially
Appointed Professor, Hiroyuki Tanaka, believes the office
gives students a sense of security since there are also otherstudents from Hokkaido University there.

Information gathering and strategic PR work
Besides providing multi-function spaces as it has traditionallydone, the Tokyo Office has recently enhanced its staff
activities. Director Tanaka frequents the government office
district several times a week to attend MEXT and othercouncil meetings, information sessions and symposiums inorder to grasp and reflect the latest government moves andpolicies in the university's strategies in a timely manner.
In April 2016, Mr. Hiroki Nakamura was appointed
to the newly established, full-time position of SeniorDirector of the Tokyo Office. Over the two years since
the appointment, he has promoted university activities toapproximately 200 companies annually to raise its profilein Tokyo.
Promoting Hokkaido University’s activities andachievements may attract donations or other forms of
support, while introducing faculty members engaged inresearch areas of interest to companies may provide afoothold for industry engagement. In fact, Mr. Nakamura
often takes corporate researchers to the Sapporo Campus to
introduce them to researchers there.
“The first step is to let people know that Hokkaido
Univeristy has staff in Tokyo’s Marunouchi district. The
presence of so many companies in Tokyo means that many
alumni members also work here. As I still have many
contacts to make, I intend to wear my shoe soles thin byvisiting one company after another. As the key roles ofuniversities are to foster human resources and engage in

research, I hope our work at the Tokyo Office will breathe
new vigor into Hokkaido University through the promotionof industrial engagement,” says Mr. Nakamura with an
uptick of enthusiasm. Hokkaido University’s public face inTokyo works across multiple functions.

Offering an opportunity to explore newhorizons
There are still many faculty and staff members who areunaware of this free, conveniently located office with directaccess to Tokyo Station. Some first-time users appear amazedto know about the office. As well as serving members of theuniversity community, the Tokyo Office also responds toinquiries from outside, answering telephone questions andattending to visitors who just drop by to ask about entrance
examinations, for example. Director Tanaka says they try
to respond with sincerity in all cases, including when they
don’t have answers to inquiries. “We serve as a window to
Hokkaido University in Tokyo, so we try not to just ask
inquirers to check our university website even if we cannot
answer their questions,” says Director Tanaka.
“The Tokyo Office mainly assists the university’sfaculty, staff members, students and other users. The factof the matter is that we can only give them physical spaces
and help them contact people outside of the university.
Therefore, it is our hope that the seeds of inspiration thisoffice provides will sprout and bear fruit.”
The Tokyo Office more than makes up for Hokkaido
University’s handicap of being located in Hokkaido, thenorthernmost island of Japan. As the office sees people
coming and going every day, relations between Hokkaido
University and society continue to grow.

The Tokyo Office staff work day and night forthe smooth running of the office and are theuniversity’s public face in Tokyo.

Sapia Tower (centered) is a gateway to Tokyo.

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Interview by the President
Guest

Tsunehiko
Iwai
Director, Shiseido Company, Limited

Boasting the largest sales among Japanese and Asian
cosmetics manufacturers, Shiseido currently operates inabout 120 countries and regions around the world. Since
its foundation in Tokyo’s Ginza district as Japan’s first
Western-style pharmacy in 1872, Shiseido has built its
own traditions while passing down the founder’s desire to
discover and create new values. In line with its commitment to making people around the world happy throughbeauty, Shiseido is committed to making further strides
as a “global beauty company from Japan” to continuously
grow together with its customers for the next 100 years
and beyond.
Dr. Toyoharu Nawa, who will soon celebrate the 1stanniversary of his inauguration as the President of Hokkaido University, asked Mr. Tsunehiko Iwai, Director of
Shiseido and a Hokkaido University alumnus, about thephilosophy and ethos of the company and his expectations for Hokkaido University among other topics.

Like Hokkaido University alumnus Inazo Nitobe, the “bridge across the Pacific,”

Always Work for the Good of Japanand for the Good of the World
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Immersed in sports in his school days
Dr. Nawa: Without further ado, let me ask where you are
from.
Mr. Iwai: I was born in Tokyo and raised in the Tamaregion. I was engrossed in baseball from when
I was a second grader to a third-year high school
student. When I was in my third year at Tokyo
Metropolitan Tachikawa High School, our teammade it all the way to the best eight in the Tokyo
Metropolitan High School Baseball Tournament
both in the spring and in the summer. We were thefirst metropolitan high school team to make it tothe best eight for nine years, and I set a strikeout
record.
Dr. Nawa: Were you a pitcher?
Mr. Iwai: Yes, I was.
Dr. Nawa: Did you also join the baseball club at Hokkaido
University?
Mr. Iwai: No, I hurt my shoulder when I served as a battingpractice pitcher for my juniors while cramming foranother entrance examination of the university.
The manager of the baseball club at Hokkaido
University, who found I had played baseball at highschool, asked me to join them immediately after I
entered the university, but I turned down the offer.
Dr. Nawa: What made you choose to study at Hokkaido
University?
Mr. Iwai: I had decided to come to Hokkaido because
I wanted to live on my own and didn’t like hot
weather.
Dr. Nawa: I see. What kind of activities did you do atuniversity?
Mr. Iwai: As I loved sports, I was immersed in skiing for six
years in my undergraduate and graduate years. I got
a quasi-trainer certification for skiing when I was in
my first year in graduate school. I belonged to the16

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Department of Agricultural Chemistry in the Facultyof Agriculture, working in the lab in the morning,skiing in the afternoon and going back to work in
the lab until midnight. I often drove to Mt. Teineand Mt. Moiwa to ski with a car I bought only for
15,000 yen.
Dr. Nawa: You did lab work after skiing? That sounds tough.
Mr. Iwai: It was fun. I had more stamina than necessary.
Dr. Nawa: That was typical of Hokkaido University students
in the old days, wasn’t it? What made you decide tojoin Shiseido?
Mr. Iwai: The Department of Agricultural Chemistry
had many labs, including those of nutritional
biochemistry, biochemistry, applied mycology,
agricultural chemicals and microbiology, and I
majored in nutritional biochemistry with a focus on
differences in starch structure. My research interest
was on chemicals, but I was keen to work for amanufacturer of everyday products. That’s why I took
an entrance examination for Shiseido. I believe mydecision was influenced to no small extent by mymother.
Dr. Nawa: May I ask why?
Mr. Iwai: My mother, who passed away last year at theage of 96, had long used Shiseido cosmetics, always
saying they were good and that all manufacturers
should make products the way Shiseido has done. I
became interested in sincere manufacturing becauseof the words of my mother, whose motto was “Makeexcuses.” Most parents would say, “Make no excuses,”
but my mother always told me to make excuses andexplain why I did what I did because there should bereasons for actions taken after careful consideration.
Dr. Nawa: That’s great. Did many graduates from the Facultyof Agriculture find work at cosmetic companies inthose days?

Mr. Iwai: Only graduates from the Department ofAgricultural Chemistry did. In addition tograduates from the Research Group of Nutritional
Biochemistry, to which I belonged, a graduate fromthe Research Group of Biochemistry found a job at a
cosmetic company.
Dr. Nawa: Agricultural chemistry covers a wide range ofareas.
Mr. Iwai: It’s an interesting discipline. I may sound rude
to you as you’re a graduate from the School ofEngineering, but I believe the Faculty of Agriculture
is what has made Hokkaido University great.
Dr. Nawa: Oh, don’t hesitate to say that because every
graduate should feel proud of their old school.

Making innovations
manufacturing

in

the

world

of

Mr. Iwai: Upon entering Shiseido in 1979, I was assigned
to a laboratory for the study of shampoos and hairconditioners. In the first half of the 1980s, there wasinnovation in the shampoo market. Old shampoos
made your hair feel hard and bristly, but the inventionof shampoos containing cationic polymers boosted theconditioning performance of shampoos dramatically,to the extent that the value of hair conditioners wasquestioned. This prompted us to fundamentally
review formulations for hair conditioners, leading
to the development of our novel hair conditioner"Protea," which I feel most proud of among all
products I was involved in commercializing.
Dr. Nawa: What was the idea behind the review?
Mr. Iwai: The old type of hair conditioner, which we used bydiluting it with water, was made thick by combining
cationic surfactants with semi-solid oils that havethe properties of oils and an activator. We began
to focus on the development of a gel formed by acationic surfactant and a higher alcohol because gelsformed by adding a higher alcohol to give viscosity
show stronger binding to the hair. The timing of thereview also coincided with the turning point fromthe dilution-type hair conditioner to the directapplication type.
Dr. Nawa: Today, shampoos and hair conditioners perform
very well. I use only shampoo, but now I know why I
feel like I also used hair conditioner after shampooing.
Mr. Iwai: Various discoveries have been made in the fieldof surface and colloid chemistry, and there are no
limits to the application of theories in the cosmetics
market. Of course, there are many things still
unknown about human skin, and how it feels after
the application of cosmetics is also important,which pertains to brain science. All these studies areimportant for the development of cosmetics. I also
remember that during the 10 years in which I wasat the laboratory, I also worked on alternatives tochlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) following the discovery
about CFCs’ depletion of the ozone layer in theupper atmosphere. Thereafter, I shuttled between
the Head Office and the laboratory. I requested that
I be assigned overseas or to a factory, but that nevermaterialized.
Dr. Nawa: Your request wasn’t fulfilled?
Mr. Iwai: Today, the company has 46,000 employees,
so it’s increasingly difficult to transfer employees
as requested, although now that I’m in a position
to make personnel decisions I hope we canaccommodate their requests as much as possible. I
tell my subordinates to keep asking if they have any
requests because they will be kept in records andmay materialize someday.

Shiseido’s founding spirit being kept alive andwell, and Mr. Imai’s thoughts on Hokkaido
University
Dr. Nawa: What does Shiseido aspire with its corporate
message, “This moment. This life. Beautifully”?
Mr. Iwai: Shiseido’s mission is, “We cultivate relationships
with people. We appreciate genuine, meaningfulvalues. We inspire a life of beauty and culture.” It
encapsulates our commitment to inspiring a lifeof beauty and a moment of contentment and toresponding sincerely to the desire among people
to live beautifully. This mission is symbolized byour corporate message, “This moment. This life.
Beautifully,” which aspires to provide a moment ofcontentment, safety and security with our products.
The message is also a reminder of the fleeting natureof life and the importance of making the most of
every moment.
Dr. Nawa: It’s great to have a corporate message withphrases rather than long sentences, with messages
also hidden between the lines. Such a corporate

Litterae Populi Spring 201817

message stands the test of time and adds depth withtime.
Mr. Iwai: We also have a set of “values” that we all should
keep in mind when we aim to realize our mission
and conduct business: “In Heritage, Excellence. In
Diversity, Strength. In Innovation, Growth.”
Dr. Nawa: Another great set of phrases. Having suchcorporate mottos is a strength of the company
because they are reflected in the products thecompany manufactures.
Mr. Iwai: The point is that heritage, diversity and innovation
are our three important values. They also embrace
the diversity you have told students to value.
Dr. Nawa: Shiseido was founded in 1872, several years
before the establishment of Sapporo Agricultural
College (the predecessor of Hokkaido University).
Does Shiseido have a culture or ethos that has beenpreserved during its long history?
Mr. Iwai: Our founder, Arinobu Fukuhara, had been achief pharmacist in a navy hospital. He studied
Western pharmacy and founded Japan’s first
Western-style pharmacy. In addition to dispensing
medicine, Shiseido also manufactured medicine,including Kakkegan launched in 1883 for beriberi,possibly Japan’s first vitamin tablet. Fukuhara also
opened the first soda fountain in Japan in a corner18of Shiseido Pharmacy, using a soda-making machine
he found during a tour of inspection he made in the
United States. That was how the Shiseido Parlour
restaurant opened. His spirit of turning his attention
to the world and rising to one new challenge after
another has been passed down to the present
generation.
Dr. Nawa: Where did the name Shiseido come from?
Mr. Iwai: It came from a passage in the Book of Changes, aChinese classic. It goes: “Praise the virtues of the Earth,which nurtures new life and brings forth significant
values.” Our symbolic camellia logo was designed by
the company’s first president Shinzo Fukuhara. Like
the company’s English logo, the camellia design has
since had a few minor adjustments based on our belief
in the ability to adapt ourselves to changes in social
values and trends.
Dr. Nawa: I can see that the founding spirit is still alive andwell more than 140 years after the foundation of thecompany.
Mr. Iwai: Commitment to safety and security is also essential.
Quality issues such as data falsifications, which havebeen occurring frequently these days, will undermine
the public’s trust in a company. We should take pridein and never compromise on product quality, and thisis the least we should do as a manufacturer.

Dr. Nawa: The idea is that you must work to ensure safety
and security. If not, you’ll find your reputation intatters overnight. I believe such an idea has become
widespread in private businesses, but we should tellstudents and the public that manufacturing products
involve responsibility and morals. Before ending thisinterview, I’d like to ask your thoughts on Hokkaido
University.
Mr. Iwai: I want Hokkaido University students to pin theirhopes on the university as the place where they canturn their dreams into reality. Since they’ve got achance to study in Hokkaido, where the vast landhelps make people open-minded, I want them totake on challenges with a spirit of independence anda desire for self-improvement without fearing risks.
They cannot do such things once they start working
in society. I want them to take full advantage of thewonderful environment there to devote themselves totheir research and hobbies. I also want them to havecandor and always work for the good of Japan andfor the good of the world, like Hokkaido University
alumnus Inazo Nitobe, a self-proclaimed “bridge
across the Pacific.”
Dr. Nawa: I agree. Working for oneself has its limits due toa lack of motivation. It is thus important to work forthe country and for the world.

Mr. Iwai: As someone who was an interviewer for the lastround of job interviews, I think companies look
for students with less-than-stellar grades who are“willing to take on challenges to create a sensation”
rather than students with impeccable grades who
have devoted themselves solely to study.
Dr. Nawa: People with tenacity are an asset to companies
particularly when the companies face difficulties.
Today’s interview has made me realize once againthat the mission of Hokkaido University is fosteringa frontier spirit in students. To fulfill that mission,
we will work to make our university even more
appealing.
Mr. Iwai: I’m confident that Hokkaido University will
create many innovations under your leadership.
Dr. Nawa: Thank you for giving us your valuable time
today.

Today’s interview has made me

I want Hokkaido University

realize once again that the mission

students to pin their hopes on theof Hokkaido University is fostering

university as the place where theya frontier spirit in students.

can turn their dreams into reality.

- Toyoharu Nawa

- Tsunehiko Iwai

Toyoharu Nawa

Tsunehiko Iwai

President, Hokkaido University

Director, Shiseido Company, Limited

Born in 1954 and from Hokkaido, Toyoharu Nawa received
his Bachelor’s degree at Hokkaido University’s School of Engineering and his Master’s degree at the university’s Graduate School of Engineering. He is a Doctor of Engineering(Tokyo Institute of Technology). He joined the Central Laboratory of Chichibu Cement Co., Ltd. (Taiheiyo Cement
Corp.) in 1980 and then worked for the Central Cement
Concrete Laboratory of Chichibu Onoda Cement Corp., before being hired as an Assistant Professor by Hokkaido University’s Graduate School of Engineering in 1997. He became
a Professor in the Graduate School in 2004, before holding
the posts of the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dean of
the Graduate School of Engineering and Dean of the Schoolof Engineering at Hokkaido University. He has been in his
current position since April 2017.

Born in 1953 and from Tokyo, Tsunehiko Iwai received his
Bachelor’s degree at Hokkaido University’s Faculty of Agriculture and his Master’s degree at the university’s Graduate School of Agriculture. In 1979, he joined the Shiseido
Group and held positions including the General Manager of
the Product Commercialization Planning Department, theChief Officer of the Fine Chemical Division and the General
Manager of the Technical Department. He became a Corporate Officer in 2008 and a Director in 2014, before being
appointed the Representative Director and Executive Vice
President in 2016. He has been the Director since January
2018.

Litterae Populi Spring 2018

Litterae Populi Spring 201819

Psocid specimens measure less than
10 millimeters long, mostly one or
two millimeters.

Refining
Taxonomy

The Ig Nobel Prize certificate Dr.
Yoshizawa received. He was unable
to attend the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony held at Harvard University
due to a previous commitment toparticipate in surveying. Publicawareness of the prizes, establishedin 1991, has been growing in Japan.

Systematic studies on psocids
Not many people would have heard of psocids. This
minute insect in the order Psocoptera is unfamiliar even to
entomologists as a subject of research. Kazunori Yoshizawa,
Associate Professor at the Research Faculty of Agriculture, isengaged in systematic studies on psocids.
Having been fascinated by insects since his childhood,
Dr. Yoshizawa entered Kyushu University to study insects at
the laboratory of a professor who wrote an illustrated insect
book he bought while in high school. Immediately after
entering the university, he visited the laboratory and thenchose psocids as the subject of his research on the professor’s
recommendation. Dr. Yoshizawa says he began studying
psocids because of what he calls a chance encounter with theresearch subject rather than his interest in or inquisitivenessabout psocids.
This is how he began taxonomic studies on psocids,
making his first step forward towards becoming a researcher.
He has discovered and named many psocid species to date,
and while continuing those studies he is also engaged
in systematic studies on psocids through work on their
phylogeny and biogeography. Additionally, he also explores
the morphology of psocids and various other insects.
“My next main research theme following psocids is thecomparison of insect wing base structures to explore their
phylogenetic significance. With little or no opportunity
to attract public attention, none of my research appears
ostentatious,” says Dr. Yoshizawa with a smile.

Winning the Ig Nobel in biology

An Encounter with Psocids
Leading to the Ig Nobel Prize

20

Litterae Populi Spring 2018

Kazunori Yoshizawa
Associate Professor, Research Faculty of Agriculture
A Doctor of Science, Kazunori Yoshizawa specializes in insect taxonomy, morphology and systematics. After receiving a Ph.D. from
Kyushu University’s Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies, he served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Japan Society for the
Promotion of Science (JSPS) before assuming the post of Research
Associate at Hokkaido University’s Graduate School of Agriculture
in 2000. He has been an Associate Professor since 2009. He is an
up-and-coming researcher as shown by the awards he has received,such as the Entomological Society of Japan Award in 2013 and theIg Nobel Prize in 2017.

Dr. Yoshizawa continued his low-profile research on psocids,
only to find himself thrust into the limelight when a fourmember research team including him received the Ig Nobelin biology in the autumn of 2017.
The Ig Nobel Prizes honor achievements that first makepeople laugh, and then make them think. Dr. Yoshizawa was
the second Ig Nobel Prize winner at Hokkaido University
following Professor Toshiyuki Nakagaki at the ResearchInstitute for Electronic Science, who received the prize twice
for his research on slime molds (in 2008 and 2010, in thelatter of which he belonged to Future University Hakodate).
Dr. Yoshizawa’s research team was awarded the prize
for their discovery of a female penis and a male vagina in acave insect. The cave insect here is the Neotrogla, a genus of
Psocoptera, found in Brazilian caves. Males of most species
that reproduce by internal fertilization, including humans,
have a penis and females a vagina as copulatory organs. Dr.

Yoshizawa’s team found that females of the genus Neotrogla
have a penis-like organ with which they penetrate themale vagina. While the female intromittent organ has ahighly elaborate structure, the males have a simple genitalchamber. Males transfer nutritious seminal capsules to thefemales during sex, and Dr. Yoshizawa and other researchers
surmise that the genital evolution in the females was driven
by reversed sexual selection with females competing for theseminal gifts.
Asked how he felt about receiving the Ig Nobel Prize,
Dr. Yoshizawa said, “My impression and the appeal of the
Ig Nobel Prizes are that they honor research that is not justenjoyable but also involves a slight sense of cynicism, suchas the employment of unusual approaches. However, ourresearch for which the prize was awarded is an orthodox
taxonomical/morphological study, and it’s only that the
subject of the research — the Neotrogla — was hilarious.
In this sense, our research was arguably different from thestudies for which the prizes have been awarded to date.”“There are many species where sexual selection has
reversed with the males having become pickier about who
they mate with, but it is only in the Neotrogla that reversed
sexual selection has caused the evolution of masculine
characteristics to the extent that the females even have apenis. This makes me believe that the evolution was madepossible because something had happened in addition to thereversed sexual selection, and I am particularly interested inwhat the something was. Our discovery had a huge impact,
so we will continue our research to elucidate the many
unknowns about the insect,” says Dr. Yoshizawa with agleam in his eye.

A beer aficionado
Dr. Yosh i z awa love s beer. He
looks forward to buying beers at
local breweries when he travels inJapan and elsewhere for academic
conferences or other assignments.
The book shelves in the laboratory
are lined with bottles of his favorite
beers.

Litterae Populi Spring 201821

Alumni Interview

Eager to Enhance "Quality of Life"through Sports

Suramu Danku Shori-gaku (SlamDunk Psychology to Victory),
Mr. Tsuji’s first book published in
2000, is based on the series published in a basketball magazine.
A word of encouragement from
Takehiko Inoue, the writer and illustrator of the Slam Dunk comicseries, led to Mr. Tsuji’s independence and literally transformed
his life.

What kind of activities have you engaged insince?
While studying sports medicine in general as well as
lifestyle management and conditioning support, I reacheda conclusion that what ultimately matters is mental
toughness. This brought me to the Association for Applied
Sport Psychology (AASP) in the United States, the homeof many sports medicine specialists, where I saw sports
psychologists offering mental training to musicians andproviding the National Basketball Association’s teamwork
training to business people from Wall Street. I found what
I had truly loved to do.
I hit on an idea to provide mental training in an easy-tounderstand way using the popular Slam Dunk comic series.
The office of its author Mr. Takehiko Inoue readily agreed
to my request to use the comics, and the new version of
the comics were serially published in Basketball Magazine(later published as a book titled Suramu Danku Shori-gaku,
Slam Dunk Psychology to Victory). Later, Mr. Inoue kindly
expressed his enthusiastic support for what I had aspired to
do when I met him in person. This encouraged me to decideto work independently.

Your life has been influenced by people you’vemet, hasn’t it?

Shuichi Tsuji

Sports Doctor, Eminecross Co., Ltd.
| School of Medicine Graduate |Shuichi Tsuji provides mental training to maximize
individual and organizational performance based on his
expertise in applied sport psychology. During the interview,
he talked about his life at Hokkaido University and how hebegan mental training, which is now widely supported byathletes, business people, musicians and many others.

What made you decide to become a sports
doctor?

One day, when I was receiving training in internal medicine
at Keio University after graduating from Hokkaido
University, I found myself grumbling about how busy I
was and felt truly disgusted with myself. At the same time,
my wife who saw me exhausted asked me “is it worth it to
get promotion?” It turned out to be an opportunity for me
to look back on myself. Sometime thereafter, I was totally

22

Litterae Populi Spring 2018

inspired by the nonfiction film called “Patch Adams.” It’s
about a true story of a doctor whose mission is to improvethe “quality of life” of his patients instead of just curing
their diseases. It made me think that there is such thingas “quality” in our lives which few of us really care about
it. Then, I heard that Professor Hajime Yamazaki of
Keio University Hospital was going to launch the Sports
Medicine Research Center, so I went to see him and wastruly impressed by him as he stressed the importance oflifestyle management and the needs for internal medicine
conditioning support in sports medicine. I thought I might
be able to get involved with the Quality of Life (QOL) of
people ahead of doctors and become a Patch Adams in
sports medicine. This is how I chose the career as a sports
doctor.

I am also deeply indebted to Mr. Akira Takata, the founderof the Japanet Takata home-shopping company. In fact,
I cannot talk about my life story without mentioning his
name because it was him who asked me to teach mental
training at his company immediately after I became
independent, when I was still a nobody. That opportunity
opened horizons to me to deal with businesses, not justathletes.

Could you elaborate on your work withbusinesses?
The idea is not to just prevent employees from becoming
ill. Every employee is an asset to a company and the
management of their mental wellbeing is essential for acompany to succeed as a team, as well as for individual
employees to stay fit and make positive behavior changes.
Poor mental health management adversely affects businessperformance and personal relations. Improving mental
wellbeing and keeping a positive mind will help prevent
cancer, arteriosclerosis and depression, and reduce the risks
of infectious diseases. Data shows that people who think
negatively are at higher risk for infection than those withpositive mindsets.

Booklets of the Sports & Culture
Forum, interview sessions where
Mr. Tsuji serves as the facilitatorand intellectuals who are active invarious fields share tips and ideas
for leading a happy, fulfilling life.
The booklet in the middle shows
Mr. Akira Takata, the founder ofJapanet Takata Co., Ltd.

You have also established a nonprofit
organization called Eminecross Sports World,
haven’t you?
I believe sport is a culture. It’s a cultural activity that brings
people joy, excitement, friendship and growth as they playfor victory. What I have established is like a “Disneyland of
sports” where you can experience the 4 critical factors above
while playing various sports.

Could you share with us your memories fromyour college days?
I think the greatest thing about going to Hokkaido
University was that I learned to feel seasonal changes,
which had never come to my mind when I was in Tokyo.
Seasonal colors and scents have developed my five senses.
In my college days, I was preoccupied with winningbasketball games. I remember playing for the university
team against other universities and also getting soundly
beaten by the University of Tsukuba in the All Japan
Intercollegiate Basketball Championship.

What is your plan going forward?
My strong will is to make Japan Gokigen (flow mindset) andto make people recognize sports as our cultural activities. I
would like to contribute to the introducing of the original
sprit or of Japan through the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. I
hope more people will view sport as a culture and become
positive-minded.

Finally, do you have a message for current
and former younger students of Hokkaido
University?
I hope they will live their lives with passion and nurture
their strengths in the splendid natural environment of
Hokkaido, rather than comparing themselves with others.

PROFILE
Born in 1961 and from Tokyo, Shuichi Tsuji received a Bachelor’s degree from
Hokkaido University’s School of Medicine. After graduation, he received
training in internal medicine at Keio University and then worked at the Sports
Medical Research Center, Keio University, before establishing Eminecross Co.,
Ltd. in 1999 to help improve the QOL of people. The Tsuji-method mental
training based on his own theory has gained support in a wide range of fields,
not just with athletes. V-Varen Nagasaki football club, where Mr. Tsuji hasserved as a mental toughness trainer since 2017, was promoted to the J1 League(the top division of the Japan Professional Football League) this season. Lectures and seminars which show his enthusiasm are also popular.

Litterae Populi Spring 2018

23

From

North America

Letters from Ambassadors and Partners

Bridges between Hokkaido University and the Rest of the WorldThis issue features contributions from Mr. Toru Chino and Dr. Rashid Sumaila, who are active as
Hokkaido University Ambassadors in North America.

1

2

2

Mr. Toru Chino

Dr. Rashid Sumaila(Director, Denali Chino Nature Center in Alaska, appointed as a Hokkaido University Ambassador in September 2016)(Professor, University of British Columbia in Canada, appointed as a Hokkaido University Ambassador in November 2016)

D

I worked worldwide as an environmental engineer and launched abusiness in the Silicon Valley before
moving to Denali in Alaska, where
I have run the Denali Chino Nature
Center since 2006. The aim of thecenter is to foster human resources
who can contribute to global peace
and wellbeing by drawing on experiences they will gain through various
activities in the natural splendor of
the Denali State Park. The center also
serves as a site for fieldwork to develop
natural energy technologies that will
enable self-sufficient lifestyles alsoin Japan. In August 2017, the center
hosted a group of 12 Hokkaido University students and faculty memberswith the cooperation of the Universityof Alaska. It also hosts students fromother Japanese universities as part oftheir study-abroad programs.
I believe the university needs a
North American Office to expand its
global reach, and will continuously
work with the university to open theoffice in AY2019 as currently planned.

the university’s Skiing Race Club, I
was engrossed in research on naturaland artificial antioxidants using fishoils. The research theme was great forme as I love making things and had tobegin with making research devices. I
never forget those nights I slept in thelab, and cannot express enough how
grateful I am to my supervisor, thelate Professor Toru Takagi.
Hokkaido and Alaska are both located at northern extremes: Hokkaido
at the northern end of Japan and Alaska in the north of the North American continent. Befitting its status
as an international center for Arctic
research, Alaska abounds in natural
resources worthy of global attention
as research themes, such as flora andfauna (e.g., research on polar bears),
climate, geology and geological formations (e.g., research on dinosaurs),
and human society (e.g., research on
the lives and language of the Inuit).
All these studies can contribute to theachievement of global sustainability.

espite my initial lack of knowledge about the details of the
Hokkaido University Ambassador
and Partner System, I accepted thepost of Hokkaido University Ambassador in North America out of a hopethat I would help the university expand its global network for the peace
and wellbeing of the world. I began
by promoting Hokkaido University
to the universities, research institutes
and government agencies in the United States with which I already had
connections.
Looking back on my years at
Hokkaido University, the first overseas trip I took when I was in the
School of Liberal Arts was a 30-day
tour to Europe organized by the Hokkaido University Co-op, and it left a
profound and indelible impression on
me. So much so that it was then that
I decided to work on the world stage
in the future. While I was enrolled in
the School of Fisheries Sciences, besides playing rugby and skiing with3

Litterae Populi Spring 20184It was a pleasant surprise. I felt honored by the offer to be a Hokkaido
University Ambassador because I’ve
visited Hokkaido University several
times in the past to attend the international symposium on sustainability
science, and for jointly hosting the
Nitobe College short-term overseas
education program (NCOEP) at the
University of British Columbia withfellow Hokkaido University teachers
since 2014.
I love coming to Japan and Hokkaido, in particular, during one of
my first visits, Professor Masahide
Kaeriyama, decided to drive with mefrom Hakodate to Sapporo by road.
I still remember this beautiful drivewith stops at hatcheries and laboratories that are doing amazing research.
For me, it was really great to get the
chance to drive such a distance as itallowed me to have a better feel of thecountry.
I have been receiving a group of
2nd and 3rd year Hokkaido University
students and faculty for the NCOEP
at the University of British Columbia
for 3 years now. I’ve therefore come toknow the quality of Hokkaido University's programs and therefore felt
proud to be associated with the university. I really enjoy this and would
like to continue because I believe it
is a great opportunity for young Japanese students who want to have a

1. Nitobe College student participating in the Global
Sustainability Course. Professor Sumaila in the middleof the back row.

2. Denali Chino Nature Center.

2. University of British Columbia Vancouver Campus
located at the cape in the west end of the city.

4. The setting sun as seen from an open-air bathin the front yard with Denali (formally Mount
McKinley) in the background.

globally-oriented career to get a great
start at an early stage.
Sapporo, with an average temperature of -4°C in January is actuallycolder than Vancouver in winter, withan average temperature of +4°C —may be a surprise to many! The food isdifferent even though Vancouver has
an amazing collection of sushi restaurants. Finally, both Sapporo and Vancouver are great modern cities.
I think the Hokkaido University
Ambassador and Partner program is aclever way of expanding the reach andvisibility of the university worldwide.
I expect the launching of the Institutefor International Collaboration to enhance Hokkaido University’s effort
to engage with its communities both
domestic and international. You havea fine university and the current path
you are charting looks good for the future academic standing of Hokkaido
University as a top world university.

3

1. Hok kaido University students and faculty
members at the Denali Chino Nature Center.
Mr. Chino is third from the left in the backrow.

3. Northern lights can be seen over the center
throughout the year.

24

1

3. Bird’s eye view of the University of British Columbia
Vancouver Campus.
4. The Martha Piper Fountain (2012 complete) located in
the center of Martha Piper Plaza, which is named inhonor of Dr. Piper, UBCs 11th President (1997–2006).

4

Litterae Populi Spring 201825

Hokkaido University Archives

140 yearsofchallenge
SCENE-8

1891-1913

6Birth of Seminars

4

Academic Career of Inazo Nitobe
A member of the second graduating class of Sapporo
Agricultural College (SAC), Inazo Nitobe was an
inquisitive student often engrossed in reading. He is known
to have read all the English-language literature books,
biographies and religious publications in the college library.
After graduating in 1881, he worked as an official of the
Hokkaido Development Commission’s Agriculture andCommerce Department, but his passion for knowledge
made him quit the job and enter the University of Tokyoin 1883. However, dissatisfied with classes at the Universityof Tokyo, he wrote to Kingo Miyabe, also a member of thesecond graduating class of SAC, on April 20, 1884, that
he was sick and tired of college education, adding that hefound he could not learn to his heart’s content there due tothe lack of good teachers even though there were plenty ofbooks. Six months later, Nitobe moved to the United States.

Professor Adams’ “Seminary”
Nitobe entered Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore
and wrote how satisfied he was with the classes there in his
letter to Miyabe dated November 13, 1885. In particular, a“seminary” had a huge impact on him.
“Whenever I am impressed by a (graduate) seminaryclass, I murmur, ‘How can I develop a course like thisin Sapporo?’”The seminary Nitobe attended was one offered by history
professor Dr. Herbert Baxter Adams. The seminary,

26

Litterae Populi Spring 20188

1. Agriculture faculty members and students. Prof. Takajiro Minami is 2 fromthe right in the back row. (1901, Hokkaido University Archives)
2. Vegetable pathology Application for Registration submitted by Jun Hanzawa,
19th graduating class. (1899, Hokkaido University Archives)
3. Prof. H. B. Adams. (U.S. Library of Congress)
4. Inazo Nitobe’s letter to Kingo Miyabe. (dated November 13, 1895, Hokkaido
University Archives)
5. Inazo Nitobe while at Johns Hopkins University. (1885, University Library)
6. Vegetable pathology faculty members and students. Prof. Kingo Miyabe sits on
the far left in the front row. (1895, Botanic Garden)
7. Stock farming students in the Stock Farming Laboratory. (1906, Hokkaido
University Archives)
8. Members of the 2nd graduating class of SAC. (1879, Botanic Garden)
From the left in the front row: Inazo Ota (Nitobe) and Kanzo Uchimura. Kingo
Miyabe is 2nd from the right in the back row.
9. Agricultural economics Application for Registration submitted by Kumao
Takaoka, 13th graduating class. (1894, Hokkaido University Archives)
10. Agricultural economics faculty members and students. President Shosuke Satosits on the far left in the front row. Prof. Kumao Takaoka sits in the middle-left,
Prof. Inazo Nitobe middle-right. (1895, Hokkaido University Archives)
nd

1

3

7

2

5

popularly known as the seminar (and “Enshu” or “Zemi”
in Japanese), refers to a course of study for a small group of
students involved in advanced study who meet regularly fordiscussions under the guidance of a professor. It is a popularform of academic instruction in today’s Japan, but in thosedays it was common for a professor to lecture a large group of
students. Professor Adams’ seminary in history was attended
by approximately 20 students, including a Ph.D. recipientfrom the Humboldt University of Berlin and a priest withgraying hair. Coupled with its German positivist approach
to history, the seminary attracted attention in the UnitedStates as a new model for higher education. For Nitobe,
who was not satisfied with Japanese college education, theseminary represented his encounter with a great mentor anda great school. After the United States, Nitobe studied inGermany before assuming a professorship at SAC in 1891.

Practical and Fieldwork Course System
At SAC, Assistant President Shosuke Sato, a graduate fromthe inaugural class, and other officials had just begun tochange the faculty from one centered around foreign
advisors hired by the Japanese government who hadtaught major courses to one centered around alumni withspecialisms. Nitobe, who himself specialized in agricultural
policy and agricultural history, joined the faculty, and tookcharge of the fundamental revision of the curriculum.
In 1893, SAC introduced a Practical and Fieldwork
Course System. Previously, students attended lectures in acommon four-year curriculum and received guidance fromfaculty members in their respective areas of study only for

9their graduation thesis. Under the new system, students
attended lectures on a common curriculum only in thefirst two years and, from the year, studied a specialized area
they selected from five specialisms, which consisted of three
Practical Courses (on Agricultural Economics, Agricultural
Chemistry and Vegetable Pathology) and two Fieldwork
Courses (on Agriculture and Stock Farming). In 1897,
Agricultural Zoology was added to the Practical Courses,
increasing the number of specialisms to a total of six.

10

fortunate that I could devote myself to my study
under the kind and attentive guidance of Shosuke
Sato and Inazo Nitobe.”
The Practical and Fieldwork Course System and seminars of
SAC laid the foundations for the departments and coursesof Hokkaido University.
Ho k k a i d o Un i ve r s i t y

HISTORY

Birth of Seminars
The introduction of the Practical and Fieldwork Course
System made it possible to offer seminaries, which inspired
Nitobe at Johns Hopkins University. Nitobe and Shosuke
Sato took charge of a seminar in agricultural economics.
Kumao Takaoka, a student in the seminar and a member ofthe 13th graduating class who later became the 3rd presidentof Hokkaido University, recalled those days as follows:“When Sapporo Agricultural College introduced
the course on Agricultural Economics, they used a
research method known as ‘Enshu.’ At that time,‘Enshu,’ which was translated from the German term
‘seminar,’ was used for the first time in academia inJapan. Today, it’s a widely used and popular term, but
at first it was often mistaken for a military exercise….
Seminar topics initially included applied economics,
Japanese agricultural history, agricultural statistics
and the rice field allocation system….In the fourthyear, I was the only student on the course. I was truly

1891-1913

1891

February
Inazo Nitobe returns to Japan from the U.S. and Germany.
March
Inazo Nitobe becomes a Professor at SAC.
AugustShosuke Sato becomes Assistant President.
October
SAC curriculum is fundamentally revised.
1893
July
SAC introduces the Practical and Fieldwork Course 				System.
September The courses on agricultural economics, agricultural		chemistry, vegetable pathology, agriculture and stock		farming are launched.
November A. A. Brigham, the last foreign advisor invited by the		Japanese government, leaves SAC.
1894
April
Shosuke Sato becomes President.
1897
July
Course on agricultural zoology is established.
1907
September SAC becomes the Agricultural College of Tohoku Imperial		
University. Courses on agriculture and agricultural 				chemistry are established.
1910
September Courses on stock farming and forestry are established.
1913
September The courses are reorganized into Courses on Agriculture		
No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3; Course on Agricultural Chemistry;		
Course on Forestry; and Courses on Stock Farming No. 1
		and No. 2. Departments are established for each course.

Hokkaido University Archives
This facility collects, classifies and preserves historical
documents and records of Hokkaido University. It also
conducts investigations and research on its history.

Litterae Populi Spring 201827

To p i c s

Commercialization of the Hokkaido
University Gagome Brand Based on
Industry-Academia Collaboration
Diploma presentation from His Majesty King Rama X of Thailand.

Professor Hiroshi Kida Honored as
Person of Cultural Merit
Dr. Hiroshi Kida, University Professor and Emeritus
Professor, was designated a Person of Cultural Merit by theJapanese government in 2017.
The Person of Cultural Merit award is the second highest
cultural honor in Japan following the Order of Culture,and is awarded to individuals who have made particularly
notable achievements for the development of culture. Dr.
Kida elucidated mechanisms of the emergence of pandemic
influenza virus strains and has long devoted himself tointernational joint studies to control avian influenza
and other infectious diseases. He has made remarkable
academic contributions to various disciplines, including
veterinary medicine and virology, and played a central rolein advancing livestock hygiene, public health and preventive
medicine among other fields. This has earned him a highreputation domestically and internationally as an advocate
of an epidemiological research model for zoonosis.
The Hokkaido University Research Center for
Zoonosis Control, which he established and served as thefirst Director of, was designated as a WHO Collaborating
Centre for Zoonoses Control in November 2011. As the
Head of the WHO Collaborating Centre, Dr. Kida isleading global efforts for zoonosis control and is expected tomake contributions to education and research as a leader ofvarious research projects.
In recognition of his significant contributions invarious fields, he has received numerous awards, including
the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Starin 2017. Also in December 2017, he was awarded anhonorary doctoral degree in public health from Thammasat
University in Thailand and received his diploma directlyfrom His Majesty King Rama X.

Litterae Populi Spring 2018

To promote product development using the university’s
research results, the Seaweed Utilization Research Society(headed by Hajime Yasui, Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries
Sciences) will produce and control the quality of Hokkaido
University Gagome, and Hokkaido Marine Innovation
Inc., a certified venture company spun off from Hokkaido
University, will oversee the operations of the ResearchSociety and ensure the stable supply of seaweed materials
while promoting the benefits of seaweed.
Hokkaido University will continue to engage withindustry to use research results to serve the public good.

Concerned parties at a press conference for the releaseof Hokkaido University Gagome products.

Dr. Hiroshi Kida, University Professor and Emeritus Professor.

28

Hokkaido University decided to commercialize the kelp
“Gagome Konbu” grown using the seaweed cultivation
technology developed by the Faculty of Fisheries Sciences
under the brand name “Hokkaido University Gagome,”
and started selling soap, beauty essence and facial packs
containing the “Gagome Konbu” as the first batch of theofficial Hokkaido University products.
This technology is characterized by a short cultivation
period, which is one-third of the period generally required
to cultivate “Gagome Konbu.” Furthermore, the “Gagome
Konbu” produced by this technology contains more thandouble the amount of fucoidan, which has moisturizing andimmunity boosting effects, contained in general “Gagome
Konbu.”

Hokkaido University soap commercialized under the Hokkaido University Gagome brand. The products in the photo are for test
marketing. The soap is sold at Hokkaido University’s Elm Forest Shop and the Nebaneba Honpo shop in Hakodate City.

Litterae Populi Spring 201829

Campus Landscapes

A Breath of Spring
Photographer: Akihito Yamamotoa

The long winter is finally gone, and frigid winds are gradually being replaced by warm
sunlight.
With the thaw brought by the first breath of spring, students full of hope go out
into society. And in April, the campus welcomes new students and sees them take a step
forward towards their dreams and hopes as their university life begins.
Seeing students come and go, the campus nestled in a rich natural environment willsoon be awash with verdant greens.

Litterae Populi Spring 2018

c

d

e

a . School of Engineeringb . Former Entomology and Sericulture Hall
b

c

e

a

c . Elm Groved . Near North 18 Gatede . Ono Pond
N

Main
Gate

30

b

Kita 13
Gate

Litterae Populi Spring 201831

https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/

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Litterae Populi Spring 2018