Ōkuma Shigenobu
Waseda was founded as on 21 October 1882 by samurai scholar and Meiji-era politician and former prime minister Ōkuma Shigenobu. Before the name 'Waseda' was selected, it was known variously as or after the location of the founder's villa in Waseda Village and the school's location in Totsuka Village respectively. It was renamed on 2 September 1902, upon acquiring university status. It started as a college with three departments under the old Japanese system of higher education.