Waseda University

Ōkuma had long desired to create an academic cap so distinctive that someone wearing the cap would immediately be identified as a Waseda student.[14] The chief tailor of Takashimaya, Yashichiro, was called upon to design a cap in three days. Each square cap was stamped on the inside with the student's name, his department, the school seal and the legend, "This certifies that the owner is a student of Waseda". Thus, the cap served as a form of identification, and effectively a status symbol. The cap, with its gold-braided badge, is registered as a trademark.

Waseda University

On 21 October 2007, Waseda University celebrated its 125th anniversary. Ōkuma often talked about the "125 years of life" theory: "The lifespan of a human being can be as long as 125 years. He will be able to live out his natural lifespan as long as he takes proper care of his health", because "physiologists say that every animal has the ability to live five times as long as its growth period. Since a man is said to require about 25 years to become fully mature, it follows that he can live up to 125 years of age." This theory propounded by Ōkuma was very popular and often referred to in the media of the time.

In commemorative events relating to Waseda University and Ōkuma, the number 125 is accorded special significance, as it marks an important epoch. The tower of Ōkuma Auditorium, completed on the university's 45th anniversary, is 125 shaku, or about 38 m high. In 1963, there were also events to mark the 125th anniversary of Ōkuma Shigenobu's birth.

Ōkuma, who twice served as prime minister of Japan, organized his second cabinet when he was 77 and died when he was 83. He said, "I wish I had understood this '125 years of life' theory 30 years earlier". He did, however, lead a regular life, and lived fairly long compared to other Japanese at the time.

Waseda's undergraduate schools have a total entrance capacity of 8,800 students. Individual entrance capacities are denoted below.

Ōkuma Auditorium, a contemporary building by architect Satō Kōichi

Ōkuma Auditorium, Waseda University campus

The Ōkuma Auditorium is three-story main auditorium that seats 1,435, while the secondary auditorium, located underground, can accommodate 382 people. A seven-story high clock tower stands to the left of the auditorium. Important events and lectures hosted by Waseda University are often held in the Ōkuma Auditorium. Club-sponsored plays, lectures and events are held in the auditorium on days when it is not in use by the university. Many of Waseda University's undergraduate and graduate schools hold their entrance and graduation ceremonies at the Okuma Auditorium.

The auditorium opened on 20 October 1927, about five years behind schedule, after the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. A Memorial Hall, constructed in 1957, was used as the fencing venue for the 1964 Summer Olympics.[15]

In April 1999, the auditorium along with the old library building were officially designated the first and second historical buildings under the newly passed Tokyo Metropolitan Landscape Regulations, which aim to preserve buildings representative of Tokyo's history and culture. The auditorium was designated as one of the Important Cultural Properties of Japan by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2007.[16]

Ōkuma Garden

Ōkuma Garden is located near Ōkuma Auditorium. It is a half-Japanese, half-Western garden of Edo period feudal lord Matsudaira Sanuki's former mansion, redesigned by Shigenobu Ōkuma. After his death, the garden was donated to Waseda University. Now it is a recreation place for students.

The Waseda University Library, designed by Tachu Naitō, Kenji Imai and Kin'ichi Kiriyama, was completed in 1925. This five-story building, with a total area of 1,195-tsubo (3,950 m²) (坪), was used initially as the University Library. The reading room was housed in a separate two-story building, with a seating capacity of 500. One of the prominent libraries established at the end of the Taishō period, it has been a symbol of Waseda University to this day, along with the Okuma Auditorium and the Theatre Museum.

The Old Library and the administration building were expanded in 1934 and 1955, respectively. After the New Central Library, the Old Library stopped serving as a main library, located where the Abe Stadium used to be, was completed in 1990. It now houses Takata Sanae Memorial Research Library, the University Archives, and Aizu Yaichi Museum. Takata Sanae Memorial Research Library opened in 1994. It is named after former university president Takata Sanae. Historical and cultural materials on Waseda University are exhibited in the University Archives, and the materials related with Ōkuma Shigenobu are exhibited in the Ōkuma Memorial Room at the Archives. Aizu Yaichi Memorial Museum opened in 1998.

In the front hall, visitors are greeted by the masterpiece "Meian", which dates back to 1927. It is painted on the world's largest hand-made washi (Japanese paper), which is 4.45 meters in diameter and weighs about 12 kilograms. It was manufactured by Iwano Heisaburō, the founder of the Echizen paper works in Imadachi-cho, Fukui prefecture. The masterpiece was painted free of charge by Yokoyama Taikan and Shimomura Kanzan, two artists who represented the modern Japanese style of painting. President Takata Sanae asked them to paint a picture for the Library.

The library possesses a unique collection which survived the Bombing of Tokyo in World War II unlike many of its counterparts. The collection is an important resource for the study of pre-war Japanese history and literature.

Other museums and libraries on Waseda campuses include:

• Waseda University Library
• Waseda University Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum
• Aizu Museum

The Waseda University Cheerleading Club is the cheerleading club of Waseda University.

Two Waseda University baseball players from 1921

Waseda's baseball team is known for their long history of success in Tokyo Big6 Baseball League. As of the end of the 2012 season, Waseda had won 43 championships along with the highest winning percentage.

They are also known for their rivalry with Keiō University, highlighted by the Sōkeisen series. The series is held twice a year in the spring and autumn at Meiji-Jingu Stadium, considered one of the most important matches of the year for students from both schools.

Waseda University football team won the Emperor's Cup, in 1964 and 1967.

Waseda University Rugby Football Club has reached the final of the All-Japan University Rugby Championship 31 times, and winning fifteen times, most recently in 2008. Its two traditional rivals are Keio University and Meiji University.

• University championship rugby

The Waseda University karate club is one of the oldest in Japan, formed in 1931 under the direction of Gichin Funakoshi.[17][18] Graduates of the karate club include Shigeru Egami, leader of the Shotokai school, Kazumi Tabata, founder of the North American Karate-do Federation and Tsutomu Ohshima, founder of Shotokan Karate of America.

Waseda's fencing club was established in 1946. In recent years it has achieved impressive intercollegiate and national results. In 2021, Waseda won the men's Epee team division. In 2022, Waseda further strengthened their achievements, claiming victory in all weapon types (Foil, Sabre, Epee) for both men and women's division.[19]

In 2016, the first university bandy team in Japan was founded.[20] With no field of regular size, they play rink bandy.

The university ranked 2nd in 2015–2016 in Toyo Keizai's Truly Strong Universities (本当に強い大学) ranking.[32] In another ranking, Japanese prep school Kawaijuku ranked Waseda as the 13th best university in Japan.[33]

According to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2016–2017, Waseda University ranked 601–800th worldwide and 121-130th in Asia.[34]

In addition, according to the QS World university rankings in 2016–2017, Waseda University was ranked 201st in the world and 41st in Asia.[35] Waseda Business School and Waseda Graduate School of Economics obtained the highest rank – five PALMS – in a Universal Business Ranking in 2013.[36]

In 2014, The Center for World University Rankings ranked Waseda University 40th (world).[37] Waseda University was also ranked 20th in the world in the Times Higher Education Alma Mater Index: Global Executives 2013 top 100.[38]

Generally speaking, national universities in Japan have better research standards; however, Waseda is one of the few private universities which compete with top national universities. According to Weekly Diamond, Waseda has the 12th highest research standard in Japan in terms of research fundings per researchers in COE Program, and it is one of only two private universities within the top 15.[39]

On 16 February 2004, Nikkei Shimbun ran a survey about research standards in engineering studies based on Thomson Reuters, Grants in Aid for Scientific Research and questionnaires to heads of 93 leading Japanese Research Centers. Waseda ranked 5th overall, 7th in research planning, and 1st in business-academia collaboration.[40] Waseda was the only private university ranked in the top 5.

Asahi Shimbun summarized the number of academic papers in Japanese major legal journals by university, and Waseda was ranked 3rd during 2005–2009.[29]

According to the Asia Top MBA Business Schools Ranking by Asiaweek, Waseda Business School is ranked 2nd in Japan.[41] Eduniversal also ranked Japanese business schools and Waseda is 2nd in Japan (93rd in the world).[42] In this ranking, Waseda is one of only 3 Japanese business schools categorized in "Universal Business schools with major international influence".

Waseda Law School is considered one of the top Japanese law schools, as Waseda's successful candidates for bar examination was 5th in 2009 and 2010 in Japan.[43]

According to the Weekly Diamond on 18 February 2006, Waseda got the highest score from the directors of human resource departments in Greater Tokyo in its Useful University Rankings (役に立つ大学ランキング).[44] Waseda was ranked 1st in Social Science and 2nd in Natural Science and Engineering among all Japanese universities.[45] According to the Weekly Economist's 2010 rankings and the PRESIDENT's article on 16 October 2006, graduates from Waseda have the 11th best employment rate in 400 major companies, and the alumni average salary is the 7th best in Japan.[46][47]

Mines ParisTech : Professional Ranking World Universities ranked Waseda University as 4th in the world in 2010 (8th in 2011) in terms of the number of alumni listed among CEOs in the 500 largest worldwide companies.[28] The university is also ranked 2nd in Japan for the number of alumni holding the position of executive in the listed companies of Japan.[48]

The number of lawyers who graduated Waseda has been ranked 3rd in Japan since 1949.[49] Furthermore, Waseda alumni have been the 2nd largest group in the Japanese Parliament.[50][51]

Waseda is one of the most selective and sought after universities in Japan. The number of applicants per place was 20.5 (115515/5630) in the 2011 undergraduate admissions.[52] This number of applicants was 2nd largest in Japan.[53] its entrance difficulty is usually considered top with Keio among 730 private universities.[54][55][56]

Nikkei BP has been publishing a ranking system called "Brand rankings of Japanese universities" every year, composed by the various indications related to the power of brand, and Waseda was top in 2010 and 3rd in 2009 in Greater Tokyo Area.[22]

Professors who are also Waseda alumni are listed in italics.

• Yaichi Aizu, poet, scholar of ancient Chinese and Japanese art, and namesake of Aizu Museum
• Tameyuki Amano, economics scholar and educator
• Kohei Ando, Professor Emeritus of Cinema
• Yasunobu Fujiwara, scholar of political science
• Lafcadio Hearn, novelist, literary scholar, professor of English literature
• Smimasa Idditti (Sumimasa Idichi ), professor of English
• Kenji Imai, architect
• Tokio Kimura, historian
• Kunitake Kume, historian
• Tachu Naito, architect
• Naoyoshi Nakamura, historian
• Haruo Nishihara, law professor, former president
• Takayasu Okushima, law professor, former president
• Hajime Ōnishi, philosopher
• Ikuo Ōyama, scholar of political science
• Yaso Saijo, poet
• Masasada Shiozawa, scholar of economics, former president
• Sanae Takata, scholar of political science, former president
• Ōdō Tanaka, philosopher
• Shoyo Tsubouchi, playwright, critic, translator, educator, professor of English literature, and namesake of Tsubouchi Memorial Theater Museum
• Sokichi Tsuda, historian, recipient of the Order of Culture
• Kazutami Ukita, scholar of political science
• Shujiro Urata, economist
• Yoshio Yamanouchi, translator, scholar of French literature
• Akira Yonekura, law professor
• Takamasa Yoshizaka, architect
• Shigeaki Sugeta, linguist

• Hidemaro Ōkuma, 1882–1886
• Hisoka Maejima, 1886–1890
• Kazuo Hatoyama, 1890–1907

• Sanae Takata, 1907–1915
• Tameyuki Amano, 1915–1917
• Yoshiro Hiranuma, 1918–1921
• Masasada Shiozawa, 1921–1923

• Shigenobu Ōkuma,[67] 1907–1922
• Masasada Shiozawa, 1923
• Sanae Takata, 1923–1931
• Hozumi Tanaka (public finance scholar, Doctor of Laws, 1876–1944), 1931–1944
• Tomio Nakano, 1944–1946
• Koichi Shimada, 1946–1954
• Nobumoto Ōhama, 1954–1966
• Kenichi Abe, 1966–1968
• Tsunesaburo Tokikoyama, 1968–1970
• Sukenaga Murai, 1970–1978
• Tsukasa Shimizu, 1978–1982
• Haruo Nishihara, 1982–1990
• Chūmaru Koyama, 1990–1994
• Takayasu Okushima, 1994–2002
• Katsuhiko Shirai, 2002–2010
• Kaoru Kamata, 2010–2018
• Aiji Tanaka, 2018–present

• Ryuhoku Narushima, poet, journalist, and one of the first trustees of Waseda
• Azusa Ono (1852–1886), law scholar and one of the first trustees of Waseda

Waseda University has had numerous benefactors, including:

• Eiichi Shibusawa,[68] businessman and philanthropist
• Ichizaemon Morimura,[69] businessman
• Koichiro Kagami,[70] businessman
• Kenkichi Kodera,[71] presenter of over thirty-six thousand foreign books to the Library
• Kisaku Maekawa,[72] businessman and philanthropist
• Masaru Ibuka, after whom Masaru Ibuka Auditorium (Hall)[73] is named.
• Robert J. Shillman, founder & CEO of Cognex Corporation, the namesake of Robert Shillman Hall