Ritsumeikan University


Ritsumeikan University is a private university in Kyoto, Japan, that traces its origin to 1869. With the Kinugasa Campus in Kyoto, and Kyoto Prefecture, the university also has a satellite called Biwako-Kusatsu Campus and Osaka-Ibaraki Campus.
Today, Ritsumeikan university is known as one of western Japan's four leading private universities. "KAN-KAN-DO-RITS" :ja:関関同立|関関同立 is the abbreviation that refers to the four leading private universities in the region. Ritsumeikan University is well-known for its International Relations and Science & Engineering departments. Ritsumeikan University has exchange programmes with schools throughout the world, including The University of British Columbia, The University of Melbourne, The University of Sydney, University of Hong Kong and King's College London. Ritsumeikan also currently offers a dual bachelor's degree program and dual master's degree programme in collaboration with American University.
Ritsumeikan University Panthers is a top-ranked American-style collegiate football team in Japan and has won three national championships, seven collegiate championships, and nine conference championships.

History

Ritsumeikan was first founded as a private academy in 1869 by Prince Saionji Kinmochi. In 1900, Kojuro Nakagawa established the Kyoto Hosei School, a law school that eventually adopted the Ritsumeikan name and was awarded full university status in 1922. Historically, the school was seen as a liberal alternative to the state-run Kyoto University.
The name "Ritsumeikan" comes from a Mencius quotation:

Some die young, as some live long lives. This is decided by fate. Therefore, one's duty consists of cultivating one's mind during this mortal span and thereby "establishing one's destiny".

The "kan" addition to "ritsumei" signifies a place.

Colleges and graduate schools (by campus)

Kinugasa Campus

In Kita-ku, Kyoto, this liberal arts-oriented campus is a roughly five-minute walk from Ryōan-ji and Kinkaku-ji temples. The campus has eight graduate schools, 17,000 undergraduate and 1,100 graduate students.
In Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto. This campus houses the School of Law, Graduate School of Management, and Graduate School of Public Policy, in addition to the Ritsumeikan Academy headquarters.
Biwako-Kusatsu Campus is in Kusatsu, Shiga. This technology-oriented campus is southeast of Lake Biwa, the largest freshwater lake in Japan, and is a 30-minute train ride from Kyōto Station. The campus has four undergraduate colleges, four graduate schools, 16,000 undergraduates and 1,600 graduate students.
The Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University is a private institution inaugurated April 2000 in Beppu, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University was made possible through the collaboration of three parties from the public and private sectors: Oita Prefecture, Beppu City and the Ritsumeikan University. APU has an enrollment of just under 6,000 students. Approximately half of the students and faculty members come from overseas.

Athletics

American Football

The university has supported an American football rules team since 1953. The team has won three national championships, seven collegiate championships, and nine conference championships.

Facilities

Research Center for Disaster Mitigation Systems

Established in April 2005 on the Biwako-Kusatsu Campus, work at this center focuses on disaster mitigation using sensor systems and computer networks.

Art Research Center

Located at Kinugasa Campus, this center houses the Digital Humanities Center for Japanese Arts and Cultures, which focuses on research on Japanese art and culture using digital archives, databases and geographical information systems.

Museums

The Kyoto Museum for World Peace seeks to critically examine Japan’s militaristic past, and includes numerous exhibits ranging from the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-5 to the Iraq War.

SR center

Located at BKC campus, this center is established for research using Synchrotron Radiation.

Notable people associated with Ritsumeikan

Famous people affiliated with Ritsumeikan University, including graduates, former students, and professors:
A full list of partner institutions of Ritsumeikan University can be found on the website.

Australia


Macquarie University

The University of Sydney

The University of Melbourne

The University of Queensland

The University of Western Australia

The University of Adelaide

China


Tsinghua University

Fudan University
Shanghai Jiao Tong University

University of Science and Technology of China

Dongbei University of Finance and Economics

Dalian University of Foreign Languages

Singapore


Nanyang Technological University

Thailand


Mahidol University

Thammasat University

Indonesia


University of Indonesia

University of Brawijaya

Padjajaran University

Institut Teknologi Bandung

Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta

South Korea


KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology

Korea University

Inha University

Dongguk University

Yonsei University

Sangmyung University

Canada


University of British Columbia

University of Alberta

United States


California State University, Monterey Bay

University of Southern California

Georgetown University

DePaul University

Ohio Northern University

Oklahoma City University

Rutgers University

Illinois College

University of Alabama

University of Washington

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

University of Minnesota

University of Oklahoma

Florida International University

University of North Texas

University of Hawaii

Ireland

United Kingdom

, University of London

King's College London, University of London

University of Edinburgh

University of Warwick

The University of Manchester

Cardiff University

University of Sheffield

University of Leeds

Czech Republic

France


École Polytechnique

Strasbourg University

Aix-Marseille University

Paris Diderot University

EPITECH

Finland

Sweden


Jönköping International Business School

Lund University

Malmö University

Södertörns högskola

University of Gothenburg

Spain


University of Alicante

Saudi Arabia


Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University

Unions

Some staff at Ritsumeikan University are represented by the General Union, a member of the National Union of General Workers, which is itself a member of the National Trade Union Council.