History

THE HISTORY OF SHOWA UNIVERSITY

Showa University was founded with the aim of cultivating clinicians with practical skills and an abundant sense of humanity.

In 1928, concerned by the primarily academic focus of medical training in national universities at that time, Dr. Shusuke Kamijo established Showa Medical University, advocating the need for teaching future physicians basic clinical ability (knowledge, skill and attitude) so that they could be capable of meeting patient’s real needs Dr. Kamijo proposed 'as a good citizen / as a good human / as a good physician' to be the educational goal and with fiery passion and steadfast conviction, he devoted himself to the establishment of ideal medical education and medical care that could be trusted by patients.

Dr. Kamijo summarized the university’s founding ethos in the words of Mencius: 'Shisei Ikkan’ (”Sincerity is the way to heaven”). For more than 90 years, this spirit of constant empathy and sincere devotion toward others has been passed down through the generations to the present day. After World War II, Showa Medical College became Showa Medical University with the aim of cultivating not only physicians, but also a wide range of clinical staff and researchers. With the establishment of the School of Pharmacy, School of Dentistry, and School of Nursing and Rehabilitation Sciences, Showa University has firmly established itself as a comprehensive medical university, which actively contributes to the development of modern health care.

A university entrance ceremony in the 1930s:

A representative of the students took the entrance oath in front of the President and signed his name with a writing brush. Some of the students are wearing kimonos, Japanese traditional clothes.

1930s: Dr. Shusuke Kamijo gives an anatomy practical in the Clinical Auditorium, watched earnestly by students formally dressed in suits and ties.

A practical class in the 1930s: Students studied assiduously, peering into their microscopes in the cramped practical room until nightfall.

1930s: Members of the kyudo (Japanese archery) club practice this traditional form of archery. Practices were held in the precincts of nearby temples and shrines.