About Ritsumeikan University

Ritsumeikan University Ritsumeikan Daigaku, abbreviated to Rits and  Ritsumei) is a private university in Kyoto, Japan, that traces its origin to 1869. With the Kinugasa Campus (KIC) in Kyoto, and Kyoto Prefecture, the university also has a satellite called Biwako-Kusatsu Campus (BKC) and Osaka-Ibaraki Campus (OIC).

Today, Ritsumeikan university is known as one of western Japan’s four leading private universities. “KAN-KAN-DO-RITS” (Kwansei Gakuin University, Kansai University, Doshisha University, and Ritsumeikan University) is the abbreviation that refers to the four leading private universities in the region (of 20 million people). 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, and offers a dual bachelor’s degree in collaboration with The University of British Columbia. It has an especially strong alumni network in the Kansai region and has produced a number of CEOs in Japanese companies as well as politicians.

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 (the former secretary of Prince Saionji) established the Kyoto Hosei School, a law school that eventually adopted the Ritsumeikan name (with the prince’s permission) 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”. (in Japanese, ritsumei)