Reflect on the Past, Feel the Present, Anticipate the Future

Whenever we look ahead to our future or think about embarking on a new journey, we look back at our past. We take a break from constantly moving forward to check the path that has led us to where we are now in order to make sure we are on the right path as we continue forward. The past is what connects everything in our now; it serves as the guiding compass for the future not only for us as individuals, but also for our entire species.

The campus of Kumamoto University dates back over one hundred years. It is a rich academic environment where the buildings themselves are important cultural properties that the university’s deep history and have accumulated vast stores of educational resources over decades of research. Indeed, every building and even every tree on campus has served as the setting where countless youths have gathered and grown while studying their passions, engaging in sport, and developing valuable friendships. All you need to do is set foot on campus or enter one of its buildings to feel the vitality of past generations coursing through our university.

In order to share this special campus and its history with the people in our community and the world, Kumamoto University has embarked on a project to create a Campus Museum. A university is a place to learn through enjoying knowledge—our days at university are spent building our knowledge while engaging in activities to contribute to peace and happiness among humankind.

This is what I mean by “a compass showing humanity’s path forward.” I sincerely hope you will visit Kumamoto University and gain some of the humane wisdom we have accrued in our decades of growth as an institution, understand what makes this school great, interact with our diverse body of students and researchers from all over the world, and discuss with them the fascinating past and bright future of the human race.

Kumamoto University Dean Ogawa Hisao

In 2021, Kumamoto University started planning the Campus Museum. The Kumamoto University campus is home to important cultural properties, such as the Memorial Museum of the Fifth High School, that express the school’s rich history and heritage. Furthermore, each department and research facility houses priceless educational and research materials and cultural artifacts. The Campus Museum’s main mission is to construct a database of information about these valuable resources to pass on to future generations and share with citizens of Kumamoto and researchers the world over to advance education, research, and society. The Museum also collaborates with curational facilities at each campus to plan exhibitions that will demonstrate the special appeal of our campus to citizens, students, and researchers throughout the world.

Now, in preparation for our grand opening, we are inventorying our materials and preparing our exhibition areas and storage spaces while also planning and holding various exhibitions and symposiums at each facility. I hope you will visit Kumamoto University campus.

Vice-President of Kumamoto University
Director of Campus Museum Promotion Office