Ritsumeikan University (立命館大学, Ritsumeikan Daigaku, abbreviated to Rits and 立命 Ritsumei) is a private university in Kyoto, Japan, that traces its origin to 1869. In addition to its main campus in Kyoto, the university also has satellite campuses in Ibaraki, Osaka and Kusatsu, Shiga.
Today, Ritsumeikan University is known as one of Western Japan's most prestigious universities, part of the "Kan-Kan-Do-Rits" 関関同立 (Kwansei Gakuin University, Kansai University, Doshisha University, and Ritsumeikan University) abbreviation that refers to the four leading private universities in the Keihanshin region.
Ritsumeikan University is known for its Social Sciences, particularly International Relations (IR), as well as its Science & Engineering departments, with the Graduate School of International Relations being the only Japanese member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs.
History
Bust of Kojuro Nakagawa
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.[3] 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, 立命, ritsumei)
The "kan" in addition to "ritsumei" signifies a building.
Zonshinkan is a building on the Kinugasa Campus.The Ritsumeikan CharterNakagawa Kaikan building on the Suzaku CampusRohm Plaza of Biwako Kusatsu CampusSaionji Memorial Hall (Kinugasa Campus, Kyoto, Japan)Zonshinkan Hall (Kinugasa Campus, Kyoto, Japan)Hirai Kaichiro Memorial Library
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.[5] The ovarall design of the Kinugasa Campus was designed by Hiroyasu Tomiie, who was a leading Japanese modernist architect.
Colleges (学部)
College of Law (法学部)
College of Social Sciences (産業社会学部)
College of International Relations (国際関係学部)
College of Letters (文学部)
College of Image Arts and Sciences (映像学部)
Graduate Schools (大学院)
Graduate School of Law (法学研究科)
Graduate School of Sociology (社会学研究科)
Graduate School of International Relations (国際関係研究科)
Graduate School of Letters (文学研究科)
Graduate School of Language Education and Information Science (言語教育情報研究科)
Graduate School of CoreEthics and Frontier Sciences (先端総合学術研究科)
Institute at Kinugasa Campus (インスティテュート)
Inter-faculty Institute for International Studies (国際インスティテュート)
International Law & Business Program (国際法務プログラム)
International Civil Service Program (国際公共プログラム)
International Community Program(国際社会プログラム)
International Welfare Program (国際福祉プログラム)
Suzaku Campus
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.
Colleges (学部)
College of Economics[7] (経済学部) The College of Economics offers three programs pertaining to Economic Strategy, Economic Cooperation and International Economics, and Human Welfare and Economic Conditions. The curriculum integrates theory, history, and knowledge of the current state of affairs in a structured approach on a domestic and foreign scale.
College of Science and Engineering (理工学部)
College of Information Science & Engineering (情報理工学部)
Integrated Institute of Arts & Science (文理総合インスティテュート)
Graduate School of Technology Management (テクノロジー・マネジメント研究科)
Graduate School of Language Education and Information Science (言語教育情報研究科)
Tokyo Campus
This campus does not have a college or graduate school, but is used to support students' job searches and other activities.[10]
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
The Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (立命館 アジア 太平洋 大学, Ritsumeikan Ajia Taiheiyō Daigaku) 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, and it has 3 colleges:
College of Asia Pacific Studies.
College of International Management.
College of Sustainability and Tourism (from Academic Year 2023).[11]
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.
Academics
Institutes
Ritsumeikan University has 4 research organizations and research institutes in many fields.[12]
Ritsumeikan Asia-Japan Research Organization
Asia-Japan Research Institute
Kinugasa Research Organization
Institute of Humanities, Human and Social Sciences
Institute of International Relations and Area Studies
International Institute of Language and Culture Studies
Institute of Human Sciences
Institute of Disaster Mitigation for Urban Cultural Heritage
The Shirakawa Shizuka Institute of East Asian Characters and Culture
Institute of Ars Vivendi
BKC Research Organization of Social Sciences
Institute of Social Systems
Research Organization of Science and Technology
Institute of Science and Engineering
Research Organization of Open Innovation and Collaboration
The Research and Development Institute of Regional Information
Facilities
Art Research Center (Kinugasa Campus)
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 1894–1895 to the Iraq War.
In the 2024 edition of the QS World University Rankings, it is ranked 631st-640th. Ranked 4th among private universities in Japan.[16] In the 2023 edition QS Asia University Rankings, it was ranked 126th. Ranked 3rd among private universities in Japan.[17] In the 2022 edition of the QS Graduate Employability Rankings, it ranked 201st-250th.[18] It ranked 1st among private universities in Western Japan in the three rankings mentioned above.
In the 2023 edition of THE World University Rankings Japan, it is ranked 31st. Ranked 11th among Western Japan universities and 1st among Kinki private universities. In the same year edition of THE World University Rankings, it ranked 1201st-1500th, and in THE Asia University Rankings ranked 401st-500th.[19]
In the 2023 edition of CWUR World University Rankings, it is ranked 1024th, in the top 5% of the world.[20]
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