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History of the University

History of the University

Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine was established in 1872 (5th year of the Meiji Era) and is one of the oldest medical universities in Japan with a history spanning almost 150 years.
The process leading to the establishment of Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine is quite unique. From 1868 (1st year of the Meiji Era), the people of Kyoto had called upon the Japanese government to create a hospital in western medicine and training facility for doctors. However, the government was unable to grant their wish following the relocation of Japan’s capital from Kyoto to Tokyo. As a result, the citizens of Kyoto took it upon themselves to collect monetary contributions from temples, shops, teahouses, and the general population, and were ultimately successful in realizing their long-cherished dream of creating a hospital. Kyoto Prefecture was then asked to take over the operation and the hospital was built inside the grounds of the famous “Shoren-in” Temple located in the Higashiyama district of Kyoto. A renowned German anesthesiologist was then invited to give medical lectures at the facility once completed.
For most medical universities the educational facilities, and colleges were established first, with affiliated hospitals later being set up as training centers for those institutions. In the case of Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, however, a hospital prioritized around providing medical care for the people of Kyoto was established first, with the university being set up later as a place to cultivate human resources and to undertake general healthcare and promote medical science for the hospital. Since that time, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine has set forth on the mission of cultivating doctors and medical scientists of the highest caliber, healthcare professionals capable of responding to the needs of the surrounding communities. To the present day we keep to our original goal of bringing top-level medicine to our region. 
As a result of the Japanese educational reforms of 1952, the facilities officially became known as Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine. In addition, a Graduate School (medical research department/doctoral course) was established in 1957, as well as adjunct facilities such as a Medical Care Center in 1971, an affiliated Children’s Research Hospital (popularly called the “Kyoto Prefectural Children’s Hospital”) in 1982, and an affiliated Research Institute for Neurological Diseases and Geriatrics in 1990.
The Nursing School was first established in 1889 with the opening of an affiliated training school for midwives. It has grown into a fullfledge nursing school with training in all off the nursing specialities, and a graduate school in nursing for health care sciences. 
Interestingly, many of the original prefectural and municipal universities have now been transformed into official national universities of Japan; e.g., Osaka Prefectural Medical School became Osaka University Medical Faculty and Aichi Prefectural Medical School became Nagoya University Medical Faculty. However, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine declined the invitation to become a national university due to the institution’s desire to retain its high level of academic freedom and independence, thus side-stepping control by the Education Ministry (the current Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). To that regard, Kyoto University (a national institution) and Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine (a prefectural/municipal institution) are now located on opposite sides of the Kamo River from one another and are often viewed as competing universities, albeit in the best of favorable senses.

602-8566 Kyoto-shi, Kamigyo-ku Kajii-cho,
Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, JAPAN

Contact
TEL:075-251-5111
FAX:075-251-7093