Dean of Cultural Affairs Division, Miho Matsunaga
Since its founding, Waseda University has contributed to Japanese society and its culture through the history and traditions it has accumulated. This accumulation is often referred to as Waseda-ness or "Waseda culture," and has fostered pride among many people connected with Waseda, including current students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
The Cultural Promotion Department was established in 2007 with the aim of contributing to society while playing a central role in disseminating "Waseda culture" and promoting the co-creation and creation of "knowledge" through wide-open collaboration with students, alumni, and the local community. The Cultural Planning Division has been added as an administrative organization directly under the Cultural Promotion Department to the three institutions that have traditionally developed independently: The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum (opened in 1928), Aizu Museum (opened in 1998), and Waseda University Archives (reorganized in 1998). While each has its own unique role, they work together as a "bundle of culture" at Waseda.
Waseda University has a collection of more than 5 million items, including artworks, calligraphy, paintings, museum materials, books, and video materials, including two national treasures, seven important cultural properties, and eight important art objects. These are valuable cultural assets that form the core of Waseda culture. Cultural Affairs Division is actively working to make these resources available to the public and to utilize them.
In March 2018, in addition to the existing The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum and Aizu Museum, the third museum, Waseda University History Museum, was opened. Materials and information on the university's history (past, present, and future) are presented in a variety of ways so that visitors can make new discoveries according to their interests, rather than simply displaying a general history. In addition, in March 2019, the fourth museum, the Waseda Sports Museum, was opened in the new symbol of the university, the Waseda Arena, which was completed on the Toyama Campus. Through glorious scenes and symbolic episodes that color the long history, visitors can feel the unparalleled individuality and charm of "Waseda Sports," which has always attracted great attention as a pioneer at the forefront of the times. In addition, Honjo City in Saitama Prefecture and Waseda University have designated the area, surrounded by the natural environment of Okuboyama and Asamiyama Hills and various ruins and cultural assets, as the "Honjo Waseda Cultural Forest," and positioned it as a base for local culture. In October 2020, we jointly opened the Honjo Waseda no Mori Museum, which utilizes the abundant materials held by Honjo city and our university to hold exhibitions that capture the history of the region from a global perspective.
In October 2021, the Waseda International House of Literature (The Haruki Murakami Library) will open on the Waseda Campus, where research on Murakami Haruki will be conducted based on valuable materials entrusted and donated by alumnus Murakami Haruki, and the library will also aim to become an international research hub for Japanese and translated literature. Since its opening, the library has hosted study groups and cultural exchange events, inviting Murakami, as well as many other writers and researchers. In addition, in April 2022, the History House and the Waseda University Archives will be reorganized and integrated into a new Waseda University History Museum that combines the functions of both houses, with the aim of serving as a hub for disseminating intellectual and cultural information.
Waseda University has formulated a medium- to long-term plan, "Waseda Vision 150," in preparation for its 150th anniversary in 2032, and is considering and implementing various projects to establish an ideal image of the university. Cultural Affairs Division has also set "Promoting Waseda culture - aiming to foster a sense of Waseda identity and pride" as one of its core strategies.
When Waseda culture is viewed both inside and outside Waseda, especially from the outside, it is linked to "Waseda-ness." When Waseda-ness is discussed, Waseda-related people feel a renewed sense of belonging and pride in Waseda. The objectives of "Aiming to foster Waseda-ness and pride - promoting Waseda culture" are: 1. To reaffirm what Waseda culture is and to clarify the process of its enrichment and development, 2. To link Waseda culture to an evaluation of Waseda-ness and to raise that evaluation, and 3. To further foster pride in Waseda. We aim to contribute to the creation of a new culture by achieving each objective. To achieve this goal, we have launched eight projects and are working on unique undertakings (1) project to promote culture and the arts and disseminate culture from campus, 2) project to disseminate culture through collaboration with the local community and make effective use of facilities, 3) project to strengthen and expand the public access to the cultural resource database - Virtual Museum project, 4) project to compile the 150th anniversary history of Waseda University, 5) project to develop new Waseda sports, 6) project to explore Waseda's unique identity and pride, 7) project to strengthen the dissemination of Waseda theater, and 8) project to open The Waseda International House of Literature (The Haruki Murakami Library)).
The reason for the existence of a university in society is, of course, above all else, education and research, but we are convinced that the true and unique role of Cultural Affairs Division lies in disseminating the power of "culture" that is generated from education and research, thereby further strengthening the ties between the university and society, and ultimately contributing to the richness of society.We believe that our important mission is to disseminate powerful cultural information from Waseda, where the "tides of culture" from the East and West, past and present, are swirling, and to pass on Waseda culture to future generations.
"Waseda culture" includes fields such as sports and science, and the activities and achievements of students and graduates are also important components of Waseda culture. We would like to spread Waseda culture by gaining understanding and sympathy not only from our alumni, but also from the general public. We sincerely ask for your continued understanding and support for our cultural activities.
Manager | 2007.4~2008.11 | Takehiko Nishimoto |
---|---|---|
2008.12~2010.11 | Naohito Seto | |
2010.11~2018.11 | Yuichi Toeda | |
2018.11~2020.6 | Yoshihiro Watanabe | |
2020.7~2024.9 | Sachiko Shuto | |
2024.10~ | 松永 美穂 | |
Deputy Director | 2007.4~2008.11 | Naohito Seto |
2008.12~2010.11 | Yuichi Toeda | |
2010.11~2015.3 | Kiyohiro Iwami | |
2015.4〜2016.3 | Kazushige Munakata | |
2016.4~2018.11 | Kiyohiro Iwami | |
2018.11~2019.3 | Tsukahara Fumi | |
2018.11~2021.3 | Sumio Ohirakata | |
2018.11~2023.3 | Minako Okamura | |
2019.4~ | Hida Michimi | |
2023.4~ | Ryuichi Kodama | |
2024.4~ | 真辺 将之 | |
2024.4~ | 麻生 享志 |
The Waseda Culture Site is operated by Cultural Affairs Division as a base for disseminating the university's cultural resources and information.