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HISTORY OF
HOSHI UNIVERSITY
Birth of Hoshi University – How our university was founded by Hajime Hoshi.
Born in Fukushima Prefecture in the Tohoku Region of Japan in 1873, he went to America at the age of 20 to study statistics at Columbia University. After returning to Japan, he established Hoshi Pharmaceutical Company in 1911. The company succeeded in the industrial production of alkaloids, such as morphine, cocaine and atropine, for the first time in Japan.
“Our university is a 'cradle' in which talents who will serve the world are fostered.”
This is the educational policy of Hoshi University. Like Hajime Hoshi who dedicated his life to the advancement of medicine in Japan, the faculty and staff are working as one to produce graduates who will serve society. Based on this principle, we have produced many outstanding pharmacists and drug discovery researchers domestically and internationally and established ourselves as one of the best private pharmaceutical universities in Japan.
His encounter in America - the land of freedom - with medicine supporting peoples' everyday lives.
In the Meiji Period (from the late 19th century to the early 20th century), during the early stages of Japan's modernization period, many young people left the country to study leading edge technologies and, with that, to make Japan an affluent country. Hajime Hoshi was one of them. He went to the US and studied frantically. He learned that in America people managed their health using over-the-counter drugs - a system which was yet to be established in Japan at the time. He did not waste his time absorbing as much knowledge in the field as possible. At the root of our university's foundation lies such experiences of Hajime Hoshi.
Nights away talking about the future of medicine with his lifelong friend, Dr. Hideyo Noguchi.
During his 12-year stay in the US, he got acquainted with many distinguished people, including Hirobumi Ito, the first prime minister of Japan, and Thomas Edison. Among them, Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, who is known for his research on yellow fever and was also from the same prefecture as Hoshi, stands out. When Dr. Noguchi had to go back to Japan to see his mother, Hoshi supported his travel expenses.
Starting our university - An institution for training human resources for Hoshi Pharmaceutical Company.
Originally, our university was an educational institution for the staff of Hoshi Pharmaceutical Company. Hajime Hoshi put emphasis on staff education because his success was realized by his own education. Hajime Hoshi’s lifelong belief in “people development” was combined with the community service spirit of “developing talents who can bring health to people suffering from diseases, thus giving them happiness and peace.” These thoughts have been passed on to this day as the educational policy of our university.
Kindness first: Paying back Germany, the country which helped Japan realize its technological development.
"Kindness first" was Hajime Hoshi’s motto. There is an episode expressing this spirit well; after World War I, he donated two billion yen in today’s value to the German science community which was facing financial difficulties at the time. He used his private assets for the donation despite Hoshi Pharmaceutical’s business not going well. Some say that his support created a foundation from which three German scientists subsequently won the Nobel Prize.
From Hoshi Pharmaceutical Workshop, to Hoshi Pharmaceutical and Commercial School, to Hoshi Pharmaceutical School and to Hoshi University.
Hoshi University started out as an educational institution for Hoshi Pharmaceutical Company which grew in size over time into a workshop for pharmacy personnel, then into a school to teach pharmaceutical knowledge from manufacturing to sales stages and then in 1950 into a pharmaceutical university. Since then, we have contributed to the realization of an affluent society while producing many pharmaceutical specialists.
Withstanding the Great Kanto Earthquake and World War II, the Main Hall has witnessed the modern history of Japan.
The main hall, a symbol of our university, was built in 1924. The hall is still used as a university building preserving the beautiful geometric patterns designed by a world renowned architect Antonin Raymond. The view of the main hall, which survived such disasters as earthquakes and airstrikes, reminds us of the life of Hajime Hoshi who never lost courage despite hardships and dedicated his life for the advancement of science.
Newly built 'Shinseikan' – the center of cutting–edge pharmaceutical education and research for the future.
Another symbol of our university is Shinseikan, which was completed in 2001. Laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art instruments support our top-notch research in Japan. The Main Hall and Shinseikan, our old and new symbols, represent the essence of the pharmaceutical education and research at our university which is underpinned by over 100 years of tradition and the latest research technologies.
Hajime Hoshi established Hoshi Pharmaceutical Company, including an educational program for all staff
(marking the start of Hoshi University)
Foundation of Hoshi Pharmaceutical and Commercial School
Completion of the Main Hall
Foundation of Hoshi Pharmaceutical School
Hoshi University (Pharmaceutical course) opened
Two-course system began with the establishment of Biological and Hygienic course
Establishment of the Master's program
Establishment of the Doctoral program
Foundation of the Institute of Medicinal Chemistry
Formation of a sister-school relationship with the Peking University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (formerly the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Beijing Medical University)
Establishment of the High-Tech Research Center
Establishment of Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Clinical Pharmacy Doctoral and Master's courses
Completion of the Shinseikan Celebration marking the 90th year since the establishment of the Hoshi educational programs Establishment of Hoshi University Science/Technology Frontier Base
Establishment of the Pharmaceutical Course (6 years) and Drug Discovery Science Course (4 years)
Foundation of the Drug Discovery Science Research Center
Our centennial celebration
Wall painting at the entrance hall
The entrance to the Main Hall forms an atrium open from thewhere Hajime Hoshi studied. first to the third floor. The walls along the ramps between floors are decorated with artwork based on a motif of traditional medicine gathering from the Asuka Period of classical Japan.
Auditorium of the Main Hall
There are a total of 1228 seats on the first and second
floors of the Main Hall. The ceiling is adorned with
stained glass depicting a medicinal plant motif. The hall
has been used for a number of international
scientific meetings.
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