Tokyo University of the Arts, Ueno Campus

Since the university’s foundation and as the only national arts university in Japan, Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo Geidai) has provided unsurpassed education and research opportunities, and has played a leading role in the continuing development of art and culture in Japan through extensive and various artistic activities and social practices both in Japan and overseas.

In recent years, Tokyo Geidai has been the only art university to be selected to become a “Top Global University” and “Center of Innovation” (COI) Site. Further, in a 2016 fiscal year government assessment as part of a third mid-term plan and under the national university reform initiative, Tokyo Geidai received the highest marks in all categories. Thus, the university has established its position as a center for implementing key national strategies.

Our mission is to play a key role in further developing the art culture in Japan, while respecting the spirit of freedom and creativity that has existed since the university’s foundation as the only comprehensive national arts university in Japan.

To achieve this mission, we have identified the following goals:

• Facilitate art education to the highest global standards and cultivate artists, educators, and researchers in the field of art with superior expertise and a high level of integrity.
• Promote the succession of tradition culture and creation of new cultural expression while collaborating with other academic disciplines and art education and research institutions in Japan and overseas.
• Pursue activities that promote an understanding of the importance of art in creating a spiritually rich and dynamic society and by creating opportunities for citizens to become familiar with art.

Reflecting on these great achievements as well as the proud traditions of the university, I would like to express my heartfelt respect and gratitude for the extraordinary efforts made by successive generations of students, academic and administrative staff members, graduates and people from all sections of society who have supported the university.

The year 2017 marks the 130th anniversary since the establishment of Tokyo Fine Arts School and the Tokyo Music School in 1887. With the motto of “ (cherishing old knowledge, creating new),”a new idea inspired by the old Japanese idiom derived from the words of Confucius, (cherishing old knowledge, acquiring new),” the university has a mid- to long-term vision of solidly continuing the knowledge and intentions that it has inherited while responding to the demands of the current era and society. It is striving to be “all Tokyo Geidai”, working to enhance and internationalize its training and research even further.

As Japan gears up for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a great opportunity is coming our way, as our nation’s art and culture will gain attention around the world. Tokyo Geidai also regards the year 2020 as a historical turning point and intends to organize various activities around it. However, the Olympic year is not the goal but a stepping stone for the university. Tokyo Geidai will strive to expand and develop the possibility of Japanese art and culture in a more creative and sustainable manner, hoping that they will further flourish on the international stage.

Tokyo Geidai is an internationally unique arts university including faculties of fine arts and music, a graduate school of film and new media; and since 2016, a new graduate school of global arts. The university, alongside the faculty staff and administrators will continue efforts to nurture the next generation of outstanding artists, to promote the power of Japanese art and culture and to contribute towards the global development of art through a close collaboration with relevant organizations including the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Agency for Cultural Affairs, thereby allowing the university to maximize its capabilities and values.