Yamagata University (YU) (山形大学, Yamagata daigaku) is a national university located in the Japanese cities of Yamagata, Yonezawa, and Tsuruoka in Yamagata Prefecture.
The Times Higher Education released World University Rankings 2016–2017. Yamagata University ranked 600-800th out of the top 980 universities in the world.
In addition, YU is ranked the tenth place (10th) in Japanese research organization ranking, announcement in April 2017, by the analysis of the number of the highly cited papers in a "Materials Science" field alone in the Japanese local national university. Ranking by Thomson Reuters
The university was established in 1949, but its origin can be traced back to the Yamagata Normal School (山形師範学校, Yamagata Shihan Gakkō), a public teacher-training institution, founded in 1878 in Yamagata City.
The university also has other roots: the Yonezawa Higher Technical School (米沢高等工業学校, Yonezawa Kōtō Kōgyō Gakkō) founded in 1910 in Yonezawa City, the Yamagata Higher School (山形高等学校, Yamagata Kōtō Gakkō) founded in 1920 in Yamagata City, the Yamagata Youth Normal School (山形青年師範学校, Yamagata Seinen Shihan Gakkō) founded in 1922 in Yamagata City, and the Yamagata Prefectural Agricultural College (山形県立農林専門学校, Yamagata Kenritsu Nōrin Senmon Gakkō) founded in 1947 in Tsuruoka City.
Yamagata University is the second-largest university in the Tohoku Region.
The university has six faculties and about 10,000 students in four campuses. It also has an additional subcampus in which University K-9 schools are administered.
Contents
History
The Imperial Japan (Meiji) Government decided to merge the "old" Yamagata, Okitama, and Tsuruoka Prefectures into one new Yamagata Prefecture in August 1876. Each of the former three prefectures had its own normal schools, but these were closed with the discontinuance of their administrative bodies. The direct institutional history dates back to 1877 when the Congress of new Yamagata Prefecture authorized an establishment of a new public teacher-training institution, Yamagata Prefectural Normal School, which was founded in September 1878 in Hatago-machi, Yamagata City.
Meanwhile, Yonezawa Higher Technical School, the first national school of higher education in the prefecture, was founded in 1910. The institute was the seventh National Higher Technical School in Japan following the establishment of Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Kumamoto, and Sendai Higher Technical Schools. It was renamed the Yonezawa Engineering College under reformation of the law in 1944.
Ten years after the establishment of the Yonezawa Higher Technical School, another national school of higher education was founded (1920) in Yamagata Prefecture, Yamagata Higher School, located in Yamagata City and the 14th national higher school in Japan.
During World War II, the United States' bombers destroyed the Komagome laboratories of the Japanese science research institute RIKEN, and it was evacuated to several local cities (Kanazawa, Osaka and Yamagata) as the situation worsened.
One of the evacuations sites was Yamagata Higher School.
The National Yonezawa Higher Technical School and Yamagata Higher School were both prestigious schools at the time and played a central role when Yamagata University was established after World War II. The two schools produced a number of exceptional graduates, and alumni numbered about 5,500 and 5,000, respectively.
To meet the growing needs of primary and secondary education, Yamagata Prefecture founded one more public teacher-training institution, the Yamagata Prefectural Teacher's School for Vocational Supplementary Education, in 1922.
Campuses and colleges
Yamagata University has four main campuses, Yamagata-Kojirakawa, Yamagata-Iida, Yonezawa and Tsuruoka.
Approximately 10,000 students are enrolled, including 177 international students.
Yamagata-Matsunami Campus has no research facility except for Teacher Training Research Center; there exists University K-9 schools.
Also the university has the Tokyo Satellite Center (3-3-6-503 Shibaura, Minato, Tokyo 108-0023, Japan).
Campuses
Kojirakawa Campus (1-4-12 Kojirakawa-machi, Yamagata 990-8560, Japan)
Administration Bureau
Faculty of Education, Art and Science Archived 7 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine
Primary Education course
Music course Archived 7 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine
Art course
Sports course
Intercultural Studies course
Food Science and Nutrition course
Environment and Space Design course
Systems Science and Information Studies course
Faculty of Literature and Social Sciences
Faculty of Science
University Library
University Museum
Cooperative Research Center (Yamagata Satellite)
Education Center for Foreign Language
Information Center
International Center
Networking and Computing Service Center (Yamagata Branch)
Radioisotope Laboratory
Research Center for Higher Education
Faculties
Yamagata University consists of six faculties:
Faculty of Literature and Social Sciences
Faculty of Education, Art and Science
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Engineering
Faculty of Agriculture
Graduate schools
Yamagata University consists of six graduate schools and a united graduate course:
Graduate School of Social and Cultural Systems
Graduate School of Education
Graduate School of Science
Graduate School of Medicine
Graduate School of Engineering
Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences
The United Graduate Course of Agricultural Sciences
Research facilities
University Farm
University Forest
University Hospital
University Libraries (Central, Medical, Engineering, Agricultural)
University Museum
Central Laboratory for Research and Education
Cooperative Research Centers (Yonezawa Center, Yamagata Satellite)
Education Center for Foreign Language
Environmental Preservation Center
Incubation Center
Information Center
International Center
Laboratory Animal Center
Networking and Computing Service Centers [NCSC] (Yamagata Center, Yonezawa, Iida and Tsuruoka)
Radioisotope Laboratory (Yamagata Center, Iida and Tsuruoka)
Research Laboratories for Molecular Genetics (Iida Center and Tsuruoka)
Research Center for Higher Education
Teacher Training Research Center
Teacher Training Research Center
Venture Business Laboratory [VBL]
Other facilities
University Gymnasia (Yamagata, Iida, Yonezawa and Tsuruoka)
Health Administration Centers (Yamagata, Yonezawa and Tsuruoka)
University-Attached Schools (Kindergarten, Elementary School, Junior High School and Special School)
Affiliations
Yamagata University is affiliated with 48 universities and institutes in 18 countries. The University maintains international exchange agreements with 25 institutions in nine different countries (2007).
Notable people and alumni
Yasushi Akashi (1931–) – Yamagata Higher School (1950), Diplomat and UN administrator
Takeo Doi (1904–1996) – Yamagata Higher School (1925), Aircraft Designer, He designed Kawasaki Ki-10, Ki-61, Ki-100 and NAMC YS-11.
Michiro Endō (1950–) – Yamagata University (1973), Musician
Shūhei Fujisawa (1927–1997) – Yamagata Normal School (1949), Author
Yatarō Mishima (1867–1919) – Yamagata Prefectural Normal School (1882), 8th President of the Bank of Japan, Senator, House of Peers of the Japanese Imperial Diet
Shichirō Murayama (1908–1995) – Yamagata Higher School (1929), Linguist
Mikio Narita (1935–1990) – Faculty of Literature and Sciences (1959), Actor
Yoshihiro Togashi (1966–) – Faculty of Education (1988), Manga artist
Takaaki Yoshimoto (1924–) – Yonezawa Higher Technical School (1945), Poet, literary critic, and philosopher
Points of interest
Main Building of Yonezawa Higher Technical School (a designated national Important Cultural Property)
4-3-16 Jonan, Yonezawa 992-8510, Japan (Yonezawa Campus, Yamagata University)
Education Museum of Yamagata Prefectural Museum (ex- Main Building of Yamagata Prefectural Normal School, one of the Japanese "Designated National Important Cultural Properties")
2-2-8 Midori-cho, Yamagata 990-0041, Japan
Auditorium of Yamagata Prefectural Yamagata North High School (ex- Music Hall of Yamagata Prefectural Normal School, one of the Prefectural "Designated Important Cultural Properties")
2-2-7 Midori-cho, Yamagata 990-0041, Japan