Kinjo Gakuin was founded through private investment in 1889 by a missionary of the Southern Presbyterian Church in USA named Annie Randolph, who was concerned about the lack of progress in womenʼs education in Nagoya and felt the need for women to develop character through scripture. Her project started with just three students.
Our predecessors were unified in their insistence on educating everyone based on the Bible, which contains the true teachings of the Christian faith. The purpose of education at Kinjo Gakuin, therefore, is to turn out independent women who know the love of God, who love their neighbors, and who are able to help bring peace to our world. Our goal is to develop women who carry on these spiritual principles and traditions, are rich in knowledge and skills, and able to take a leading role in society.
In terms of specific policies designed to achieve these aims, our educational programs offer a broad curriculum with a focus on courses that allow our students to acquire the professional qualifications they seek. On the personal side, we offer an advisor system in which students are free to seek consultation on any and every aspect of school life, encouraging them to take advantage of our career support services in particular as they develop their future plans. We also offer assistance through our scholarship programs, health support systems, and more.
At Kinjo Gakuin, our school motto is “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7), and our educational slogan is “Be strong. Be kind.”
The slogan “Be strong. Be kind.” represents a simple way to understand the founding spirit of our school and our overall approach to education. Underlying it is the idea of educating women based on evangelical Christian principles. It is through the learning process that we are able to become more broadly cultured, gain highly specialized knowledge, develop precision skills, and more. These are the qualities that give us tremendous power out in the world. This is what it means to “be strong”, and as Japan faces an aging society and declining birthrate, women are increasingly called upon to demonstrate these strengths in order to make their mark on society. At the same time, if we donʼt have a sympathetic and kind heart towards others, we cannot take part in the world. This is what it means to “be kind”, and it is this kindness that women demonstrate when they take on the invaluable tasks of running a household or raising children. A Christian education makes it possible to learn and develop in a way that combines both of these principles.
No matter how intensely they strive, no human being is complete without combining their talents and skills with others. And while striving to become more complete in ourselves is a worthy goal, no amount of self-sufficiency can get us through a natural disaster or other unexpected calamity, as events like these show us just how powerless we are on our own. In overcoming these challenges, however, we find that we are protected despite our weaknesses; it becomes impossible to deny that it is almighty God who gives us life, and who serves as our source of true power and true kindness.
1889 | Kinjo Girls' School (a private school) established |
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1927 | Kinjo Girls' Vocational School established |
1947 | Kinjo Gakuen Junior High School established under educational system reforms |
1948 | School renamed |
1949 | Kinjo Gakuin University (College of English Literature) established |
1954 | College of English Literature reorganized |
1962 | College of Home Economics (present-day College of Human Life and Environment) established |
1967 | Graduate School of Humanities established |
1997 | College of Contemporary Society and Culture established |
2002 | College of Human Sciences established |
2005 | College of Pharmacy established |
2022 | Faculty of Nursing established Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science established |
*Establishing a new graduate school and faculties is under planning.