Tenri University
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese private university in Tenri
, Nara Prefecture
, an independent part of the secular mission of Tenrikyo
. It was established in February 1925 as the coeducation
al , enrolling 104 students, and was reorganised as a university in April 1949. It has a strong reputation in Japan for foreign language study and judo
.
complex, a square almost one kilometer in diameter that also houses a seminary, public schools, Tenrikyo lectures, and the Tenri Hospital
.
Only one third of Tenri University students are actually Tenrikyo adherents. Its foreign exchange students also come from a variety of religious backgrounds.
Tenri University operates Tenri Central Library
, a notable Japanese library.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese private university in Tenri
Tenri, Nara
is a city located in Nara, Japan. Tenri is the only city in Japan to be named after a religious group, the new religious movement Tenrikyo which has its headquarters in the city and believes it to be one among other energy centers of the world. Tenrikyo had recommended the name Yamabe, which is the...
, Nara Prefecture
Nara Prefecture
is a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.-History:The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....
, an independent part of the secular mission of Tenrikyo
Tenrikyo
Tenrikyo is a monotheistic religion originating in revelations to a 19th-century Japanese woman named Nakayama Miki, known as Oyasama by followers...
. It was established in February 1925 as the coeducation
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al , enrolling 104 students, and was reorganised as a university in April 1949. It has a strong reputation in Japan for foreign language study and judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
.
Founding
As Tenrikyo expanded in the early 20th century, its leaders decided that all adherents had the right to a formal secular education, and the Tenri Foreign Language School was founded at the same time as a public preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school. Today, Tenri University is part of the oyasato-yakataOyasato-yakata
The oyasato-yakata complex is a collection of buildings in Tenri City, Nara, Japan. that form an incomplete square on each side surrounding the Divine Residence , a structure sacred to the Japanese new religion Tenrikyo...
complex, a square almost one kilometer in diameter that also houses a seminary, public schools, Tenrikyo lectures, and the Tenri Hospital
Tenri Hospital
Tenri Hospital is an international hospital in Tenri City, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It was founded as part of the secular mission of Tenrikyo...
.
Only one third of Tenri University students are actually Tenrikyo adherents. Its foreign exchange students also come from a variety of religious backgrounds.
Tenri University operates Tenri Central Library
Tenri Central Library
Tenri Central Library is the library of Tenri University. It has notably extensive collections in antiquarian material, including original manuscripts from 13th century Japan, and artifacts of European exploration and early visits to Japan. Dating to 1926, the library predates the university itself...
, a notable Japanese library.
Controversy
In 2002, the school attracted national notice when it was discovered that a professor there had posted student attendance information and grades on his publicly-accessible personal website; the university disciplined the professor for violating the students' privacy.Notable students and faculty
- Anton GeesinkAnton GeesinkAntonius "Anton" Johannes Geesink was a Dutch 10th-dan judoka from Utrecht. He was a three-time World Judo Champion , Olympic Gold Medalist and won 21 European championships...
, Dutch 10th-dan jūdōka and Olympic gold medalist, studied at Tenri University in 1961 - Shunpei MizunoShunpei Mizunois a Japanese author who used to write under the pen name . His primary area of writing is on Korean culture; he has also published instructional books for Korean learners of Japanese.-Early life and education:...
, author, graduated in 1990 with a major in Korean languageKorean languageKorean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing... - Motohiro Ono, head of the Japan-Ukraine Cultural Relations Society
- Shinichi ShinoharaShinichi Shinoharais a former jūdōka and winner of the gold medal at the 1999 World Judo Championships in Birmingham. To Shinohara's disappointment, French champion David Douillet did not compete at Birmingham due to back injury; Shinohara was quoted as saying, "Even though I lifted the double crown at the worlds,...
, world-champion gold medalist and Olympic silver medalist jūdōka