SOPHIA UNIVERSITY
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Sophia - A Jesuit University in the Center of Tokyo
 
Our Ideal is a Person Who Lives for Others, Inspired by the Ideals of Christian Humanism
Sophia University was established by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic order with a five-century-long history of promoting education. The philosophy of the first Jesuits still flourishes on the campuses of Sophia and is evident in the students' passionate attempts to understand different cultures, in the ideals of service and living in harmony with others, and most of all in the emphasis on an education that develops each student's individual character. Sophia is a unique institution where the ideals of Christian humanism form the acknowledged basis of teaching and research, a philosophy that the university is determined to hand down to future generations.
 

Ever Since its Establishment, an International Tradition has been at the Heart of Sophia

The origins of Sophia University can be traced back to 1549, when St. Francis Xavier arrived in Japan on a mission from the Society of Jesus. Realizing that the Japanese people possessed a highly advanced culture, Xavier wanted to open a European-style university in the country. However, it took until 1906 for the project to get under way, as it was in this year that Pope Pius X eventually authorized the Society of Jesus to establish the first Catholic university in Japan.
To this end, three Jesuits were dispatched on a special mission in 1908. They were the Rev. Joseph Dahlmann, a German with a profound knowledge of Indian and Chinese culture, the Rev. Henri Boucher, a Frenchman who had worked for many years in China, and the Rev. James Rockliff, an Englishman who was active in the United States. The university was finally established in 1913 and Fr. Hermann Hoffmann, a German philosopher, was chosen as its first president. The Jesuit spirit of these four founding fathers emphasizes respect for the history and culture of different peoples, and encourages efforts toward understanding across national and cultural divides. This same spirit continues to permeate and guide education at Sophia today.
 


 

Fr. Hermann Hoffman first president of Sophia
Christian Humanism Remains the Foundation of Sophia's Philosophy of Education

Before the Second World War, Sophia University weathered a number of severe trials including the destruction of its three-story red brick building in the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 and strong external pressure from the military authorities in the years up to and during the war. Since the war's end, however, Sophia has enjoyed more than fifty years of unfettered development during which time it has grown into precisely the kind of university that Pope Pius X envisioned. At present, there are seven faculties for undergraduates offering courses in a total of 30 departments, while the Graduate School conducts doctoral programs in seven divisions.
In the almost nine decades since its establishment, Sophia's philosophy of education hasn't changed at all. The fundamental principle remains Christian humanism, which takes as its example Christ's living not in order to be served but in order to serve others. Armed with this philosophy, Sophia's teaching staff work to assist their students in the latter's efforts to develop their own unique natural gifts to the maximum extent, while paying full respect to each student's character and individuality.
On the threshold of the 21st century and with the world becoming increasingly complex, humanity is faced with a host of problems, such as environmental destruction, inter-racial conflict, growing economic disparities, the aging of society, and the erosion of community. To solve such problems requires more than just professional knowledge and abilities. It is also essential to possess the capacity to understand other people and to sympathize with their situation. Christian humanism, as practiced at Sophia, is a philosophy that helps to cultivate people who possess such qualities and who are therefore capable of creating a new culture while viewing people everywhere as members of a single family.