One University from Two Schools

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The origins of Osaka University trace back to Kaitokudo, the Edo-period school for citizens founded in 1724, and Tekijuku, the school of Rangaku (Western science studied through the Dutch language). It is said that the spirit of the university's humanities departments stems from Kaitokudo, while that of the science departments, including medicine, comes from Tekijuku.

Kaitokudo was located in Amagasaki, Osaka (now Imabashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka City) and offered a liberal atmosphere that was welcomed by Osaka merchants and attracted students from all over the country. Although the school building was burnt down during World War II, the surviving books and other literature are collectively stored in Osaka University's Kaitokudo Bunko library.

Tekijuku was opened by Ogata Koan, a doctor and Rangaku scholar, at Kawaramachi in 1838. The school produced many talented individuals responsible for Japan's modernization, acting as pioneers in the fields of medicine, physics, science, and military science. Among the graduates from Tekijuku are Yukichi Fukuzawa, the founder of Keio University, Masujiro Omura, known for building the basis of Japan's modern military, and Ryoun Takamatsu, who contributed to the dissemination of modern medicine in Japan. Koan was a gifted doctor and educator whose humanistic values have been inherited by Osaka University's modern medical school.

Osaka Imperial University was inaugurated as the sixth imperial university in 1931. It started with two schools, medicine and science, adding a school of engineering two years later. The university changed its name to Osaka University in 1947 and helped led the way for the government's education system reforms starting in 1949. Osaka University was originally established in response to the requests of local industrial circles and citizens. Today, this is still reflected in the many departments founded through the financing of voluntary contributors.