Discover Our History
Click here to launch our fascinating timeline!
This timeline offers detailed information about our past set against a backdrop of historical events which helped shape contemporary Japan.
We also have a tabulated version of our history providing a more detailed account of our evolution.
Sapporo Agricultural College (1876–1907)
| 1876 | Dr. William S. Clark, then president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College in the Unites States is invited to be Vice Principal of Sapporo Agricultural College. He arrives in Sapporo with 2 American professors and 11 students |
| 1876 | The Book Stack Room, later to become the University Library opens |
| 1877 | The Model Barn, one of the first buildings of the University and still existing today is completed |
| 1878 | The martial arts training facility (current Sapporo Clock Tower) is constructed |
| 1886 | The Botanic Garden is designed and built |
Tohoku Imperial University (1907–1918)
| 1907 | Sapporo Agricultural College becomes Agricultural College of Tohoku Imperial University |
| 1908 | German teacher Hans Koller introduces the western two-blade ski on Sapporo Campus for the first time in Japan |
| 1909 | The historical Furukawa Hall is completed in French Renaissance Style |
| 1912 | The grand trees of the University’s Poplar Avenue are planted as a wind break |
Hokkaido Imperial University (1918–1947)
| 1918 |
The University becomes the 5th prestigious university in mainland Japan to join a league of seven Imperial Universities formed by the Imperial Japanese government- this distinction continues to hold prominence in Japan today |
| 1919 | The School of Medicine is established |
| 1924 | The School of Engineering is established |
| 1930 | The School of Science is established |
| 1935 | Hakodate Campus opens, and the School of Fisheries transfers from Sapporo Campus |
| 1936 | Dr. Ukichiro Nakaya successfully produces the world’s first ‘artificial snow crystal’ |
| 1941 | The Institute of Low Temperature Science is established |
| 1943 | The Institute of Catalysis Research is established |
| 1945 | The Administrative Office and the Student Affairs Office is established |
| 1947 | The School of Law and Letters is established |
Hokkaido University (1947–2004)
| 1947 | Hokkaido Imperial University is renamed Hokkaido University |
| 1949 | Under the National School Establishment Law, Hokkaido University is reorganized into the new Hokkaido University with schools of law and letters, education, science, medicine, engineering, agriculture, and fisheries sciences (Hakodate) The Medical Clinic Attached to the School of Medicine is renamed the Hospital Attached to the School of Medicine The Department of Liberal Studies is established (renamed the School of Liberal Studies in April 1951) |
| 1950 | The Institute of Tuberculosis Research established *now known as the Institute for Genetic Medicine The School of Law and Letters divided into the School of Letters and the School of Law and Economics |
| 1952 | The School of Veterinary Medicine is established |
| 1953 | New Graduate Schools of Letters, Education, Law, Economics and Business Administration, Science, Engineering, Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, and Fisheries Sciences are established The School of Law and Economics is divided into the School of Law and the School of Economics and Business Administration |
| 1955 | The Institute of Medical Research is established |
| 1957 | The School of Liberal Studies is renamed the School of Liberal Arts |
| 1958 | The Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences is established |
| 1965 | The School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy is established |
| 1967 | The Dental School of Medicine is established |
| 1970 | The Computer Center (joint-usage facility) is established *now known as the Information Initiative Center |
| 1972 | The Health Management Center (Health Care Center) is established as well as the Physical Education Center |
| 1974 | The Graduate School of Dental Medicine is established |
| 1977 | The Graduate School of Environmental Science (stand-alone graduate school) is established |
| 1978 | The Slavic Research Center is established as well as The Central Institute of Isotope Science |
| 1981 | The Institute of Language and Cultural Studies is established as well as The Center for Experimental Plants and Animals |
| 1985 | The Research Center for Molecular Genetics is established |
| 1989 | The Institute of Catalysis Research evolves into the Catalysis Research Center (joint-usage research facility) |
| 1990 | The Slavic Research Center is designated as a joint-usage research facility |
| 1991 | The International Student Center is established as well as the The Research Center for Quantum Integrated Electronics |
| 1992 | The Institute of Applied Electronics Research is reorganized into the Research Institute for Electronic Science |
| 1993 | The Graduate School of Environmental Science evolves into the Graduate School of Environmental Earth Science |
| 1994 | The Center for Advanced Research of Energy is established |
| 1995 | The Center for Research and Development in Higher Education is established as well as The Environmental Preservation Center |
| 1996 | The Center for Advanced Science and Technology is established as well as the Venture Business Laboratory |
| 1999 |
The Graduate School of Agriculture evolves into a Graduate Research School The Information Processing Center evolves into the Education and Research Center for Information and Media Studies |
| 2000 | The Graduate School of International Media and Communication Studies is established as a stand-alone Graduate School |
| 2002 | The Creative Research Initiative “Sousei”, the predecessor of the Creative Research Institution, is established The new training ship Ushio-maru becomes operational |
| 2003 | The Research and Education Center for Brain Science is established The Management Center of Intellectual Property is established |
National University Corporation Hokkaido University (2004 to present)
| 2004 | The Graduate School of Information Science and Technology is established as a stand-alone Graduate School The Center for Advanced Research of Energy evolves into the Center for Advanced Research of Energy Conversion Materials |
| 2005 | The Graduate School of Public Policy and the Faculty of Public Policy are established The Research Center for Zoonosis Control is established The Admission Center is established The Hokkaido University Archives is established |
| 2006 | The Center for Advanced Tourism Studies is established |
| 2007 |
The Center for Language Learning is established Sustainability Weeks event is held for the first time |
| 2008 | The Faculty of Health Sciences and the Graduate School of Health Sciences (for master’s courses) is established The Research Institute for Information Law and Policy is established The Research Center for Environmental Nano and Bio Engineering is established The Research Center for Integrative Mathematics is established The Center for Sustainability Science is established |
| 2009 | Hokkaido University is a joint host of the G8 University Summit and establishes the ‘Sapporo Sustainability Declaration’ The Center of Education and Research for Topological Science and Technology is established The North Branch of the Hokkaido University Library is renamed the North Library |
| 2010 | The Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering is established The Graduate School of Health Sciences is established The Center for Environmental and Health Sciences is established The Office of International Affairs is established as an administrative unit, into which the International Student Center is transferred The Office for a Sustainable Campus is established Professor Emeritus Akira SUZUKI wins the Nobel Prize |
| 2011 | The Center for Translational Research is established The Venture Business Laboratory is renamed the Meme Media Laboratory The Platform for Research on Biofunctional Molecules is established |
| 2012 |
Hokkaido University Homecoming Day is held for the very first time. The Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine and the Faculty of Animal Husbandry, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine establish the Cooperative Veterinary Education Program The Graduate School of Life Science establishes a Clinical Pharmacy major (doctoral program) |
