The University of Tokyo

Tansei 15

Tansei 15 - The Forest of Knowledge is on the Move -

Tansei cover

Tansei cover

Welcome to the 15th edition of the English version of Tansei. The special feature of this edition is a long interview with President Junichi Hamada that explores his six years in office. Professor Hamada became the 29th president of the University of Tokyo in April 2009. Keeping in mind former President Sasaki's (the 27th president) transition towards incorporating the University, President Hamada worked to implement the large-scale university reform that former President Komiyama (the 28th president) paved the way for in his Action Plan. While making efforts to realize these reforms through his Action Scenario, President Hamada also experienced the unprecedented damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami disaster. President Hamada speaks about his six-year tenure with Special Advisor to the President Professor Sawako Shirahase, and joining them in the interview are Executive Vice Presidents Toshikazu Hasegawa and Hiroaki Aihara. I invite you to read the interview to learn about the origins of some of President Hamada's defining slogans, such as "Tough UTokyo Students," "UTokyo Students without Borders," "Moving the Forest" and "Live. But not Alone," and how he planned to put these words into action.

Shinji Suzuki
Director
University of Tokyo Public Relations Office

Cover

The cover of this edition of Tansei features the roof truss of Yasuda Auditorium, which recently completed a large-scale renovation that took one and a half years. A total of 827 steel beams were added to the Auditorium's roof truss, thereby strengthening the building's reinforcement against earthquakes. The newly-placed beams are gray in color, while the original beams are orange. These two types of colored beams work together to complete the roof truss, signifying the coexistence of tradition and innovation at the University of Tokyo.

About Tansei

Tansei is the magazine of the University of Tokyo. The school color of the University of Tokyo is light blue (tansei in Japanese). It was first used in a rowing regatta between the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University in 1920. The choice of light blue or dark blue was decided by drawing lots. Kyoto drew dark blue and Tokyo light blue, and these have been the two universities' respective colors ever since.