The Kaisei Academy (開成学園) is a preparatory private secondary school for boys located in the Arakawa ward of Tokyo, Japan.

Overview

Each year, Kaisei Academy admits three hundred students to its junior high school, and four hundred students to its high school. The school promotes a tradition of 質実剛健 (shitsujitsugouken), a yojijukugo Japanese motto meaning “strong and simple”. Its English motto is "The pen is mightier than the sword". It has produced a large number of famous alumni.

History

The school was founded in 1871 by Sano Kanae, a lecturer of Western studies, gunnery, and oceanography. At first, it was established as the Kyōryū Academy (共立学校). The school was at risk of closure after Sano's death in 1877, but in 1878 Takahashi Korekiyo, a professor at the time, became the first principal of the restructured school, turning it into a preparatory boarding school. One year later in 1879, the number of students admitted to university from the academy reached 112 out of a student body of 466. The school changed its name to Kaisei Academy in 1895.

Notable alumni