IMPERIAL UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO. 



469 



was the embryo of our university. After tlie Eestoration of 1868 this 

 school, through many changes, became Kaisei-gahko. And to this was 

 later added the medical college (1877), the law college (1885) and the 

 college of engineering (1886). It was not, however, until March 1, 

 1886, that the university came actually into existence, a day which 

 has come to be celebrated every year as ' foundation day. ' In 1884-85 

 the colleges moved to their present site. To this end the university 

 was ceded a park, three square miles in extent, located on a side of 

 Hongo hill, in the northwestern part of Tokyo. The site, moreover, 

 was of considerable historic interest, since it was the Kaga-Yashiki, 

 or the palace grounds of Kagasama, one of the most powerful daimyos 

 of feudal days, whose imposing processions of two-sworded retainers, 



1 



Institutes of Physics and Chemistey. 



gold-laquered palanquins, and splendid horses are remembered to the 

 present day. Indeed, the present red gate of the university is a relic 

 of his feudal sway, his wedding gift, it is said, from the Prince of 

 Satsuma. In contrast with former pageants one sees here to-day only 

 a stream of students plain in uniform and with square caps, hurrying 

 to and fro among the lecture halls. When the colleges first moved to 

 the present site, wooden buildings were used for lecture-room and 

 laboratories. But as time passed these were replaced by the brick 

 buildings, which are' shown in the adjacent pictures. The college of 

 agriculture is situated in a suburb six miles away from the university. 

 The Botanical Institute is in the Botanical Garden, situated in another 

 daimyo's park, about a mile and a half away from the university. 

 The entire staff of the six colleges numbers about 270, of these 120 



