The first agricultural education institution established in Japan is said to be the Hokkaidō Development Commission, which opened in Tokyo.

What is Hokkaidō Development Commission?

The development of Hokkaido began in 1869 and 1869, and three years later, in 1872, the Hokkaidō Development Commission was opened at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo. The purpose of this school was to develop human resources to develop Hokkaido, and it was planned to move to Sapporo later.

The school building was relocated to Sapporo in 1875 and renamed Sapporo Agricultural College the following year. We invited many hired foreigners, including the first principal, Dr. William Smith Clark, and actively adopted overseas agricultural education methods.

After many changes, the name was changed to the current Hokkaido University in 1947. Throughout its history, it has produced many important figures in agriculture and continues to produce research achievements.