FOUNDING SPIRIT OF SHOKEI GAKUIN

Shokei Gakuin was founded in 1892 by women missionaries from the American Baptist Church in the United States. Under the philosophy of "Ikin shokei", which is the source of the name of our school, and of the ideal human existence directed in the Bible, these women devoted themselves to establishing our school to improve the education of Japanese women at that time. This is the founding spirit of our school. And it has its own basis on the image of ideal women who cannot only develop a well rounded character in a modest and humble manner but also contribute to the well-being of society by cooperating with others.

All of the education of Shokei Gakuin, including the classes and various school activities, is based on the spirit of Christianity. Through applying the teachings of the Bible to our education, the spirit of love and devotion can be nurtured in our students so that they can learn to "live cooperatively with others" with mutual respect and love.

IKIN SHOKEI

The phrase, "Ikin shokei", originated in a work of Chinese classics called "CHUYO", and it literally means "to wear nishiki (brocade) and to put kei (a type of thin silk) over it." The word "nishiki" refers to a kimono made from beautiful gold threads. The phrase means that even if you are wearing a beautiful kimono, you should put a plain linen coat on it in order to hide the gorgeous beauty of the attire. In other words, no matter how much education or knowledge you get, you should not flaunt them but rather lead a humble and simple life, instead.