# Hamamatsu University

> university in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan (1998-2016)

**Wikidata**: [Q5644024](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5644024)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamamatsu_University)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/hamamatsu-university

## Summary
Hamamatsu University was a private Japanese university that operated in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture from 1 April 1998 until it closed on 31 March 2016 and was re-absorbed into Tokoha University. It was legally replaced by Tokoha University and should not be confused with the still-active Hamamatsu University School of Medicine.

## Key Facts
- **Operating period**: 1 April 1998 – 31 March 2016
- **Legal successor**: Tokoha University (replaced Hamamatsu University on 1 April 2016)
- **Predecessor**: Tokoha Gakuen Hamamatsu University
- **Founding parent**: Tokoha University Educational Foundation
- **Campus location**: 1230 Tsuda-chō, Kita-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka-ken, Japan (34.81468° N, 137.70880° E)
- **Institutional type**: private university
- **Japanese university code**: 2352
- **ISNI**: 0000 0004 1762 0759
- **GRID ID**: grid.411951.9
- **ROR ID**: 057vy9683

## FAQs
### Q: Is Hamamatsu University still open?
A: No. The university closed on 31 March 2016 and was legally replaced by Tokoha University the next day.

### Q: Is Hamamatsu University the same as Hamamatsu University School of Medicine?
A: No. They are separate institutions; the medical school remains active, whereas Hamamatsu University (浜松大学) was dissolved in 2016.

### Q: Who ran Hamamatsu University?
A: It was maintained by the Tokoha University Educational Foundation and formed part of that foundation's network of schools.

### Q: Why did Hamamatsu University close?
A: Source data only state that it was replaced by Tokoha University; no detailed rationale is provided.

## Why It Matters
Hamamatsu University served the Tokai region of Japan for 18 years as a locally grounded, privately funded higher-education option. Its creation in 1998 expanded undergraduate opportunity in Hamamatsu, a city known for manufacturing and musical-instrument production, and its 2016 re-integration into Tokoha University reflects the nationwide trend of consolidating small private universities to streamline administration and meet demographic shifts. For alumni, researchers tracing institutional lineages, or education historians studying Shizuoka Prefecture, Hamamatsu University represents a clear case of institutional succession: the same campus, faculty, and student body continued under a new legal name, preserving educational continuity while simplifying the sponsoring foundation's structure.

## Notable For
- **Institutional succession**: legally dissolved and immediately replaced by Tokoha University, providing a textbook example of university merger in Japan
- **Name clarity**: frequently confused with Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, but the two never shared governance
- **Short lifespan**: operated for exactly 18 academic years—an unusually brief window for a Japanese private university
- **Single foundation control**: throughout its life it remained under the Tokoha University Educational Foundation, never seeking independent charter

## Body
### Establishment and Operation
Hamamatsu University opened on 1 April 1998 under the Tokoha University Educational Foundation, inheriting the physical campus and some programs of Tokoha Gakuen Hamamatsu University. The university used the Japanese corporate identifier 2352 and was listed in Japan's private-university registry.

### Campus
The university occupied one main site at 1230 Tsuda-chō, Kita-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. Geocoordinates place the campus at 34.8146817 N, 137.7087984 E.

### Closure and Succession
On 31 March 2016 the institution was abolished; the following day Tokoha University legally replaced it, re-using the same facilities and staff under a single university name. This move consolidated the foundation's brand while maintaining educational services in Hamamatsu.

### Identification Numbers
- **ISNI**: 0000 0004 1762 0759
- **VIAF**: 260621179
- **GRID**: grid.411951.9
- **ROR**: 057vy9683
- **Ringgold**: 12792
- **NDL Auth**: 01009989
- **MAID (discontinued)**: 13491362

### Distinction from Hamamatsu University School of Medicine
Despite the similar name, Hamamatsu University was never affiliated with Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, an independent medical university that continues to operate in the same city.

## References

1. GRID Release 2017-01-10
2. GRID Release 2015-12-14
3. GRID Release 2016-12-06
4. Aligned ISNI and Ringgold identifiers for institutions
5. Microsoft Academic Knowledge Graph
6. [2004](http://kikakurui.com/x0/X0408-2004-01.html)
7. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)