Best Wishes for the Future: OGATA Koan Award for Outstanding Students

The OGATA Koan Award for Outstanding Students was established in the 2023-24 academic year to recognize students with outstanding grades in the General Education course “History of Osaka University (Introduction to Tekijuku and OGATA Koan).”

On Monday, June 10, the award ceremony was held at Tekijuku*, where the OGATA Koan Memorial Lecture was also held.

*Tekijuku was opened by OGATA Koan in Osaka as a place of learning in 1838.

From the closing days of the Tokugawa shogunate to the Meiji Restoration, Tekijuku students contributed to the formation of Japan as a modern state. Based on that fact, in order to honor achievements of excellent students and encourage their further activity in the name of OGATA Koan, this year, the awards were granted to the following five students.

NAKAMURA Ryo (2nd year, School of Human Sciences)

"I’m honored to receive such a prestigious award and I was overwhelmed by emotions when the award ceremony was set up to recognize our achievements. I will work hard in order to live up to the name of the OGATA Koan Award."

SHIBATA Mayuko (2nd year, School of Foreign Studies)

I'm so grateful that Osaka University held this award ceremony at Tekijuku on the anniversary of OGATA Koan’s death. The ceremony renewed my awareness that Tekijuku was a free and open space leading to the next generation. I will work hard while keeping the sword cuts in the pillar at Tekijuku in my mind.

YOSHIHARA Yuna (1st year, School of Foreign Studies)

"I am honored to be able to receive such a prestigious award. I will work harder to live up to the name of Tekijuku."

BAE KIRIM (4th year, School of Law)

"I am extremely honored to receive this award as a foreign student. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the award ceremony, but I will do my best to learn from the Osaka University of the present, which has inherited the legacy of Tekijuku, and live up to the name of Tekijuku in the future.

YUE YINGRAN (2nd year, School of Economics)

"As an international student, I never thought that I could receive such a grand award, so I’m very honored. I will continue to do my best with pride and conviction as a Tekijuku student. Thank you very much."

To view the video of the award ceremony, click the thumbnail image below.