🔴Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai ×The University of Osaka！🔵 “Tekijuku Event” Held at the Expo Netherlands Pavilion

From August 19 to 21, the “Common Ground: Young People Fostering Japan-Netherlands Exchange - From Koan to Cutting-Edge Medicine, Water & Green Environments: ‘Onko Chisin (exploring the old and deducing the new)’” event was held at the Netherlands Pavilion at the Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai. This event featured a display of a statue of Ogata Koan, founder of Tekijuku, where UOsaka students participated in a symposium. Approximately 2,200 people were in attendance, including participants from across Japan and overseas.

During the event period, the statue of Ogata Koan, normally displayed at the Icho Hall on our Suita Campus, was temporarily relocated and exhibited at the Netherlands Pavilion. Surrounding it was a diorama recreating the study and garden of Tekijuku by the Expo co-creation challenge “Japan-Netherlands exchange Onkochishin Society.” Mark Kuipers, Consul General of the Netherlands, who had been looking forward to this exhibition from the outset, commented that it was far beyond his expectations, much more wonderful than he had imagined.

Also on display was an actual telescope crafted by Iwahashi Zenbei (a craftsman from what is now Kaizuka City, Osaka Prefecture), which was used for astronomical observation and calendar creation in the late Edo period. A replica telescope offering a view of the Expo site was a popular attraction. Panels focusing on Tekijuku, Ogata Koan, and water/green environments also drew keen interest.

At the opening ceremony held on the first day, Consul General Kuipers, as an honored guest, gave a speech, stating, "Tekijuku in Osaka served as the birthplace of the strong bond between Japan and the Netherlands. The Dutch studies and medicine that the disciples of Ogata Koan engaged themselves in contributed to the advancement of Japan’s modernization. Japan and the Netherlands continue to develop deep collaboration in cutting-edge medical care and other fields.” In addition,

Takashi Ogata, chairman of the Ogata Koan Memorial Foundation and a sixth-generation descendant of Koan, also offered congratulatory remarks, saying, “Ogata Koan's great achievement in spreading smallpox vaccination nationwide has directly contributed to the recent COVID-19 prevention efforts. Tekijuku has produced diverse, competent individuals who are pioneers not only in medicine but also for comprehensive universities."

On the final day, the 21st, various panel discussions were held. In the morning, students from UOsaka and Kindai University engaged in a discussion titled “Seeing the Future, Protecting the Earth: Weaving Stories of Japan-Netherlands Friendship and Social Contribution with Young People.” Following this, “a-tune,” one of the UOsaka Expo Student Committees, advertised their project to interact and exchange ideas with students from around the world through music at the Expo.

In the afternoon, Nakanoshima Qross hosted a session titled “Collaboration Between Global Hubs in the Medical and Healthcare Fields from a Youth Perspective,” followed by a discussion among young doctors facilitated by Masakazu Yagi (Endowed Chair Associate Professor of the Future Medical Science, Division of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine). Finally, the Japan-Netherlands Student Conference held a discussion in English on the theme “Sustainable Food Consumption in the Netherlands and Japan.”

Click here for information about Expo 2025-related events by the University of Osaka! (link in Japanese)

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