１－５. The Castle Campus and Students in the Showa Era

Japanese

Kanazawa University was once located in Kanazawa Castle.

A popular catchphrase of the time, “a university in a castle, one of the few in the world,” expressed the pride of Kanazawa University students in their unique campus. Students on their bicycles pass through Ishikawa-mon gate, weaving their way through the tourists coming from the Kodatsuno area. Students breathlessly climb Miyamorizaka (now called Imorizaka). Going to university through the Ote-mon gate or Kuro-mon gate really made me feel like I was entering a castle.

Because the campus was isolated from the surrounding area, research into the creatures that inhabited it was very popular, and at one point a sign was put up warning students and commuters who drove to work or school, “Please do not run over a tanuki, or you will not be able to graduate.”

During the heyday of the student movements, it was also a base for participation in the Uchinada Riots. A large number of students lived in the three dormitories: Hokumei, Sengaku, and Hakubai. They pulled carts selling roasted sweet potatoes downtown in Katamachi and worked hard washing dishes. There were also events such as “Storms,” which fostered a spirit of self-governance.

Speaking of entertainment districts, at that time there was an area in Korinbo where a row of movie theaters were lined up, and when students heard that classes were cancelled, they would walk down Miyamorizaka to go see a movie. When students were drinking at an oden restaurant, it was not uncommon to find a professor sitting next to them. There was a coffee shop on campus called Le Chateau run by the co-op, and it was common to see faculty and students having discussions there. The former army stables were used as a building for cultural clubs, making it a sleepless city where someone was always there 24 hours a day.

Towards the end of the Showa era, stickers with pictures of Ishikawa-mon gate and slogans such as “We love Kanazawa University, located in Kanazawa Castle in Kanazawa, and we are proud of it” were plastered in the toilet cubicles of the school building. At that time, the castle university was a place of learning, a place of relaxation, and a source of pride for students; it was undoubtedly a part of the identity of Kanazawa University students.

 

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The content of this page is the same as the panel exhibited in the “Shiko no Mori” at Kanazawa University Central Library.

Created in April 2025 by the Working Group on Collections, Kanazawa University Library.