In 2004 at Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, under the tutelage of the then College President Professor Yukio Ninagawa and inspired by his ‘Training ourselves relentlessly; the serious study of art', we started the college in something of a new direction. Since 2010, we have moved to the next stage in that evolution.

The unique flavor and characteristics of each of our majors – the Drama Course and Music Course – are going to be cultivated while the college is reborn in a more unified form. We do this while holding to Professor Ninagawa's ideals, raising independent students who learn proactively and train themselves in and through that study.

'What you see as your shortcomings are just the things we view with great expectations.Don't deceive yourself, that's where you will truly bloom.' I first came across these words, from Kiyoshi Koyama's 'Andersen', when I was a green young instructor at Toho struggling with how to present myself to students. They were in a play the students and I were making, and they had a huge effect on me. I have drawn great strength and support from them, such that they have sustained me in my commitment to being a teacher.

In order to move people through art, we must first ourselves become capable of wholeheartedly experiencing those emotions. In order to do this, we must train mind and body as fully as possible. Together with our students, I am here at Toho to create the time and space for this training.

Terufumi Koshimitsu
President, Professor