Kumamoto University Publicity Campaign for Restoration
In the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes, two earthquakes with the maximum seismic intensity of 7 occurred consecutively in the same area, unprecedented in recorded history. Kumamoto University, which was damaged significantly by these earthquakes, has launched a campaign to enhance its capabilities in education, research, and social contribution to help recover from the disaster and to serve as a research-oriented university, one whose scope is both internationally oriented and local though its assistance to local communities.
The campaign slogan “Full of Kumamoto University Spirit” was borrowed from “Iki-ya afururu Goko-damashi (Full of Goko Spirit),” a phrase in the Goko dormitory song titled “Bufugento ni Kusa-moete (Burgeoning in Bufugento).” Goko, or the Fifth High School under the pre-WWII educational system in Japan, is one of the predecessor schools of Kumamoto University. The Goko Spirit is the spirit of being “resolute and taciturn,” which has been passed down by Goko students. This slogan represents our determination to face difficulties in recovering from the unprecedented disaster with the “Kumamoto University Spirit,” which inherited the Goko Spirit.
