In 1864, amid the turmoil toward the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, Joseph Hardy Neesima directed his gaze to the rest of the world, broke the national ban on international travel by leaving Japan, and set off for the United States. After extensive studies at Amherst College, he returned to Japan and in 1875 founded Doshisha Eigakko (Academy), the predecessor of Doshisha University. In "The Aim in Establishing Doshisha University”, which was published in November 1888, he wrote: “A nation is upheld in prosperity not by the work of a few great men, but depends for this on men of wisdom and character who might be called the conscience of the nation. It is my desire and purpose to provide such men for the nation.”
　　Carrying on the thinking of Neesima, who aspired to the all-round education of individuals equipped with both knowledge and virtue, Doshisha University practices conscience education taking Christian principles, liberalism, and internationalism as its underlying philosophy. It prizes the virtues rooted in a love of truth and deep humanity, the spirit of respecting individuality and cherishing each and every person, and the ability to view the world from a broad perspective, and has been sending graduates instilled with these properties out into the world. Its many alumni now active in various fields in society are proof of the quality of a Doshisha education.
　　Asked by the statesman Katsu Kaishu how many years it would take to complete Doshisha on the occasion of their first meeting, Neesima reportedly replied that Doshisha would have to wait 200 years for its completion (according to ”Neesima Sensei Genkoroku” (Record of the Words and Deeds of Mr. Neesima) by Seiji Ishizuka). There is a different version of this story; in ”Shinko to Riso” (Christian Faith) by former Doshisha University President Tasuku Harada, Katsu asks Neesima in how many years he intended to have the education he desired spread throughout Japan, and Neesima immediately replies, “About 300 years.” If this latter version is true, then Doshisha University shall continue to steadily progress while looking far into the future and the 300th anniversary of its founding, with its 200th anniversary in 2075 being just another milestone it passes along the way.

Note: The English titles of books in brackets are tentative translations for works available only in Japanese.