Kokugakuin University was conceived as a school that specializes in teaching Japanese history, culture and law, originating from Koten Kokyusho, which was founded in 1882. The Faculty of Letters is the Faculty that directly inherits the history and traditions of the spirit, research and teaching of the establishment of Koten Kokyusho, and it can be said that the history of the Faculty of Letters traces the history of the University.
　The Faculty of Letters is faced with new trials at the same time that it shoulders that history and tradition. In recent year’s society’s demands on academic research and education at universities have grown in response to increasingly stronger internationalization and use of information technologies, including enhancement of lifetime education facilities, to handle interdisciplinary studies, and handling higher level academic research. The Faculty of Letters must also proactively strive to fully respond to these demands with its organization and educational content.
One result of the activity to expand the educational content of the organization was to reorganize the Departments of the Faculty, in other words to review and reorganize the general curriculum. That was the introduction of the integrated liberal arts curriculum in 1995, and in 1996 the organization of the Faculty of Letters with 6 Departments, authorized by the Ministry of Education, comprising the Department of Shinto Studies, the Department of Japanese Literature, the Department of History, the Department of Chinese Literature, the Department of Philosophy, and the Department of Foreign Languages and Culture Studies. The Faculty of Letters continued to seek new images, for these departments, teaching, and all types of certificate courses, foreign languages, sports and physical education, and research for the natural sciences. Signs of that were the new establishment of the Department of Shinto Studies as the independent Faculty of Shinto Studies in 2002, and then in 2005 the Department of Japanese Literature and Department of Chinese Literature transitioned to a system of day and night classes.
　Further, the Department of Chinese Literature, Department of Philosophy, and Department of Foreign Languages and Culture Studies have organized to make effective use of the 7-period day.
It is noteworthy that in 2002, which was the 120th anniversary of the founding of this University, and also when the Faculty of Shinto Studies became independent, this School was selected as a base school for the 21st Century COE Program (Humanities) of the Ministry of Education、Culture、Sports、Science and Technology, aiming to form a global research and educational base.

In the future the Faculty of Letters will further develop the concept of “integrated liberal arts”, and as a Faculty that plays a central role in this University, while deepening research into Japanese culture, at the same time will aim for organic as well as closer connections to be an integrated Faculty that can creatively express the Japanese culture to the rest of the World through comparing and relating it to other cultures.
　Then there is also the duty that we have as a University that was selected as a global research base.
　Each of you now belong to the Faculty of Letters, which is in these circumstances, and are ready to devote yourself to your studies.

At the same time that we deepen research into Japanese culture, through relative comparisons with other cultures we foster people who can express Japanese culture creatively to the rest of the world.

Department of Japanese Literature
Through systematic studies of Japan’s traditional culture and spirit in Japan’s literature, language, and traditions from ancient to modern times, captures the essence of society and affairs, and foster people who can think creatively and contribute widely to society.
Department of Chinese Literature
Educates people who can contribute widely to international society through studies that are focused on Chinese literature and related fields, fostering fundamental viewpoints and creative thinking ability supported by specialized education.
Department of Foreign Languages and Culture Studies
Fosters people who can act independently in international society, with high-level communication skills and the ability to logically analyze and solve problems through the acquisition of advanced foreign language ability and interdisciplinary and comprehensive studies of foreign cultures.
Department of History
Fosters people who can contribute widely to society by fostering objective and critical thinking ability through empirical studies and research of Japanese history, Western history, East Asian history, archeology, and historical geography.
Department of Philosophy
Through diverse studies in philosophy and ethics, aesthetics and art, fosters theoretical and practical thinking ability, and educate creative people who contribute to society.

This Faculty trains people to creatively express the Japanese culture to the world based on the School motto and on deep learning of Japanese and foreign cultures, and while maintaining self-dependence with the spirit of tolerance and humility. In order to achieve this objective, we award the Bachelor’s degree to students who earn a certain number of credits and systematically complete the specialized curriculum offered by the Departments, which are integrated liberal arts courses from the entire School.  
■　Diploma granted: Bachelor’s (Literature)

This Faculty cultivates moral qualities through the study of the uniqueness and universality of Japanese culture, and has established 5 Departments to train people to be able to disseminate those results to the world. The Departments emphasize acquisition of basic knowledge and skills, and an overall understanding of specialized areas through summary courses in the first year. From the second year on they foster specialized knowledge and practical skills in seminar classes, and the curriculum is formed so that it leads students to writing their graduation thesis.
We train promising people with expertise and culture through the curriculum described above, to be able comprehensively contribute to the creation and formation of Japanese culture and to disseminate Japanese culture to the rest of the world.

Based on educational implementation policies of this School and this Faculty, we widely recruit and accept students such as the following:
(1) Students wo understand the school motto and who are willing to attain the knowledge and ability to contribute to society through learning about Japanese and foreign cultures.
(2) Students who have a strong interest in learning the special subjects in each of the Departments, who have diverse intellectual curiosity and interests, and who have the necessary manners to participate in society.
(3) Students who have the fundamental academic ability to fully understand the studies in the curriculums determined by each of the Departments.