Kawauchi Campus
History of Kawauchi Hagi Hall

Aerial view of Kawauchi Hagi Hall and surrounding area, 2008

Tohoku University Centennial Hall (Kawauchi Hagi Hall) opened on October 10, 2008, following refurbishment of Tohoku University Kawauchi Memorial Auditorium as part of a project to commemorate the centenary of Tohoku University.

Its predecessor, Kawauchi Memorial Auditorium, was built in 1960 to commemorate Tohoku University’s 50th anniversary. The 50th anniversary building was originally due to be constructed at the Katahira Campus - and on a slightly smaller scale - but as a new plan emerged to locate the building in Kawauchi, the design was expanded and changed, and the new auditorium took shape. At that time, Kawauchi was still home to rows of wooden barracks once used by the US Army, and the 50th anniversary building was a symbol of this new campus. The construction was funded solely through donations, and the annex on the east of the building was built with a donation from Panasonic founder Konosuke Matsushita, from whom its name, “Matsushita Hall,” is derived.

In those days, there were few large-scale public facilities in the city, and up until the mid-1980s most university ceremonies and events - entrance ceremonies, graduation ceremonies, and so on - were held here at the Memorial Auditorium. Since then, the building has continued to host events such as university festival concerts and alumni association gatherings.

To mark the university’s centenary, the Memorial Auditorium underwent refurbishment to become the Tohoku University Centennial Hall. The refurbishment saw the original functions of the building maintained, while the facilities and equipment were further enhanced with a view to utilizing the building as a venue for various international conferences - and as a hub for sharing culture through various forms.