On Monday, October 15, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for J. F. Oberlin University’s new campus in Honmachida. Representatives of the university, construction company Kajima Corporation, and Furuhashi Architect and Associates were among those in attendance.

The new campus will occupy the site of the former Honmachida Junior High School and Honmachida Elementary School. With an area of roughly 22,000 square meters, the campus will become the new home of the university’s College of Performing and Visual Arts, with facilities for dance, music, theater, and visual arts. Plans call for a classroom wing, a studio wing, a music wing, and a theater wing. Most of the campus will open in April of 2020, with the theater wing opening one year later. Surrounded by grass and trees, the three-story building is expected to become a community focal point, with its central plaza and east plaza open to the public.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held in the form of a Christian worship service, with the university’s chaplain, Toshiyoshi Dobashi, officiating. For the traditional Japanese kuwaire ritual, four people used wooden mallets to break into a mound of sand: Yu Furuhashi of Furuhashi Architect and Associates, J. F. Oberlin University Chancellor Toyoshi Satow, J. F. Oberlin University President Hiroaki Hatayama, and Takao Nomura of Kajima Corporation’s Yokohama office. Chancellor Satow and Mr. Nomura then buried a Bible in the sand, to serve as the foundation of the building in the same way that it has always served as the foundation of J. F. Oberlin University. Those in attendance then bowed their heads in prayer for the safe completion of the new campus.

At a reception following the ceremony, Chancellor Satow addressed Joichi Ishizaka, the mayor of the city of Machida, thanking the city for granting the university a 50-year lease on the site. Noting that the nearby Yamazaki Danchi apartment complex and its residents are advancing in age, Chancellor Satow said, “We’ll be delighted if the influx of students leads to a revitalization of this neighborhood. We hope that not only the students but also the local residents will embrace the new campus.”

Speaking next, Mayor Ishizaka said, “Above all, we look forward to having lots of young people come to this area. J. F. Oberlin University students have already carried out many projects to help with the revitalization of Yamazaki Danchi, and they’ve put their hearts into it.”