[The evolution of pharmaceutical schools in Toyama Prefecture since the Meiji era.]

In this paper, the author attempts to generalize the evolution of pharmaceutical schools in Toyama since the Meiji Era. The copy of a petition drafted by pill peddlers of Toyama in 1873 suggests that there were expectations that a "Semi (chemicals)" school was going to be established; however, this was not realized. In 1877, the Ishikawa Prefectural Government established a small-scale pharmaceutical school associated with the public hospitals of Kanazawa, Toyama and Kukui. In 1883, Toyama Prefecture became isolated from Ishikawa Prefecture, and the above-mentioned pharmaceutical school continued operations until 1887, when the government closed it due to financial problems. Persuaded through a lecture given by Dr. Keizo Tampa, a professor of Tokyo University, volunteers in Toyama Prefecture established an independent pharmaceutical school in 1894. However, student enrollment was too low to maintain operation, and the administration started planning to relocate the school to the city of Toyama. This was realized in 1897. In 1900, a massive fire burnt down much of the city, severely damaging the school building and much of the equipment inside. Restoration would be costly. As a solution to the problem, the administration of the school was transferred from Toyama City to Toyama Prefecture. With money from the prefecture, the school facilities were repaired and teaching staff recruited. In 1909, the school ranking was promoted to college status, and it became one of the first academic institutions to issue a pharmacist licence to graduates without requiring them to take the national examination (i.e., with the exception of medical colleges). Subsequently, in 1920, the administration of the college was transferred from the Toyama Prefectural Government to Japan's Central Government, at which time the facilities were improved and a wider range of education subjects were introduced.The college was again relocated to the city suburbs, where the facilities included the building, a herbs garden and surrounding grounds. This successful move is known to be attributable to Dr. Nagayoshi Nagai, Professor of Tokyo University, as his enthusiasm aroused the interests of people in Toyama and other concerned authorities. The college was named Toyama Pharmaceutical Academy, and has since attracted many qualified applications from throughout the country. It has turned out prominent graduates for various occupations, and continues to remain well-known for its quality education.