Tohoku Gakuin University (東北学院大学, Tōhoku Gakuin Daigaku) is a private university in Sendai, Japan. It was founded under a Christian background (specifically the German Reformed Church, which later was known as the Reformed Church in the United States. A large part of the Reformed Church in the United States subsequently merged into what is today known as the United Church of Christ in the United States). The university was founded in 1886 (Meiji 19) by Protestants as Sendai Theological Seminary (仙臺神學校, Sendai shin gakkō). The first president was Oshikawa Masayoshi (押川方義 1850-1928), ex-samurai in Matsuyama and one of the first Protestants in Japan. In 1891, the school was renamed Tohoku Gakuin (東北學院, Tōhoku gakuin) and a course for non-Christian students was added. The first president Oshikawa resigned in 1901 and was succeeded by David Bowman Schneder (1857-1938). In 1904, college courses were added and authorized by the Specialized School Order. The college at first had two Departments: Letters, Theology. In 1918, Normal School and the Department of Commerce were added. In 1926, the main building (still used today) was built in Tsuchitoi Campus.