It was in the year 1924 that Ms. Wakao Maeda, the founder of Senzoku Gakuen, established the Hiratsuka Sewing School, which would later become Senzoku Gakuen, in a part of Tokyo that used to be called Hiratsuka-mura (present-day Shinagawa Ward). Two years later, the school moved to its present location in Senzoku, Meguro Ward, Tokyo. At that time, the name of the school was changed to Senzoku Women’s Higher School.

The school’s name “Senzoku” may appear to be derived from the name of the place it moved to. However, this is not true. Although Senzoku Gakuen is not a parochial school, Ms. Wakao Maeda was a devout Christian and it is believed that the name “Senzoku” reflects her piety.

When Jesus Christ realized that he would be crucified the following day, he washed the feet of each of his twelve disciples before taking his seat at the Last Supper. In the New Testament’s Gospel According to John, Chapter 13, it is written:

He got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.

…So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.

Ms. Wakao Maeda, who thought deeply about the ideals of education, had profound faith in Christianity and loved to sing hymns, so she would not have hesitated at all in naming the school “Senzoku,” which means literally to “washing feet” in Japanese.

Thus, Senzoku Gakuen was launched, with a philosophy of education that embraced the Christian belief in thanksgiving and devotion, sacrifice and service.