About
The University of Tokyo Association Football Club is the football club of the University of Tokyo Athletic Association. On campus we are simply called “Ashiki”, short for A-shiki shūkyū, the old Japanese name for association football. Only three university clubs in Japan still carry that name: Waseda, Hitotsubashi and Tokyo.
Founded in 1918, Ashiki is the oldest university football club in Japan. More than a hundred students take part — players, coaches and analysts, managers, trainers and physical coaches — and much of the club, from coaching and match analysis to club operations, is run by the students themselves.
2026 season
Champions, unbeaten
Our first team won the Kanto University Football League, Tokyo–Kanagawa Division 2, with 14 wins, 4 draws and no defeats (32 goals scored, 11 conceded). We will play in Division 1 in 2027.
A, B and C teams
Besides the first (A) team, our B team plays in the Saturday League and the National and Public Universities League, and our C team plays practice matches almost every weekend.
History
The club was founded in 1918 at what was then Tokyo Imperial University by Ken Nozu, who later helped establish the Japan Football Association and served as its president.
- 1922 — With Waseda, Tokyo Higher Normal School (now the University of Tsukuba) and Tokyo University of Commerce (now Hitotsubashi), the club started the first football league in Japan.
- 1925– — In the Tokyo College League, the forerunner of today’s Kanto University League, the club finished second in the first season and then won six titles in a row.
- 1920s — The club became the first university team to reach the final of the All Japan Football Championship (now the Emperor’s Cup). It is often said that Japan’s national team plays in blue because so many national players of that era came from Tokyo Imperial University, whose shirts were light blue.
- 1956 / 1977 — Relegated to the second tier of the Kanto league, and in 1977 to the Tokyo university league.
- 2011 — Champions of the Tokyo University League, Division 1.
- 2026 — Unbeaten champions of the Kanto University Football League, Tokyo–Kanagawa Division 2.
Notable alumni include Ken Nozu (fourth president of the Japan Football Association), Shigemaru Takenokoshi (former manager of the Japan national team) and Shun-ichiro Okano (ninth president of the Japan Football Association).
Philosophy
Our purpose is to become the most valuable football club in Japan — a club that takes responsibility toward society and the football world.
- Every member enjoys football to the full.
- We are a team loved by the people around us.
- We produce forward-thinking people who contribute to society.
As a football team, winning matches is the foundation of all of this.
The club
Technical Unit
Students who analyse matches and opponents, build their own data tools and coach alongside the staff.
Women’s team
Founded in 2014, the women’s team plays in the Kanto University Women’s Football League.
Gotenshita Soccer School
A community football school with more than fifty years of history, open to children and adults every Sunday morning.
Partners
Our activities are supported by our partner companies. Information for prospective partners is available in Japanese.
Home ground
Gotenshita Ground
Hongo Campus, The University of Tokyo
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
- About 10 minutes’ walk from Hongo-sanchome Station (Marunouchi Line, Oedo Line)
- About 10 minutes’ walk from Todaimae Station (Namboku Line)
- About 10 minutes’ walk from Nezu Station (Chiyoda Line)
Matches
Fixtures, results and the league table are on the Match page (in Japanese). Our league matches are streamed live on YouTube.
Contact
For media enquiries, match requests, partnerships or anything else, please send us a direct message on X or Instagram.
