Its history starts in 1592, when a seminary was established to be a center of learning for the young monks of the Sōtō sect, one of the two main Zen Buddhist traditions in Japan.

The university in Tokyo campus comprises seven faculties and 17 departments with a total of around 14,000 students.

Also, for students who wish to pursue advanced studies, each department has a graduate school.

It also has eleven research institutes and a Museum of Zen Buddhist Culture.

[7] The football team plays as one of the Kantō Collegiate Football League (ja:関東大学サッカー連盟) The baseball team belongs to the " Tohto University Baseball League ".