Among its faculty and graduates have been 16 recipients of the Order of Culture, 24 members of the Japan Art Academy, and 10 artists who have been designated Living National Treasures.

Kyoto had lost its status as the nation's capital in 1867, at the beginning of Meiji Period, and the city was in danger of being left behind in the wave of modernization overtaking the country.

The school was founded with support from the city and national government leader Sanjo Sanetomi, and contributions from 93 Kyoto merchants.

With the inauguration of the new Meiji government, the capital was moved to Tokyo, and the population of the Kyoto area is said to have plummeted from 350,000 to 200,000.

Tanomura Naoiri, who became the first headmaster of the school, was a major figure in the Nanga world, but he raised funds by visiting influential people in various places.

One of the objectives of the school was to educate students in the design of crafts for the purpose of promoting the development of new industries, and the introduction of Western painting into the curriculum was revolutionary at the time.

Some of our graduates include contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama, Shoen Uemura, the first woman to be awarded the Order of Cultural Merit, Yutaka Sado, Principal, Conductor of the Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra, Emi Wada, the first Japanese woman to win an Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Etsuro Sotoo, chief sculptor of the Sagrada Familia, Akira Murayama, a living national treasure of woodwork, and Mr. Kunihiko Moriguchi, a living national treasure in Yuzen, an important intangible cultural property.

In March 2013, the university submitted a proposal to the city government to relocate to the former Sūjin Elementary School site (about 1 hectare) just east of JR Kyoto Station.

In March 2013, the university submitted a request to the city government to relocate the university to an area centered on the former Sūjin Elementary School site (approximately 1 hectare) just east of JR Kyoto Station and to secure a total of 4 hectares of land.