Private Academies of Chinese Learning in Meiji Japan: The Decline ...

140 PRIVATE ACADEMIES OF CHINESE LEARNING IN MEIJI JAPANKoshōken appears to have given his students much freedom.Yamamura Benzai, on the other hand, issued more detailedregulations and often displayed notices with exhortations to hisstudents. Benzai is said to have run Shūbunkan in the spirit of thedomain school with similar regulations, and it is assumed thatthe regulations drawn up for the domain school in 1867, possiblyby Benzai himself, applied to his juku as well. 72 They ran asfollows:1) When sitting at your desk you must without fail first sitcorrectly and make your appearance formal and only thenapply yourself to your studies. This means that you followdirectly the example of the sages.2) If you ask your elders something, you must softenyour voice to a tone of respect, direct yourself to the lowestrankingseat and deeply bow twice; if you ask about oneword then he becomes your teacher for this one word andyou must not forget your manners.3) During periods free from study, you may discussscholarly and military pursuits (bunbu) or even the beautiesof nature. But indecent and agressive talk is not allowed. Ofcourse, you do not fight with your elders, but you must alsonot play idle tricks.4) Students must first of all be quiet and correct as well asfull of reverence in their actions. When you talk to yourfellow students, respect must always be the foundation; it isforbidden to imitate the ways of man-servants when callingto each other. You must know that the sages despised casualrelations.5) The elder students must not tell stories without anyfoundation to the younger ones. You must talk of thingssuch as the ancient lord Katō or the early modern loyalretainer Ōishi and make sure such things are first in theyoung people’s minds. In this way the basis for demandinggood deeds and encouraging a loyal heart will be formed.6) It is forbidden to spy at the fence of the neighbouringhouse or to open the window and make contact with peopleoutside the gate. You must not make some bad youngperson do it.7) If people who fight too much to the extreme ofattacking each other physically, then both parties will beexpelled without discussing the rights and wrongs. Even if