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

THE LEGACY OF THE JUKU 215includes announcements of an intensive lecture programme withdaily early morning, afternoon and evening lectures. 15 Thealumni organization Hakuen dōsōkai had 417 members all overJapan in 1938, including some described as present juku students. 16Ishihama arranged for the donation of Hakuen’s library ofHakuen to the university as Hakuen bunko in 1951, and itbecame the core library of the Institute of Oriental andOccidental Studies (Tōzai kenkyūsho), established in the sameyear. In 1962 an association was established to commemorateHakuen shoin. It publishes the journal Hakuen and holds lecturesand exhibitions. In 1964 a symposium was held, where severalparticipants, some old enough to have known Nangaku,exchanged reminiscences. 17 The activities of the associationcontinue to this day. In 2001 the Hakuen Memorial Foundationparticipated in organizing an international symposium tocelebrate the 50th anniversary of the Foundation of the Instituteof Oriental and Occidental Studies at Kansai University.Why are some juku still remembered so well? Respect for thescholar and teacher is one of the characteristics of Confucianism,but the fate of juku, the way they were gradually driven out by anew and at first alien education system, may have stimulated theurge to preserve. The juku came to represent tradition,individuality, regional distinctiveness and a more human form ofeducation than that dominated by the quest for worldly success.But there are also more down-to-earth reasons. The existanceof an heir, whether a blood relative or adopted, appears to bedecisive. He could take on a central role and coordinate theactivities of a group of local leaders (yūshi), who sometimes hadthe backing of prominent people in the capital (MurakamiButsusan). The physical remains of the juku, especially thebuildings, provide a focal point as do the writings of the master.In remote areas with few other attractions, the former juku maywell become a source of local pride and possibly a means toattract visitors; again, Seikei shoin is a good example. In the caseof Kan Chazan this has happened on a larger scale. The buildingsof Renjuku still stand in a section of Kannabe with several otherbuildings of the period, including an inn where the local feudallord stayed when he travelled to the capital. Renjuku was listed asa national historical monument in 1953. In 1992 the Kan ChazanMemorial Museum, devoted to him and to local artists, wascompleted. It also functions as a local archive and has a lectureroom for classes and cultural events.