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

PRIVATE ACADEMIES OF CHINESE LEARNING IN MEIJI JAPAN 51the early years after 1868 political confusion reigned, withseveral rebellions against the new government. Modern schoolswere few, only 131 elementary schools after the proclamation ofthe Education Law in 1872, and attendance was poor. However,by the end of Meiji there were 614 elementary schools andattendance was at 98.4 per cent, which compared well with otherprefectures.Education beyond elementary level took longer to develop. Apublic foreign language (English) school was established in 1875.The first normal school for teacher training was set up in 1876and a middle school was added to it in 1878. By 1881 there weresix middle schools with thirteen branch schools, but financialproblems made further expansion difficult. From around 1890education was reorganized and prefectural schools were opened.By the end of Meiji, Fukuoka had schools at all levels, includingvocational colleges and the Imperial University of Kyūshū,established in 1910. The prefecture had a reputation for itseducation and was known as kyōikuken Fukuoka.While modern schools were lacking, many juku continued tooperate, sometimes nominally changing to elementary or middleschools. Table 3, with details of juku in Fukuoka prefecture, givesan idea of the continuity of traditional types of schools. The tableis divided into three regions: Chikuzen, Chikugo and Buzen. Itshows that a significant number of juku continued to operateafter 1868 or were newly established after that date. Of thesubjects taught, kangaku, alone or in combination with kokugaku[National Learning], medicine, and sometimes calligraphy orarithmetic, is by far the most frequent. Only for three schools isEnglish named as a subject, in two cases in addition to kangaku.Yōgaku or Western Learning is not mentioned atTable 3: Continuity of juku in Fukuoka prefectureSources: Fukuokaken kyōikushi, 689–700, 702–710; Ranbe, Nihon niokeruchūgakkō, 346.