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

56 KANGAKU JUKU IN THE MEIJI PERIODdōjō (“exercise halls”) offering physical education, martial artsand the study of kangaku classics to adults; these were not exactlyjuku, but they provided an opportunity for personal study withlike-minded companions and in that sense replaced the juku.They did not, however, have one master; instead, the oldermembers taught the younger ones. At least six dōjō wereestablished. 57 OnewasMeijikan, established in 1887 with around150 members, including a small number of young students. Itwas presided over by a doctor and a bank employee, financedwith monthly contributions from members and sometimessponsorship from local leaders. It had its own grounds andbuildings, where regular meetings were held. There was aliterary section for lectures, debates and reading, a martial artssection and a physical education section. The dōjō was reportedlyfounded as a measure against the decline of the samurai spiritsince the abolition of the domains and to offer a service to society.The establishment of Hokushindō in 1883 was reportedlysimilarly motivated; it offered the same combination ofintellectual and physical training (bunbu), but also mutualsupport in cases of sickness and bereavement; during the Sino-Japanese and the Russo-Japanese wars this included help forsoldiers and their families. It appears, that the dōjō fulfilled theneed for education in a wider sense than that offered by schoolsand for a close-knit community. The conscious link with thesamurai tradition reflects Hirosaki’s history as a castle town.The figures and examples outlined in this chapter, sketchy asthey are, show clearly that juku continued to represent animportant sector within educational provision after 1872,although their importance varied from region to region. Oftenthey functioned as middle schools until public schools replacedthem. The number of juku established in the late 1870s and early1880s is striking in some cases (Ōita, Aichi), suggesting that therewas a rising demand for post-elementary education as a result ofmore children attending elementary schools.The statistics do not tell us what the juku were like. The nexttwo chapters will provide examples of different juku and describesome general features of juku education and life.