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

PRIVATE ACADEMIES OF CHINESE LEARNING IN MEIJI JAPAN 679) Students must on no account stay the night elsewhere;if someone is taken ill at their destination or if somethingoccurs concerning their next of kin which makes it hard toleave and the student stays one night, he has to report thisfrom his destination. Also, if there is some doubt, thecircumstances will be investigated and directions given. If ithas been reported in advance that the student will stay thenight, these limitations do not apply.10) Within the juku the use of alcohol is strictly banned.Apart from that it is not allowed to urge others to go outtogether to drink and buy women.11) It goes without saying that crowding together wassomething the sages were concerned about; students mustalways restrain themselves with regard to obscene talk,vulgar songs and other things. Also it is inconsiderate todiscuss in loud voices and throughout the night themeaning of the classics, political measures, military strategyand other affairs. The above paragraphs have to be agreedto on entering the juku. 9Students had considerable freedom to pursue their own studiesand were not bound by any particular school of Confucianism,previous masters or Sokken’s own views. 10 They wereencouraged to voice their own ideas. It appears that Sokken’sown experience of study influenced the way he ran his juku; hehimself had been largely self-taught before he went to theShōheikō. The running of the juku was also informal, no jukutō[prefect] was appointed; four or five suitable students werechosen to keep things in order.Little is known about the early years of the juku, includingstudents. Lists of students exist from 1859, when Sokken drew uprecords of his associates and his disciples from memory. Hisbiographer states that they include about 60 or 70 per cent of thestudents; 11 of 188 names of students listed, 59 are for the year1859. They came from all over Japan and included men who laterbecame famous, like Nakamura Masanao (1832–90) and ShigenoYasutsugu (1827–1910). Sometimes information on the students’background is included, such as vassal of a domain, physician,merchant or officialof the shogunate. Most of them appear tohave been samurai, and a significant number came fromSokken’s home district. For 1860–61, 119 students are listed, for1862 the number is 52. For 1863 only 14 names are listed and for