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

76 CASE STUDIESCertificates were awarded as a result of the examinations.Students who had not yet sat the examinations were classified askyūzen (not yet ranked).Lessons, in the form of lectures, group readings and discussions(rinkō, kaigi shitsumon) or simple reading (sodoku) were held everymorning from 7 to 9 a.m., although the exact time varied with thelength of the days. On the fifth of each month poetry meetings(shibun kai) were held in the evenings from 7 to 10 p.m., andstudents had to hand in work for correction. No lessons wereheld on national holidays, on kigensetsu (Empire day) andtenchōsetsu (Emperor’s birthday), on Sundays or between 26December and 7 January and 21 July and 20 August, as well asfor five days after the examinations and on the last Saturday ofeach month. In addition, provisional holidays could beannounced.Entering or leaving the juku was permitted on the first andfifteenth of the month. New entrants had to be accompanied bytheir guarantor, who submitted an application for them. Theentrance fee for boarders was 1 yen and for day students 50 sen.Monthly tuition fees were 50 sen to be paid in advance on the25th of the preceding month; boarding fees were 2 yen. Juku feeswere 10 sen for boarders and 5 sen for day students. On entrystudents also had to pay 1 sen for their eating utensils. Studentstaking part in evening meetings had to pay 2 sen for oil each time.On 12 July, 5 sen were collected from each student to be given tothe cook.The printed regulations governing daily life at the juku weremore numerous than the ones in the application of 1877. Theybegan by saying that students must above all observe correctpractice and associate with each other with loyalty andcourtesey; the more advanced should induct the less advanced,the less advanced should follow the more advanced and allshould be diligent in their studies. There was a fixed seatingorder during lessons, determined each season by the opinion ofthe prefect and the administrator or by lottery. Students wereexpected to wear formal clothing (hakama) for lessons. They wereexpected to keep their rooms tidy and look after tatami mats andfixtures and respect other people’s belongings. Lending andborrowing, discussions in groups of three or more, urinatinganywhere except in the toilets, letting the junk man in to sellthings to him and eating and drinking in the rooms as well asgoing out as a group leaving the rooms unattended were