The History of Modern Japanese Education : Constructing the National School System, 1872-1890

The History of Modern Japanese Education is the first account in English of the construction of a national school system in Japan, as outlined in the 1872 document, the Gakusei. Divided into three parts tracing decades of change, the book begins by exploring the feudal background for the Gakusei during the Tokugawa era which produced the initial leaders of modern Japan. Next, Benjamin Duke traces the Ministry of Education's investigations of the 1870s to determine the best western model for Japan, including the decision to adopt American teaching methods. He then goes on to cover the eventual "reverse course" sparked by the Imperial Household protest that the western model overshadowed cherished Japanese traditions. Ultimately, the 1890 Imperial Rescript on Education integrated Confucian teachings of loyalty and filial piety with Imperial ideology, laying the moral basis for a western-style academic curriculum in the nation's schools. The History Of Modern Japanese Education Is The First Comprehensive Account In English Of The Construction Of A National School System In Japan, As Outlined In The 1872 Document, The Gakusei. Covering The Entire Spectrum Of Developments Between 1872 And 1890, This Work Traces Outstanding Contributions To Japan's National School System Made By Individuals From Japan, America, And Europe. Unique In Its Analysis Of The Transition From Feudalism To Modernism, As Well As Its Examination Of The Initial Leadership Of Modern Japan By Samurai Educated During The Feudal Era, The History Of Modern Japanese Education Is Divided Into Three Parts Tracing Decades Of Change.--book Jacket. Introduction: The Aims Of Education For Modern Japan -- Part I: The Feudal Foundation Of Modern Japanese Education -- Education Of The Samurai In Tokugawa Schools: Nisshinkan -- Education Of The Samurai In The West: London University And Rutgers College, 1863-1868 -- The Meiji Restoration: Reemergence Of Tokugawa Schools, 1868-1871 -- Part Ii: The First Decade Of Modern Education, 1870s: The American Model -- The Gakusei: The First National Plan For Education, 1872 -- The Iwakura Mission: A Survey Of Western Education, 1872-1873 -- The Modern Education Of Japanese Girls: Georgetown, Bryn Mawr, Vassar, 1872 -- The Modern Japanese Teacher: The San Francisco Method, 1872-1873 -- Implementing The First National Plan For Education: The American Model, Phase I, 1873-1876 -- Rural Resistance To Modern Education: The Japanese Peasant, 1873-1876 -- The Imperial University Of Engineering: The Scottish Model, 1873-1882 -- Pestalozzi To Japan: Switzerland To New York To Tokyo, 1875-1878 -- Scientific Agriculture And Puritan Christianity On The Japanese Frontier: The Massachusetts Model, 1876-1877 -- The Philadelphia Centennial: The American Model Revisited, 1876 -- The Second National Plan For Education: The American Model, Phase Ii, 1877-1879 -- Part Iii: The Second Decade Of Modern Education, 1880s: Reaction Against The Western Model -- The Imperial Will On Education: Moral Versus Science Education, 1879-1880 -- The Third National Plan For Education: The Reverse Course, 1880-1885 -- Education For The State: The German Model, 1886-1889 -- The Imperial Rescript On Education: Western Science And Eastern Morality For The Twentieth Century, 1890. Benjamin Duke. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 371-406) And Index.