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.

Author: Benjamin Duke
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Published: 03/14/2014
Pages: 434
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.34lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.89d
ISBN: 9780813569666

About the Author
BENJAMIN DUKE is a professor emeritus of comparative and international education at the International Christian University in Tokyo. He is the author of several books on education in Japan.