The 1890 Imperial Rescript on Education
The Imperial Rescript on Education, issued in 1890, essentially constituted a basic statement of the values that the government wished to convey in its education system. It coincided with the issuing of the Meiji Constitution, and was part of the campaign to rally support for a new nationalistic Japan. In a pious tone, the document lauded the values of Confucianism and bid citizens to exercise unquestioning loyalty towards the emperor and nation in the field of education.[1] The old Confucian notion of filial piety was extended to the state by the Japanese people. As a result, the document was sent to every single school in Japan, where it was revered on a level with the Emperor’s photograph and even the Buddha. Children found it difficult to decipher the exact archaic language of the rescript, but commonly listened to recitations with their heads bowed in respect. There were even stories of school principals who committed suicide because they stumbled in their recitations.[2] The document became a symbol for reverence to the state, and educational sociologist Michio Nagai argues that its passage signified the abandonment of liberalism in education and the final stabilization of what was once such a turbulent educational system.[3]
[1] McClain, 262.
[2] Duus, Modern Japan, 128-129.
[3] Michio, Tradition and Modernization, 36.
[1] McClain, 262.
[2] Duus, Modern Japan, 128-129.
[3] Michio, Tradition and Modernization, 36.