Equality and Patriotism
The Fundamental Code of 1872 made it abundantly clear that no longer would one single group monopolize access to education. The new system mandated that education be provided for everyone, indiscriminate of class, occupation, gender, or other factors. This view was held by many, such as Itō Hirobumi, who argued that an egalitarian educational system was necessary for Japan to reach Civilization and Enlightenment status. However, as was evident in the Fundamental Code, the government sought to reap the benefits of a new educated populace. Individuals were to use the education system to improve their own position in life, but the government ultimately sought to profit from their bettered positions.[1] Leaders such as Iwakura Tomomi and Ōkubo Toshimichi epitomized this view, arguing that the new education system would train capable leaders for the future and would further Japan’s status on the world stage.[2] This progress-driven view accordingly led to Chinese and Japanese classical studies to be neglected in Japanese curricula.[3]
[1] Joseph Pittau, Political Thought in Early Meiji Japan: 1868-1889 (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1967), 26.
[2] McClain, Japan, 260.
[3] Pittau, Political Thought, 26.
[1] Joseph Pittau, Political Thought in Early Meiji Japan: 1868-1889 (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1967), 26.
[2] McClain, Japan, 260.
[3] Pittau, Political Thought, 26.