Jishūkan was the

Han school The was an educational institution in the Edo period of Japan, originally established to educate children of ''daimyō'' (feudal lords) and their retainers in the domains outside of the capital. These institutions were also known as ''hangaku' ...

Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,000, ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

existing between 1755 and 1870. It was established by

Hosokawa Shigekata was a Japanese samurai ''daimyō'' of the Edo period. Early life Shigekata's father, Hosokawa Nobunori, was the 4th ''daimyō'' of Hosokawa clan, but his elder brother, the 5th ''daimyō'', unfortunately was killed, because the family crest of ...

, the 6th Hosokawa clan daimyō of Higo Province,

Kumamoto, Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,00 ...

, inside

Kumamoto Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle located in Chūō-ku, Kumamoto, in Kumamoto Prefecture. It was a large and well fortified castle. The is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960, but several ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original castle ...

and this school is known for producing many noted scholars such as Yokoi Shounan,

Inoue Kowashi Viscount Inoue Kowashi was a Japanese statesman of the Meiji period. Biography Early life Inoue was born into a '' samurai'' family in Higo Province (present-day Kumamoto Prefecture), as the third son of ''Karō'' Iida Gongobei. In 1866 ...

and Kitasato Shibasaburo.

Other Jishūkans

*There have been other Jishūkans.　They include Jishūkans of Mikawa Yoshida

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

, Ohtahara Han, Kasama Han, Daiseiji Han and Sakurai Han.

Origin of the name

*It came from the Analects of Confucius, that ''study and at times learn''. The same name is given to many other schools of Han of

Han system ( ja, 藩, "domain") is a Japanese historical term for the estate of a daimyo in the Edo period (1603–1868) and early Meiji period (1868–1912). Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Han"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 283. or (daimyo domain) s ...

Origin of the school

*After the successful financial reform of

started a unique school in the

Edo era The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteri ...

; it was open to any class of people, if admission was recognized, not only in

people but also in other countries, with scholarships. There was no such system in other

Han schools The was an educational institution in the Edo period of Japan, originally established to educate children of ''daimyō'' (feudal lords) and their retainers in the domains outside of the capital. These institutions were also known as ''hangaku ...

at this time.

Other schools

*At the most popular period, 255 schools were established in the

, almost in every

or local country. Other famous schools of

were Nisshinkan of Aizu, Kohjohkan of Yonezawa, Kohdohkan of Mito,

Meirinkan was a han school located in the Chōshū Domain of Japan. The school was one of the three major educational institutions in Japan, along with the Kōdōkan in Mito Domain and Shizutani School in Okayama Domain. History The school was establ ...

of Choshu, Shin-yukan of Nakatsu, Kohdohkan of Saga, Zohshikan of Satsuma were known, in addition to Jishuukan. **A neo-Confusionist from

Satsuma domain The , briefly known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1602 to 1871. The Satsuma Domain was based at Kagoshima Castle in Satsuma Province, the core of the modern city of Kagoshima, ...

was asked to build a school and asked the Jishuukan to observe the lessons. He was shown archery,

equestrianism Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, Driving (horse), driving, and Equestrian vaulting, vaulting ...

, fencing, Sojutsu, and then interpretation and poems and literature, in the order of importance.Anecdotes of Hosokawa Shigekata, Kawaguchi K. Kumamoto Nichi Nichi Shimbun, 2008

Location of Jishuukan and Subjects

*Jishūkan was conveniently located at Ninomaru, 25 ken (45 meters) from east to west and 75 ken (135 meters) from south to north, with an eastern gate and western gate. Rooms for study were in the northern part, while in the southern part, defense arts were exercised. *Learning at the Jishūkan was basically following Neo-Confucian in China, ;Zhū Xī or Chu Hsi (朱熹, October 18, 1130, Youxi, Fujian province, China – April 23, 1200, China). *Subjects in the rooms were:

Four Books and Five Classics The Four Books and Five Classics () are the authoritative books of Confucianism, written in China before 300 BCE. The Four Books and the Five Classics are the most important classics of Chinese Confucianism. Four Books The Four Books () are C ...

from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Han learning Han learning (), or the Han school of classical philology, was an intellectual movement that reached its height in the middle of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) in China. The focus of the movement was to reject neo-Confucianism in order to return ...

East Asian calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

, preparation for ceremonies, mathematics, music, the study of

Precedent A precedent is a principle or rule established in a previous legal case that is either binding on or persuasive for a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts. Common-law legal systems place great valu ...

. *Bodily Exercises are also needed:

Equestrianism Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, Driving (horse), driving, and Equestrian vaulting, vaulting ...

, Battojutsu,

Naginatajutsu is the Japanese martial art of wielding the . The naginata is a weapon resembling the medieval European glaive and the Chinese guan dao. Most naginatajutsu practiced today is in a modernized form, a ''gendai budō'', in which competitions al ...

, Sojutsu, Hojutsu

Teachers

*The first president was Akiyama Gyokuzan. *

Hayashi Ōen was a Japanese nationalist, priest, scholar of kokugaku, and Shinto fundamentalist. He was also a physician and military strategist. He is most often known by the pseudonyms or, rarely, . Biography A samurai by birth, Ōen was born the third ...

taught here from 1868 until his death.

End of the school

*It was discontinued at the

Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

Footnotes

References

Saishunkan (school) Saishunkan was a han medical school, established by Hosokawa Shigekata in 1756 in Kumamoto, Japan. Internal medicine (Chinese medicine), surgery (treatment of wounds), ophthalmology, pediatrics, gynecology, oral medicine, acupuncture, acupressur ...

* Hankou Jishūkan Wikipedia in Japanese
Kumamoto Castle Homepage

Photograph of ruins

Exhibition of Jisyukan

*

Kumamoto Domain The , also known as , was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Higo Province in modern-day Kumamoto Prefecture.

Hosokawa clan The is a Japanese Samurai kin group or clan. Ancestors # Emperor Jimmu # Emperor Suizei # Emperor Annei # Emperor Itoku # Emperor Kōshō # Emperor Kōan # Emperor Kōrei # Emperor Kōgen # Emperor Kaika # Emperor Sujin # Emperor Suinin # Emper ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jishukan Schools in Japan Kumamoto Education in Kumamoto Prefecture History of Kumamoto Prefecture Defunct schools in Japan