The , or , historically known as the Peers' School, is a Japanese educational institution in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, originally established as Gakushūjo to educate the children of Japan's nobility. The original school expanded from its original mandate of educating the social elite and has since become a network of institutions which encompasses

preschool A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an school, educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they ...

through tertiary-level education.

History

The Peers' School was founded in 1847 by Emperor Ninkō in

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

and placed under the administration of the

Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal of Japan, Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century ...

. Its purpose was to educate the children of the Imperial aristocracy (''

kuge The was a Japanese Aristocracy (class), aristocratic Social class, class that dominated the Japanese Imperial Court in Kyoto. The ''kuge'' were important from the establishment of Kyoto as the capital during the Heian period in the late 8th ce ...

''). Prior to the disestablishment of the

Peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...

in 1947, commoners had restricted access to ''Gakushuin'', with limited slots only to the Elementary School and Middle School. In 1947, with the American-mandated disestablishment of the peerage system, enrollment in ''Gakushuin'' was fully opened to the general public. At the same time, administration of the school was transferred to the Ministry of Education.

Precepts

Emperor Ninko had four maxims inscribed on the walls of the ''Gakushūin'' building, including # Walk in the paths trodden by the feet of the great sages. # Revere the righteous canons of the empire. # He that has not learned the sacred doctrines, how can he govern himself? # He that is ignorant of the classics, how can he regulate his own conduct? The school was moved to Tokyo in 1877. Its new purpose was to educate the children of the modern aristocracy. Members of the Imperial Family continue to study at Gakushūin.

Timeline

* 1847: founded as Peers' School * 1877: the school was established in

* 1884: ''Gakushūin'' became an Imperial institution. * 1885: Peeresses' School was created * 1947: ''Gakushūin'' became a private institution.

Gakushuin Corporation

The present-day Gakushuin School Corporation comprises the following institutions: * Gakushuin University * Gakushuin Women's College * * * *

Presidents

Notable alumni and faculty members

Teachers

* R. H. Blyth—taught at Gakushūin * Kanō Jigorō—taught at Gakushūin * Inagaki Manjirō—taught briefly at Gakushūin

Alumni

: ''For alumni of Gakushuin University, see: Gakushūin University#Notable alumni'' ; Imperial House of Japan * Yoshihito, Emperor Taishō - late 123rd

Emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

* Hirohito, Emperor Shōwa - late 124th

* Nagako, Empress Kōjun, late Empress Dowager of Japan * Emperor Akihito - Former 125th

* Emperor Naruhito - Current 126th

* Masahito, Prince Hitachi - brother of Emperor Akihito * Hanako, Princess Hitachi - wife of the Prince Hitachi * Fumihito, Prince Akishino - son of Emperor Akihito * Kiko, Princess Akishino - wife of the Prince Akishino * Kazuko, Princess Taka - sister of Emperor Akihito * Shigeko, Princess Teru - sister of Emperor Akihito * Atsuko, Princess Yori - sister of Emperor Akihito * Takako, Princess Suga - sister of Emperor Akihito * Sayako, Princess Nori - daughter of Emperor Akihito * Nobuhito, Prince Takamatsu - brother of Emperor Shōwa * Kikuko, Princess Takamatsu - wife of the Prince Takamatsu * Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu - brother of Emperor Shōwa * Takahito, Prince Mikasa - brother of Emperor Shōwa * Yuriko, Princess Mikasa - wife of the Prince Mikasa * Prince Tomohito of Mikasa - son of the Prince Mikasa * Princess Yasuko of Mikasa - daughter of the Prince Mikasa * Princess Masako of Mikasa - daughter of the Prince Mikasa * Princess Akiko of Mikasa - daughter of Prince Tomohito * Princess Yōko of Mikasa - daughter of Prince Tomohito * Norihito, Prince Takamado - son of the Prince Mikasa * Princess Tsuguko of Takamado - daughter of the Prince Takamado * Princess Noriko of Takamado - daughter of the Prince Takamado * Princess Ayako of Takamado - daughter of the Prince Takamado * Yoshihito, Prince Katsura - son of Prince Mikasa * Aiko, Princess Toshi - daughter of Emperor Naruhito ; Korean Imperial House of Yi * Imperial Prince Yi Kang * Imperial Prince Ui Min * Prince Yi Geon * Princess Yi Deokhye * Prince Yi U * Prince Yi Gu ; Others * Huisheng Aisin-Gioro, Qing Princess, Niece of Puyi * Kuniko Asagi * Tarō Asō, former

Prime Minister of Japan The is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Force ...

* Yoshihiko Funazaki, Author * Toshiyuki Hosokawa * Yasuko Ikenobo * Marina Inoue * Tetsuya Kakihara * Akiko Kamei * Hisaoki Kamei * Michihiko Kano * Akiko Kobayashi * Kiyoshi Kodama * Yoshiki Kuroda * Yuki Kawauchi, Runner * Yukio Mishima, Author * Hayao Miyazaki, Director * Keiko Nagaoka * Hiroyuki Namba * Shiono Nanami, Author *

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

* Yoshinobu Shimamura * Yoshiki Tanaka, Author * Satomi Ton * Tokugawa Tsunenari * Mona Yamamoto * Akira Yoshimura, Author

In fiction

In the novel '' Spring Snow'' by Yukio Mishima, set in the early 1910s, the characters Kiyoaki Matsugae and Shigekuni Honda attend the school.

References

External links

Gakushūin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gakushuin Gakushuin University Educational institutions established in 1877 Education in Tokyo Private schools in Tokyo 1877 establishments in Japan School Corporations in Japan