Meirinkan

This was the school of the Choshu Hagi Domain. It was established in 1719 (Kyoho 4) by the domain lord Mori Yoshimoto to promote samurai spirit. During the Tenpo era (1830-1844), under the domain lord Takachika, Murata Seifu and others were appointed to improve the school, and in 1849 (Kaei 2), it was moved and newly built. It was a grand school with a Senseiden hall, a dormitory, a martial arts hall and a swimming training ground. The domain provided 500 koku to manage it and encourage its samurai to attend. It was divided into elementary school (ages 7-14) and university (ages 15-25), and had subjects such as Chinese classics, medicine (Chinese and Dutch), astronomy, arithmetic, military science and martial arts. It also had an active publishing industry. After the domain was abolished, it became Hagi Middle School. At the end of the Edo period, the feudal domain office was moved to Yamaguchi, and in 1860 (Man'en 1), Kojo Meirinkan was established in Yamaguchi. Each branch domain also had its own domain school. In addition, there were domain schools of the same name in Echizen Ono, Ise Kameyama, Yamato Yanagimoto, Yamato Takatori, Tango Tanabe, Sanuki Marugame, and Iyo Uwajima.

[Tetsuo Kizuki]

"Japanese Educational History Materials 2, 5, 6" compiled and published by the Ministry of Education (1889)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

長州萩(はぎ)藩の藩学。1719年（享保4）藩主毛利吉元(もうりよしもと)が士風振興のため設立。天保(てんぽう)年間（1830～44）藩主敬親(たかちか)の下、村田清風らが登用され、学校を整備し、1849年（嘉永2）移転、新築。宣聖殿、学寮、演武場さらに水練場など、規模壮大。藩は500石を付して経営、藩士の入学を奨励した。小学（7～14歳）、大学（15～25歳）に分かれ、漢学、医学（漢・蘭(らん)）、天文学、算学、兵学、武芸などの科があった。出版活動も活発であった。廃藩後、萩中学となる。幕末、藩庁の山口移転に伴い1860年（万延1）山口に鴻城(こうじょう)明倫館設置。各支藩にも藩校があった。なお、ほかに越前(えちぜん)大野、伊勢亀山(いせかめやま)、大和(やまと)柳本、大和高取、丹後(たんご)田辺、讃岐丸亀(さぬきまるがめ)、伊予宇和島(うわじま)各藩に、同名の藩学があった。

［木槻哲夫］

『文部省編・刊『日本教育史資料 2・5・6』（1889）』

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