Learning for Character

 

During the Edo period (1603–1867), under the Tokugawa shogunate, education in Japan was remarkably widespread. Around 300 feudal domains maintained their own schools, and some 20,000 private institutions known as “terakoya” operated throughout the country. These temple- and shrine-based schools, led by monks and scholars, provided children of both samurai and commoners with instruction in reading, writing, and arithmetic, while also serving as important centers of local community life. What distinguished education in this era was its emphasis on character as much as knowledge. Rather than focusing solely on competition or academic achievement, it sought to cultivate inner qualities—manners, ethics, aesthetic awareness, and harmony with nature—while encouraging individuals to discover their unique strengths and roles within society. In this way, Edo-period education nurtured a quiet sense of self-affirmation: a feeling that “I can be of value here.” In contrast, modern education often places strong emphasis on knowledge acquisition and competitive evaluation—approaches that may be increasingly less suited to the age of AI and, at times, may not fully support the development of self-affirmation. At the same time, these methods have greatly expanded access to knowledge and opportunity. For this reason, there is a growing call to reexamine education as a means of character formation, one that fosters both individual fulfillment and harmony within society.

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