95

Bundle 95: Edo Era: Education Emerges

The Edo era (1603–1867) lacked standard education, but institutions formed to meet the need. Teachers ran "terakoya" (private schools) from their houses. After-hours private academies emerged, as did an Osaka school that taught Dutch studies, medicine, astronomy, and other Western sciences. Adult scholars also made great advances, enhancing a mathematical system called "sampo," inventing "enri" (a calculus-like system), and devising complex calculations with the soroban (a Japanese abacus). One expert quantified a term that means "too many grains of sand to count"! These essays explore such topics, also showing how a word for "Pythagoras' theorem" represented an imaginative leap.
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恒
constancy
JOK: 1251
Find out what's "fixed" about a star - and why a planet conversely seems confused! Then come back to Earth to focus on steady livelihoods, annual events, constant wars, and permanent peace. See how "constant river sand" traveled from India through China into Buddhism and even further from there. And learn how a poisoning scandal from 1955 could help Fukushima victims.
塾
cram school
JOK: 1370
After a full school day, many Japanese kids head to "cram school" for intensive nighttime tutoring. In this essay, a variety of people chime in about why the Japanese do this, how it profoundly helps and hurts students, how it affects public education and society at large, and more. Copious comments from a former cram school head provide insights and a great language immersion.
暦
calendar
JOK: 1927
Learn why Amazon describes a new calendar as 新暦・旧暦. Find out about Japan's relatively recent switch to a solar calendar, an event that inspired a novel, manga, and movie! Learn to calculate age and the year in multiple ways, read about the significance of turning 60 in Japan, and learn about calendars for illiterates and flower calendars. Also see why one temple has 暦 in its name.
勾
capture
JOK: 1953
Discover why 勾 means both “hook” and “arrest.” Find out about an ancient bead (one of three sacred treasures) that may symbolize anything from a soul to the moon! Learn how the Japanese discuss steep streets and sloped roofs. Read about an important stone wall curved like a crescent moon, and see how that curve prevents the wall from bulging like a pregnant woman’s belly!
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