An original Meiji 37 (1904) educational text titled 『普通教育作文指導 第四編 (Futsū Kyōiku Sakubun Shidō, Volume 4)』, published in Tokyo by Ishikawa Bunsha (石川文社) and edited by Makino Yūzō (槇野祐藏).
This Meiji-era schoolbook was part of a national curriculum reform emphasizing moral education, civic duty, and writing skills. It served as a composition manual (作文指導書) for students learning how to write essays in formal Japanese style, covering themes from daily life, ethics, and nature to loyalty and social harmony — reflecting the educational ideals of Imperial Japan at the dawn of the 20th century.
The interior is printed vertically in clear kanji-katakana mixed script, divided into thematic sections such as:
Each topic includes model essays (作文例) written in a moral, didactic tone, with parallel annotations guiding the student’s vocabulary and phrasing. The format is typical of the late-Meiji classroom, showing Japan’s transition from Edo classical rhetoric to modern education.
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Title: 普通教育作文指導 第四編 (Futsū Kyōiku Sakubun Shidō, Volume 4)
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Date: Meiji 37 (1904)
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Editor: 槇野祐藏 (Makino Yūzō)
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Publisher: 石川文社 (Ishikawa Bunsha)
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Place: Tokyo, Japan
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Format: Japanese vertical text (tategaki), printed on washi
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Type: Educational / moral composition manual
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Language: Classical Japanese
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Binding: Traditional Japanese fukurotoji (stitched binding)
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Provenance: Japanese middle-school educational text from the Meiji period
This rare Meiji-era schoolbook is a testament to Japan’s early modern education system, combining Confucian ethics, linguistic refinement, and Western-style curriculum structure.
It offers insight into how students of the Meiji generation were trained to express loyalty, virtue, and national values through elegant written Japanese.
For collectors of Japanese educational history, Meiji printing, or cultural manuscripts, this book provides both pedagogical and historical value.
