An authentic Meiji-period Japanese educational textbook titled Futsū Kyōiku Sakubun Shidō (普通教育作文指導), meaning “Composition Guidance for General Education.” Authored by Shinsai Yudai Hyōzō (慎斎 喩代豹蔵) and published by Tokyo Kōbunsha (東京興文社), this book represents a significant phase in Japan’s modernization of language and learning.
Intended for students and teachers, it provides detailed instruction on essay composition, structure, and expression, blending classical Japanese style with emerging Western logic and educational principles. The text is printed in elegant vertical type with refined kanbun-kundoku annotations and a striking pink title page.
This work is not only a pedagogical manual but also a cultural artifact from the Meiji Enlightenment era, embodying the national effort to reform education and language in a rapidly modernizing Japan.
A beautiful and rare example of Meiji scholastic printing, suitable for collectors of educational history, Meiji-era culture, and early Japanese publishing.
Title: 普通教育作文指導 (Futsū Kyōiku Sakubun Shidō)
Author: 慎斎 喩代豹蔵 (Shinsai Yudai Hyōzō)
Publisher: 東京興文社 (Tokyo Kōbunsha)
Era: Meiji period (late 19th century)
Content: Composition and writing instruction for schools
Language: Classical Japanese with pedagogical tone
Format: Woodblock print on handmade washi paper with decorative title slip
