A fascinating Meiji-period educational textbook, titled 『教育作文指導 第三編』(Kyōiku Sakubun Shidō Dai-san Hen) — Educational Composition Guidance, Volume 3 — printed in Japan around the late 1880s.
This manual was used to teach composition, logic, and written expression during the early years of Japan’s modern education system. Each chapter presents themes for writing practice drawn from subjects such as politics, economics, ethics, agriculture, and science, reflecting Japan’s rapid modernization after the Meiji Restoration.
The vertical pages feature neat movable-type printing with sectioned examples (作例) and thematic vocabulary lists, helping students learn how to compose formal essays on civic and academic topics. An important historical artifact showing how Western-style education was adapted through Japanese pedagogical reform.
Language: Classical Japanese with furigana and structured examples
Format: Movable type, fukuro-toji binding
Content: Model essays and writing prompts covering politics, social order, agriculture, and education
During the Meiji period, sakubun shidō (composition guidance) was central to developing the new national curriculum. Books like this trained young students and teachers to write modern Japanese prose—essential for administration, journalism, and education in a modernizing Japan. This third volume focused on advanced subjects and civic responsibility, encouraging intellectual independence through essay writing.
