An authentic Meiji 20 (1887) edition of 尋常小学読本 巻之二 (Jinjō Shōgaku Tokuhon, “Ordinary Elementary Reader, Volume 2”), published under the supervision of the Ministry of Education (文部省編纂局).
This book formed part of the first standardized national curriculum for Japan’s newly established modern school system.
Printed in beautiful vertical right-to-left Japanese script, this illustrated reader teaches moral lessons, daily life, and modern concepts to children of the early Meiji era — blending Western influences and traditional values.
Stories such as The Sick Sister and the Camellia Flower, The Cat Who Loves Her Kittens, The Soldier, and The Sunrise Song reveal both cultural modernization and moral teaching.
The book includes fine woodblock illustrations, such as children playing with toy boats, clocks explaining time, cats climbing stairs, and scenes of family care — all rendered in delicate linework.
Bound in its original paper and wooden-backed cover, with the iconic pink Ministry of Education title page, the book also bears the official 文部省 seal and 明治二十年四月十九日 publication imprint, confirming its authenticity and age.
A fascinating relic of Japan’s educational and cultural transition — ideal for collectors of Meiji woodblock prints, educational history, and Japanese antiquarian books.
