An original Meiji-era Japanese elementary school textbook, titled 『尋常小學讀書教本 巻八』(Jinjō Shōgaku Dokusho Kyōhon, Volume 8) — part of Japan’s official reading and ethics curriculum issued under the Ministry of Education (文部省) during the late 19th century.
Edited by Imamura Teisuke (今泉定介) and Sunaga Wasaburō (須永和三郎), this edition was printed and distributed in Meiji 27 (1894) and later revised in Meiji 28 (1895) by Fukyūsha (普及舎), a prominent educational publisher in Tokyo.
This advanced volume introduces lessons combining geography, civics, science, and ethics through accessible prose and vivid woodblock illustrations.
Key contents include:
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我が國の國體 (Our Nation and the Imperial Lineage)
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氣候と物産 (Climate and Natural Products)
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日本の景 (Views of Japan)
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貨幣 (Currency and Coins)
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交通 (Transportation)
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外國の事情 (Foreign Nations and World Geography)
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平重盛の戰 (The Battle of Taira no Shigemori)
Illustrations depict Japanese coins, trade ports, and maps of East Asia, emphasizing Japan’s modernization, commerce, and imperial expansion during the Meiji Restoration era.
Issued shortly after the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895), this textbook reflects Japan’s growing national pride and global awareness. It represents the merging of Confucian morality, modern science, and imperial ideology taught in Meiji classrooms to cultivate loyal, knowledgeable citizens.
Complete, illustrated copies of Jinjō Shōgaku Dokusho Kyōhon from the 1890s educational reforms are rare. This volume reflects Japan’s shift toward modern literacy and national identity, making it a valuable artifact for collectors of Meiji educational history, printing, and early Japanese modernization.
