Tokyo English School

Tokyo English School

Tokyo Eigo gakko (national school)

Tokyo English School (東京英語学校, Tokyo eigo gakko) - a government sanctioned school established in 1873 as one of the forerunners to Eigo Gakko (a chartered academia by the Meiji government in 1877), and was amalgamated with older government schools and various traditional scholars. It had been named to national Tokyo English School in 1873 when the National School for Foreign Languages (東京外国語学校) (re-established in 1899) was reformed along government policy to focus on English as the primary foreign language so that to rename all of so called eight foreign language schools (外国語学校, Gaikokugo gakko) to English Schools (英語学校, Eigo gakko) including Sendai English School. Shortly after becoming an independent entity functioning as a preparatory school for Kaisei School (開成学校, Kaisei gakko), it was merged with the junior college course at that school to form Tokyo University Junior College (東京大学予備門, Tokyo Daigaku yobimon) (later to be succeeded by First Higher School, Japan (第一高等学校, Dai-ichi Kotogakko) which in turn called University of Tokyo since 1947).

Tokyo English School (Nihon Gakuen)

A private prep school designed to teach students applying to chartered schools including the Nihon School 第一高等学校 (旧制) (Kyusei Dai-ichi Kotogakko) (fr), reformed to be Nihon Middle School Nihon Gakuen Junior and Senior High School (wikidata:Nihon Gakuen middle and high school).

Nihon Middle School

Nihon Middle School originated from the Tokyo English School which establishment was petitioned to Sugiura Shigetake, :d:Masujima Rokuichiro (ja) as well as Miyazaki Michimasa by their peer members of the patriots movement Seikyosha (ja), namedly Chikami Kiyoomi , Yatabe Umekichi as a founding member of Tokyo University of Science with Matsushita Takeyoshi . The Tokyo English School set its cornerstone in Kanda Nishikicho, downtown Tokyo, in 1885 (Meiji 18) for those students who wished to enroll in their preparatory course for the University of Tokyo (東大予備門, Todai yobimon) (fr), or Dai-ichi Kotogakko , as well as for other national universities including Hokkaido University.

Soon Tokyo English School enjoyed popularity among those aiming to the University of Tokyo, named as one of the top prep school sending students to national universities, leading other named prep schools from elitist Kyoritsu Gakko (present day Kaisei Academy to a language school Seiritsusha.

When it was destroyed by fire, a new school hall was finished in Yamamoto-cho, Kojimachi Ward across the Imperial Palace, near the Hanzo Gate in 1892 (Meiji 25). The school had been renamed as Nihon Chugakko, or Nihon Middle School the year before, with the Decree of Junior High Schools of 1891 (Meiji 24) (:d) in effect. Nihon Middle School was no more a preparatory school but a private full secondary school (former decree). Later renamed as Nihon Gakuen, and in 1936 (Showa 11), opened its campus in its present location in Setagaya Ward. After WWII, it became the current Nihon Gakuen Junior and Senior High School.

At the earliest point of the history of Tokyo English School, principal Sugiura set their subject as offering education based on Japanese tradition and spirit even in the time of globalization, aiming at sending out future leaders of the society who would raise the national influence with a strong sense of rivalry against national schools. On the other hand, Sugiura encouraged his students to advance to higher education at national universities. His plan was successful that once in the heyday of private school education during Meiji era, Nihon Middle School was a keen rival against German style Dokkyo-gaku kyokai (present day Dokkyo Junior and Senior High School affiliated with Dokkyo University, as well as municipal Tokyo First Middle School (present day Hibiya High School) among prep schools, in terms of number of alumni who had enrolled in the University of Tokyo.

However, as seen in any private schools at that time, Nihon Middle School struggled with funding. For inheriting traditions in the education under stronger pressure of modernization, it did not fair well nor those traditional private universities as Kokugakuin (Kokugakuin University (國學院大學, Kokugakuin Daigaku) or Enryo Inoue's Tetsugakukan. Numbers of its alumni accepted at the elitist national universities had decreased in the latter half of the Meiji era.

Historical moments for Tokyo English School (Nihon Gakuen)

	event
1885	Established as Tokyo English School in Kanda, Tokyo.
1892	Renamed to Nihon Middle School.
1916	Relocated to Yodobashi in west Shinjuku.
1936	Relocated to the present venue in Setagaya Ward.
1948	Renamed to Nihon Gakuen Junior and Senior High School	†
1965	Terminated accepting new students to Junior High course.
1996	Resumed accepting students to Junior High course.
2008	Started to accept transfer students from Kodogakusha (講道学舎, Kōdōgakusha) (Kodogakusha (-2015).
2012	signed partnership with Meiji University.
†= Educational reform in occupied Japan

A "special advance course" was installed in its high school in 2007. Its sisterhood as Tokyo English School with British Law School at the very early days has been remembered, as they shared founders and supporters as well as sharing patriotism. The Law School had accepted transfer students from Tokyo English School without taking enrollment examinations. However, its name is often mistaken to be under the umbrella of Nihon University.

Nihon Gakuen Junior and Senior High School has enrolled transfer students from judo school Kodogakusha between 2008 and 2015, a school located in Setagaya Ward. In March 2012, a Partnership was signed with Meiji University which will recommend Nihon Gakuen's students for the entrance examination at Meiji.

Masujima Rokuichiro

The founder of Tokyo English School was Dr. Masujima Rokuichiro (6 August 1857 ） - 13 November 1948) who had studied law at Inns of Court in Britain (ca.1879–1884, licensed Barrister at Law) and finished internship at a solocitor's office and returned to Japan. Masujima introduced a law school after British model in 1885, or British Law School , which evolved to be called Chuo University today. When his peer patriots filed a petition to open a school for nationalist students, Masujima accommodated the idea to have a new prep school for government sanctioned universities, and instead of founding a special course in his law school plan, filed for a license as an individual entity. Tokyo English school started at classrooms in the British Law School, and its own hall was built on the same property with its own gate.

Mitsubishi Business School

Before Tokyo English School or British Law School, Masujima Rokuichiro taught law at the night school of Mitsubishi Business School (1878 – 1884), which was the very location Masujima would establish two schools. The founder of Mitsubishi Business School sponsored Masujima to study law in England.

Mitsubishi Business School (1878–1884) was opened by the Mitsubishi Congromate in Kanda Nishiki-cho, downtown Tokyo, and as Mitsubishi's founder Iwasaki Yataro founded Keio University, the Business School was positioned as an extention to Keio. That school was renamed to Meiji Gijuku in 1881 (Meiji 14), with a night law school attached. Due to financial difficulty of the main sponsor Mitsubishi, Meiji Gijuku was closed in 1884 (Meiji 17).

Tokyo School of English (private)

Tokyo School of English, or Tokyo Eiwa Gakko, was born after two schools were merged in late 19th century, then expanded by adding another girls' school of missionary origin in 1927. Originally established in 1874 as a Methodist Episcopal Church missionary school in Tokyo by Robert Samuel Maclay, John Franklin Goucher's vision to establish and name a Methodist university in Japan as “Anglo Japanese University of Tokio and Awoyama” (Tokyo Aoyama Eiwa University) was fulfilled in two stages, firstly when Maclay and Julius Soper agreed to name the new merged school as "Tokyo School of English" (東京英和学校, Tokyo Eiwa Gakko), then secondly again to Aoyama Gakuin University.

There were three schools prior to establishing Aoyama Gakuin, which were merged into one over time.

Kaigan Girls' School

per Kaigan jogakko A "Girls' Elementary School" was founded in 1874 near Roppongi in Tokyo by Dora E. Schoonmaker (14 November 1851 – 5 December 1934). Schoolmaster who had once renamed her school as Kyusei gakko (救世学校, Salvation School), then being persuaded by the school authorities and renamed her school again as Kaigan Girls' School (海岸女学校, Kaigan jogakko) (wikidata), and eventually relocated it to Tsukiji in 1877. Julius Soper (:d) came and preached there, while Schoonmaker who accepted financial support of Japanese politicians including Tsuda Sen returned to the US in 1879 finishing her tenure in Japan.

Tokyo School of English (private)

It started in 1878 as "Kokyo gakusha Boys' School (耕教学舎)" (ja) in Tsukiji, founded by Julius Soper (ja). Soper baptized Tsuda Sen and his wife in 1875, who offered his agriculture company near Roppongi when Soper preached. After returning from the US, Soper was the Dean of Theology at Aoyama Gakuin (1901 – 1908), where he taught Theology (1896 – 1911). Kokyo gakusha was renamed to Tokyo eigakko (東京英学校) or Tokyo School of English, sometime before the merger with Maclay's seminary in 1882.

Bikai Seminary

It was in 1873 when the Methodist Episcopal Church had dispatched missionaries from the United States to Yokohama, Tokyo, Nagasaki and Hakodate. " Bikai Seminary", which literary means "school of the Methodist church", was founded in Yokohama by Robert Samuel Maclay , who made an agreement in 1882 with Soper's Kokyo gakusha to merge into one entity, and the new school was named Tokyo Eiwa Gakko (ja). John Franklin Goucher had supported Maclay's seminary and became the largest donor in purchasing the Aoyama Campus in 1883. It was Goucher's vision to establish and name a Methodist university in Japan as “Anglo Japanese University of Tokio and Awoyama” (Tokyo Aoyama Eiwa University), which became the present day Aoyama Gakuin University#History in jawp.

Eiwa Schools

Translating Eiwa to "English School" matches as far as the school holds a theory to teach all classes of any subject in English, while Christian schools with the term Eiwa in their name could have been named on different theory.　

Following those English education pioneers, there were three key persons representing their missionery:

• Mary Putnam Pruyn (ja) (31 March 1820 – 20 February 1885, American) for then Doremus School aka presentday 横浜共立学園 (Yokohama Kyoritsu Gakuen) and Kaisei Missionary Girls' School (偕成伝道女学校) which was renamed to Kyoritsu Biblical School (共立女子聖書学院) which was discontinued in 1980 by merger of three schools into the Kyoritsu Christian Institute (共立基督教研究所) (ja), Ibaraki prefecture. The Institute collaborates with Alister McGrath.
• Harriet Brittan (1822 - 1897, American) held Brittan's Girls School (1881-) which was later renamed to Yokohama Eiwa Gakuin (学校法人横浜英和学院).
• Isabella S. Blackmore (7 January 1863 - 2 January 1942, Canadian) was dedicated to education for girls as principal of several schools (see below).

Eiwa Schools and Methodist missionaries

As with the sample of John Franklin Goucher's vision to name a Methodist university in Japan as “Anglo Japanese University of Tokio and Awoyama” (Tokyo Aoyama Eiwa University) evolving from Tokyo Eiwa Gakko, it would be appropriate to group those schools connected with Methodist missionary as Tokyo Anglo-Japanese Schools, or to its equivalent in Japanese as Tokyo Eiwa Gakko. So far, schools throughout Japan called Eiwa are on the list as follows.

Methodist Episcopal Church

Methodist Episcopal Church jawp

• Kaigan Girls' School jawp (1877-1888)
• Tokyo Eiwa gakko jawp (1878-1894)
  • Aoyama Gakuin (1894-, wikidata) would merge both Kaigan Girls' School as well as Tokyo Eiwa gakko by 1894. Yokohama Eiwa Jogakko, or Yokohama Eiwa Girls' School had become affiliated with Aoyama gakuin as well.
• Britten's Girls School was renamed to Yokohama Eiwa Girls' School (ja) (1880-)
• Frederick Charles Klein (17 May 1857 – 27 December 1926) departed Washington State to Japan in 1883 when Britten decided to segregate her school and run a boys' school, which Klein would take charge of. The facilities were divided between Girls' and Boys' schools in 1886, and Klein, after founding a school in Yokohama (Yokohama Eiwa gakko (横浜英和学校)) and inaugurating Yokohama First Bifu Church (横浜第一美普教会) in 1886, came to Nagoya and laid stones for Nagoya Eiwa School (ja) in November 1887 (opened in the summer of 1887 as Pirvate Aichi Eiwa School (私立愛知英語学校, Shiritsu Aichi Eiwa gakko)). Nagoya Eiwa School is the forerunner of Nagoyagakuin in Nagoya wikidata.

Year	History of schools that existed before Aoyama Gakuin
1874	Girls' Elementary School was opened in Azabu. Renamed to Kyusei gakko (救世学校) in 1875, then relocated to Tsukiji and was renamed as Kaigan jogakko (海岸女学校).
1878	Kokyogakusha (耕教学舎) was opened in Tsukiji, renamed to Tokyo English School (東京英学校, Tokyo eigakko).
1879	Bikai Seminary (美會神学校) was opened in Yokohama.
1882	Bikai Seminary merges into Tokyo English School.
1883	Tokyo English School moves to present day Aoyama, changing its name to Tokyo Eiwa Gakko (東京英和学校).
1888	Kaigan jogakko started to operate a separate upper course as Tokyo Eiwa Girls' School (東京英和女学校, Tokyo eiwa jogakko), and senior students were relocated to the new hall in Aoyama. Eventually Kaigan jogakko was closed in 1894 by merger into Tokyo Eiwa Girls' School.
1894	Tokyo Eiwa Gakko was renamed to Aoyama Gakuin (青山学院), with departments of Theology and Normal departments. The latter consisted of three courses of upper normal, English teaching, and preparatory.
1895	Tokyo Eiwa Girls' School was renamed to Aoyama Jogakuin (青山女学院), with departments of Theology and Normal, with a Handicraft course. Normal course consisted of three courses of upper school, normal, and preparatory. A kindergarten was opened to be closed in 1899.
1904	Granted license for managing two Advanced schools (semmon gakko): School of Theology, Aoyama Gakuin High School (青山学院高等科・神学部), Aoyama Jogakuin (English Study Course) (青山女学院英文専門科)
1923	The Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed the auditorium, classroom buildings for high school (Katsuta Memorial), junior high, and the theological schools.
1927	Integrated Aoyama Girls' School (青山女学院, Aoyama Jogakuin) into Aoyama Gakuin. Reorganized Department of High School (高等科, Kotoka) into Advanced School (高等学部, Kotogakubu).
1935	Reorganized the Faculty of Higher Education into Faculties of Literature (Departments of English Literature, English Normal school) and that of Advanced Course in Commerce (Commerce Department).
1943	Discontinued School of Theology by the merger of Nihon Shingakko (ja) Nihon shingakko (日本神学校), Schools of Theology at both Tohoku gakuin (東北学院) (ja)|東北学院]] and Meiji Gakuin University as well as 東京神学社. Those schools formed post-1945 Tokyo Union Theological Seminary (東京神学大学) (ja).
1944	Discontinued Advanced Schools (literature, advanced school of commerce) by merger to Meiji Gakuin University. Opened Aoyama Gakuin School of Technology.
1946	Renamed to Aoyama Gakuin College from Aoyama Gakuin School of Technology, start offering courses in English Literature, Economics, Mechanics, Civil Engineering and Architecture departments. Renamed to Aoyama Gakuin Women's College from Women's Advanced School. A service minister {{Nihongo|2=リッカー|3=Rikkar]] proposed to educate peace and democracy through Christian schools with advice from Colonel Decker, the 4th Commander of the United States Seventh Fleet encouraged 古坂嵓城 (ja) to open a Yokosuka branch.
1947	Refurbished the facilities of the Imperial Navy School of Engineering 海軍工機学校 (ja) and started the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering at Aoyama Gakuin Yokosuka.

Methodist Church, Canada

w:ja:カナダ・メソジスト教会

• w:ja:東洋英和学校 (1884-1901)
• w:ja:東洋英和女学院 (1884-)
• w:ja:静岡英和学院 (1887-)
• w:ja:山梨英和学院 (1889-)

There were key persons to each Eiwa schools.

Isabella S. Blackmore (7 January 1863 - 2 January 1942, Canadian) was dedicated to education for girls as principal of several schools.

• Yamanashi Eiwa College (山梨英和大学)
• Toyo Eiwa Girls’ Academy (東洋英和女学院, Toyo Eiwa Jogakuin): Founder was Martha Julia Cartmell (14 December 1845 - 20 March 1945, Canadian).
• Shizuoka Eiwa Gakuin University (静岡英和学院大学): Founder was Martha Janet Cunigham (3 June 1856 - 22 April 1916, Canadian)
• Tokyo Woman's Christian University, founded by Nitobe Inazō (1862–1933), had Blackmore on the Board.

Ecumenical

Mary Putnam Pruyn (31 March 1820 – 20 February 1885, American)

• Doremus School 横浜共立学園 (Yokohama Kyoritsu Gakuen)

Sources

• Duke, Benjamin C (2009). The history of modern Japanese education: constructing the national school system,1872-1890. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813544038. OCLC 759703951. Search this book on
• Kanbe, Yasumitsu (2006). Meiji zenki chūgakkō keiseishi : Fukenbetsu hen 明治前期中学校形成史 : 府県別編 [History of Junior High Schools in the Early Meiji Period : Prefectures] (in 日本語). 1. Matsudo, Chiba: Azusa Shuppansha. pp. 222-, p62-. ISBN 9784872626254. OCLC 85875967. Search this book on
• Koike, Ikuo (1978). The Teaching of English in Japan. Tokyo: Eichosha. p. 878. OCLC 846028697. Retrieved May 20, 2019. Search this book on
• Nagai, Michio (1979). Nihon no daigaku : Sangyo shakai ni hatasu yakuwari [Japanese universities : the role in the industrial society]. Chuko shinsho. pp. 36, 42, 136. ISBN 4121000617. Search this book on
• Okada, Koichi (2004). Tōkyō furitsu chūgaku [Tokyo Municipal Middle Schools] (in 日本語). Tokyo: Dosheisha Publishing. p. 33. ISBN 9784886212924. OCLC 674263877. Search this book on

Further readings

• Japan pamphlets. (1874) OCLC 55184059 includes "Tokyo eigo gakko soku (The school laws of the Tokyo English School, Meiji 8 (1875)) --"
• Timeline of Christianity in Japan (日本キリスト教史年表, Nihon kirisutokyo nenpyo). rev.ed., Tokyo: Kyobunkan, May 2006. OCLC 675020250.
• Mineshige, Kiyoshi; 嶺重, 淑 (2011). キリスト教入門: 歴史・人物・文学 [Introduction to Christianity: History, People and Literature (Kirisuto-kyo nyumon: rekishi, jimbutsu, bungaku)] (in Japanese). Tokyo: United Church of Christ in Japan Publication. ISBN 978-4-8184-0770-1. OCLC 711039681.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) Search this book on

See also

• University of Tokyo

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