School-day Verses. (♪) Have you ever heard of terakoya? They were Edo-period academies somewhat like today’s private schools. The teachers were called “master” (shisho) and they taught the children of merchants and craftsmen how to read and write and do basic calculating on the abacus. Sometimes, it seems, they also taught noh play chants. Let’s see what Edo-period school children learned at the terakoya by looking at some pictures and poems. (♪)

(♪) Master: “Be quiet, follow the rules, and study hard. Is that clear?” Student: “Yes, Sir.” Father: “Honorable Master, please do what you can with my child.” At some terakoya, the teacher exchanges ceremonial cups of sake with new students on the first day of school as a ritual marking the beginning of their teacher-student relationship.
(♪) Poem: We begin by / learning the I-ro-ha’s/ follow the copybook.

Right-side:

(♪) Obedient in the beginning, it’s not long until mischief-making begins, provoking the master to scold. Master: “It’s up to you, Nagamatsu. Are you going to go on causing trouble?” Nagamatsu: “No, no, I won’t do it anymore. I’ll be good from now on.” Child 1: “Hey, look at Nagamatsu.” Child 2: “I feel sorry for him. I wonder how long he’ll have to stand there holding the staff.” (♪) Poem: A child being punished / is always made to sit / alone on the book box. A lazy child is punished, you know, by being made to sit on the book container on the table.

Left-side:

(♪) The moment the teacher isn’t looking, see what happens. Child: “This is a perfect wall! I’m going to draw something like a Torii Kiyonobu-style ukiyo-e picture on it. If only the master doesn’t come by.” (♪) Poem: Scribbling is children’s forte / Their graffiti are / all over the storehouse wall.

(♪) Today, the teacher had to go out for a while. In the classroom, as soon as he left. Child 1: “Ya, ya, I’m Soga Goro!” Child 2: “Then I’m Asahina Saburo.” Child 3: “Dong, dong, dooong! Curtain, curtain! First act of the noh farce!” (♪) Poem: Don’t ruin / the desks and inkstones / in your make-believe play-acting.
(♪) Good heavens, but here they are playing highwire acrobat. Child 4: “Hari, hari! Toe, toe! Korya, korya!” Child 5: “Uh, oh, Master’s back!” Master: “What’s going on here! I go out for a minute, and right away you start play-acting! You’re all in detention for the rest of the day. No arguments!” (♪) Poem: Blame someone else / when you’re punished for your antics, /and your friends will hate you.

(♪) The Tanabata festival was once an important event at school. Child 1: “Hurry up, hurry up! The next group over have already put out their bamboo branch!” Child 2: “But we’ve still got all these slips of paper to attach!” Child 3: “Hand me that long one, will you?” (♪) Poem: The long holiday starts from Tanabata / don’t forget everything / that you’ve learned! Tanabata through Obon—don’t forget what you’ve learned in school. Clearly the terakoya, too, had summer vacation.
(♪) Back then, it was the custom to wash one’s inkstone on that day, in a symbolic act of purification. Child 1: “Look, you’ve got to use more sand when you wash it.” Child 2: “Hold on! Don’t rush so. You’ll break it.” Child 3: “Mine is all done!” Poem: It’s funny to see parents / praising the children / with their ink-smeared faces. Parents might imagine that their children were diligent if they had ink on their faces.

(♪) Today the teacher is conducting the calligraphy lesson himself. Master: “No, not that way. See, bring your brush toward you in a nice, round stroke.” Other Child: “Pardon me, Master, but isn’t it about time for the noon break.” (♪) Poem: Without learning how to do it properly / you can’t make a good final copy [of the model calligraphy] / no matter how many times you try.
(♪) Among books used as textbooks in terakoya, some were Chinese classics like Monzen (Wen Xuan, 6th century anthology of Chinese literature) and Daigaku (Great Learning), and others were texts for moral, social, and practical instruction, such as Imagawa jo (Imagawa Ryoshun’s [1325-1420] Family Precepts) and Teikin orai (Examples of Letter Writing for Beginners, 14th century). Child: “Confucius said Daigaku was Confucius’ last testament. Excuse me, Master, but how do you pronounce this?” Master: “How many times do I have to tell you? You remember nothing!” (♪) Poem: It’s hard / to memorize the lessons / Imagawa, Teikin, Daigaku.

Right-side:

(♪) Abacus practice was one of the main subjects at terakoya. Master: “My, my, you’ve got that memorized, I see. Well done!” (♪) Poem: There are many things to learn / but city children need to memorize / their arithmetic tables. (♪) And there are always some like those children hiding in the shadow of the screen. Child 1: “I like dora-yaki cakes better than ankoro balls.” Child 2: “I’m on my third one. Let’s buy some more tomorrow.” (♪) Poem: Lazy children don’t deserve any / but they, too, love / roast sweet potato and bean-paste sweets.

Left-side:

(♪) Children have always loved toys. Today is no different from the past. Child 1: “It’s my doll! Give it back!” Child 2: “Brother, I want one, too!” Child 3: “This one, my father bought it for me!” The dolls the children are playing with are “head dolls” (a stick with heads on them), called kinpira and noroma dolls.

(♪) Father: “Look here! I’ll have no more of this nonsense! There, take that!” Daughter: “Father, please be patient with him.” Mother: “Matsubo, dear, come here. From now, Father, we mustn’t get overwrought.” (♪) Poem: Sometimes a stern father / is a needed antidote / to a too-lenient mother.
(♪) Matsujiro: “Ooww! Don’t beat me!” Grandmother: “That rascal? He deserves it. He never obeys me either, not one bit.” Friend: “Hey, Matsujiro, get away from there---come to my house!” (♪) Poem: Bullies who can’t behave / like everyone else / ought to get the cane every day.

(♪) At Terakoya children also learned how to perform the most famous sections of certain noh chants. Girl 1: “That boy is so handsome. When he grows up, I bet he could be a kabuki actor.” Girl 2: “He’s a very good-looking young man.” Drummer: “Hyaa, pon, pon!” (♪) Poem: The noh chants for the leading and support roles / must be sung / with dignity at a high pitch.
(♪) Singer 1: “Like clouds appearing on the hilltops / the flowers come out / the season’s first cherry blossoms. (a line from Kumano) Drummer: “Popon, pon, pon” Singer 2: “Gionbayashi, Shimogawara,,,” Master: “Bravo, everyone! You did extremely well!” (♪) Poem: A teacher is like a needle / and the students are the thread / Stitch carefully.

(♪) Father: “My word, for my daughter, this is splendid! Qualifying-level work!” Sayo: “Master, may I present this to you? Writing in the style of seal characters is really hard.” Master: “Hmmm. Not bad. Not bad at all!”
Nine-year-old Sayo’s seal-style calligraphy “Sho Chiku Bai” (Pine, Bamboo, and Apricot) can be seen in the background. (♪) Poem: Talented children, even girls / can draw calligraphy / in ancient styles.
(♪) On this side of the room a girl is practicing letter writing. Girl: “‘I hope that you have been well.’ I wonder what I should write next.” (♪) Poem: Blessed by the gods / you might marry / into the nobility.

(♪) Today, children with their parents are visiting Kitano Shrine where the spirit of Sugawara Michizane, patron of learning and calligraphy, is enshrined. Father: “All right, quiet down. Be quiet. This is a sacred place.” Son: “Father, can I have some coins to throw in the offering box?” That object on the men’s shoulders is a large offering tablet for the shrine. (♪) Poem: From morning till night / I pour my heart / into calligraphy practice / so that one day / I might be certified as a master.
(♪) Child 1: “My gosh, you got here really early!” Child 2: “ Look, there’s the tablet you wrote, Hatchan!” Chils 3: “Where? Oh, you’re right!” Even in the shrine precincts, children somehow manage to make a lot of noise. (♪) Poem: It is good to visit / Kitano Shrine in Kyoto / and express your gratitude.

(♪) The last page is an advertisement with the heading, “List of new spring publications.” In that respect, it’s just the same as present-day publications. The book title on the bottom left is, Terako tanka [School-day Verses]. The End