日本近世における郷学教育 ―閑谷学校の「近世的公共性」をめぐって―

Abstract

於1920年代，著名的教育史學家石川謙開始關心江戶（近世）時代鄉學的「公教育」觀點。對於此觀點，在1970年代有相當多的討論與理解上的改變。日本教育史學界以江戶時代的「鄉學（校）」為出發點，探討江戶時代的公教育與近代學校的公教育，此兩個不同時代下的「公教育」是否有其連續性。然而，對於何謂鄉學，以及其所具有的公教育特質，自1970年代展開「鄉學論爭」開始，至今仍尚無明確的定論。本稿試著以長期被學界所忽略的備前國之閑谷学校為事例，探究當時的鄉學之定義與江戶「公教育」之特質；接著透過理解江戶時代鄉學教育的歷史實態，發現其特有的教育「公共性」不同於近代國家體制下所成立的公教育。 從西元1670年，岡山藩藩主池田光政設立以民眾為教育對象的「閑谷學校」（完工於1701年）開始，一直到1870年（明治三年）廢校為止，這段期間該學校一直提供該地區的民眾一個學習儒學與其相關教養的場所。學校內進行以儒學為基礎的教育，教導學生實踐孝悌忠信及其倫理道德的道理。閑谷學校自創立到廢校，在將近兩百年如此之長的時間中，該學校雖然歷經廢校危機及學校教育狀況衰退；但閑谷學校還是得以繼續發展，並維持近兩世紀之久。根據本論的研究發現，維持學校的主要力量是附近村落的村民自主性地開辦「天神講」之學習活動。在天神講中，村民委託學校學生擔任講師，教導無法入學卻想學習的村民儒學的道德倫理。雖然閑谷學校在藩的支配下建立，然而最關鍵、最值得注意的卻是地區村民：他們不分年齡和職業，利用日常閒暇時間跟著農民老師學習儒學的教養，進而提升並改善當地風俗；他們的自發性學習意識是江戶鄉學獨一無二的教育特質，而此特質也成為閑谷學校得以延續的基石。 過去的研究大多強調鄉學若是非由民眾所創立或維持，就無法形成江戶鄉學，其中學者入江宏提出的「近世的公共性」，更是但事實上無法以單一個例以偏概全其鄉學的教育特質。江戶的鄉學是一個由民眾自發的學習意識所形成的自我實現教育機構。本稿試著以當時的閑谷學校為例，分析該學校的學習內容、師資、學生身份及周邊地區的學習活動，藉此來重新建構江戶鄉學教育之「近世的公共性」。本稿的方法學是從江戶時代的角度探討江戶的教育體制，如此一來才能在思考其公教育性質的同時，進而產生有別於之前由近代教育的觀點去研究鄉學的理解。才能藉由重新檢視其公共教育獨特的性質，讓鄉學教育的概念得以更完整地被理解。

In the prewar period, the general conception of “public education” appeared for the very first time. The concept has developed into several conceptual standpoints and representations in the 1970s. The concept of gōgaku, which caused “the gōgaku controversy”, brought up a particular discussion about the continuity of public education between early modern and modern Japan which is still going on. Arguably, the gōgaku education system of early modern Japan, an education institute for commoners, contained the origin of public education in Japan. However, a glance at the actual structure of gōgaku in early modern Japan reveals that the concept of public education is distinct from the public education which came into being under the modern system of national education. This thesis illustrates the distinctive characteristics of gōgaku in early modern Japan by exploring the Shizudani School of Okayama domain as an example, discussing the definitions of gōgaku and “the public nature of education in early modern Japan ”（近世的公共性）. It is crucial to redefine the concept from the aspect of early modern Japan in order to refresh the understanding of “public education”. The Shizudani School was the first gōgaku style school in Japan that was established by feudal lord Ikeda Mitsumasa (池田光政) in 1670. It was open to all, regardless of social class, and was oriented at Confucianist thought. It existed until 1871. In the mid-18th century, villagers who lived near the school asked students to be their lecturers, and they taught the villagers to learn morals and manners. Those occasional learning gatherings of local peasants was called Tenjinkō (天神講), an event in which commoners took the initiative to popularize education in their own manner. The public accessibility of knowledge in the Okayama domain and its inhabitants' eagerness to learn was the basis for the Shizudani model of Japanese schooling. The Shizudani School was founded by a domain; however, it was actually supported by local peasantry, offering voluntary learning activities. The commoners’ spontaneous learning is the most distinctive feature of gōgaku education which deserves attention. A gōgaku was an educational institute where commoners learned without political aims and neither took it as a career ladder comparable to a self-improvement school. It is essential to reconstruct the “public education characteristic of gōgaku in early modern Japan” by elucidating the learning content, teachers’ and students’ identity, and the public accessibility of education in a feudal society is essential to understand its development over time. Education in feudal Toukgawa and modern Meiji Japan, were originally two different systems, and accordingly, it is impossible to discuss the continuity of “public nature education of gōgaku” in the same breath. This thesis elucidates the commoners’ voluntary will to learn in feudal Japan, and restructures “the public nature of education” through the example of gōgaku.