Jitsugokyo: The Wisdom of Kobo Daishi

A typical primer in the Edo period (1603-1867), the first textbook that children of commoners learned, was Jitsugokyo, made by woodblock printing. It is said that Kōbō Daishi created Jitsugokyo in late Heian (794-1185). Since then, Jitsugokyo has continued to be used for the teaching of children for a thousand years, from Heian to the Meiji period (1868-1912). It was required reading for children who studied at terakoya, schooling at Buddhist temples. Publishers in Osaka and Edo made many versions of this primer, and children throughout Japan began their education with Jitsugokyo. The well-known Ninomiya Kinjirō and Fukuzawa Yukichi, among others, all learned the Jitsugokyo. This English translation, one of the first English translations of Jitsugokyo, was made from Bunsei shinpan Jitsugokyo kaishō, [文政新版 實語教繪鈔] published by Kyosaka Shorin in 1820. This text may be viewed at Aozora Bunko: http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~xn2m-fjst/jitugo.htm.