Kaishu Katsu’s Book: Nagatani School―

It's about one hundred and thirty years ago.
When the samurai were in politics called the Edo Shogunate, what corresponds to today's school was Terakoya. The children attended and learned "reading", "write", and "abacus".
However, girls and children in poor homes seem to have not been able to go.
The politics of the Edo Shogunate was unable to keep up with the new world.
The newly born Meiji government has carried out new politics one after another. With the new school system, "Nagatani School" was created instead of Terakoya, and a very great person named Kaishu Katsu wrote the school name "Nagatani School".
This "book" is still preserved as a treasure of Yokohama City Nagano Elementary School.
This person named Kaishu Katsu learned about Western studies and the Navy when "Kurofune" came to Japan for trade.
Became an official warship magistrate of the Shogunate and became the first person to cross the Pacific Ocean by Japanese people as the captain of the Shogunate warship of Kanrin Maru.
When the Shogunate was defeated, he talked with the new government army, Takamori Saigou, surrendered Edo Castle, stopped the attack, and protected Edo townspeople and Edo Castle from the sacrifice of war.
In the new Meiji government, he was a major politician in two eras, from Edo to Meiji, on important duties such as the Navy Lord.
The reason why such a great politician wrote the school name of such a small "Nagatani School" was the following events related to Hirano Tamagi and Nagatani School.
Tamaki was born in Edo and has been a servant of the Edo Shogunate for generations. In the evening of 1868 (1868), he went to Fukumoto's house, the village chief of Shimonagaya.
"It's fun,"
There is a person who jumped in.
"I am an official of the Edo Shogunate and the servant of Kaishu Katsu, a servant of Kaishu Katsu, and said. When I came to search for the movement of the new government army Takamori Saigou, who was advancing to Edo Castle to defeat the Shogunate, he was found by the enemy and escaped to Nagatani. Please hide me. I'll ask you."
"Yes!"
Mr. Fukumoto hid this fine samurai in the soy sauce brewery.
After a while, several soldiers of the government forces came.
"Surely, it seems that a samurai from the Shogunate came to this house, but let me know where to stay!"
"Oh, I've come to this door and hesitated, but I didn't say anything, and soon disappeared towards the bamboo bush on my right hand."
"Yes!?"
Two strong left behind, and the others flew to the bamboo bush.
I looked for the main house, storeroom, storehouse and house, but I couldn't find it.
"Well, did you miss it?"
All of them went up.
"Oh, thank you!"
Tamaki found his life.
Five years later, Tamaki visited Fukumoto's house, to thank him for his life. And I talked about the time with the villagers and missed it.
I asked this person to be a teacher at Terakoya in Nagatani, and when I asked for the children's lessons, he accepted me well.
The following year, in 1873, Master Tamaki became a teacher at Nagatani School at the recommendation of the villagers.
When the teacher took office, the number of enrolled students suddenly increased.
The building became smaller, and parents couldn't see it, and in 1879, they built a Nagatani School building in Nagatani Village with the hands of villagers.
At the inauguration ceremony, Dr. Tamaki asked the teacher, Kaishu Katsu, who used to write the school name of Nagatani School.
I was glad to receive it, and it was sent right away.
Kaishu Katsu, a major politician at dawn in Japan, must have understood well about Mr. Fukumoto, the village chief, who can be said to be the benefactor of Tamaki.
Eventually, Nagano-mura was born in 1889, Nagatani, Shimo-Noba, and Mimura of Kami-Noba joined together to form Nagano-mura.
Along with that, the school name was changed from "Nagatani School" to "Nagano School", but in this way, the traditional book of "Nagatani School" remains.

This is a story recorded in "Hometown Konan's Old Story".
Each folk tale is free to use in principle only for non-commercial purposes.
For more information, please contact the Konan History Council.
Konan History Council homepage (outside site)