Kaishu Katsu's Book-Nagatani School―

It's about a hundred and thirty years ago.
When the samurai was doing politics in the Edo Shogunate, the current school was Terakoya. The children attended and learned "read", "write", and "abacus".
However, girls and poor children seem to have not been able to go easily.
The politics of the Edo Shogunate failed 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 to replace Terakoya, and a very great one named Kaishu Katsu wrote the name of the school "Nagatani School".
This "book" is still preserved as a treasure of Yokohama City Nagano Elementary School.
The person named Kaishu Katsu learned about Western studies and the Navy when Kurofune came to Japan for trade.
He became the official warship magistrate of the Shogunate and was the first Japanese to cross the Pacific Ocean as the captain of the Shogunate warship called Kanrin Maru.
When the Shogunate was defeated, he talked with the new government army Takamori Saigou, surrendered Edo Castle, stopped attacking, and protected Edo townspeople and Edo Castle from the sacrifice of the war.
Also, in the new Meiji government, he was a large politician spanning two eras, from Edo to Meiji, on important duties such as the Lord of the Navy.
One of the reasons that such a large politician wrote the school name of such a small "Nagatani School" was the following events related to Hirano Tamaki 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 rushed to the village chief Fukumoto-san's house of Shimonagaya.
"Let's do it,"
And there is a person who came in.
"I am an official of the Edo Shogunate, the servant of Kaishu Katsu, and I call Hirano Tamaki. When I came to search for the movement of the new government army Takamori Saigou, which was marching to Edo Castle to defeat the Shogunate, I was found by an enemy and came to Nagatani. Be sure to hide me. I'll ask you."
"Oh!"
Mr. Fukumoto put this splendid samurai in a soy sauce brewery.
After a while, several government troops came.
"Surely, it seems that a samurai of the Shogunate came to this house, but tell me where you are!"
"As you can see, I came to this door now and hesitated, but I didn't say anything, and immediately disappeared toward the bamboo bushel on my right."
"Let's go!"
Two strong men remained, and the others flew to the bamboo bushes.
I looked for the main building, storeroom, storehouse and house, but I couldn't find it.
"Well, have you missed it?"
All of them raised.
"Oh, thank you!"
Tamaki took his life.
Five years later, Tamaki visited Fukumoto's house, a life benefactor, to thank him. And I talked with the villagers about the time and missed it.
I asked this person to be a teacher of Terakoya in Nagatani, and asked for the children's training, he took care of it.
The following year, in 1873, Mr. Tamaki became a teacher at Nagatani School, recommended by a villager.
When the teacher took office, the number of enrolled students suddenly increased.
The building became narrower, and parents could not see it. In 1879, the school building of Nagatani School was built by villagers in Nagatani Village.
At the inauguration ceremony, Mr. Tamaki asked the old teacher Kaishu Katsu to write the school name of Nagatani School.
I was glad to accept it and sent it right away.
Kaishu Katsu, a major politician at the dawn of Japan, must have well understood Fukumoto, the mayor of Tamaki, who can be said to be a benefactor of Tamaki.
Eventually, in 1889, Nagatani, Shimo Noba, and Mimura of Kami Noba merged to form Nagano Village, taking the two characters "Naga" and "No".
Along with that, the school name was changed to "Nagatani School" as "Nagano School", but the traditional book of "Nagatani School" still remains in this way.

It is a story recorded in "Old Story of Hometown Konan 50 Episode".
Each folk tale is available free in principle only for non-commercial purposes.
Please contact the Konan History Council for details.
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