🗺️ Aizu Domain School - Nisshinkan

Nisshinkan was the highest educational institution of the Aizu Domain, established in 1803 with the aim of cultivating talent for the territory. Children of high-ranking samurai would begin attending Nisshinkan at the age of 10, where they would study classical texts such as the Analects of Confucius, as well as learn skills in archery, military arts, water training (practicing swimming while wearing armor), medicine, astronomy, and other knowledge and skills. Upon enrollment, students were expected to uphold the pride of the Aizu samurai and learn the strict rules that samurai were required to follow, down to the finest details. Within Nisshinkan, there were several facilities including the Daiseiden for worshiping Confucius, the Daigaku for advanced studies, the Sodoritsu for basic reading, a martial arts dojo, and Japan's first swimming pool (Suirensuima Pool). However, all these buildings were reconstructed in 1987 based on existing historical data. The original Nisshinkan, located on the west side of Tsuruga Castle, was burned down during the Boshin War, and today only the remains of the observatory have been preserved. After its reconstruction, Nisshinkan has restored the atmosphere of the learning environment of that time and is now used as a martial arts training facility, continuing to convey the spirit of both the literary and martial traditions of Aizu.

You can understand the situation of the Aizu samurai's children during their studies. The "Shichi no Oki" (Seven Principles), famous for the phrase "Never do what should not be done," was a way to cultivate the samurai spirit among the children before they entered the Nisshinkan school, forming small groups called "Shichi" with around ten members each. There are also experiential activities such as archery, Zen meditation, and traditional crafts like painting AKABEKO (a traditional Japanese cow toy) and daruma dolls.