Koten Kokyujo (皇典講究所)
Koten Kokyujo (1882 - 1946) was an institute established in Japan for the research and education on Shinto.
Following Taikyo-senpu (propagation of the Great Teaching of Shinto) in 1867, the newly established Meiji Government was enthusiastic about the training of Shinto priests, establishing a dormitory for the trainees under the Shinto Jimukyoku (the Secretariat of Shinto), but the Kyodoshoku-sei (a system of national enlightenment on Shinto through government-assigned preceptors) had to be discontinued as the voices calling for the separation of religion and politics and the freedom of religion prevailed. Consequently an idea has gained strength within the Shinto Jimukyoku that it would be necessary to establish a new institution which has a wider range of functions and roles of Kyuten Renshujo (the training institute of ancient national literature). Standing in need of reinforcing the Shinto teaching, which became clear through the stagnant Taikyo-senpu and the subsequent pantheon dispute, some bureaucrats of the Ministry of Home Affairs including Akiyoshi YAMADA and several scholars of Japanese literature such as Isao MATSUNO established a research institute 'purely for the purpose of an in-depth study of the national literature' in obedience to an order of His Imperial Prince Arisugawanomiya Takahito.
The institute carried out the training of Shinto priests on behalf of the Ministry of Home Affairs, and additionally, engaged itself in organizing lecture meetings of various kinds and compiling "Kojiruien" (Encyclopedia of Ancient Matters) and "Engishiki" (codes and procedures on national rites and prayers). Later Kokugakuin University was established and managed by the institute. Also, Nihon University derives its origin from the law school in the evening session of Koten Kokyujo, and separated from Nihon University was Kinki University.
On January 25, 1946, following the defeat in World War II, Koken Kokyujo was dissolved under pressure from the General Headquarters, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, and its business and assets were handed over to the school corporation Kokugakuin University and Jinja Honcho (the Association of Shinto Shrines).
Summary
Location: 8-banchi, 5-chome, Iida Town, Kojimachi Ward, Tokyo City (the present Iidabashi, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo)
Site: 5,498.427 sq.m.
Quota: 300 persons
Courses set up at the time of establishment
Regular course: 3 years; preparatory course: 2 years
Faculty of Literature
Ethics course
History course
Law course
Composition course
Faculty of Work
Manners course
Music course
Gymnastics course
People involved in the establishment
Imperial Prince Arisugawanomiya Takahito
Takemichi KOGA
Akiyoshi YAMADA
Isao MATSUO
Yorikuni INOUE
The chronological order of the presidents
1882 - 1907: Imperial Prince Arisugawanomiya Takahito
1908 - 1908: Prince Takedanomiya Tsunehisa
1908 - 1924: Prince Kitashirakawa Naruhisa (the younger brother of Takedanomiya)
1925 - 1930: Prince Kuninomiya Kuniyoshi (General of the Army)
1930 - 1945: Imperial Prince Kaninnomiya Kotohito (General of the Army)
1945 - 1946: Prince Nashimotonomiya Morimasa (younger brother of Prince Kuninomiya Kuniyoshi)
The chronological order of the head managers
1889 - 1895: Akiyoshi YAMADA (the Minister of Justice)
1896 - 1909: Takayuki SASAKI (Councilor of the Privy Council)
1910 - 1910: Akimasa YOSHIKAWA
1911 - 1918: Naohiro NABESHIMA (the former lord of Saga Domain)
1919 - 1919: Hisamoto HIJIKATA (the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, the Minister of Imperial Household)
1919 - 1920: Eitaro KOMATSUBARA (the former Minister of Education)
1920 - 1925: Kitokuro ICHIKI (Councilor of the Privy Council, the former Minister of Education and Minister of Home Affairs)
1926 - 1933: Kazuyuki EKI (Councilor of the Privy Council, the former Minister of Education)
1933 - 1933: Kuniyuki TOKUGAWA (the 13th family head of Mito Tokugawa family)
1933 - 1946: Yukitada SASAKI (the grandson of Takayuki SASAKI, a member of the House of Peers)
History
1882: Established as a research institute with a role of an educational institute as well.
Branches of Koten Kokyujo were established in 43 prefectures (3 main prefectures and 40 prefectures)
1885: The first graduation ceremony was held. 1888: Hoju Chugakko (a supplementary junior high school, the present Tokyo Metropolitan Toyama Senior High School) was established. 1889: Nihon Law School (the present Nihon University) was established in the evening session.
1890: The School Corporation Kokugakuin University was established.
Hoju Chugakko was renamed Kyoritsu Junior High School
1893: The first graduation ceremony of Kokugakuin University was held. 1894: Kyoritsu Junior High School was renamed Johoku Junior High School and its jurisdiction was moved to Tokyo prefectural government. 1898: The institute was authorized as the incorporated foundation Koten Kokyujo, and Kokugakuin and Nihon Law School were separated as the incorporated foundation Kokugakuin and the incorporated foundation Nihon Law School respectively. 1899: Business of training Shinto priests was assigned to the institute. 1900: Reiten Chosakai (a board of investigation on rituals) was established. 1902: 3 courses were set up under Teachers Department, namely Japanese, Chinese and History. 1904: The institute was approved as a vocational school under the prewar education system.
1909: Shinto Priest Training Department was established
1919: Ethics course was set up.
1921: Daigaku-bu (the university department) was abolished.
1923: Relocated to Hikawaura goryochi (an Imperial estate) in Shibuya together with Kokugakuin University
1927: An auxiliary Shinto-priest Department was established in accordance with the Vocational School Ordinance. A four-year course Koto-shihan-bu (advanced teacher's department) was set up in each of the first and the second division.
1929: Shinshoku-bu (Shinto-priest Department) was renamed Shinto-bu (Shinto Department). 1936: Shinto-bu was made a four-year course.
1940: Koa-bu (Asian development department) was established.
1944: Shinto-bu, Koto-shihan-bu and Koa-bu were merged into a 3-year course Senmon-bu (specialty department)
Kokugaku Kenkyusho (Institute of Japanese Studies) was established.
1946: Koten Kokyujo was defined as a hotbed of militarism by, and dissolved under the guidance of, the General Headquarters, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, and its staff and assets were absorbed by the Incorporated Foundation Kokugakuin University. 1955: Institute for Japanese Culture and Classics, Kokugakuin University was established, which inherited the researches of Koten Kokyujo.
1985: A foundation monument was established at the site of Koten Kokyujo (in front of Tokyo Kusei Kaikan building, 3-5-5 Iidabashi, Chiyoda-ku) jointly by Kokugakuin University and Nihon University.
2006: The School Corporation Kokugakuin University was granted a trade mark right by Japan Patent Office for the use of the term "Koten Kokyujo."