Nisshinkan, Aizu Clan School

Nisshinkan was a domain school of the Aizu Domain, and produced many talented people who were active in the Boshin War and later periods, such as the Byakkotai.

Nisshinkan was planned in 1798 at the suggestion of Tanaka Genzai, a retainer of the Aizu clan.

During the Great Famine of Tenmei, the Aizu Clan faced many problems. As a solution, Tanaka Genzai advised the 5th feudal lord, Matsudaira Yoso, to reform the domain government. At the center of this reform was the promotion of education, which led to the establishment of the Nisshinkan.

At the age of 10, children of Aizu clan members were enrolled in Nisshinkan, where they not only learned to read the Analects, but also medicine, calligraphy, archery, artillery, swordsmanship, and water training (the practice of swimming while wearing a yoroikofuto). Nisshinkan had Japan’s oldest swimming pool, the Suiryoku Suimaike, and students aged 15 and older were provided with lunch, which is considered to be the first school lunch in Japan.

In 1803, the school building was completed next to Aizu Wakamatsu Castle. The site, measuring approximately 120 ken from east to west and 60 ken from north to south, was equipped with what is said to be Japan’s oldest swimming pool, an astronomical observatory, and other facilities, making it one of the most prominent clan schools in Japan.

Nisshinkan was thoroughly committed to elite education, and only children of Aizu domain samurai were required to enroll in the school. Children of senior Aizu domain samurai were enrolled in Nisshinkan at the age of 10, and until the age of 15, they belonged to Soyosho (elementary school), where they learned etiquette, calligraphy, martial arts, and other subjects. Those with excellent grades who completed the Soyokusho were allowed to enter the Koshakusho (university). There were also elective specialized courses such as etiquette, mathematics, Shinto, imperial studies, astronomy, Gagaku, Kai-ban, Wagakusho, and Igakuryo. Those who excelled in the koshakusho were allowed to go to Edo or other clans for study.

The school buildings were destroyed by fire during the Boshin War in 1868. Today, the only remaining remains of the school are the ruins of the astronomical observatory on the west side of the Aizu-Wakamatsu castle ruins.

The present Nisshinkan is a faithful reconstruction of the facilities of the time, and visitors can see the magnificent Edo Period architecture and learning of the time. Visitors can also enjoy bushido experiences such as Japanese archery and Zen meditation, as well as painting “akabeko” (red cow), a lucky charm of Aizu.

Nisshinkan was destroyed by fire during the Boshin War, but now there is a reconstructed learning house where visitors can recall the thoughts of the boys of that time.

At Nisshinkan, visitors can experience not only Zen meditation and Japanese archery, but also painting akabeko and akigake koboushi.