Database: Basics of Education

At the end of the 16th century, most people in the lower classes of Japanese society were illiterate. The wealthiest peasants and a low-ranking warriors had access to a basic education that enabled them to read the kana (the Japanese syllabary) and do a bit of simple writing. However, most people at this tier of education would have had difficulty with many of the Chinese characters used in full Japanese writing. Sometimes, a local monk would open a small school in his temple to teach the young boys, who could be in an apprenticeship, the basics of reading and writing. Monasteries at that time were frequently used as schools for the children from wealthier classes.

For families of the warrior class, the father was responsible for the physical and intellectual education of the boys, sometimes with the help of a tutor if the family had the resources. Conversely, girls were usually educated by their mothers. Once a warrior-class boy reached his teenage years, he was often placed with another lord, an adult, an ally, or a relative to train as a page and become a warrior.