OLD SCHOOL

Historic center of learning boasts stunning peaks, giyofu architecture

Matsumoto was widely known as a “capital of learning” for its high academic enrollment rate in the Meiji era (1868-1912). “There were many terakoya private schools in the Edo period [1603-1867], and the enrollment rate in Chikuma Prefecture was the highest in the nation in 1874 and 1875, during the early Meiji era,” said Masanori Endo, 34, a curator of the Former Kaichi School museum. Chikuma Prefecture is now part of southern Nagano and northern Gifu prefectures.

Matsumoto, also known for its mountains, boasts stunning views of peaks exceeding 3,000 meters.

“As this place was surrounded by mountains, I think people here became intensely curious about the outside world, and thus they enthusiastically studied in a bid to create a new era,” he said.

After the Meiji Restoration, the Kaichi School, which opened in 1873, supported the area as a capital of learning in an age of civilization and enlightenment. The name Kaichi is said to have come from a slogan to promote education in the nation: “Chi o hiraki” (opening wisdom). Kai is another reading of the kanji character in hiraki, which means to open, and chi, wisdom.

The school first opened at a temple building that had been abandoned due to the haibutsu-kishaku movement to abolish Buddhism, south of Matsumoto Castle along the Metobagawa river. But the space soon became too crowded.

A new school building was completed in 1876 with a total area of 2,700 square meters and a capacity for 1,300 pupils. The construction cost of the building was about ¥11,000 ($98). In today’s money, that would be ¥130 million to ¥200 million.

Local citizens in Matsumoto shouldered 70 percent of the construction expenses. The area near the school was the most prosperous commercial district in the castle town, with many affluent households.

“In those days, there was nothing unusual about creating their own schools by themselves,” Endo explained.

The main building of the former Kaichi School was moved and rebuilt north of Matsumoto Castle, which is now a municipal museum.

The school building, which is designated as an important cultural property, is an example of giyofu, a quasi-Western architectural style often seen in the Meiji era. Giyofu architecture combines the appearance of Western buildings with touches of Japanese design.

The building is topped with an octagonal cupola above its main entrance, which is decorated with carvings of a dragon among the waves, and two angels holding a carved wooden banner announcing the school’s name.

When I took a photo of the building, I noticed that it was not perfectly symmetrical. On each of its two floors, there were six shuttered windows to the left of the main entrance, but only five to the right.

The building was designed and constructed by local builder Seiju Tateishi, part of a generations-old family of master builders who had refurbished temples, shrines and Matsumoto Castle.

Tateishi is said to have been curious about everything and had a meticulous nature. He left a record,“Tokyo Shuppu-ki,” about his tour to Tokyo for studying Western and quasi-Western buildings. From the record, we can learn that he was influenced by the appearance of the Tokyo Kaisei School building, the predecessor of the University of Tokyo.

I wondered where the dragon and angels on the Kaichi School facade came from.

It is said that the dragon carving was transferred from one once used at a temple, and the angels were created based on the title design of The Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun newspaper.

After learning of Tateishi’s ingenuity, I had the impression that this building was based more on his original design than on giyofu architecture.

Nakamachi-dori street goes along the Metobagawa river, with Nawate-dori street on the opposite bank. The name Nawate comes from a “long bank just like a rope,” with nawa meaning rope, and te of dote, bank.

Nakamachi-dori is a street with a continuous row of storehouse buildings, and Nawate-dori is a shopping street. At one point in its history, the river became so polluted that Nawatate-dori street lost its commercial vigor.

Residents chose a frog as a symbol of Nawate-dori, hoping the street would return to being a bustling market. The street’s nickname, Frog Street, is a pun for kaeru — meaning “return” and “frog.”

Keiko Yamamoto, of a shop called Furusato, which sells taiyaki cakes on Nawate-dori street, provides information about the area on the town’s “Visit Matsumoto” official tourist information website.

“We think it’s natural to liven up our own town by ourselves,” she said. I felt the essence of Matsumoto in her words.