Following
Japan's
Meiji Restoration of the late 1800's, the Imperial government sought to solidify its position in a climate of increasing
Westernization, especially in the field of
education. The Imperial Rescript on Education (教育勅語
Kyôiku Chokugo) was signed by Emperor
Meiji on
October 30, 1890. It was distributed to every school in the
Japanese Empire, along with a portrait of the Emperor that was to be kept hidden from view. The Rescript pushed traditional ideals of
Confucianism, and in many ways was the beginning of Japan's
fascism movement that reached its peak in the 1930's and 1940's.
Know ye, Our subjects:
Our Imperial Ancestors have founded Our Empire on a basis broad and everlasting and have deeply and firmly implanted virtue; Our subjects ever united in loyalty and filial piety have from generation to generation illustrated the beauty thereof. This is the glory of the fundamental character of Our Empire, and herein also lies the source of Our education.
Ye, Our subjects, be filial to your parents, affectionate to your brothers and sisters; as husbands and wives be harmonious, as friends true; bear yourselves in modesty and moderation; extend your benevolence to all; pursue learning and cultivate arts, and thereby develop intellectual faculties and perfect moral powers; furthermore advance public good and promote common interests; always respect the Constitution and observe the laws; should emergency arise, offer yourselves courageously to the State; and thus guard and maintain the prosperity of Our Imperial Throne coeval with heaven and earth.
So shall ye not only be Our good and faithful subjects, but render illustrious the best traditions of your forefathers. The Way here set forth is indeed the teaching bequeathed by Our Imperial Ancestors, to be observed alike by Their Descendants and the subjects, infallible for all ages and true in all places.It is Our wish to lay it to heart in all reverence, in common with you, Our subjects, that we may thus attain to the same virtue.
October 30, 1890 (23 Meiji)
Signed and sealed
Here is the text in
Japanese bungo, which will be more or less illegible (but perhaps interesting) to students of modern Japanese. Line breaks are as they appeared in the original (which was actually written vertically, something that is impossible to replicate in E2... you'll just have to use your imagination). You will need
Unicode support to read the characters. An image version is available at http://www.sun-inet.or.jp/~hba7615n/tyokugo05.htm if you can't get Japanese support in your browser.
朕惟フニ我カ皇祖皇宗國ヲ肇ムルコト宏遠ニ徳ヲ樹ツルコト
深厚ナリ我カ臣民克ク忠ニ克ク孝ニ億兆心ヲ一ニシテ世世厥ノ美
ヲ濟セルハ此レ我ガ國軆ノ精華ニシテ教育ノ淵源亦實ニ此ニ
存ス爾臣民父母ニ孝ニ兄弟ニ友ニ夫婦相和シ朋友相信シ
恭儉己レヲ持シ博愛衆ニ及ホシ學ヲ修メ業ヲ習ヒ以テ智能
ヲ啓發シ徳器ヲ成就シ進テ公益ヲ廣ノ世務ヲ開キ常ニ國
憲ヲ重ジ國法ニ遵ヒ一旦緩急アレハ義勇公ニ奉ジ以テ天壌
無窮ノ皇運ヲ扶翼スヘシ是ノ如キハ獨リ朕カ忠良ノ臣民タ
ルノミナラズ又以テ爾祖先ノ遺風ヲ顕彰スルニ足ラン
斯ノ道ハ實ニ我カ皇祖皇宗ノ遺訓ニシテ子孫臣民ノ倶ニ遵
守スヘキ所之ヲ古今ニ通シテ謬ラス之ヲ中外ニ施シテ悖ラス
朕爾臣民ト倶ニ挙挙服膺シテ咸其徳ヲ一ニセンコトヲ庶
幾フ
明治二十三年十月三十日
御 名 御 璽