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Cultural Notes: Study Abroad, Now and Then
Have you thought about participating in a study abroad program? If you have, you have joined the group of people who, throughout the history, have aspired to study in a foreign country.
The documented history of study abroad programs in Japan dates back to the 7th century, when the government decided to send young Buddhist scholars along with diplomats to China. The purpose of sending young scholars was for them to acquire important knowledge about Buddhism and bring back copies of sacred documents. Typically, each envoy consisted of four small boats, each boarded by 50 to 100 people. Sadly, it was not uncommon for only two out of four to reach China safely, the others lost in storms or carried back by strong currents. Still, they dared to expand their knowledge!
When Japan ended the 250-year long isolationist policy in the middle of the 19th century, the government again decided to send numerous young students to the US and Europe. Regional fiefdoms had already violated the weakened shogunal government’s ban and sent students to such schools as Rutgers in New Jersey. Among the young students sent were five girls aged between 8 and 15: Tsuda Umeko (8), Nagai Shigeko (9), Yamakawa Sutematsu (12), Ueda Teiko (15), and Yoshimasu Ryoko (15). Tsuda Umeko spend her formative years in Washington, DC, living with a family in Georgetown. She is credited for founding the current Tsuda Women’s College.
Why did the government decide to send women overseas? They reasoned, oddly enough, that educating women in Western ways was the surest way to produce educated male offsprings. Why did they send such young girls? Even enlightened parents worried about the marrigeability of their daughters upon their return to Japan, because the term of stay was 10 years! Would you have volunteered to participate in a 10-year study abroad program without a chance to return home for vacations?
Lesson 25A-Page 718