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vii Acknowledgments One of the problems taken up in this book concerns the definition of “author” and “text” and their relationship to one another. That problem now assumes a personal dimension, as I attempt to identify and thank the many people who, personally or professionally, directly or indirectly, influenced the formation of this author and this text. My greatest professional debt is owed to Tetsuo Najita and Harry Harootunian at the University of Chicago, under whose direction the text first emerged as a doctoral dissertation. Their provocative writings and our lively discussions fundamentally reshaped my conception of history and altered my understanding of Japan by prompting me to question my assumptions about both. William Sibley is another mentor there who inscribed both the text and the author. He not only gave the original manuscript a careful reading as a member of my dissertation committee, but more important, he imparted his keen appreciation of Japanese language and literature as my teacher. Most of the research for this text was conducted in Japan, where I incurred still more professional debts that I can never hope to repay. Satò Hideo shared his detailed knowledge of Japan’s educational history , guided me to important source materials, and secured permission for me to use the impressive collections of early Meiji teaching manuals and textbooks at the National Institute for Educational Research in Japan, and at the Tosho Bunko. Inagaki Tadahiko permitted me to audit his weekly graduate seminar on the history of modern Japanese education at Tokyo University, where he patiently viii Acknowledgments entertained my unorthodox hypotheses and persistently challenged me to defend them. His colleague, Terasaki Masao, always found time in his unforgiving schedule to listen, encourage, and advise. Others who lent their professional expertise and generous assistance at various stages of this project include James Huffman and Bob Tadashi Wakabayashi, who read and commented on earlier drafts of the revised manuscript; two anonymous readers who reviewed and commented on a later draft for the publisher; the librarians at the University of Chicago’s East Asian Library, the National Institute for Educational Research in Japan, the School of Education Library at Tokyo University, and the Tòsho Bunko; and last, but by no means least, Patricia Crosby and her editorial staff at the University of Hawai‘i Press. That the financial debts I incurred during this project did not grow as large as my professional ones is due to the generous financial support provided by a number of institutions and organizations over the years. A three-year scholarship from the University of Chicago made it possible to complete my graduate coursework there without interruption. A Japan Foundation Dissertation Fellowship provided fourteen months of research time in Japan. A Whiting Fellowship in the Humanities, from the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation , provided a final year of support to complete the dissertation. More recently, a junior faculty research leave from the College of the Holy Cross afforded me time off from teaching to revise my manuscript . The college also subsidized a portion of the production cost. I conclude with a tribute to those friends and relatives who, on a personal level, also had a hand in producing this text and its author. The remarkably talented group of fellow students, too numerous to list by name, that I was privileged to meet at Chicago were a constant source of moral support and intellectual stimulation. More recently, as recognized authors and highly productive scholars in their own right, they have also become a source of inspiration. In addition to her editorial assistance, my wife, Mayumi, has helped me to confront the vicissitudes of academic life, while our sons, Hayden and Dana, have taught both of us to keep them in perspective. Last, I thank my mother and father, to whom this book is affectionately dedicated. I was often reminded of my parents by the authors whose texts are examined herein, because they personify the very best qualities of the “enlightened” educator that these reformers spoke about with such conviction more than a century ago. ...

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