Satsuma Army Cadet School

A stone marker on the former site of the school, with the torii of Terukuni Shrine visible in the distance

• Established: 1874/6, Saigô Takamori
• Other Names: 賞典学校 (shouten gakkou)
• Japanese: 幼年学校 (younen gakkou)

The Satsuma Army Cadet School, or "School for Childhood" (Yônen gakkô), was a school established by Saigô Takamori in 1874/6 for the upbringing and training of military officers. It stood on the grounds of Terukuni Shrine in Kagoshima.

Its establishment was funded by shôtenroku, bonus stipends awarded by the Meiji government to Saigô, Kirino Toshiaki, Ôyama Tsunayoshi, and others as rewards for their service in effecting the Meiji Restoration. As a result, the school was also known as the Shôten School or Shôten gakkô.

The school was directed by Shinohara Kunimoto, who oversaw a faculty consisting of Kukita Taisô teaching Chinese studies, Fukami Aritsune teaching Western studies, the Dutchman Schkabel, and the Englishman Copps, among other lecturers. A system was quickly established to send students to study abroad; Kio Mitsuji, Kunigo Tetsushi, and Hidaka Masao went overseas in 1875, and Kashiwabara Shôichirô and Nozu Dennojô followed them the following year. Students of the school also included Tomo Kaneyuki and Sakakibara Masaharu.

References

• Plaques on-site at Terukuni Shrine.