Before the Educational System was put in force in 1872, a few public or private educational institutions for English studies had made their starts in various districts. In this state of affairs, National Schools for Foreign Languages were founded in March 1874. These schools, which were renamed “National English Schools” in December that year, were under the direct control of the Ministry of Education. Each school was set up at the seat of the administrative office of each Major School Area. They followed the same intention and school regulations, and were kept with the Government expenditure, not with the prefectural expenses, while in certain cases they took their own separate ways because of different circumstances in their respective prefectures.
National Niigata English School was established at Niigata Town (an administrative division in the early years of the Meiji Era); there its port had already been opened in 1868. The opening naturally led to the founding of such an English school in 1869. Though unfortunately Niigata proved to be an unprosperous international trade port after 1871, the prefectural authorities gave protection to such schools of this kind. In 1874 there coexisted National Niigata English School and Niigata School established by the prefecture in 1873. As most of school subjects were taught in English in the latter as well as in the former, these two schools were similar in their character. This similarity may have made it easier for the latter, after the reform of curriculum in 1876, to unify the former when it was closed.
The history of education has generally regarded a national English school as the predecessor of the preparatory course for a national university and the foundation of higher education in the province. This paper is going to describe how the Government teaching institution for English studies lived a short life in the provincial environments and exerted some significant influences on its followers.
