The "Comparative Examination" in the early Meiji-era primary Schools

本研究以明治初年(约1868-1881)小学为研究对象。这些比较考试将测试从个别学校挑选出来的孩子，并与他们的分数进行竞争。考试的结果对成绩优秀的学生来说肯定是意外的，但学校和学生对这些考试几乎没有什么鼓励。大多数情况下，日本的现代教育制度被认为是西方教育制度的一种复制或马赛克拼凑。但有趣的是，这种考试是在普通教育系统之外出现的。例如，《1872年教育法典》中没有提到这种考试，本文对这些考试的起源进行了考察，发现这些考试在某些方面与江户时代的考试非常相似，是日本近代考试的产物，是江户考试和西方考试的混合体。

In this research, I have put focus on the compaFative examination in early Meiji era (approx.1 868-1881) primary schools. Those comparative examination would test children who were selected from individual schools, and compete with their scores. The result of the examination would me rely end to prises for the good achievers, but schools and pupils were very hardly encouraged by these examinations.Mostly, Japanese modern education systems are thought to be a kind of a copy or mosaic-patchwo rk of western educational systems. But what interesting of this examination is that it emerged outside of the foFmal educational system. For instance, there were no reference of these kind of eraminations in 'O~kusei ; f'he Educational Code of 1872"., This study investigates the origin of these examination. As a result, I have found out that these examinations are, in some points, very similar to examinations existed in the Edo era ; the premodern ages of Japan. They are a kind of mixtures of elements from the Edo examination and Western examinations.