34 prep school and at the end of each school year about twenty percent of the students failed the examinations. Only those that survived were allowed to pass through the narrow gateway to the undergrad-uate classes of the university (at that time there were four faculties: law, literature, science, and medicine). When we look at Enryō’s collection of poems, many of them talk about scenes from his travels, but it is difficult to get a picture of his prep school life. However, in one about parting with a friend, he writes, “I left my hometown and went from place to place before coming to Tokyo to study, simply hoping one day to make a name for myself.” It is clear that he had something resting in his heart. However, the following poem shows there were people in his hometown that were critical of him. find new teachers and friends. The community could not un-derstand the aspirations of a young man and politely warned This poem shows that there were people in Enryō’s hometown who did not understand or approve of the idea of his going to Tokyo to study at the university. Enryō had turned twenty-one. In rural areas, in accordance with tradition, it was considered a virtue to take over the temple as early as possible and help one’s father. This view re-mained until the end of the Second World War. We can easily see why Enryō would have lamented, “The community could not under-stand the aspirations of a young man.” It must have been difficult to start learning subjects like Western physics from the beginning in a Unable to stay home and serve my father, I went to Tokyo to me against moving so far to Tokyo.
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