MEITOKU THEN & NOW

Meitoku Gijuku ("Meitoku" means "Bright Virtue" & "Gijuku" means "Academy") was founded in 1973 in a small isolated peninsular valley near Kochi City in southern Shikoku. It consists of Junior and Senior High Schools, and since its humble beginnings has vastly developed, now maintaining 23 sister-school and/or educational connections in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, China, Mongolia, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam & indonesia. In 2001, a new International Campus (named "Ryu" meaning "Dragon") was opened near the main campus.


FOUNDING PRINCIPLES

Meitoku was founded by Yukio Yoshida (1924-85)(Photo below right), supported by his senior Tetsuzo Ishimoto. Originally an all-residential establishment, its educational philosophy is based on benevolence of attitude fortified by will-power and constant effort through spartan but warm-hearted dormitory life. The pupils are strongly exhorted to develop their talents & give of their best, thus, contrary to current trends, creating young people both self-controlled and positive-minded.

















SPORT & CULTURE

Through its extraordinary fighting spirit, Meitoku gained early prominence in national sport. In 2002, it won the National High-School Baseball Tournament at Koshien in Osaka, and one of its former pupils, from Mongolia, won the Summer National Sumo (Japanese Wrestling) Tournament that year and was later promoted to Yokozuna (Sumo's highest rank). In recent years, Meitoku has also begun to shine more brightly both academically and culturally.


MEITOKU & GB

The headmaster is now Yukio Yoshida's son, Keiichi (Photo above left), who graduated from the English Dept. of Reitaku University just one month before GB came to Japan (A lucky miss, they both say!). GB met Yukio Yoshida in 1969, and, inspired by his unique personality & educational fervour, actually (with hammer & nails) helped to build the school during 1973. Since 1993, GB has directed English dramas at Meitoku, with public performances now twice a year in Kochi City Cultural Centres. In both campuses there are stone monuments engraved with poems by GB.


 

A Unique School in Japan