A question and a introduction.

Hi

My name is Aaron and I have had an interest in samurai history
since a boy. It started with manga's like Lone wolf and cub and
movies like Yojimbo, Ran etc. But as I grew older my interest in the
history grew.
I am definitly an amature historian and not a scholar by any sense
of the word. But I hope to contribute to the list as time goes on.

My question is, were peasants literate during the samurai eras or
was it only the samurai or noble classes.


Regards
Aaron

As far as I have read most people including many lower samurai were
illiterate or semiliterate up until the Edo period. From that time on
literacy spread until by the 18th century Japan was perhaps the most
literate country at that time.





----- Original Message ----


From: Aaron <cell-66@...>
To: <samuraihistory@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2001 8:30 AM
Subject: [samuraihistory] A question and a introduction.

> Hi
>
> My name is Aaron and I have had an interest in samurai history
> since a boy. It started with manga's like Lone wolf and cub and
> movies like Yojimbo, Ran etc. But as I grew older my interest in the
> history grew.
> I am definitly an amature historian and not a scholar by any sense
> of the word. But I hope to contribute to the list as time goes on.
>
> My question is, were peasants literate during the samurai eras or
> was it only the samurai or noble classes.
>
>
> Regards
> Aaron
>
>
>
> Samurai Archives: http://www.hn.org/samurai-archives/index.html
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>
>

MAINLY THE NOBLE AND SAMURAI CLASSES WERE THE LITERATE
ONES. THE PEASANTS HOWEVER LEARNED TO READ LATER ON. I
THINK IT WAS IN THE 17 OR 18 HUNDREDS THAT PEASANTS
LEARNED TO BECOME LITERATE.
--- Aaron <cell-66@...> wrote:

> Hi
>
> My name is Aaron and I have had an interest in
> samurai history
> since a boy. It started with manga's like Lone wolf
> and cub and
> movies like Yojimbo, Ran etc. But as I grew older my
> interest in the
> history grew.
> I am definitly an amature historian and not a
> scholar by any sense
> of the word. But I hope to contribute to the list as
> time goes on.
>
> My question is, were peasants literate during the
> samurai eras or
> was it only the samurai or noble classes.
>
>
> Regards
> Aaron
>
>
>

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On Sat, 14 Apr 2001 08:33:53 -0700 (PDT), you wrote:

>MAINLY THE NOBLE AND SAMURAI CLASSES WERE THE LITERATE
>ONES. THE PEASANTS HOWEVER LEARNED TO READ LATER ON. I
>THINK IT WAS IN THE 17 OR 18 HUNDREDS THAT PEASANTS
>LEARNED TO BECOME LITERATE.

But even peasants know better than to not type in all caps :-)


John Lindsey

Administrator
www.E-Budo.com