Shōka (music)

In 1872, the Meiji government promulgated the first educational constitution called Gakusei (学制) and set up shōka (唱歌) as a subject in elementary schools.

In 1878, they composed Kazaguruma (Windfans), commissioned by the Tokyo Women's Teacher College.

[2] This book was mainly a collection of Western folk music tunes with Japanese lyrics and was developed with the collaboration between Japanese educator Isawa Shūji, American music educationist Luther Whiting Mason, and a team of language experts.

The Ministry of Education in Japan realized that western songbooks were useful for unifying and integrating citizens of a nation.

However, music textbooks that mixed Western melodies with Japanese text for school appeared after Shogaku Shokashu.