The Great Teaching Institute (大教院, Taikyoin)[1] was an organization under the Ministry of Religion in the Empire of Japan.
[2] It was founded in 1872[3] to train kyōdo shōku or religious teachers because the Missionary Office and Department of Divinities were unsuccessful in their national indoctrination objectives.
[citation needed] Medium Teaching Institutes (中教院, Chukyoin) were established in each prefectural capital and Small Teaching Institutes (小教院, Shokyoin) were established in various cities.
[5] On January 1, 1875, an arson attack on the Great Teaching Institute caused confusion, with four Jōdo Shinshū sects informally announcing their departure from the Great Teaching Institute.
[2] Ame-no-Minakanushi was one of its patron deities, also known under the Buddhist name Myōken.