Kaitokudō
The Kaitokudō (Japanese:懐徳堂) was a style of Rangaku, located in Osaka, Japan during the Tokugawa Era. Although it opened its doors in 1724, it was founded officially in 1726 by Nakai Shūan and Ogata Kōan. This school lasted officially until 1868, although there have been revivals since. This school was significant during the time for permitting merchants to participate freely in higher education at a time when they were not expected to. The samurai class was permitted to attend the lectures as well and sit at the very front of the class, although the lectures were aimed at the merchant class. Later Nakai Shūan's son, Nakai Chikuzan, eliminated samurai seating privileges altogether.
At the time when there was no official public education system in Japan, students of the upper class would attend prep schools in preparation for university within Japan, as well as studying abroad in the Netherlands, the only country with which trade was permitted at the time. These schools were called Rangaku, or Dutch Studies. This school would teach the Dutch language as well as science, business, and ethics. Kaikokudō also offered lectures in religion, philosophy, and the arts. With the end of the Tokugawa Bakufu in 1868, the Kaikokudō also closed its gates to further instruction.
The academy was revived in 1910 based on a publication called the Kaitoku, which sponsored lectures and meetings in the spirit of the Kaitokudō from funds contributed by Sumitomo and other commercial Osaka operations. The academy building was also renovated at that time; however it was burned down in the fire bombings of the following Pacific War. The library, much of it in Dutch, has survived, however, and is housed at Osaka University as Kaitokudō Bunkan.