ABSTRACT
In today's 'globalised' world, it may be difficult to imagine the intensity of confusion and conflict experienced by the Meiji intellectuals of the late 1880s as their country faced increasing pressure from the West to undertake radical change. Shiga's own education illustrates well the scope of the changes they had to cope with. While his father and grandfather were Confucian scholars having received primarily Chinese and Confucian studies with very little 'practical' learning such as science and economics, Shiga was taught in English right from primary school, developing an interest in western science and economics as well as more traditional Confucian studies. For example, while his father and grandfather were taught to be loyal and to observe filial piety to the family and the shogunate, he was brought up to be 'a good citizen' to care about others in the new society.
