ABSTRACT

In Japan, English came to be looked upon as an indispensable tool for those seeking enlightenment in the new era inaugurated in 1868 by the revolutionary change to the Meiji period from the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1867), which had employed a policy of seclusion. Opening her door to foreign countries, Japan established diplomatic and trade relations with America and European countries, and soon English displaced Dutch, the only foreign language authorized by the Tokugawa regime. The political and social change brought into being new schools and Christian churches, which combined their efforts in disseminating the English language and English literature, including works by Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, Carlyle, and Browning. In schools, especially at Tokyo University (established in 1877), the English language was taught through the works of Shakespeare, Spenser, Milton, Dryden, Cowper, and Pope.