Meirindo was the first public school in the Ryukyus.
戦前の明倫堂
It was started after Nago Uekata (the highest rank in the Ryukyu Kingdom aristocracy) Tei Junsoku, proposed building an academy to the kingdom government. The academy’s curriculum, grounded in Confucianism and teaching of Mandarin, educated the youth of the Kume district on subjects such as diplomatic correspondence. Until the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures by the Japanese government (called the Haihan-chiken), one of Merindo’s rooms was used as a public district office. Currently, a Kume Confucianism program is offered to local residents.
