In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of "Kyoto School pedagogy" studies that attempt to clarify the influential relationship between Nishida's philosophy, the Kyoto School, and education. However, the influence of Nishida's philosophy on the Taisho new education, as pointed out by Satoji Yano, remains at the stage of hypothesis. The hypothesis is that Nishida's philosophy of "Pure Experience" and "Self-Awareness" had a strong influence on the formation of the educational thought of the new education.
The purpose of this paper is to explore Kitaro Nishida's influence on education, with particular attention to teachers' activities during the Taisho period, and to supplement Yano's hypothesis. As a case study, this paper will use "Shinano Kyoiku" as reference material and clarify how Nishida's philosophy was accepted through examination of an essay by Tomoyuki Suganuma, who had been working in the field of education as a teacher.
Suganuma places "life" at the foundation of his educational thought, and explains that to teach children to develop their "true self," teachers need to cultivate the teacher mind. Suganuma was strongly influenced by "An inquiry into the Good." This may suggest that Nishida's philosophy had a huge impact on both the theoretical and the practical side of education.
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