“In general, the way to govern a nation is to nurture the life of the people, restore the nature of the people, and prevent the people from doing wrong. These are the three essentials.
Equalize land allotments, minimize taxes, have the people plant mulberry and flax. When the farmers till, the women spin silk, the people don’t waste their time, and the state doesn’t waste land, then there is enough clothing and food so that there’s no anxiety about supporting parents, wives, and children. The people are constant, and robbery and banditry don’t occur in the territory. The state is tranquil, the people are at peace. Because of this merchants gather and make markets, artisans come and make utensils, the needs of the nation are fully met, so the people are prosperous and happy. This is called nurturing the life of the people.
If you nurture them with out educating them, the people won’t know about courtesy and duty. Without courtesy, social order will be disturbed, without duty, the ruler is disregarded.
The way to educate the people is to set up schools in districts and villages, establish colleges in prefectures and provinces, provide officials in charge of instruction, equip them with books, set aside a budget for expenses, admit the children of the gentry and populace, and teach them. in the schools have them study writing and arithmetic and read classics and literature. In the colleges have them analyze ideograms and discuss their meanings. Enable everyone to know how to investigate things to acquire knowledge, cultivate oneself, and govern others. Thus does a nation develop customs of respect for parents, fraternity, loyalty, faith, courtesy, duty, and integrity. This is called restoring the nature of the people.
Even with education and sustenance, there is law; if the people’s wrongs are not prevented, then dishonesty will develop and the nation will become disorderly. Therefore the provinces, prefectures, districts, and villages should have offices to which intelligent and conscientious people are promoted, appointing them according to their character to determine legal prohibitions and make their stipulations known, to assist in government and education, so people won’t get into trouble. if any violate the law, then indictments are composed, complete with the reasons, and they are exposed to the public in the marketplace, to keep the masses of people in line. This is called preventing the people from doing wrong.
When clothing and food are sufficient, the people are happy and don’t think of rebelling. When the state provides education, the people know their duties and don’t act against their leaders. When wrongdoing is prevented, crooks and schemers don’t arise. If your government is like this, you have no rivals on earth.” Naganuma Muneyoshi (1635-1690)
It is important to understand that the idea in this last paragraph about action against leaders, is referring to rebellion against “just leaders”, Muneyoshi in other writings gives one of the reasons for a just war, the deposition of unjust leaders. All things being equal a just leader would not be deposed by educated citizenry.