temple elementary school (Edo period)
Historical term for private elementary schools during the Edo period, often run in temples, teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic to commoners' children.
During the Edo period, many children learned reading and writing at terakoya.
In this town, a building of an old terakoya is preserved.
寺子屋 were Edo-period temple schools teaching basic literacy to commoners, whereas 私塾 were private academies (often Confucian) offering higher-level scholarly instruction.
Standard modern spelling. The kanji 寺 (temple) + 子 (child) + 屋 (shop/house) reflect the historical origin.
Alternate spelling using 小 (small) instead of 子; also seen in historical contexts.
Literally 'temple child shop'. Originated from the practice of holding classes in Buddhist temples, hence the name. The exact historical derivation is well-established.