Tojo Was Not A Particularly Intelligent Student, But Was A Hard Worker

Hideki received an education resembling that of other Meiji-era Japanese youth. The Meiji educational system was designed to prepare the boys to serve in the military as adults. Students in Japan were incessantly taught that fighting was the most beautiful thing in the world, that the Emperor was a living god, and that the highest honor for a Japanese man was to die for the Emperor. Japanese girls were taught that having numerous sons who could die in battle for the Emperor was the ultimate form of honor for a woman.

When he was a young boy, Tojo was infamous for his obstinacy, lack of humor, opinionated nature, propensity for picking confrontations with other boys, and dogged pursuit of his goals. There was no tradition of showing sympathy for failure in Meiji-era Japanese schools, which were extremely competitive. Students who failed were frequently humiliated by the teachers. People who knew him when he was younger thought he was not a particularly intelligent student. He was known to make up for his seeming lack of intelligence, though, by being prepared to work very hard. The shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu of the 17th century, who issued the proverb “Avoid the things you like, concentrate your attention on difficult duties,” was Tojo's childhood hero. Tojo enjoyed saying: “I'm just a regular guy without any special abilities. I credit my ability to work hard and never give up for everything I've accomplished”. Tojo enlisted at the Army Cadet School in 1899.