Chiaki Shimomura: 3 works in the original Japanese, with translation

A privately run elementary school of the Edo period, teaching children practical subjects such as reading, writing, and the abacus. After the Education System Order was issued in 1872 (Meiji 5), these schools were gradually replaced by elementary schools.

A travelling merchant who carried goods on his back and peddled from street to street, formerly called 「行商」. In an era when retail was not yet concentrated, such peddlers often lodged at small inns along their route.

"Let's go fish for dried bonito" describes something clearly impossible: katsuobushi is a dried product shaved into flakes to make soup stock and cannot be caught by fishing. This line is an absurd invitation with which the village children deliberately tease Rokubei; together with the next line, "Who was born first, you or your father?", it belongs to the type of trick questions testing a fool found in folk tales.