Schools for samurai status were broadly divided into the schools under the direct control of the Edo bakufu and those run by each han (domain); both were educational institutions representing the period in their scale and content.
武士身分を対象とした学校は、江戸幕府直轄の学校と、藩が運営した藩校に大別され、その規模、内容共にこの時代を代表する教育機関であった。