See a Field Investigation in Action
Example: Hideyoshi, Osaka Castle & Political Power
Learning Objective
Students investigate how historians distinguish between military necessity and political symbolism when interpreting Osaka Castle.
The Question
"Why did Hideyoshi build Osaka Castle here — and why did he build it on such an enormous scale?"
Before the Visit
- ✓ Background briefing (one page)
- ✓ Learning objective
- ✓ Key vocabulary (8–10 terms)
- ✓ Pre-visit question for classroom discussion
Field Investigation Flow
Site 1 — The Landscape
Location: Uemachi Plateau
Edward teaches
Edward explains the Uemachi Plateau and Naniwa's strategic position.
Group Investigation
Groups discuss and identify: geography, transportation, visibility, historical associations, defensibility.
Site 2 — Osaka Castle
Location: Toyotomi remains
Edward teaches
Students examine the surviving evidence and historical reconstructions.
Group Investigation
Each group makes its case.
Site 3 — The Tokugawa Rebuilding
Location: Tokugawa stone walls
Edward teaches
Students see what changed when the Tokugawa took control.
Group Investigation
Students consider: legitimacy, political symbolism, historical memory, continuity of power.
Edward's Historical Analysis
Then you introduce the evidence. Students don't simply receive the answer. They first construct an answer, then test it against the historical evidence.
- → Contemporary accounts — what people at the time said
- → Archaeological evidence — what excavations reveal
- → Geographical analysis — what the landscape tells us
- → Traditional interpretations — what textbooks say
- → Modern historical scholarship — where interpretations have changed
- → What remains uncertain
After the Visit — Example Assessment
The field investigation is the core product. Assessment and extended classroom materials can be added when useful.
Every Field Lesson Can Include
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this align with curriculum goals?
Yes — it directly supports JHS 「歴史的思考力」, HS inquiry-based learning + critical thinking, and university source evaluation, historiography, and argumentation. Teachers get a program that is curriculum-safe, assessment-friendly, and administratively easy.
What outcomes can teachers expect?
Teachers consistently report higher engagement, better retention, more confident English use, and stronger critical thinking — students who say "History finally makes sense."
Logistics
- Duration: 90–150 minutes per live workshop
- Group size: 10–45 students
- Meeting point: Osaka Castle area (exact location on booking)
- Language: English-medium / Japanese / Bilingual
- Materials: All provided
- Safety: Fixed route, no free-roaming, designated meeting points
Pricing
One class. One price. Everything included.
Programme fees are all-in — preparation, materials, and classroom follow-up included. No per-student calculation.
Three-Workshop Programmes
Three stages: a pre-castle workshop, the Osaka Castle tour, and a post-visit workshop with a gameshow quiz.
Standard Programme
- Workshop 1 preparation, before the visit
- Workshop 2 field investigation at Osaka Castle
- Workshop 3 tour presentations and gameshow quiz
- Teacher planning call
- Student materials for all three live workshops
- Key vocabulary lists and sentence stems (pre-taught)
- Digital Investigation Companion
- Post-programme teacher pack
Extended Programme
- Everything in Standard
- More sites in Workshop 2
- Additional primary sources
- Extended debate rounds
- Assessment options (quiz + short essay)
- Expanded Digital Investigation Companion
Full Programme
- Everything in Extended
- Custom question designed with your teacher team
- Multiple primary sources with source-analysis activities
- Complete assessment pack (essay prompts, answer key, teacher notes)
- Further extension resources
Edward attends all three workshops and is included in these totals. A second facilitator is added in Workshops 1 and 3 for 30 students or more, and a third for 45 students or more.
Learning materials are licensed for the named cohort and programme; not for redistribution or reuse by other providers.
Teachers and supervising school staff participate free of charge.
Need something tailored to your course?
Every field investigation is connected to your course, students, and learning objectives. If you have a particular historical theme, site, or wider study program in mind, we can develop a field experience around it.
- The Tennoji Valley, Sanada-maru, Shitenno-ji, or Chausuyama as part of a study of Osaka’s military and religious landscape.
- Sakai’s great kofun while exploring the relationship between the early political centre at Naniwa and the emergence of powerful regional elites.
- Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, or Koyasan as connected sites in a broader investigation of capitals, political power, religion, and historical memory.
You might even have a particular question or itinerary in mind that doesn’t fit one of our standard programmes. Tell me what your students are studying and where you want to take them, and we’ll explore what can be built around it.
Everything your students need before and after the field investigation is available online. Activities can be completed digitally or printed directly from the website for classroom use.
How It Works
Tell me what you're teaching.
Course, unit, student level, class size, learning objectives.
Choose your programme.
Standard, Extended, or Full — three live workshops of 90–150 minutes (two at school, one on site) plus pre-visit preparation, one all-in price per class.
We design the historical question together.
Your curriculum and students shape the investigation.
Three stages, end to end.
Pre-castle workshop → Osaka Castle tour with the investigation and the reveal → post-visit workshop with presentations and a gameshow quiz.
Continue in the classroom.
The Digital Investigation Companion and teacher pack keep the work going.
Request a Field Investigation
Tell me what your students are studying. I'll design a field investigation around your curriculum.