During the Meiji period, as the Japanese society was undergoing a radical transformation, Kōda Rohan (1867-1947) found himself interested in the crucial issues of education and urban policy. Between the last decade of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, he wrote several works that, despite having little in common in terms of genre, forms and target, share the common idea that true development and lasting prosperity can only be achieved by means of solidarity, individual as well as collective responsibility, and acknowledgement and respect of the past. Through the analysis of some of these texts, and on the basis of recent works on the subject, this paper highlights prominent features of Rohan’s social critique and provides useful insights into his often neglected stories for youth.