2023 Volume 55 Issue 2 Pages 67-80
The purpose of this study is to clarify the background of the establishment of the Dai Nippon Butokukai Chosun Regional Headquarters (DNBCRH) and the projects to spread kendo. The method of this study is mainly based on a document analysis of the Dai Nippon Butokukai and the “Chosun Budo” journal. The findings of this study are as follows:
1) The DNBCRH was established in 1928 under the Office of the Governor-General of Korea as part of a project to establish regional departments of the Dai Nippon Butokukai. The organization became the largest Dai Nippon Butokukai Overseas Regional Department．The projects to spread kendo were implemented based on the “Dai Nippon Butokukai Regional Department Regulations”.
2) The DNBCRH projects to spread kendo were teaching programs, matches, and mid-winter and mid-summer trainings, as well as dan/kyu examinations. The teaching programs emphasized not only technical aspects, but also the cultivation of morals, and mental and physical training. Furthermore, the matches were held for the purpose of developing kendo and the culture of Japanese martial arts. The mid-winter and mid-summer trainings were conducted to train the mind and body and to make develop techniques.
3) The DNBCRH’s projects had many similarities when compared to the Dai Nippon Butokukai’s projects. However, especially in the written kendo exam questions, contents were included that had a different meaning, for example, questions that require students to discuss the superiority of Japanese kendo. This suggests that the intention was to raise the morale of the Japanese living in Korea and, by extension, spread Japanese kendo among the Korean people for the purpose of reconciliation.
