Abstract
In commemoration of the centenary of broadcasting in Japan, this series examines its history from multiple perspectives, drawing on recently uncovered historical sources. This second installment examines BK Kodomo Shōka-tai—a children’s chorus group founded by the Osaka Broadcasting Station (also known as BK from its call sign JOBK) in pre-war Japan (hereafter, “the Children’s Chorus”).
The Children’s Chorus was founded in 1937 with an initial membership of 30 elementary school children living in Osaka, and had around 100 singers at its height. This paper traces the activities of this long-forgotten singing group, drawing on historical materials compiled by BK at the time, as well as interviews with former members, and examining how the children’s cultural movement that began in the Taishō period developed in Osaka.
The children's cultural movement of the Taishō period aimed to foster children's ability to appreciate and engage in the arts, which initially spread through magazines and soon came to seek new platforms for activities where children could both perform and enjoy music, theater, and other forms of art. In Osaka, the Osaka Asahi Shimbun and the Osaka Mainichi Shimbun newspapers developed cultural services for children and BK began producing children’s programs. Each organization was staffed by individuals with extensive experience in children's culture, and their presence and rich connections played a key role in shaping Osaka’s children's culture. Around 1930, cultural projects at the Osaka Asahi Kaikan hall and BK’s radio program Kodomo no Jikan (children’s hour) began to function as new platforms for children’s culture in music and theater.
The Children’s Chorus emerged within this cultural environment surrounding children in Osaka. Its purpose was to broadcast programs that would serve as models for child listeners, encouraging them to sing the songs themselves. In 1936, the new BK Broadcasting Center was completed. Using its studio as their stage, the program presenter—who also served as the music instructor—the producer versed in children’s culture, and children of the chorus group each assumed roles that contributed to achieving this purpose. The Children’s Chorus emerged from a unique environment of a broadcasting station and may be described as a form of culture class conducted through broadcasting.
The Children’s Chorus regularly appeared on the radio program Kodomo no Jikan and sang at numerous events that were broadcast live. They also actively engaged in non-broadcast activities including morale-boosting visits. The graduation ceremony of the Children’s Chorus was held in the form of a concert, and documents from the time indicate that considerable thought went into the commemorative gifts presented to the members.
The Children’s Chorus came to an end as the war intensified and their repertoire shifted toward songs intended to boost morale among child listeners. Their activities, however, should be documented as a testament to the richness of children’s culture in pre-war Japan.
