Abstract
References were examined to learn when, where and how the sewing machine was introduced to elementary school education in Japan, along with the historical background which led to the introduction. Results obtained are summarized as follows: 1. Two Dutch female teachers introduced sewing machines in the classroom attached to the temporarily established school opend by the Hokkaido Development Agency in Tokyo, more than 100 years ago. 2. Sewing education in elementary schools was then associated closely with the construction of the Japanese kimono. In Hokkaido, however, it was undertaken by the western style wears using sewing machines. 3. As school and office uniforms changed from the traditional kimono to western style wears, demand for the latter increased, and schools were ontracted, which was the beginning of industrial education.
