軽体操の近代日本体育科教育課程への導入に関する史的考察

抄録

The Japanese Government of Meiji era sent Shuji Izawa and two other officials to the United States, in July, 1875, for the search of then American normal school system. Izawa entered Bridgewater State Normal School, Massachusetts in September, and graduated from it after his three years study in 1877, and came back to Japan in May, 1878. Izawa published "Report on the Merits of Newly Established Gymnastics" in September, 1879. This study aims at to make a historical review on the process how Japan selected the light gymnastics considering the connections of the Bridgewater Normal School's gymnastics and Izawa's Newly Established Gymnastics Merit Report. Albert G. Boyden, principal of Bridgewater Normal School, introduced the new gymnastics originated by Dio Lewis in 1860. According to the school archives dated to bach in February,1861, the favorable effects of the new gymnastics were highly evaluated. It records that the Lewis' new gymnastics had been continued until 1890, the time later when a regular series of Swedish gymnastics replaced the Lewis'. The Lewis' new gymnastics had been generally adopted since 1860, not only in Boston but in many schools all over the United States. In September, 1878, G. A. Leland, who was a graduate of the Amherst College and later became a gymnastics instructor, came to be employed by the Ministry of Education of Japan, to teach the Lewis' new gymnastics at Tokyo Women's Normal School, Tokyo Normal School and National Institute of Gymnastics. Shuji Izawa, in his report, estimated the effects of G.A. Leland's instruction by means of the anthropometric measurements, recommended the Lewis' new gymnastics to Japanese schools. His opinion was adopted in Newly Selected Gymnastics published by National Institute of Gymnastics in 1882. The book contains calisthenics, free gymnastics and light gymnastics with dumb bells, Indian clubs, wands, and other tools. It appears highly worthy to note that this selection of light gymnastics played an important and decisive role for the future direction in Japanese modern school gymnastics. According to Izawa's personal history, he graduated from the Bridgewater State Normal School in 1877, finishing its whole course of study, and this means that he learned Dio Lewis' new gymnastics during his school days. It may be concluded that Izawa had put a great emphasis on selecting light gymnastics in Japan since he himself had learned it and recognized its merits during the time when there was an increasing tendency toward the Lewis' new gymnastics in the United States at the right moment, for him. It seems that Izawa was so much moved and influenced by this tendency in the United States in his recommendation of the Lewis' new gymnastics in Japan.