明治後期の日本における女子体育の発展―学校体育教材の変遷に着目して―

抄録

The aim of this research is to clarify the progress of women’s physical education in the late Meiji era, focusing on the school physical education teaching materials. The result of this research is summarized as follows.

Compared with that of men, women’s physical education teaching materials were not developed after the Education System Order was promulgated in 1872. However, taking advantage of the proclamation of the Girl’s High School Order in 1899, women’s education teaching materials began to be developed. The notion of “good wife and wise mother” was promulgated in society, and women’s physical education was encouraged for the betterment of women’s lives and well-being in addition to serving nationalism. During this period, influenced by the policy of Westernization, Japanese women’s clothing also shifted from the traditional Japanese kimono to western-type clothes. Western-type clothes were adopted in women’s physical education, and the requirements for the development of women’s physical education were satisfied. At the same time, training centers aimed at fostering female physical education teachers were established one after another, which rapidly increased female physical education teachers.

In the late Meiji era, Japanese women were encouraged to do physical exercise in order to nurture healthy maternity, strengthen their mentality and improve their physicality to the level of western women, and the schools adopted Swedish gymnastics and sports as part of physical education for women. In the same period, study and research on educational materials for women’s play were promoted, and teaching materials combining music and play were developed.