Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the philosophy of coeducational physical education classes during the introduction of the coeducational system in Japan, by clarifying the rationale for the coeducational physical education classes at that time focusing on the understanding of the Ministry of Education and the discourses of Takeo Ogawa who is a physical education teacher conducted coeducational physical education classes at Matsuzawa Junior High School. The main historical materials examined for this study were Educational Guidance of Physical Education-New direction and curriculum- Edition of Junior high school (Taiiku no gakusyusidou -atarashii hoko to karikyuramu- chugakkohen, 1950) and Teaching in Coeducational setting (Danzyokyogaku no sodatekata, 1949), by Jiro Otsuka who had been working as the vice principal of Matsuzawa Junior High School at that time, and “Coeducation and Physical Education” (Danzyokyogaku to taiiku), a contribution by Ogawa in the same book. The investigation showed that the Ministry of Education and Ogawa understood coeducational physical education classes are “measures” to a specific purpose and the philosophy of coeducational physical education classes are very similar. Firstly, both aimed to help boys and girls understand each other’s characteristics and traits through exercise and sports. Secondly, both expected and valued the boys to become more “masculine” and the girls more “feminine” through the classes. Thirdly, both were oriented to help boys and girls build loving and caring relationships in the classes and acquire the necessary future etiquette and manners for the association between boys and girls. These three points are the philosophy of coeducational physical education classes during the introduction of the coeducational system in Japan. We suggest that the philosophy was influenced by the concept of “education-through-the-physical” which had been popular in physical education classes from 1945 to the 1970s in Japan.
https://ror.org/00khh5r84 
