The Formation of Playgrounds in 1920s-1930s Tokyo and Their Problematic Composition

Controlling Accidental Risks

Abstract

The 1920s and 1930s marked a significant turning point for parks in Japan, as children began to be recognized as a primary group of users. During this period, Tokyo led the nation in establishing playgrounds and providing children’s instructors to manage these spaces. This study examines the problematic composition that led to the inclusion of children as new park users, and engages with two critical perspectives : first, the notion that adults bear a continuous responsibility for ensuring children’s safety ; second, the argument that adults’ assertion for a “better education” for children often reflects underlying intentions. In this context, the study collected and analyzed the rhetoric of experts who sought the creation of new playgrounds and improved management. The findings reveal that the positioning of children as park users intersected with two pressing urban concerns : traffic and housing issues, as well as the problem of juvenile delinquency. This research also argues the following points : （1）Efforts to prevent traffic accidents involving children were not only aimed at protecting them but also at ensuring the smooth flow of business-related vehicular traffic ; （2）Preventing juvenile delinquency through supervised play was perceived as a means of fostering children’s future independence and societal contribution. In conclusion, addressing safety and productivity concerns－both immediate and longterm－justified the quantitative expansion of children’s parks and the allocation of children’s instructors for supervision. The establishment of children’s parks in modern Japan was influenced by partial failures of management owing to “accidental risk” of playgrounds in urban space. This conclusion proposes a perspective and a method to analyze the “governing techniques” operating in public spaces regarding the trade-off between security and freedom, focusing on management failures and their rectification.