Selling of the Sporting Goods and Wear in Kochi in Taisho Era

Abstract

The present paper aimed at investigating the process of popularization of sports in Kochi in the Taisho era, by analyzing the advertisement of sporting goods and wear in 'Kochi Kyoiku'. The following results were obtained. 1) In Kochi, sporting goods of baseball and tennis were being sold in the 1910s and in addition to the above, they started the sale of those of soccer, track and field, swimming, table tennis, mountaineering, artistic gymnastics, volleyball, basketball and indoor baseball in the 1920s. 2) From 1918 to 1926,five shops advertised in 'Kochi Kyoiku'. At First, a shop selling the teaching materials sold the sporting goods, too. Later, Kyoeisha made and sold the sporting goods and wear and Ohguro Toyono Shouten developed and sold the original sporting wear. In 1923,two more shops were seen in 'Kochi Kyoiku'. 3) In Kochi, sports became popular rapidly in the 1920s, mainly in many of the schools , public agencies, companies, and in the army.