小学校の兵式体操 : 特に木銃の使用に注目して

抄録

This paper will demonstrate the actual conditions of military exercise in elementary schools. Although there is a great deal of research on military exercise in normal schools and junior high schools, there is very little to date on elementary schools. This paper will approach the study of military exercise in elementary school through an examination of the disposition, the use, and treatment of model rifle, the primary instructional aid of military exercise. This research highlights two important features. First, the Ministry of Education only concerned itself with the larger framework of military exercise in elementary schools and did not promote the use of model rifles. Second, regional elementary schools actively accepted model rifles ; they sought to create a sense of reality by demanding model rifles that looked like the real thing. As this paper argues, the reason regional schools accepted the use of model rifles was that they were used during school field trips and ceremonies, not just for military exercise class because those involved with the school were concerned about their appearance, being disposed to worry about how others look upon them. There is one additional point regarding the relationship between children the rifles. The model gun was stored where it could be easily seen by the children, and the children also kept the rifles clean. In this way, an attitude of respect for the rifle was cultivated in elementary school children. The practice of military exercise did not end with the class period, but affected many people in and out of school at various times.