2006 Volume 44 Issue 2 Pages 104-113
Early Kindergarten Education in Japan was patterned after western countries, including their culture and goals for a modern society. It is important to find out how it began and how it became popular in each specific area of Japan. This study describes Zenrin Kindergarten in Okinawa, as it was not clear when it started or who founded it. Records of the American Baptist Missionary Union and Woman's Baptist Foreign Missionary Society show that it was founded by Mrs. Gazelle R. Thomson who was a member of WBFMS. In November 1907, the kindergarten opened as Aikwa at the old capital Syuri. Financially supported by WBFMS, the kindergarten continued to operate. Mrs. Ryuko Mori from Tokyo and Miss Nabe Urasoe from Okinawa were involved in the beginning.
