The empirical study on Japan-U.S. Physical Education Exchanges- Missionary Work in Japan by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions(ABCFM)and an Introduction to Modern American Physical Education in Japan

2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22500531
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Physical education
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: OBITSU Takashi 北海道大学, 大学院・教育学研究院, 教授 (00203927)
• Project Period (FY): 2010 – 2012
• Keywords: 身体運動文化論 / 教育学 / 日本史

Research Abstract

This paper reports an examination of actual situations regarding various aspects of modern physical education imported from the United States to Japan. Focus is placed on the Congregationalist denomination based on historical records kept in Japan and the U.S. The study revealed that the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions（ABCFM）initially planned to popularize physical education in Japan as part of its missionary efforts during work to propagate Christianity there. It was also found that Amherst College （ an institution established with strong support from Congregationalists that dispatched Dr. George Adams Leland to Japan）had enormous personal, educational and ideological impacts on the introduction of physical education in the country. The study outcomes further revealed that the U.S. Government had long shown an interest in the future of the Amherst Plan for physical education in Japan even after Dr. Leland returned to the U.S.