Sporting Activities of the Young Men's Association during the Period between Taisho Era and Pre-war Showa Era : An Analysis of the Fuchu-Sport Bulletins*

Abstract

This study evaluates the state of sports at the Fuchu YMA in Tokyo. To this end, the paper analyzed Fuchu Sports, a YMA-published newsletter that specialized in sports and was modeled on the popular sports magazine Asahi Sports. The publication of Fuchu Sport was an indication of the strong interest in sports during the Taisho era (1912-1926). After the Ministry of Internal AŠairs and the Ministry of Education announced their directives promoting physical exercise, the Tokyo government hosted conferences on the development of sports and physical education in Tokyo YMA. Accordingly, Tokyo was a step ahead of other regions in Japan when it came to setting up YMA athletic clubs. The founding of the Fuchu YMA Athletic Clubs was mainly supported by the Fuchu YMA, but it also received funding from the local authorities and schools of Fuchu. When the Athletic Club recruited university students to become their coaches, the club's programming changed and its level of competitiveness went up signiˆcantly. Finally, the Athletic Club's collaborations with surrounding educational institutions, particularly school athletic clubs, led to remarkable successes in competition and expanded the club's philosophical mission.