Hokuriku Gakuin University

The purpose of this study was to acquire historical insights into women’s football in prewar Japan. The study had 2 specific aims: 1) to analyze the origin and development of women’s football in Japan through information gathered at higher educational institutions for women (The Girls’ Higher Normal School, Nara Women’s Higher Normal School, Japan Women’s College, Tokyo Women’s School of Gymnastics and Music) and 2) to analyze the growth of women’s football using information collected at public high schools for girls. To achieve this, the historical records of 422 school were reviewed. To address the first question, it was investigated whether instruction and guidance were available at higher educational institutions for women, and whether football was an extra-curricular activity. The data suggested that while football might have been taught both as part of the regular curriculum and as an extra-curricular activity, none of the institutions played a key role in the shift from casual to competitive play or in the growth of football throughout Japan. Analysis of the expansion of football revealed that, of the 286 girls’ public high schools surveyed, 53 offered football; these institutions were broadly distributed from Kyushu to Hokkaido. Evidence of women’s football was confirmed from 1902 to 1940, most instances being in the Taisho era (1912–26), followed by the Meiji era (1868–1912) and the Showa era up to 1945 (1926–45). Football was played mostly during free time and athletic meetings, but it was also sometimes played during class, as a club activity, and during excursions. In some cases, football was played regularly and school competitions were held; however, there were no confirmed examples of inter-school competitions. The involvement of instructors, uniforms, equipment, and rules at the 53 schools was established. The data suggest that instructors, including principals, were involved to some extent, and that football was made more accessible by the provision of appropriate uniforms and equipment. There were mixed results for rules; in some cases, football was played casually with relaxed rules, while in other cases, female students played more competitively and organized association football like their male counterparts. This study is significant in being the first attempt to empirically examine the history of women’s football in Japan.