Undou kai in Japan

Today’s topic is sports in Japan, so I would like to talk about Physical education in Japan.
P.E is one of the subjects of school, and people grow up through sports and exercise.

First of all, I introduce P.E clothes.

P.E clothes style is a little different from school to school.
However, everyone wear same gym suit (体操服;taisou fuku) in same school.

As you can see, Japanese children wear half-sleeved shirt and half-pants in PE class now.
However, boys had worn short pants and girls had worn bloomers after Tokyo Olympic.
The reason of change of gym suit is influence of professional sports uniform.
So, now Japamese students wear half-sleeved shirt and half pants-after 1997.

Next, I’ll focus on big event of P.E, 運動会(Undou kai).
Undou kai is like sports festival.

Students prepare for Undou kai durinf some days.

On the very day of Undou kai, parenrs come to see their children's activity.

Many of parents bring their camera, they record it.

First Undou kai in Japan was held in 1874 by British man, Strange.

However, trriger of spreading out of Undoukai was Undou kai which was held in Sapporo in 1878.
Every elementary school, junior high school and high school hold Undou kai in autumn.

Undou kai is also held by community such as city or town.

Students are devided some teams, such as Red team, White team, Blue team and so on.

Each team has cheering party, this is characteristic of Undou kai.
Many games are held in Undou kai and I’ll introduce some common games.

This picture shows tug-of-war (綱引き;tsuna hiki).

Two teams pull one rope against each other for each other's positions, and it is a competition to compete for the superiority and inferiority.

This picture shows piggyback fight (騎馬戦;Kiba sen).

This game style imitate a fight between a samurai and the knights who ride a horse.

One Kiba consists of four members and win and loss are depend on how many cap does kiba get.
Kiba is consist of only boys because Kiba sen's model is samurai fight.

However, gilrs can participate Kiba sen depends on school because of considering of gender equality.

Kiba sen's roots is political movement because it was made in Meiji era and government's power was too strong that people were not allowed to express their opinion.

But they needed the Diet and making the constitution.

So people came up with idea of Undoukai because it was not speech.

Kiba sen which was born in Undou kai that people who did a movement for democratic rights made "the government struggle piggyback fight (政権争奪騎馬戦；seiken soudatsu kiba sen)."

Kiba sen shows competition that who the political leader is.

It very related to Japanese histrical background.