Hidaka Tokichirō

Japanese: 日高藤吉郎 - ひだかとうきちろう

1857‐1937 (Ansei 4‐Showa 12)
Founder of the Japan Athletic Association. Born in Gunma Prefecture as the eldest son of Amagasa Fukutaro, his father died when he was nine years old. At age 11, he was adopted by the Kaneko family of Tochigi Prefecture, and then moved to Tokyo to be adopted by the Hidaka family. At age 17, he enlisted and served as a member of the government army in the Seinan War of 1877 (Meiji 10). During this war, he keenly felt that the physical condition and strength of the Japanese were significantly inferior to those of the West, and that there was a lack of commanders. After leaving the military, in 1884 he established the Bunbu Koshukan (later Seijo School) as a preparatory educational institution for the military academy, and began training commanders, and in 1891 he founded an institution (Japan Athletic Association) to promote national physical education and to train future soldiers with strong bodies.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

1857‐1937(安政4‐昭和12)
日本体育会の創設者。天笠福太郎の長男として群馬県に生まれ，9歳のとき父と死別。11歳になって栃木県の金子家の養子となり，さらに上京して日高家の養子となる。17歳で入隊し，1877(明治10)年の西南戦争に政府軍の一員として従軍。この戦争で日本人の体位･体力は欧米に比べ著しく劣っていること，指揮官が不在であることを痛感する。退役後，84年に士官学校の予備教育機関として文武講習館(後の成城学校)を設立して指揮官の養成に着手し，91年には国民体育の振興を図って将来の強靱な肉体を有する兵士を養成するための機関(日本体育会)を創設する。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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