Physical trainings and Sports in America during the Meiji Era: With Reference to the Viewpoint of the Acceptance of Sports in Japan.

This paper intends to explain the cultural aspects of physical trainings and sports in America during the Meiji Era., with reference to the viewpoint of the acceptance of sports in Japan. For the purpose of this paper, the historical facts of baseball are reconsidered to make clear the attitude and / or the mentality toward sports, namely, any enthusiasms and desires and so forth. It is obvious that the baseball becomes the most popular game in many American sports, which have been introduced in Japan during the Meiji Era. Baseball has soon spread all of secondary schools in all of Japan, and finally overheating enthusiasms for baseball have brought about the nationwide "harmful baseball campaign." It is confirmed that the premise of the cultural acceptance of baseball is relevant to the word "syuyou" (the moral character of selfdiscipline), which is derived from the traditional, spiritual culture of "samurai." In the case of the establishment of the Koudou- kan-Judo, which is rooted in traditional martial arts (Jujitsu), the founder Jigorou Kanou has, needless to say, systematized the moral character of self-discipline ("syuyou") as a serious and essential task to be cultivated. And then, the motive for remodeling the body is obvious, so that it is raised ardent expectations for the E.Sandow's method of physical training. Physical trainings and sports in America, which have brought about great changes to behavioral patterns of Japanese people, have been changing for the progressive alterations. American baseball has nearly completed its rationalization and specialization as a spectator sport. American baseball expresses a distinctive energy, which is merged with the diversity consisting of different cultures of races. American baseball during the Meiji Era has offered hopes, wishes and longings to fan. The marvelous capacity has generated some heroes and / or myths. The most important myth is the notion that the game is surely of American origins