Happy Women's Map 宮城県 日本初の女子体育専門学校の創立者 二階堂トクヨ女史
「女子体育は女子の手で。」
"Women's sports by women"
二階堂 トクヨ 女史
Ms. Tokuyo Nikaido
1880 - 1941
宮城県大崎市三本木町 生誕
Born in Ozaki-city, Miyagi-Ken
二階堂トクヨ女史は、日本初の女子体育専門学校の創立者です。男性と対等であり平等である「女性」のための教育に尽力。イギリスのクリケットとホッケー、チュニックを日本に持ち込みました。
Ms. Tokuyo Nikaido was the founder of Japan's first women's physical education specialized school. She dedicated herself to education for women, emphasizing equality with men. She introduced cricket, hockey, and tunics from England to Japan.
*******
トクヨは運動嫌いの文学少女でした。15歳で准教員検定に合格、地元の三本木小学校で准教員となります。さらに福島民報の社長・小笠原貞信の養女となって福島県尋常師範学校（現・福島大学）へ入学。高等小学校正教員の資格を得て卒業後、油井尋常高等小学校で教員になります。さらに女子高等師範学校（現・お茶の水女子大学）に入学、師範学校女子部・高等女学校の教育・倫理・体操・国語・地理・歴史・漢文の7科目の教員免許を取得して卒業。石川県立高等女学校（現・石川県立金沢二水高等学校）で体操教師として採用されます。
はじめは身も心も疲弊するも数か月すると自身の体調が良くなっていることを発見し、夏には井口阿くり女史が講師を務める3週間の体操講習会を受講、スウェーデン体操にのめりこみます。さらにカナダ人宣教師のフランシス・ケイト・モルガン女史のもと独自の体操レッスンを受けます。ついには石川県を回って小学校教師向けに体操の指導を行うようになります。また高知県師範学校（現・高知大学教育学部）へ出向、高知県でも体操講習会を開きます。30歳でトクヨは二階堂姓に戻り、母校の東京女子高等師範学校の助教授となり、井口阿くり・永井道明の両教授の補佐をします。
トクヨはイギリスのキングスフィールド体操専門学校に留学、女性参政権擁護者である校長マルチナ・バーグマン＝オスターバーグ女史のもと、生理学・解剖学・衛生学の理論、教育体操・医療体操・舞踊・競技の実技、教授法を学びます。管理の行き届いた寄宿舎、1日5回の食事、動きやすいチュニックの制服、ホッケー・ラクロス・水泳・ダンスなど運動の楽しさを実感するとともに、女性体育教師の社会での活躍ぶりに驚きます。
帰国後、東京女子高等師範学校教授ならびに臨時教員養成所教授となり、ダンス・体操・遊戯・スポーツの指導を行い、夏休みには自ら体操講習会を開催して日本各地を飛び回ります。さらに女性体操教師に呼び掛け「全国体操女教員会」（後の体育婦人同志会）を立ち上げ自ら会長に就任、ならびに雑誌『わがちから』を創刊、女子体育の重要性を社会に訴えます。1922年41歳の時に私財を投げ打ち、「女子体育は女子の手で」行うべく二階堂体操塾を開きます。女子体育の研究機関と女子体育家（女性体操教師）の養成機関を兼ねた塾で、家庭教育や社会教育までを視野に入れた全寮制の女子教育を実施します。1926年日本女子体育専門学校に昇格・改称、日本初の女子体育専門学校になります。晩年、高知県での教え子の戸倉ハルの尽力により東京女子高等師範学校に体育科が設立され大いに喜びます。
Tokuyo was a literature-loving girl who disliked sports. At the age of 15, she passed the assistant teacher examination and became an assistant teacher at the local Mihongi Elementary School. She was then adopted by Mr. Sadanobu Ogasawara, the president of Fukushima Minpo, and entered Fukushima Prefectural Normal School (now Fukushima University). After obtaining the qualification of a certified elementary school teacher, she became a teacher at Aburui Normal Higher Elementary School. She later enrolled in the Women's Higher Normal School (now Ochanomizu University), where she obtained teaching licenses in seven subjects: education, ethics, gymnastics, Japanese language, geography, history, and Chinese classics, and graduated.
She was employed as a gymnastics teacher at Ishikawa Prefectural High School for Girls (now Ishikawa Prefectural Kanazawa Second High School). At first, she felt physically and mentally exhausted, but after a few months, she discovered that her condition had improved. In the summer, she attended a three-week gymnastics course taught by Miss Aokuri Iguchi, becoming enamored with Swedish gymnastics. She also received special gymnastics lessons from Canadian missionary Miss Francis Kate Morgan. Eventually, she traveled around Ishikawa Prefecture to instruct elementary school teachers in gymnastics. She also went to Kochi Prefectural Normal School (now Kochi University Faculty of Education) and held gymnastics courses there.
At the age of 30, Tokuyo returned to her maiden name, Nikaido, and became an associate professor at her alma mater, Tokyo Women's Higher Normal School, assisting Professors Aokuri Iguchi and Michiaki Nagai. Tokuyo studied at the Kingsfield Gymnastic Training School in England. Under the leadership of Principal Martina Bergman-Österberg, a proponent of women's suffrage, she learned theories of physiology, anatomy, and hygiene, as well as practical skills in educational gymnastics, medical gymnastics, dance, and sports, and teaching methods. She was amazed by the well-managed dormitories, five meals a day, comfortable tunics for movement, and the joy of activities such as hockey, lacrosse, swimming, and dancing. She was also impressed by the achievements of female physical education teachers in society.
Upon her return to Japan, she became a professor at Tokyo Women's Higher Normal School and Temporary Teacher Training Institute, instructing dance, gymnastics, games, and sports. During summer vacation, she held gymnastics courses all over Japan. She called on female gymnastics teachers to establish the "National Gymnastics Female Teachers Association" (later known as the Physical Education Women's Association) and became its chairperson. She also founded the magazine "Waga Chikara" to advocate the importance of women's physical education.
In 1922, at the age of 41, she invested her own money and established the "Nikaido Gymnastics Juku" to carry out women's physical education by women's hands. The Juku served as a research institute for women's physical education and a training institution for female gymnastics teachers, providing residential female education that encompassed both home and social education. In 1926, it was elevated and renamed as the "Japan Women's Physical Education Specialized School," becoming Japan's first women's physical education specialized school.
In her later years, she was overjoyed when, thanks to the efforts of her student Haru Tokura in Kochi Prefecture, a physical education department was established at Tokyo Women's Higher Normal School.
-日本女子体育大学・二階堂トクヨ資料展示室 Tokuyo Nikaido Memorial Museum
Share Your Love and Happy Women's Story！
あなたを元気にする女性の逸話をお寄せください！
Share your story of a woman that inspires you!
この記事が気に入ったらサポートをしてみませんか？