明治期の唱歌遊戯に関する一考察 : 『幼稚園唱歌遊戯法』（1902）の検討を中心に

This study aimed to reexamine the viewpoint of Motokichi Higashi (1872-1956) and to consider characteristics of Yochien Shokayugiho. He played an important role in establishing a systematic theory on early childhood education and publishing Yochien Shoka (1901). The contents of Yochien Shokayugiho were movements which choreographed the dances for 14 songs in Yochien Shoka. It is important to consider whether Yochien Shokayugiho was published by him or not. Moreover, I compared the singing-dancing works in a magazine, Fujin-to-kodomo with those in Yochien Shokayugiho, to determine the relationship between kindergarten practices and this book.
As a result, Yochien Shokayugiho was evidently not written based on Higashi’s views of early childhood education. That book was intended not only for infants but also for school-age children: it covers aspects of education for school-age children. However, the educational content in Yochien Shokayugiho is in line with Higashi’s beliefs that education should aims to teach children both morality and knowledge. In addition, it is clear that the singing-dancing works of Yochien Shokayugiho incorporate considerable rhythmic play; the works in Fujin-to-kodomo involve expressive play and include the words of the songs. Fujin-to-kodomo clearly placed importance on simulating experiences; Yochien Shokayugiho focused on rhythmic ability. Rhythmic play was developed by Goro Tsuchikawa (1871-1947) in the Taisho period, and Yochien Shokayugiho played a role in that development.