Acceptance and Use of Folklore Studies by the Young Generation in the Prewar Showa Period
This research will reveal how young people in rural areas in the 1920s and 1930s accepted folklore studies that were in the formation stage and utilized them to examine and improve life and work in rural communities. In particular, programs operated by organizations called the Nippon Seinenkan, a central body of youth groups, and the Dai Nippon Rengo Seinendan (Greater Japan Federation of Youth Groups) will be the focus in discussing the youths who were involved in the groups’ activities and the intellectuals who supported them.
The following are the three main areas of this study.
・Intellectuals’ opinions expressed in publications such as “Seinen” and “Nippon Seinen Shimbun.”
・Intellectuals’ views on local dances and folk songs and young people’s performance of such arts.
・The process of collecting materials for the Dai Nippon Rengo Seinendan Museum of Local Culture and the current conditions of these materials.
The report on our research findings will include a bibliography, a collection of reference materials, and the research team members’ discussion of the topics. We are hoping to uncover not only one aspect of the history of folklore studies but also to depict society and culture surrounding young people in the prewar days of the Showa Era.
| Name | Specialty | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PL | MARUYAMA Yasuaki | Folklore | Tenri University |
| PM | KIMURA Hiroki | Research on Mingu | Tenri University |
| PM | KOBAYASHI Kouitirou | Japanese Folklore | Institute for the Study of Japanese Folk Culture, Kanagawa University |
| PM | MAYUZUMI Tomoaki |
Japanese Folklore
Research on Folk Performing Arts
|
Ichikawa City Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports the Division of Cultural Affairs |
| PM | MUROI Kousei |
Folklore
Modern History of East Asia
|
|
| PM | OGUMA Makoto | Folklore | Kanagawa University |
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PL-Project leader PM-Project member