Japan, Sport and Society: Tradition and Change in a Globalizing World (Sport in the Global Society)

Evolving for centuries in relative isolation, sport in Japan developed a unique character reflective of Japanese culture and society. In recent decades, Japan's drive towards cultural and economic modernization has consciously incorporated a modernization of its sports cultures. Japan, Sport and Society provides insights into this process, revealing the tensions between continuity and change, tradition and modernity, the local and the global in a culture facing the new economic and political realities of our modern world. The book explores three broad areas of interest: sport and modern society in Japan current issues in social reconstruction and reproduction in sport modernization, globalization and sport in Japan. Providing unprecedented access to new work from Japanese scholars, and raising key questions of globalization and cultural identity, this text represents a fascinating resource for students and researchers of sport and society. Introduction : Japan, sport, and society in a globalizing world / Joseph Maguire and Masayoshi Nakayama Innovation in martial arts : forms of sport and modern japanese society / Yoshinobu Hamaguchi The emergence and development of Japanese school sport / Yuko Kusaka The Japanese baseball spirit and professional ideology : social reconstruction, reproduction, and sport / Kōichi Kiku Economic development and the value aspect of sport / Masayoshi Nakayama Sustainable sport and environmental problems : the e-boat movement as a social experiment in green sport / Kanji Kotani Voluntary associations formed through sport spectatorship : a case study of pro baseball fan club / Hidesato Takahashi Playfulness and gender in Japanese modern society : modernization, globalization, and sport, a critical examination / Keiji Matsuda FIFA World Cup 2002 : the Japanese football phenomena in cultural contexts / Hitoshi Ebishima and Rieko Yamashita Physical cognition in sport : something of wisdom buried in modernization / Hideki Nishimura Globalization : the changing field of Japanese sport / Takayuki Yamashita. Japan, Sport And Society In A Globalizing World / Joseph Maguire And Masayoshi Nakayama -- Innovation In Martial Arts / Yoshinobu Hamaguchi -- The Emergence And Development Of Japanese School Sport / Yuko Kusaka -- The Japanese Baseball Spirit And Professional Ideology / Koichi Kiku -- Economic Development And The Value Aspect Of Sport / Masayoshi Nakayama -- Sustainable Sport And Environmental Problems : The E-boat Movement As A Social Experiment In Green Sport / Kanji Kotani -- Voluntary Associations Formed Through Sport Spectatorship : A Case Study Of Professional Baseball Fan Clubs / Hidesato Takahashi -- Playfulness And Gender In Japanese Modern Society / Keiji Matsuda -- Fifa 2002 World Cup In Japan: The Japanese Football Phenomena In Cultural Contexts / Hitoshi Ebishima And Rieko Yamashita -- Physical Cognition In Sport : Something Of Wisdom Buried In Modernization / Hideki Nishimura -- The Changing Field Of Japanese Sport / Takayuki Yamashita. Edited By Joseph Maguire And Masayoshi Nakayama. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The aim of this collection is to bring the work of Japanese scholars in the area of sport, culture and Japanese society to the attention of a wider audience. Work of this kind is, in fact, not new. In 1967, in the second volume of the International Review of Sport Sociology, the official publication of the recently formed International Committee for Sport Sociology (ICSS), Kyuzo Takenoshita published both a paper on 'The Social Structure of the Sport Population in Japan' and a separate overview of 'The Sociological Research Work of Sport in Japan'. In the latter paper, Takenoshita conclu Japan's drive towards cultural and economic modernisation has consciously incorporated a modernisation of its sports cultures. The authors provide insights into this process revealing the tensions that exist between continuity and change, tradition and modernity Examines the tension between traditional models of Japanese sport, developed over centuries of relative isolation, and the forces of modernization and Japanese determination to become a global power.