2020 Agency for Cultural Affairs Support Program forMuseum Creation Activities in Collaboration with Local Communities

Performance Report for
the Project for

Passing on andRaising Awareness ofSports Legacies
through Collaboration
betweenSports Museums
Report on Results

Photo :
Chukyo University Sports Museum Special Exhibition“You Think You Know, But You Don’t! The World of Curators” Exhibition hallFrom official posters of the 18th Olympic Games Tokyo(owned by the Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum)

1

INDE X

Table of contents
Introduction

P. 3

Overview

P. 4

Report on Results
Project 1 : Networking of sports museums

P. 5

Project 2 : Establishment of a human resources development program

P. 11

Project 3 : Establishment of methods for the conservation and use of assets related to sports culture

P. 17

Conclusion

P. 23

Organization

P. 24

2

I N T RO D U CT I O N
3This is the performance report on the “Project for Passing on and Raising Awareness ofSports Legacies through Collaboration between Sports Museums” (hereinafter referred
to as the “Collaborative Project”), which was adopted as part of the “Support Program forMuseum Creation Activities in Collaboration with Local Communities,” subsidized by thefund for the promotion of arts and culture in 2020.
The “Support Program” has been conducted since 2018 for distinctive initiatives thatmake use of the specialized functions of museums. This Collaborative Project was aimed
at the dissemination of museum information and mutual cooperation among museums;
the development of programs for fostering cultural human resources who are active inJapan and abroad in cooperation with universities; and the development of new
methods for the conservation, management, and use of cultural properties andcultural/natural resources.
From 2015 to 2017, the “Project for Sports Museum Collaboration and Raising
Awareness,” for which the Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum served as the core
museum, was adopted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as part of its “Support Program
Regional Core Art and History Museums,” and was conducted. The “Sports Museum
Collaboration and Awareness Program” aimed to create focal points from which Japan’s
sports culture could be disseminated by collaborating with local museums, educational
institutions, and sports-related organizations to carry out traveling exhibitions and otherprojects. In addition to introducing the museum’s collection in various locations, it also
provided an opportunity to uncover sports-related material that had been kept indifferent regions. Subsequently, the Chukyo University Sports Museum and the Japan
Olympic Museum were opened in succession, leading to the spread of locations fromwhich sports culture could be permanently disseminated.
On the other hand, many sports museums in Japan stated that they did not have enoughcurators specializing in collection, conservation, and exhibition. Thus, there is a need tobuild a collaborative network for sharing knowledge and experience regarding
collections. In particular, there was a shared recognition of the urgent need to consider
how to give meaning to and use the many related materials that will be left behind after
the Tokyo 2020 Games as a legacy for the Japanese sporting world (cultural heritage),rather than allowing them to be scattered and ultimately lost.
Another issue is that the activities of sports museums in Japan are not sufficiently wellknown overseas. At the ICOM Kyoto Congress held in 2019, the committee onarchaeology and history museums reported on the efforts of a research workshop on
international sports museums, and one of the participants commented that it was difficult
to obtain information on Japanese sports museums. It is also necessary to actively
disseminate information with a view toward future collaboration with overseas sports
museums.
In light of these issues, this Collaborative Project was launched as a new project with the
Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum as the core museum.
As is well known, immediately after this Collaborative Project was adopted, an
emergency declaration was issued due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. This
severely limited the planning of face-to-face meetings, conferences, field research, andevents, and led to a rethinking of how to implement the project to achieve its objectives.
However, through online meetings and workshops with students, it also provided an
opportunity to consider what museums could do during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overview
This Collaborative Project aims to establish a way for themuseum to function sustainably as a place to pass on andraise awareness of the legacy of Japanese sports throughthe cooperation of sports museums, and to foster empathy
throughout society toward the legacy of sports as acultural heritage.
Although “sports” are closely related to people’s lives,culture, and society, there is no widespread recognition of
the fact that sports-related materials are an aspect of
cultural heritage (sports cultural assets) or valuable assetsof society, nor is there awareness regarding the importanceof sports museums that handle them. It is thought that thisis because there has been insufficient discussion on thepotential for sports materials and sports museums, and aforum is needed for discussion with those involved in
sports museums and sports researchers in Japan.
Therefore, in this Collaborative Project, the Prince Chichibu
Memorial Sports Museum, the Japan Olympic Museum, theSapporo Olympic Museum, the Nagano Olympic Museum,and the Chukyo University Sports Museum decided towork together to establish a sustainable place to pass on
and raise awareness of the sports legacy as a cultural
heritage.
In order to pass on the sports materials as legacy (cultural
heritage), it was decided that the project would be
implemented based on the following three points.

1. Networking of Sports Museums
This project aims at the future launch of the “Council ofSports Museum Organizations” (tentative name), which will
be made up of people involved in sports museums
throughout Japan, and a symposium will be held as astart-up project. At the same time, we plan to disseminate
information about the current status of the sports museumin Japan through participating in international academic
conferences.
2. Establishment of a human resources
development program for sports museums
This project aims to develop human resources who will be
responsible for the future of sports museums to build
sustainability. It is hoped that the practical experience of
preparing for exhibitions and workshops will be ameaningful experience not only for the students but also
for the museums participating in this project, with the aimof increasing the value of sports museums.
3. Establishment of methods for the preservation anduse of assets related to sports culture
As part of this project, we will collect information andconduct research related to past Olympic materials andsports culture. With the aim of establishing a method fororganizing and using the event materials that will be
produced for the Tokyo 2020 Games and every major
sporting event thereafter, the plan is to conduct interviews
and surveys of the people involved in the preservation anduse of the materials, and to use them to give meaning toand make use of this legacy after the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The results and issues of implementing the above projects
are reported in the next chapter.

Finally, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the organizations andindividuals who cooperated with us in conducting this Collaborative Project.

Executive Committee for
the Project for Passing on and Raising Awareness ofSports Legacies through Collaboration between
Sports Museums

Digitization of documents and materials related tothe human resource development project(February 8, 2016, Chukyo University)

Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports
Museum’s exhibition on tour in Nagano(January 27, 2018, Nagano Olympic Museum)4

Project

1

Implementation Results

Networking ofsports museums

1

International Academic Conference

ISHPES Congress Sapporo 2020
Event dates: Saturday, August 22, 2020 – Sunday, August 23, 2020
Participation method : Online
Presenter : Sachiko Niina (Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum)Content of presentations : The Preservation and Use of Sports-Related Materials in JapanThe 2020 Yokohama Sport Conference
Event dates: Tuesday, September 8, 2020 – Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Participation method : Online2

Symposium "Network of sports museums"

Date: Saturday, February 20, 2021
Event Format : Online
Message : Koji Murofushi, Commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency
Keynote Speech : Yuji Kurihara, Deputy Director of the Kyoto National Museum
Panel Discussion Panelists
Kyoko Raita, Chukyo University
Kanako Ito, Chukyo University Sports Museum
Naoki Shimoyu, Japan Olympic Museum
Kazumasa Yamaya, Sapporo Olympic Museum
Kazuo Taguchi, Nagano Olympic Museum
Moderator : Sachiko Niina, Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum

3

Discussion Meeting
Thursday, September 3, 2020

Panel Discussion (Recorded on January 29, 2021, and distributed on February 20))

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Overview

Thursday, November 12, 2020
Friday, January 29, 2021

In this project, a joint symposium was held as a start-up
project for cooperation among sports museums in Japan, toshare information, and discuss the future prospects of eachmuseum. Initially, the symposium was planned to be held inconjunction with the “Sports NIPPON” exhibition that wasscheduled to be held at the Tokyo National Museum in thesummer of 2020, but the exhibition was postponed when
the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were postponed; hence,the symposium was held as a stand-alone event. Thissymposium was positioned as a start-up project for theestablishment of the “Council of Sports Museum
Organizations” (tentative name) in the next year andbeyond. It was meant to be widely attended by people
involved in sports museums throughout Japan.
Members of the project also participated in the 2020
Yokohama Sport Science Conference and the International
Society for the History of Sport (Sapporo) in order todisseminate information on Japanese sports museums to
the rest of the world, and members learned about the5current status of Japanese sports museums as well as
trends in international sports museums. The intent was forparticipants in these international conferences to exchange
information with people involved in overseas sports
museums; however, due to the spread of the novel
coronavirus, each of these conferences was held in an
online format. Thus, they did not lead to the establishmentof direct, face-to-face relationships with the relevant parties.
In order to compensate for this, information in English oneach of the partner museums of this project wasdisseminated through the website, and efforts were made toincrease the visibility of this project to people outside
Japan.

4

WebsiteProject website for passing on and raising awareness of sports legacies throughcollaboration between sports museums(A special website to introduce the member museums of this project and report on their achievements)

https://www.jpnsport.go.jp/Portals/0/sportmuseumnet/

6Viewing the challenges of sports museums (through participation in two international conferences)involved in sports museums outside Japan, but the online
format of both conferences and the time difference
prevented this from happening. Future exchanges are
expected with researchers who are involved with assets
related to sports culture.

Overview of the presentations
Title “The Preservation and Use of Sports-Related Materials in Japan”
Presenters : Sachiko Niina (Curator, Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum),
Yuji Kurihara (Deputy Director, Kyoto National Museum)

Review (1)
ISHPES Congress Sapporo 2020
The 2020 conference of ISHPES was held
online at Hokkaido University with the theme“Sport History and Interdisciplinarity:
Considerations on the Occasion of the Tokyo
2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.” Theanalysis of Japanese sports museums andthe research on the social impact of the
Olympic Games, including the 1964 Tokyo
Games and the 1972 Sapporo Winter Games,
will be referred to in the cross-disciplinary
networking of this Collaborative Project in
the future.

IntentBecause of the Tokyo 2020 Games, opportunities tointroduce sports culture from multiple perspectives haveincreased. What role should the sports museum play in the

future from the perspective of preserving and making useof materials, in addition to building a new framework? The
following three points were discussed in the presentation.

1. The Impact of the Olympic andParalympic Games on
Sports Culture(1) Holding an exhibition based on the theme of “sports”(2) Broadcast of a full-length drama based on the theme of Japanese sports history(3) Opening multiple new sports museums

2. Sports materials in Japan andthe status of their preservation

At present, there is a wide range in the number of facilities for the preservation ofmaterials (museums and archives) and in the number of material types (physical andinformation materials). On the other hand, a shortage of specialists (curators, archivists,
librarians, etc.) specializing in the field of sports has led to problems such as a weak
infrastructure for preserving materials.

3. Building a network ofsports museums

In order to overcome the problem of the weak infrastructure for preserving sports
materials, there is an urgent need to establish a network of sports museums. The Prince
Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum has begun to work on building a system ofcollaboration between museums. The key to the re-opening of the Prince Chichibu
Memorial Sports Museum will be to serve as a nexus for a sustainable consortium on
sports culture.

Review (2)The 2020 Yokohama Sport Conference
The ICSSPE 2020 Conference was held
online in Yokohama with the theme “Aiming
for a World in which Diverse People Live
Together: Contributions of Physical
Education, Health, and Sports Science.”
Following the presentations at ISHPES, thePrince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum
gave a presentation on the operation of asports museum, and Chukyo University gavea presentation on the practices of a sports
museum and the program of the 1964 Tokyo
Games.

Main Presentations
Title
Sapporo, Poster Presentation

At the ISHPES Congress Sapporo 2020 held in August, one
presentation was made from the perspective of this project.
The focus was on this conference in addition to the 2020
Yokohama Sport Conference held in September. Initially, it
was hoped that the international conferences held in
Sapporo and Yokohama would provide an opportunity forparticipants to meet and exchange information with people

Sapporo, Oral Presentation

Overview

Yokohama, Poster Presentation

Achievements 1

Presenters

Analysis of the Sports Discourse in Japanese Newspaper Reports:
Focusing on the function of the term “asuriito(athletes)”

Masaru Ishii

Ryotaro A zuma’s Involvement in Sports during the Early Stage of
Asia-Pacific War : Based on Ryotaro Azuma’s Diary

Sakita Yoshihiro

The Impacts of the 1964 Summer on a Local Community

Masayuki Takao

Current Situation and Challenges Faced by Physical Education andSports History in Japan

Teruyuki Yahaba
Yoshihiro Sakita

Current Situation and Challenges Faced by Physical Education andSports History in Japan

Shinichiro Tanaka
Tatsuya Deguchi
Yoshihiro Sakita
Makoto Fujimoto

THE TOURIST LIBRARY: TOKYO 1940 AND THE DISSEMINATION OF
JAPANESE CULTURE

Devena Haggis

What is“Nav y Warball”?: Histor y of Japanese Original Ball Game
during World War II

Takuya Kumazawa

A Historical Analysis of the Winter Olympic Games from the Lens of
the Sustainable Development Goals: The Cases of the Two Bids for
the Sapporo Winter Olympic Games.

Keiko Ikeda

E xpansion of Urban Gentrification through the Olympics: A Case
Study the XI Olympic Winter Games in Sapporo

Shun Ueta

The Preservation and Use of Sports-Related Materials in Japan

Sachiko Niina,
Yuji Kurihara

Romance of Three Kingdom of South Korea, China and Japan at the
Olympic Games

Young-Il Na

The Participation of Japan in Paris 1924 Olympic Games after theGreat Kanto Earthquake of 1923

Taro Obayashi

Local Curling in the Okhotsk Region in Hokkaido from ‘Bamboo
brooms’ to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.

Yoko Yamamura

R ethinking E x treme S p or ts in the Tok yo 2020 O lympic G ames :Lifestyle Sports and Authoritarianism.

Shuhei Tonozuka

The Current Situation of Sports Museums in Japan: On the Basis of “A
List of Sports Museums in Japan” (2000)

Yoshinori Watanuki,
Gen Fukui,
Tokuma Matsunami

Educational, promotional and inspirational activities related to the1964 Tokyo Olympic Games:Initiatives by private organizations andlocal communities

Hideyuki Aoyagi
Junko Tahara

Examination of the Effects of Olympic Education at a Sports Museum
Utilizing a Problem-Solving Game

Kohei Ishihara
Tsukasa Kawanishi
Kanako Ito
Takuya Inomo
Yuichi Ebisuya
Kyoko Raita

Historical analysis of the bodily representation of female athletes:
Kinue Hitomi’s “prone episode”

Futa Suzuki

Three Bon Dances: A Legacy of the 1964 Summer Olympics History

Kanako Ito
Kyoko Raita

Towards Sustainable Management in Japan’s Sports Museums

Yuji Kurihara
Sachiko Niina

What is necessary in order to keep the history of the Olympics alive? :A Japanese Case Study

Yasuhiro Sakaue

Actual materials

Information materials

7

Presenter(left) , Presentation material(Warehouse of the Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum)

From the presentation material(Part of the Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum collection)8

Achievements 2

Aiming for a network of sports museums

Overview

Panel discussion

Although there are many sports museums in Japan, they have not yet established a uniform
method for collecting, preserving, and exhibiting the sports-related materials in theircollections, and there is not enough collaboration among them. As a result, it is no
exaggeration to say that valuable sports-related materials are not known to the public, are notfully used, and are constantly at risk of being lost.
As a result of this Collaborative Project, we would like to establish the Council of Sports
Museum Organizations (tentative name), which will serve as a base for the formation of anationwide, cross-sectional network of sports-related materials, or “sports cultural heritage.”
To launch this initiative, a symposium was held in an online format, bringing together
representatives from major sports museums in Japan to discuss ways to pass on the “sports
cultural heritage” to future generations and make use of it in an appropriate manner and toensure the sustainable functioning of sports museums.

“Collaboration and Prospects for Human Resource Development at Sports Museums”
The participating museums in this Collaborative Project
convened online and held a panel discussion. First, Professor
Kyoko Raita of the School of Health and Sport Science,
Chukyo University, presented a topic, and then Kanako Itoof the Chukyo University Sports Museum, Kazumasa
Yamaya of the Sapporo Olympic Museum, Kazuo Taguchiof the Nagano Olympic Museum, and Naoki Shimoyu of theJapan Olympic Museum exchanged opinions mainly on thefollowing three themes, moderated by Sachiko Niina of the
Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum:

1. Purpose and expectations of sports museum collaboration
2. Achievements and challenges of “Human Resource
Development”
3. Exploration and expectations for building a network of sports
museums

Although this meeting mainly held online, it was a good
opportunity to become aware of the necessity ofcooperation among sports museums. It also reaffirmed theurgent need to build and expand networks as a place forthe dynamic use and preservation of materials andinformation sharing for future development.

Sports Museum Network Symposium
Message
Koji Murofushi (Commissioner, Japan Sports Agency)
A message was received on the occasion of the symposium from Koji
Murofushi, who assumed office as Commissioner of the Japan Sports
Agency in October 2020. He expressed his expectation that sports
museums would work together to promote the interest of the people in thehistory of sports and the legacy of past competitions, given that the Sports
Agency is working to realize a society in which people can lead healthy
and culturally rich lives, both mentally and physically through sports. He
also pointed out the importance of creating an opportunity for the peopleof Japan to become interested in sports and encouraging them to think
about the history of sports as he actually held the oldest hammer in Japan,
which is owned by the Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum.

Presentation material from Kyoko Raita (School of Health and Sport
Science, Chukyo University)

Presentation material from Kazumasa Yamaya (Sapporo Olympic
Museum)Keynote speech“The Possibilities of a Sports Museum”
by Yuji Kurihara (Deputy Director, Kyoto National Museum)
Lectures were conducted on the following points.
1. Current status of sports museums and materials in Japan
Currently, multiple institutions handle sports materials in different
locations, and a wide variety of methods are in place for exhibition andmanagement. However, sports specialists are in short supply, and thestorage and management of materials is insufficient.
2. Potential for Sports Heritage
Currently, the registration of tangible and intangible cultural properties is
progressing mainly for buildings and in the field of folk culture, but there isno such registration in the field of modern sports. It is necessary tosystematically organize, classify, and promote the value of Japanesesports materials.
3. Potential for an international network
The challenges regarding this point concern (1) building an inventory anddatabase of sports materials, (2) conducting an examination with heritage
registration as the objective, and (3) building a collaborative network of
museums. It is important to build a museum network, promote thepreservation and use of materials, and promote exchange with foreigncountries, with Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum at the core.

9

Presentation material from Naoki Shimoyu(Japan Olympic Museum)

Presentation material from Kanako Ito(Chukyo University Sports Museum)

Presentation material from Kazuo Taguchi(Nagano Olympic Museum)

Introduction of sports materials
Virtual walk in the storage (online)
At the end of the symposium, we walked around thestorage of the Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum,
which is the venue for online distribution, and performed
live distribution. We introduced the ball forcompetition, the spear for athletics, the pommel horse forgymnastics, the tournament management
materials for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the manhole ofthe former National Stadium.
We explained the types of sports materials, thecharacteristics of the materials, and the challenges inpreserving the materials. Then, in order to discuss theappropriate inheritance and utilization of sports cultural
heritage in the future, the participants of this symposium
endeavored to be interested in sports materials.

10Project2

Establishment ofa human resources
development program

Implementation Results
1Workshop by Chukyo University students

First Session: Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Format : Online
Main venue : Chukyo University
Participating museums : Chukyo University Sports Museum
Sapporo Olympic Museum
Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum
Japan Olympic Museum
Nagano Olympic Museum
Moderator : Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum
Second Session: Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Format : Online
Main venue : Chukyo University
Participating museums : Chukyo University Sports Museum
Nagano Olympic Museum
Japan Olympic Museum
Sapporo Olympic Museum
Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum
Moderator : Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum
Audience : Japan Sports Arts Association
Third Session: Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Format : Online
Main venue : Chukyo University
Participating museums : Sapporo Olympic Museum
Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum
Moderator : Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum

Receiving instruction to prepare for the exhibition (December 16, 2020, Chukyo University)

Overview
In order to build a collaborative network among sports
museums, it is essential to assign curators who specialize insharing knowledge about collections, preservation, andmethods of exhibition. Therefore, this project was designed
to develop human resources with knowledge andexperience in sports materials, for experts to support themuseums’ sustainable activities.
The project was planned as a program for 12 students
enrolled in the cultural anthropology practicum for the 2020
academic year in the Department of International Cultural
Studies, School of Contemporary Sociology, Chukyo
University. This was a series of practical exercises in which
the students researched sports museums and presented
their findings in the form of an exhibition.
The first exercise, a “survey,” is a program for theparticipating museums of this Collaborative Project (Chukyo
University Sports Museum, Japan Olympic Museum,
Sapporo Olympic Museum, Nagano Olympic Museum, andPrince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum). It was designed
to be an experience to learn the differences in the content of
the exhibitions, the materials in the collection, and thecharacteristics of the facilities and operations by

11

2

Exhibition by Chukyo University students

Exhibition name: “You Think You Know, But You Don’t! The World of Curators”
interviewing the staff of each museum. Initially, it wasenvisioned that the project would involve hands-on
experience, such as visiting each museum and handling thematerials, but in light of the impact of the spread of
COVID-19, the project was conducted using an online
conference system that greatly limited the movement ofrelated personnel and face-to-face projects. Online classes
with the participating museums were held three times intotal, introducing the daily work at the museums andholding question-and-answer sessions with the students.
The second, an “exhibition,” was composed and preparedbased on the information about the five participating
museums compiled in the aforementioned survey, as well as
the contents of an exhibition that conveyed the work of
curators from various perspectives. The special exhibition,“You Think You Know, But You Don’t! The World ofCurators,” was held at the Chukyo University Sports
Museum under the guidance of curator Kanako Ito. In the
exhibition, the results of the research, discussions, andinterviews conducted during the online conference weredisplayed on panels to pique the curiosity of visitors.

Event dates : January 21, 2021 (Thursday) –Venue : Chukyo University Sports Museum

3

Meeting
Friday, August 7, 2020
Thursday, September 3, 2020
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Thursday, November 26, 202012

Achievements 1

Understanding the work of a sports museum (record of an online class with university students and sports museums)

Overview
In this project, the students’ course time was used as anopportunity to introduce the day-to-day work of the sports
museums to the students studying sports science at Chukyo
University, and there was a session that included questions.

Participating museums were the Chukyo University Sports
Museum, the Japan Olympic Museum, the Sapporo Olympic
Museum, the Nagano Olympic Museum, and the Prince
Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum.

Achievements and Challenges
We discussed the results and reflections of three online
classes in the cultural anthropology practicum at Chukyo
University.
Chukyo University commented that students were required to
conduct research on the aforementioned five museums
before taking the course, and that the online class was usefulfor them to learn about the work of curators and their current
situation with prior knowledge of each museum. It was also
reported that as a result of this class, the students showedinterest in the profession of curation.
The participating museums commented that the experienceof creating teaching materials for online classes gave them agood opportunity to see the connections and collaborations

between curators and museums in the field of sports.
Although this project, which was undertaken in theunprecedented situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, hadmany limitations, such as the students not being able tohandle the actual objects as in the past, it can be said to haveplayed a major role in human resource development anddissemination of educational information.
Although it will be a challenge for each museum to prepare
the tools necessary for online meetings, it is hoped that thisexperiment will help in the field of human resource
development by conveying the appeal of sports museums
and other specialized museums in future curatorial training
courses at universities.

Online class with students from Chukyo University and sports museums

13

Panels created by students based on interviews in online classes

From the introductory materials of the Sapporo Olympic Museum

From the introductory materials of the Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum

From the introductory materials of the Nagano Olympic Museum

From the introductory materials of the Japan Olympic Museum

14

Achievements 2

Exhibiting the work of the Sports Museum (record of the exhibition work from the Chukyo University Sports Museum)

Overview
Students from Chukyo University and the five participating
museums held online classes, where they learned about thecharacteristics of each museum’s exhibitions and collections
and, at the same time, deepened their interest in the daily
work of curators and the challenges they face. The results
were presented as an exhibition in the “Cultural Anthropology
practicum” course in the Department of International Cultural

From a student’s report (excerpt)
Studies at the School of Contemporary Sociology Studies
under the supervision of curator Kanako Ito.
The Chukyo University Sports Museum, the venue for the
event, displayed panels created with the cooperation of eachmuseum, a hands-on exhibit that tactually conveyed the workof curators, and a documentary video of the daily work of theparticipating museum staff.

Many people, including athletes and curators, are involved in the
management of sports museums, and I think it was a goodexperience to be a part of it and to play a role in connecting
information about this world to other people. In the process ofconducting research and understanding and expressing theappeal and characteristics of the subject of the research, we wereable to deepen our understanding of sports museums from theperspective of curators and visitors.

When I visited other museums, I was impressed by the number ofmuseums where you can experience sports, such as simulation
games, as well as exhibitions of athletes and competitions. In
addition, I was impressed by the efforts made by former Olympic
athletes and others to develop children’s interest in sports from ayoung age by making time to actually interact with local children.

It is difficult to actually visit all four museums, but we wereafforded the opportunity to interact with them online and hear
many valuable stories, and we were able to spend meaningfultime together despite COVID-19. By listening to stories from not
only one but many different museums, we were able to learn frommany different perspectives.

I thought that one of the issues in planning a panel at anothermuseum was how to capture what the museum wanted to convey
and how much of it to reflect in the panel, so I thought it was
important to spend time listening to and gathering information. I
felt that this was a necessary realization for my future thesis work.

Because of the historic nature of the COVID-19 outbreak, all thesurveys at other institutions were conducted online, which wasvery disappointing. The online survey was also very efficient andmeaningful because I was able to hear about various museums ina short period of time, but I felt that it was different from what I
could have gotten by visiting the museums directly and handlingitems in the actual exhibits.

We conducted online exchanges with four museums: the Prince
Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum, the Sapporo Olympic
Museum, the Nagano Olympic Museum, and the Japan Olympic
Museum, and as mentioned above, it was possible to make new
discoveries and gain new interests. I believe that this would nothave been possible by simply conducting a single museum
survey. I think it was because we were able to listen to the storiesof the four museums and collaborate on the special exhibition.

I was able to hear about the workshops, lectures, andexperiences held at the museum in detail from the curator, and I
learned about the purpose of these activities and for whom they
are held. In order to nurture the next generation, to learn andshare information about the Olympic Games, and to connect withschool education as a base for lifelong learning, the museum
communicates to more people of all ages, and I felt that thematerials, which had sentimental value to the athletes, enhanced
the appeal of the museum.

When a person from the Sapporo Olympic Museum said that byholding lectures for elementary school students, it might bepossible to discover future Olympic athletes by getting theminterested in sports, I was surprised because I did not know thatmuseums hold lectures thinking that far ahead. I used to playsports myself, but I think I would have been a little moreinterested if I had heard a story from a famous athlete.

I was wondering what kind of programs are being implemented
during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether they are actually
producing results. I also wanted to know about the current
employment situation at the museum. I felt that all the museums
were struggling with a shortage of staff, and that they weremaking daily efforts through trial and error to increase thenumber of people who were interested in the Olympics.

Through an exchange with the Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports
Museum, Sapporo Olympic Museum, Nagano Olympic Museum,and Japan Olympic Museum and by surveying each museum’s
introduction and work, I have come to the following realization: I
had no idea what a sports museum was in the first place, and had
no idea what such a museum was involved in. There are manysports museums all over the country, and each of them has aplace where you can learn about the achievements of the
Olympic Games and the fun of sports, as well as a skating rink
where you can experience the fun of sports personally.

I understood how difficult it is to collect materials andinformation and put them into an easy-to-understand panel.
While gathering information, we had to think about whatquestions we could ask to elicit stories properly and what theaudience would be interested in. In making the panels, I realized
how much time and effort it takes to create a single exhibit, using
illustrations and thinking about the layout to make it easier to see.

In the fall semester lectures, I was able to listen to various
museum people online and learn more about the job of a curator,
which I had only heard about through lectures over the past three
years. In addition, I would like to hear if there are any new
exhibition methods that have been created during the COVID-19
pandemic, or any measures that have been taken for people who
cannot visit the museum. I am glad to have participated in the
Agency for Cultural Affairs project.

Exhibition name: Special Exhibition “You Think You Know, But You Don’t! The World of Curators”
Venue : Chukyo University Sports Museum
Event dates : Thursday, January 21, 2021 –In cooperation with : Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum, Japan Olympic Museum, Sapporo Olympic Museum,
Nagano Olympic Museum
Intent : What is the job of a curator?
Each museum specializes in a particular theme, such as
history, natural science, archaeology, folklore, and art,and collects and exhibits materials. Each museum has acurator who specializes in these themes.
Article 4 of the Museum Act, the law that regulatesmuseums, states that “curators are in charge of thecollection, storage, and exhibition of museum materials,
as well as specialized matters related to research andstudy and other related activities.” The work of thecurator varies according to the theme of the museum andthe number of curators, but it covers a wide range of
topics.

It is reported that there are 8,403 curators in Japan(Agency for Cultural Affairs, as of 2018). In addition, about
38% of universities in Japan offer curatorial training
courses. However, curators do not enjoy very highrecognition, and their daily work and activities are notwell known to the public.
The third special exhibition will focus on the theme of
curators, introducing the appeal of the job and theunique characteristics of a museum that specializes in
sports. We hope that this exhibition will deepen yourinterest in and understanding of museums and thepeople who work there.

Exhibition flyer (left) and a panel introducing the preparation process (right)

15

16

Project3

Establishment of methods
for the conservation anduse of assets related tosports culture

Implementation Results
1

Research within Japan (including Projects 1 and 2 and secretariat work)

A. Museums

Nagano Olympic Museum, Thursday, December 10, 2020
Tobacco & Salt Museum, Friday, January 22, 2021
Komazawa Olympic Park General Sports Ground, Tuesday, January 26, 2021

B. Archival institutions

Tokyo Metropolitan Archives, Friday, October 2, 2020
Chiba Prefectural Archives, Friday, December 4, 2020
Saitama Prefectural Archives, Friday, December 11, 2020
Kanagawa Prefectural Archives, Friday, December 18, 2020

2

Database survey

A. Survey on cultural programs cancelled or postponed due to the spread of COVID-19
B. Survey of the location of museums, archives, and exhibition areas related to sports throughout JapanC. Overview survey of material kept in archives related to the Olympics and the National Sports Festival
D. Survey on games cancelled or postponed in 20203

Meeting
Thursday, September 3, 2020
Thursday, November 12, 2020
Thursday, November 26, 2020

Survey of materials in the collection (December 10, 2020, Nagano Olympic Museum)

Overview
This project aims to establish a desirable environment andmethods for the appropriate preservation and effective useof sports materials in Japan. This year, we planned toinvestigate and work on the current situation from thefollowing four perspectives.
The first is a survey of the materials from the Olympic andParalympic Games previously held in Japan. By identifying
the types of materials and organizing the stories related tothe event materials, the aim was to establish a method fororganizing and using the event materials generated by the
Tokyo 2020 Games and the large-scale sporting events thatwill continue to be held thereafter, mainly targeting sports
museums in Japan.
The second is the documentation of the conferencematerials and related stories. The idea is to ask local people
who were previously involved in the management of theGames to participate as “community researchers” to collectand organize stories they remember from those days. As acase study of a sustainable museum, this project aimed to17

explore and program activities of a sports museum in which
local people could participate.
The third is to investigate the situation around passing on
sporting legacies in other countries. Initially, we considered
the London 2012 Games and Rio de Janeiro 2016 Games ascases similar to the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The fourth is the creation of an information database ofcultural programs related to sports. In this project, as alegacy of the Tokyo 2020 Games’ efforts to integrate sports
and culture, useful information on sports, culture, and art,
including the Tokyo 2020 Games’ “cultural program,” wasextracted from museums in Japan. This is an activity tocollect information that will be fundamental for sports
museums to continue to carry out their cultural programs asa base for disseminating sports culture.
However, due to the spread of COVID-19, we were unable toimplement plans that required travel or face-to-facemeetings, which will remain an issue for the next year.

18

Achievements 1

Gathering sports museums (database survey records of museums with sports material across Japan)

Overview
The survey on cultural programs cancelled or postponed dueto the spread of COVID-19 was conducted on the status of
Olympic-related and sports-related exhibitions scheduled tobe held between January and September 2020. In particular,
exhibitions that were scheduled to exhibit actual objects weretargeted.
The “survey of the location of museums, archives, andexhibition areas related to sports throughout Japan” wasconducted on the status of museums and exhibition areas asof November 2020.
The “Overview survey of material kept in archives of Olympic
and national sports-related materials” was conducted todetermine the whereabouts of documents related to the 1964

Tokyo Olympics, the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics, the1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and Paralympics, and theannual National Athletic Meet, all of which are held at archival
institutions in prefectures, cities, and towns across Japan.
The archival institutions that conducted the field survey arelisted above.
The “Survey on Games Cancelled or Postponed in 2020” wasconducted for events in Japan scheduled to be held between
January and December 2020. In addition to the Olympic andParalympic disciplines, the survey covered disciplines forwhich associations and councils have been established andwas conducted on events for all age groups.

Table 1 “Survey on Games Cancelled or Postponed in 2020”
Category

Cancelled/Postponed

Event Name

Scheduled Duration

Athletics

Cancelled

The Sato Foods Japan Grand Prix Series Kumamoto GamesThe 29th Kanakuri Memorial Invitational Medium and Long-Distance Athletic Games 2020

4/11/2020

The 104th Japan Championships in Athletics 50km Racewalk
Concurrent Tokyo 2020 Olympic Men’s 50km Racewalk and Qualifying Trial for the Japanese National TeamThe 59th All-Japan Wajima Racewalk (Kazuo Saito Cup: Men and Women’s All-Japan 10km Racewalk)

4/12/2020

The Sato Foods Japan Grand Prix Series Premiere Kobe GamesThe 68th Hyogo Relay Carnival
Asian Athletics Association Permit Games 2020
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Qualifier for Japan National Team Selection

4/19/2020

Athletics

Athletics

Cancelled

Athletics

Cancelled

The Sato Foods Japan Grand Prix Series Izumo Games
Takayoshi Yoshioka Memorial 74th Izumo Athletics Games

4/19/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 22nd Nagano Marathon

4/19/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The Sato Foods Japan Grand Prix Series Premiere Tokyo GamesTOKYO Combined Events Meet 2020
Concurrent Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Qualifier for Japan National Team Selection
Concurrent Nairobi 2020 U20 World Athletics Championships: Qualifier Round and Reference Round
Concurrent The 83rd Tokyo Athletics Meet (combined events)

Athletics

Cancelled

The 10th Anniversary Naoko Takahashi Cup Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon

4/26/2020

Cancelled

The Sato Foods Japan Grand Prix Series Premiere Hiroshima GamesThe 54th Mikio Oda Memorial International Athletic MeetWorld Athletics Continental Tour - Bronze
Asian Athletics Association Permit Games 2020
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Qualifier for Japan National Team Selection

4/29/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The Sato Foods Japan Grand Prix Series Premiere Shizuoka GamesThe 36th Shizuoka International Athletics MeetWorld Athletics Continental Tour - Bronze
Asian Athletics Association Permit Games 2020
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Qualifier for Japan National Team Selection

5/2/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The Sato Foods Japan Grand Prix Series Nobeoka GamesThe 31st Golden Games in Nobeoka

5/4/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The Sato Foods Japan Grand Prix Series Mito Games
2020 Mito Invitational Track & Field

5/5/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

THE READY STEADY TOKYO- Athletics

Athletics

Cancelled

The 30th Sendai International Half Marathon

Athletics

Cancelled

The 2020 Japan Student Athletics Individual Championships

Athletics

19

Cancelled

Athletics

Cancelled

The Sato Foods Japan Grand Prix Series Tottori Games
Fuse Sprint 2020

6/7/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 35th Saroma Lake 100km Ultra Marathon

6/28/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 2020 Hakodate Marathon

7/5/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 60th JITA-IUAUJ CLASSIC MATCH

7/18/2020

Athletics

Postponed

The 32nd Olympic Games (2020/Tokyo)

7/31–8/9/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 73rd National High School Athletics Championships

8/12–8/16/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 55th National Part-time and Correspondence High School Athletics Championships

8/13–8/15/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 47th National Junior High School Athletics Championships

8/17–8/20/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 55th National Institute of Technology Athletic Meet

8/22–8/23/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 28th Japan–Korea–China Junior Exchange Games

8/23–8/29/2020

Athletics

Postponed

The 41st All-Japan Masters Athletics Championships

10/2–10/4/2020

Athletics

Postponed

The 75th National Athletic Meet

10/9–10/13/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 32nd Izumo All-Japan University Ekiden Race

10/11/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 59th All-Japan 50km Racewalk in Takahata

10/25/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 36th East Japan Women’s Ekiden

11/8/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 10th Kobe Marathon

11/15/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 10th Osaka Marathon

11/29/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 2020 Nagasaki Athletics Association Racewalk Competition

12/13/2020

Athletics

Cancelled

The 28th National Junior High School Ekiden Competition

12/20/2020

4/24–4/26/2020

5/5–5/6/2020
5/10/2020
6/5–6/7/2020

Traveling Exhibition Poster Panel(“Olympic and Paralympic Games” and Chiba’s Sports History)

Poster (The 22nd Nagano Marathon, Cancelled)20

Achievements 2

Surveying sports museums (surveying the collection of sports materials in Japan)

Overview
As the third pillar of this project, we aimed to establish a desirable
environment and methods for the appropriate preservation and effective
use of sports materials in Japan. Since the spread of COVID-19 made itdifficult to conduct field surveys, the survey was conducted using theopportunities provided by Projects 1 and 2 and the secretariat.
This year, a survey was conducted on materials related to past Olympic
and Paralympic Games held in Japan (Tokyo, Sapporo, Nagano) and the
National Athletic Meet held in each prefecture. The goal was to establish
a method for appropriately collecting, organizing, and using the Games
materials generated from the Tokyo 2020 Games and other large-scale
sporting events that will continue to be held thereafter, by analyzing thetrends in the collection of Games-related materials at relevant Japaneseinstitutions.
In terms of museum institutions, we visited the Nagano Olympic Museum(Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture), the Tokyo Olympic Memorial Gallery(Setagaya Ward, Tokyo), and the Tobacco & Salt Museum (Sumida Ward,
Tokyo) to survey their collections of Olympic and Paralympic Games andNational Athletic Meet–related materials.
For archival institutions, we visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Archives, theChiba Prefectural Archives, the Saitama Prefectural Archives and the
Kanagawa Prefectural Archives. As a result, it was confirmed that eachmuseum has a wide range of materials, including documents related tothe bidding process, facility construction, and management of theGames, as well as photographs, video records, and actual materials suchas the Games mascot.
In addition, the Chukyo University Sports Museum, the Japan Olympics
Museum, the Sapporo Olympic Museum, the Nagano Olympic Museum,and the Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum, all of which are part ofthis project, held a three-part online discussion on the status of theircollections and how to use the materials.
Through the survey, it became clear that the definition of what constitutes
sports material is not defined in each museum, and that it is notnecessarily recognized as a group of materials. It is hoped that thecategory of sports materials will be established through future research
and analysis.

Nagano Olympic Museum(Olympic Mascot)

21

Chiba Prefectural Archives(Documents related to the National Athletic Meet)

Saitama Prefectural Archives(Documents related to the Olympic Games)

Tokyo Metropolitan Archives(Minutes of the Organizing Committee)

Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum(Digitization work)

Kanagawa Prefectural Archives(Olympics-related documents)

Kanagawa Prefectural Archives(Olympics-related documents)

Saitama Prefectural Archives(National Athletic Meet mascot “Kobaton”)

22

C O N C LU S I O N
23This Collaborative Project aimed to establish a methodology for the collection,
preservation, and exhibition of sports-related materials as an effort to (1) build acollaborative network for sports museums, (2) develop a human resources program for
sports museums, and (3) establish methods for the preservation and use of assets related
to sports culture.
With regard to (1), information sharing and future prospects of each sports museum were

Organization
Affiliated organizations
Japan Sport Council Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage Tokyo National Museum
Japanese Olympic Committee Japan Olympic Museum
Sapporo Development Corporation Sapporo Olympic Museum

M-WAVE Corporation Nagano Olympic Museum
Japan Sports Arts Association
Chukyo University Sports Museum

discussed through presentations at an international academic conference and a
symposium (held online in February 2021). With regard to (2), the on-site parties of theconstituent organizations and university students shared the current situation

Executive committee

surrounding the daily work and materials of sports museums and were able to consider

Chairman : Kazumi Ohigashi, Chief Director, Japan Sport Council (August 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020)

the characteristics of the work unique to sports museums. Regarding (3), in addition to

Satoshi Ashidate, Chief Director, Japan Sport Council (January 1, 2021 – )sports museums, we actively approached archives, history museums, and other facilities

Vice-Chairman : Masami Zeniya, Director, National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Tokyo National Museumwith which we have had few opportunities for collaboration. We conducted surveys

Committee member : Yoichi Inoue, Deputy Director, National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Tokyo National Museum
Jyugo Imaizumi, Director, Japan Sport Council (August 1, 2020 – September 30, 2020)(on-site interviews) of the cultural assets related to sports held by these institutions,

Hiroshi Matsuzaka, Director, Japan Sport Council (October 1, 2020 – )mainly in the Greater Tokyo Area. Concurrently, we were able to reconfirm that there is no

Kiichiro Matsumaru, Vice President, Japanese Olympic Committeeconsensus as to what constitutes sports materials, and that expertise in collecting,

Kazumasa Yamaya, Chief Curator, Sapporo Olympic Museum, Sapporo Development Corporation

preserving, and using materials has not been established. Therefore, we shared theunderstanding that it is urgent to establish a sustainable network of sports museums for

Kazuo Taguchi, General Manager, General Affairs and Planning Department,
Nagano Olympic Museum, M-WAVE Corporation

the collection, preservation, and use of sports materials, and that it is necessary to

Mitsutaka Kurokawa, President, Japan Sports Arts Association
Kyoko Raita, Professor, School of Health and Sport Science, Chukyo University

continue to implement this Collaborative Project.

Auditor : Shigeaki Aihara, Secretary General, Japan Sports Arts Association

Project Implementation Managers
Junko Sudo, Sachiko Niina, Hitoyasu Kimura, Yuichi Aoki, Kunitoshi Shimizu, Yurika Kawai (Prince Chichibu Memorial
Sports Museum)
Naoki Shimoyu, Shotaro Masubuchi (Japan Olympic Museum)
Kazumasa Yamaya (Sapporo Olympic Museum)Kazuo Taguchi, Risa Takahashi (Nagano Olympic Museum)
Kyoko Raita (Chukyo University)
Kanako Ito (Chukyo University Sports Museum)

Secretariat
Hiroyuki Kawamura, Secretariat Director (Museum Director, Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum)
Junko Sudo, Deputy Director of Secretariat (Museum Manager, Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum)
Secretariat staff : Sachiko Niina, Hitoyasu Kimura, Yuichi Aoki, Akiko Sasanuma, Kunitoshi Shimizu, Yurika Kawai(Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum)24

“Performance report for the Project for
Passing on and Raising Awareness of Sports Legacies
through Collaboration between Sports Museums”(2020, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Fund for Promotion of Art and Culture,
Support Program for Museum Creation Activities in Collaboration with Local Communities)

Edited by : Executive Committee for the Project for
Passing on and Raising Awareness of Sports Legacies
through Collaboration between Sports Museums
Publisher : Executive Committee for the Project for
Passing on and Raising Awareness of Sports Legacies
through Collaboration between Sports Museums
6-11-17 Ayase, Adachi-ku, Tokyo 120-0005, Japanin Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum
Tel: (+81)-3-5849-5400 / Fax: (+81)-3-3629-1660
Issue date : March 22, 2021
Design & Printing : LEVEL 4 DESIGN, Co.,Ltd.

Nagano City Olympic Memorial Arena / M-WAVE (December 10, 2020)2526