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The Sociological Analysis of Ekiden, Japan's Long-Distance Relay Road Race
[journal article]
Abstract This paper aims to refer to the long-distance relay road race known as ekiden, which is a Japanese invention in the history of modern sports, from a wider sociological perspective. This unique sport, which has seldom been practiced in countries other than Japan, has been widely enjoyed and supported... view more
This paper aims to refer to the long-distance relay road race known as ekiden, which is a Japanese invention in the history of modern sports, from a wider sociological perspective. This unique sport, which has seldom been practiced in countries other than Japan, has been widely enjoyed and supported by a large number of Japanese people regardless of sex as a competitive team sport among high-school, university, and even company teams. By looking back on the developing history of this sport, I would like to shed light on the process of state formation in modern Japan as well as on a close relationship between nationalism and morality, an incentive to form the spirit of the nation, by using Norbert Elias’s figurational theory. As a conclusion, I would also like to refer to the possibility of other nations’ finding an interest in ekiden not only as an international competitive sport but also as a peaceful collective sporting event for the masses in the future. For that purpose, two examples are briefly introduced here; one is the 2018 Adecco Brussels Ekiden and the other the Koko Guam Road Race.... view less
Keywords
symbol; myth; state formation; Elias, N.; nation state; figuration; nationalism; historical development; team sports; morality; Japan
Classification
Social History, Historical Social Research
Leisure Research
Free Keywords
long-distance relay road races (ekiden); sociological and historical perspectives of ekiden; modern Japanese history and politics; Japanese religion and myth; figurational theory; ekiden as international competitive and peaceful collective sports
Document language
English
Publication Year
2020
Page/Pages
p. 292-308
Journal
Historical Social Research, 45 (2020) 1
Issue topic
Emotion, Authority, and National Character
ISSN
0172-6404
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed