Is this traditional?

Excessive instruction of club activities “Shime” What is the actual situation … January 18, 17:00

"Seiza was a long time, lasting more than an hour

.

"

I testified to the actual situation of "teaching", commonly known as "shime".

In addition, when I interviewed high school alumni, I learned that "shime" has continued for a long time as a so-called "tradition".

Why does "bad tradition" exist and is it inherited in high school?

I approached the reality.

(Kumamoto Broadcasting Station Reporters Naoki Ota and Kengo Takeda)

"Final" in club activities that surfaced

Last October, a first-year student at Kumamoto Technical High School took his own life.

Regarding the cause of the student's suicide, the prefectural board of education explained at a press conference, "There is a high possibility that the student had troubles with relationships in the club activities he belonged to."

However, no further details have been revealed, and a third-party committee of experts is currently investigating.

After that, at a parent's meeting held by the high school, a certain point was raised by a parent regarding the problem of supervising extracurricular activities.

"Shime" has traditionally been done in club activities.

In response to this, the school responded, "If bad traditions remain, we would like to proceed with efforts to improve them," effectively acknowledging the existence of "shime" to the parents who participated.

What is "Shime"?

Active members testify to the reality

Kumamoto Kogyo is known as a traditional school in the prefecture.

What exactly is the "shime" that is held in this high school where club activities are also popular?

As I proceeded with the interview, I learned that it was a "tradition" mainly in club activities, referring to "strict guidance from seniors to juniors".

An active member of a high school club wanted to know the actual situation, and agreed to be interviewed on the condition of anonymity.

An active club member talked about the reality of unreasonable guidance that can not be thought of as the era of Reiwa.

Reporter

: “What exactly is the end of club activities?”

Student

: “Even outside of club practice, I was made to sit on my knees for more than an hour in classrooms where no one could see me. I was also bombarded with abusive words such as 'I'll kill you'."

Reporter

: "Didn't the club activity advisor and upperclassmen pay attention?"

Student

: “The adviser is a graduate of Kumamoto Kogyo, and he doesn’t seem to take “finishing” seriously. There is an atmosphere that it is natural because there was a 'shime' when I was a junior student."

Reporter

: “Are you doing the club activities you envisioned?”

Student

: “I entered Kumamoto Kogyo because I wanted to participate in club activities, but I didn’t know that there was a “final” at all. I felt that I was doing club activities for the sake of the students.There are rules in the club such as not to talk in the presence of seniors and not to roll up your shirt sleeves even if it's hot.I'm worried about relationships with seniors. There are a lot of people who are bullying, and from the perspective of others, it's enough to think of bullying.

Ambiguous definition Prefecture to conduct first fact-finding survey

The reality that emerged in the testimony of the active member.

According to the Kumamoto Prefectural Board of Education, there is no clear definition of shime, and no research has been conducted.

However, after the parent's meeting, Kumamoto Industry reported about "after", and for the first time, the board of education instructed the high school to conduct a fact-finding survey on "after".

“Not suitable for the times” “Learn etiquette” Voices of pros and cons received

What exactly is "shime" and how widespread is it?

Based on these questions, we decided to ask the citizens of the prefecture to provide information on "Shime".

As a result, we received a variety of comments from students' parents and alumni.

Graduate (30s)

"Shime" has been held in multiple club activities for more than 10 years.

Kumamoto Kogyo's club activities include many first-year students who achieved top marks in sports during their junior high school days.

At the time, I was thinking that the "shime" was to clarify the hierarchical relationship between seniors and juniors and bring the team together for the first-year students who were "tempered".

However, I don't think "shime" fits the times anymore.

Anonymous

I also received a "shime".

My seniors told me that club members who commute from outside Kumamoto should take the first train to school every day.

Practice ended around 9:00 pm, but if there was a "finish" after practice, there were days when I would come home around 11:00 pm, and I would go to bed around 1:00 am every day.

On the other hand, there were also opinions that affirmed that "shime" was unavoidable.

The alumni

club activities were aiming for the national competition.

It is common sense that seniors and juniors have a strict hierarchical relationship, and if you are a child who joins the club activities of Kumamoto Industry, you are prepared for some strictness.

Parents of graduates I believe

that my child grew up to be considerate and understand other people's pain thanks to "Shime".

Some graduates and parents commented that they learned good manners from the rigorous guidance they received during the three years of high school before they entered the workforce, and that it was a good memory for them now.

I also learned that there are various ways of accepting and recognizing things.

41 cases of “shime” revealed in a school survey

One month after the high school began conducting a fact-finding survey on shime, the results were announced.

The survey was conducted on active members of the club activities to which the students who testified to NHK belonged, focusing on those in 2022.

Defines “shime” as “guidance that clearly needs improvement that is not socially acceptable” such as violence and abusive language.

As a result, 41 cases were confirmed.

The breakdown is

▽ 9 cases of abusive words such as "die" and "kill".

▽ There were 8 cases of guidance such as standing up for 3 hours at a long time or sitting straight for 1 hour.

▽ 24 cases of unreasonable judgments such as "not qualified to participate in club activities" or "not having the skills".

The abusive words "die" and "kill" and the one-hour seiza posture were consistent with the content of the "shime" pointed out by the active club member who testified to NHK.

Kumamoto Technical High School Principal Koichi Kakishita

"I'm surprised by the number of 41 cases. The students consulted with the club activity advisor, but it was not shared with the high school management. We were also under strict instruction, so maybe we were paralyzed or used to it.”

The Origin of the Word “Shime”

When did the word “shime” come into use, and how did it come to be used?

We spoke with Professor Emeritus Akihiko Yonekawa of Baika Women's University, who specializes in Japanese language.

According to Professor Emeritus Yonekawa, ``Shime'' is the noun form of ``strangle'' in kanji, meaning ``severely torture'' or ``severely punished''. It is said that it was used as a common word, a "secret word".

And in the 1990s, it is said that it came to be widely used throughout the country as a word for delinquent boys and motorcycle gangs in comics.

Furthermore, 20 years ago, the word “shime” was used in newspaper articles.

In the article, it was written that a 15-year-old man who wanted to leave the group died at the "shime-kai" in Ibaraki Prefecture, where there was a "shime-kai" where discipline was violated and sanctions were imposed by violence. rice field.

Akihiko Yonekawa, Professor Emeritus, Baika Women's University

"In a closed environment with strong hierarchical relationships, 'group language' is born that can only be understood within a specific group. It is a so-called industry term. 'Group language' enhances a sense of unity. , It is used when you want to hide it conveniently.It is thought that 'shime' has come to be widely used in high school club activities as a 'group word'."

Is "forced brush cutting" a "shime"?

lawsuit

In Kumamoto, there was also a case that developed into a lawsuit over "shime".

Six years ago, right after joining the prefectural Seiseiko High School boys' soft tennis club, which is known as a traditional school in the prefecture, a first-year member had his head shaved by his seniors and stopped attending school.

The man filed a lawsuit against the prefecture at the Kumamoto District Court, claiming that "shime" was illegal.

<<What is the ``shime'' claimed by the plaintiff man?>>

A senior member of the club told him, ``Because everyone shaves,'' etc., and he was forced to shave his head. Greet in a loud voice,” and “Go back from the court after all the seniors have left.”

At the trial, the "shime" that the man claimed was not accepted.

However, after the trial, the practice of 'buzzcutting', which had continued for many years in high schools, was discontinued as 'outdated'.

Why do upperclassmen "shime" lowerclassmen?

After interviewing two high schools in Kumamoto Prefecture, one question arose.

Why do upperclassmen make the "shime" they experienced into lowerclassmen?

Professor Shuji Masuda of Shiraume Gakuen University, who is familiar with the issue of corporal punishment, explains this as follows.

Professor Shuji Masuda of Shiraume Gakuen University

"For the upperclassmen, enduring the 'final' in the club activity's victory supremacy principle is the heart of the club. Being able to control the underclassmen as he pleases gives him pleasure, and he forgets the ``shime'' he received in the past."

Professor Masuda points out that "shime" is not a matter of the individual student's humanity, but that it is deeply rooted in the school's culture hidden behind the word "tradition."

Also, in the case of a strong school that participates in the national tournament, there is a strong aspect of "leaving the club equals leaving school". It seems that a situation has arisen where it is difficult to accuse an adviser or guardian of the actual situation.

After that, Professor Masuda indicated the following improvement measures that will be required in the future.

Professor Shuji Masuda of Shiraume Gakuen University

“Schools should create a system that makes it easier for victims to accuse, and create a system that makes the perpetrators reflect. I think it is necessary to switch to the management of club activities.”

"Shime" Take measures immediately

Through the interview, it was hard to believe that the “shime” we heard at a high school in Kumamoto Prefecture was being done in the Reiwa era.

At Kumamoto Technical High School, where 41 cases of excessive "shime" were found, a new vice-principal was added as an advisor for club activities, and information about students was shared with managers, and not only students and teachers but also parents joined. We have begun efforts to prevent recurrence, such as creating new rules for club activities.

In order to eliminate unreasonable "shime", I think that it is necessary for each school to think about countermeasures as soon as possible.

Kumamoto Broadcasting Station Reporter

Naoki Ota Joined the station in

2017

After working at the Okayama station, he has been in charge of the police and judiciary at the Kumamoto station since September 2008, and is currently in charge of prefectural government.

Kumamoto Broadcasting Station reporter

Kengo Takeda

Joined in 2019

Kumamoto station is the first place.

In charge of the prefectural police, after working at the Aso branch, currently in charge of Kumamoto city administration