Until then, swimming had been limited to fishermen, sailors and the samurai class as one of the military arts but the establishment of swimming beaches throughout Japan and the adoption of swimming as part of physical education at schools in the name of "Kokumin Kaiei" (swimming for the whole nation) were the first steps toward the popularization of sea bathing (swimming) among commoners.
それまでは、漁師、船乗りや、武士階級の間で武術として日本泳法があったに過ぎなかった水泳が、全国に海水浴場が開設され、国民皆泳の名の下に学校教育でも水泳が体育教科として取り上げられたことで、庶民の間に海水浴（水泳）の習慣が拡がる第一歩となった。