Koiso’s 1943 Strongman Tours: Surprise village inspections to intimidate local leaders and impose Japanese language and culture all over the Korean countryside

Ever since Imperial Japan annexed Korea in 1910, subduing the countryside proved to be one of the most difficult tasks. The Imperial Japanese central government in Seoul struggled to exert control over traditional rural communities, which remained bastions of Korean language, culture, and identity. Imposing Japanese language, culture, and ideology on these far-flung regions was a daunting challenge.

Original Caption: Governor-General Koiso gets into a truck at Gapyeong Mine

By 1942, Governor-General Koiso Kuniaki (1942–1944) sought to accomplish what his predecessors had failed to do: win the “hearts and minds” of Korean villagers and persuade them to accept Japanese rule, abandon Korean culture, and adopt Japanese language and Shinto practices.

In the February 1943 inspection tour, Koiso asked the local myeon (township) chief in Gapyeong whether he had been conducting “rensei” (錬成, “training”). This was not mere vocational training. Rensei was a euphemism for ideological indoctrination: compulsory bowing toward the Imperial Palace every morning, mandatory visits to Shinto shrines, adoption of Japanese language, Shinto purification rituals like misogi, and other practices intended to transform Koreans into loyal imperial subjects. The myeon chief—often a local villager chosen for his charisma and leadership—was expected to shepherd his people into these unpopular and humiliating activities.

In the October 1943 inspection tour, Koiso makes a surprise visit to a random hamlet in a rural part of Southeastern Korea. He startles the Korean hamlet leader, named Mr. Toriyama, and peppers him for 40 minutes with questions about cotton production and food preservation. Koiso encourages to report to the myeon leader, county leader, provincial leader, or even to him personally if there is "anything troubling". Mr. Toriyama is described as being overcome with emotion as he struggles to find words.

The surprise nature of these visits conveys the following ominous message to the Korean people: We are watching you, and you better be at your best behavior, because you won't know when we will be paying you a visit.

The format of these inspection tours will feel familiar to anyone who follows North Korea today: the “Great Leader” style of visiting factories, farms, and villages, giving advice, and presenting himself as the wise teacher and commander. In the 1943 article, Koiso is portrayed arriving in remote villages, inspecting workplaces, lecturing officials and workers on everything from farming to mining, and dispensing “guidance” in a paternalistic tone.

The key concept repeated in these articles and throughout the news coverage in this period is 末端行政 (mattan gyōsei), meaning “grassroots administration.” By 1943, the colonial regime recognized that real control had to be enforced at the lowest levels—hamlets and townships. So, they began reinforcing staffing at this level and making more inspection tours to make its presence felt more palpably in everyday life. For rural Koreans, this must have felt like the government was constantly breathing down their necks, pressuring them to abandon their culture and conform to Imperial rule.

TLDR: Imperial Japan conducted surprise "Great Leader" inspections all over Korea to keep Koreans on their tiptoes in a state of fear, even at the grassroot level. Governor-General Koiso fashioned himself as a hands-on, fatherly strongman who gave “guidance” on everything from farming to mining.

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) February 26, 1943

“Harmony between the township and the police”
Governor-General preaches local administration in Oeseo-myeon

The Governor-General rode a truck into the mountains for an inspection. This was no idle outing. Wherever war-related material is being produced, he ventures even into the remote mountains to comfort and encourage the industrial warriors, determined to contribute even a little to strengthening the war effort. We must recognize both Governor-General Koiso’s firm resolve and the gravity of the war situation that brought it about. Fierce battles are being waged here too.

This was the Governor-General’s frontline command, his angry determination to annihilate the U.S. and Britain exploding as he ventured into the first line of defense of the home front. On his shabby work desk, the medal ribbons that tell of many military achievements shone brightly. On February 25th, Governor-General Koiso, accompanied by Governor Seto of Gyeonggi Province and Secretary Kobayashi, left his official residence at 9:30 a.m. and headed for Asano Cement’s asbestos mine in Gapyeong-gun, Seorak-myeon.

Before the Cheongpyeong Dam of the former Han River Hydropower was built, the river could not be crossed, so remote was this mountainous region that even the county governor had never once set foot there.

At 11:00 a.m. the Governor-General arrived at the Seorak-myeon office. He was welcomed by the governor of Hansan-gun and Police Chief Mr. Kuwana, entered the office, received a report on local conditions, and gave instructions to township (myeon) staff.

He asked in a friendly tone, “Well now, myeon leader, are you conducting training?” The Governor-General explained the essence of training in plain language: “For agricultural production, the landlords must work diligently. Since the myeon is the grassroots of administration that directly touches the masses, you must work thoroughly. To do that, you must put yourself in the place of those you govern and carefully look after them.”

After 11:00 a.m. he changed vehicles and boarded a truck. Sitting heavily beside the driver, he stared intently ahead. What was he thinking? Perhaps in his heart he was saying: “Warriors who sacrificed themselves at Kwajalein and Roi-Namur, rest in peace. The home front, burning with anger for vengeance, is rising.”

At 12:30 p.m. he arrived at the Gapyeong Mine office. He immediately heard a summary of the mine from Director Shōji of Asano Cement, then a detailed explanation of the current situation from Director Taniguchi. As usual, he asked questions about management and labor administration. He entered the mine tunnel, addressed the workers: “Men, do your best!” and encouraged them. Afterwards, he inspected workers’ housing and cautioned management to “study labor issues more thoroughly.”

Once again he descended the mountain by truck. At 3:50 p.m. he arrived at Cheongpyeong Power Plant, listened to explanations, and at 4:30 p.m. inspected the Government Fish Hatchery at Cheongpyeong. At 5:00 p.m. he entered the Oeseo-myeon (외서면, 外西面) office, received a report on local conditions, and gave instructions to township (myeon) staff and police officers.

A major defect of administration in Korea is that grassroots governance has not fully penetrated. No matter how hard Koiso strives, no matter how much the governor studies, it is useless unless the township (myeon) officials, who directly contact the people, do their work properly. The township and the police must cooperate in harmony.

Thus ended the third day of encouragement and inspection. He returned to the residence at 7:30 p.m.

Photo: Governor-General Koiso gets into a truck at Gapyeong Mine

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) October 29, 1943

“Tell Me Anything”: A Paternal Concern for Grassroots Administration
Governor-General Koiso’s Lightning Inspection of a Rural Village

Reported by Special Correspondent Sakamoto from Masan

Not long after leaving Samcheonpo, Governor-General Koiso’s car once again came to a stop. Because the schedule for this inspection tour was deliberately kept secret, the car often halted at unexpected places. This time it was at Yeha (예하, 禮下), a model hamlet in Jeonchon Township, Jinyang County (진양, 晉陽). Guided by County Governor Takashima and Hamlet Federation Chairman Toriyama, the Governor-General entered the hamlet office. He then listened for about forty minutes as Chairman Toriyama explained the hardships and efforts behind the hamlet’s construction and management.

As befitting a model hamlet, facilities such as a communal bathhouse and a daycare center were in place. Standing with Chairman Toriyama on a rice-paddy path, Governor-General Koiso remarked:

“The cotton seems to be growing very well, but are you not planting too much of it? It is not that cotton is unnecessary, but right now food is more important. Even if cotton must be reduced, food must be secured. How many bolls does one stalk bear?”

He engaged Chairman Toriyama in a detailed, technically informed conversation. Then he shifted the subject to ask closely about the state of material distribution.

“Is there anything troubling you? Feel free to tell me even when the Governor or the Chief of Police are present. If you have any requests, speak directly to me,”

he said with heartfelt sincerity. Deeply moved, Toriyama’s face flushed, and he struggled to find words.

The Governor-General continued:

“From now on, I want you to be the central figure in your hamlet and build it into the finest model hamlet in all of Korea. If there is something you cannot handle alone, consult with your township (myeon) leader. If the myeon leader cannot manage it, then go to the county governor or even the provincial governor. And if even then there is some matter unresolved, do not hesitate—consult with me directly.”

To Governor-General Koiso, who ceaselessly strove for administrative penetration to the very grassroots, the heartfelt zeal of an obscure Hamlet Federation Chairman for village management must have been truly gratifying. Chairman Toriyama was overcome with emotion.

The Governor-General pressed further:

“Do you grow potatoes?”
“Yes, we do.”
“And how do you store them?”
“We build a rack in our home’s ondol (heated floor system) and pile them there.”
“That risks rotting, does it not? Is there not a way to store them in greater quantity and for longer periods?”
“We have a communal storage facility just ahead.”
“I see. Then let me have a look.”

With a gentle gaze meeting the moist eyes of the moved Chairman Toriyama, the Governor-General returned to his car. His conviction remained firm: the farmers were dependable, the farmers were the soundest element of society. In this place too, that conviction was scarcely betrayed. Thinking constantly of food production increases and never allowing himself a moment’s rest, Governor-General Koiso’s car once again sped forward at arrow-like speed.

[Transcription]

京城日報 1943年2月26日

”面と警察が仲よく”

総督、外西面で末端行政を説く

総督がトラックに乗って山を視察した。これは一片の茶飲み話ではない。戦力物資の生産が行われるところ、どのような山奥にでも出かけて行って、産業戦士を慰問激励少しでも戦力の増強に資しようという小磯総督の固い決意と、総督にこのような決意を起させた戦局の重大性を認識せねばならない。激戦は此処にも展開されているのだ。

銃後の第一線に米英撃滅の怒りを爆発させに出かける総督の陣頭指揮だ。数々の勲功を語る略綬がみすぼらしい運営台に燦と輝いている。二十五日、小磯総督は瀬戸京畿道知事、小林秘書官を帯同して午前九時三十分官邸発、加平郡雪岳面の浅野セメント加平石綿鉱山に向った。

旧漢江水電の清平ダムが出来るまでは河を渡れなかったので、この地方には郡守にも遂に一度も足を踏み入れずに過ごした者があったほどの山奥である。

十一時雪岳面事務所着。韓山郡守と桑名警察署長の出迎えを受けて事務所に入り、管内情況の報告を受け面吏員に訓示を行った。

『どうかな面長さん、錬成やっとるかい』といった。ざっくばらんな調子である。総督は錬成の本質を説き、『農業生産には地主さんというものがよく働いてもらわねばならぬ。面は大衆に接する行政の末端であるから、しっかりやってもらいたい。それには治められる者の身になってよく人々の世話をすることだ』と易々しく説明する。

十一時過ぎ車を替えてトラックに乗る。総督は運転手の横にドッカと坐って前方を睨む。何を見つめているのだろう。恐らく心ではこう云っていたであろう。

『クエゼリン、ルオットに散華せる勇士よ、安らかに眠れ。復仇の怒りに燃える銃後は立ち上がっているぞ』

十二時三十分、加平鉱山事務所着、直ちに浅野セメント荘司理事から山の概略を聞き、更に谷口所長から現況について詳細な説明を聴取した。そのあとで例によって経営、労務管理に対する質問を発する。坑道に入る。労務者に訓示。『諸君しっかりやって下さい』と激励する。そして後に労務者の住宅を見て山を辞したが、『労務者の問題をもっと研究するように』と注意を与える。

再びトラックで山を降って、三時五十分清平発電所着、説明を聞き、四時三十分清平の総督府養魚場を視察。五時外西面事務所に入って管内情況を聴取し、面吏員、警察官を訓示する。

朝鮮に於ける統理の一大欠陥は末端行政が十分に滲透していないことだ。小磯が如何に努力しても、また知事がどんなに勉強しても何にもならないので、大衆に直接接触する面の方々がしっかりやってもらわねばならぬ。面と警察とが仲よくせねばならないのです。

こうして激励と視察の第三日は終わった。七時半帰邸。

【写真＝トラックに乗り込む小磯総督ー加平鉱山にて】

京城日報 1943年10月29日

何でも私に話せ：末端行政に細かい親心
小磯総督農村を電撃視察

【馬山にて坂本特派員】三千浦を出て間もなく小磯総督の自動車がまたとまった。何処を視るのか最初から予定を伏せている視察行だけに時ならぬ所でよく停まる。此処は晋陽郡井村面礼下模範部落だ。高島郡守、鳥山部落聯盟理事長の案内で部落の事務所に入った。鳥山理事長から部落の建設経営苦心談を約四十分に亘って聴取する。

模範部落だけあって共同浴場、託児所などの施設が整っている。田の畔道に小磯総督は鳥山理事長と並んで立った。

『綿花が非常によく出来ているようだが、作付段別が多過ぎはしないかね。綿が不必要というのではないが、それよりも現在は食糧の方がより大切だ。綿を減らしてでも食糧を確保しなければならない。これは一本に幾つ実をつけるかね』と専門的知識を傾けて鳥山理事長と綿々問答。今度は話題を変えて物資の配給状況をこまごまと訊ねる。そして、『何か困っていることはないかね。知事さんや警察部長さんがいても宜いから、希望があったら私に話しなさい』と真情こめて語れば鳥山理事長は感極まったが顔を火照りして言葉をつまらせる。

『今後とも部落の中心人物となって全鮮一の模範部落を作って貰いたい。自分で出来ないことがあったなら面長さんに相談しなさい。面長さんで駄目なら郡守さんでも知事さんでも宜しい。それでも判らない問題があったら遠慮はいらないから私に相談しなさい』と総督はいう。行政の末端滲透を希求して止まない小磯総督にとって名もない一部落聯盟理事長の部落経営に対する熱情はこよなく嬉しかったに違いない。鳥山理事長はただただ感激するばかり。総督は更に話をついで、

『芋は出来るかね』
『出来ます』
『貯蔵の方法は』
『自宅の温突に柵を作ってそこに載せています』
『そんなことでは腐る恐れがあるんじゃないかね。もっと沢山長期に貯蔵出来る方法はないかね』
『部落の共同貯蔵所がこの先にあります』

『そうかね、では見せて貰おう』と感激にうるむ鳥山理事長の眼差しを優しく見返しながら自動車の人となった。農民は宜しい。農民はもっとも健実だという総督の抱懐はここでも殆ど裏切られることがなかったのであろう。食糧増産を念じて心休まる暇とてない小磯総督を乗せて自動車はまたも矢のようなスピードで驀進する。

Source: National Library of Korea, Digital Newspaper Archive 

March 1945: Taxis in Seoul nearly vanish, rickshaws exploit passengers, yet Japanese and Korean collaborator elite still get chauffeured drunk to bars and brothels

In the last months of World War II before Imperial Japan’s surrender, the public transportation infrastructure in Seoul was in a state of near total collapse, as described in this March 1945 article of Keijo Nippo, the main newspaper of colonial Korea. Vehicles of all types, including trains and streetcars, were breaking down. Due to fuel shortages and repair difficulties, taxis had become so scarce that only a handful were running, mostly reserved for weddings, funerals, or by those with enough money and influence to supply their own fuel. Human-powered rickshaws came to replace the taxis, but they largely ignored the needs of the ordinary citizenry, tending to concentrate around the entertainment districts to serve rich and powerful customers (Japanese and Korean collaborator elite) who didn't mind paying exorbitant black-market fares. This article describes how, while there were plenty of rickshaws willing to carry drunken men to the red-light districts, none were willing to help elderly women who were stranded at the train station with heavy luggage. Even bicycle-powered rickshaws were rare luxuries, since parts and repairs were nearly impossible to obtain in the war economy.

Original caption: Rickshaws scrambling for passengers at the front of the train station

The article also highlights how rickshaw pullers received no special food rations, despite their physically grueling work. In wartime Seoul, wages in yen mattered far less than access to special food rations. The fact that barbers received food rations while rickshaw men did not was cited as fueling black-market pricing and disorder in the transportation sector.

Through this article, we catch a glimpse of how colonial Seoul’s public life was breaking down under the combined strain of shortages, corruption, and inequality. The transportation system became a mirror of the larger wartime crisis: a city where even getting across town required pleading, connections, or bribes, and where basic mobility revealed the stark divide between the privileged Japanese and Korean collaborator elite and the ordinary people.

TLDR: By spring 1945, taxis in Seoul had nearly vanished due to wartime shortages, becoming luxury vehicles for special occasions, largely replaced by rickshaws which gouged customers and mostly catered to Japanese and Korean collaborator elite in entertainment districts. Even bicycles were scarce luxuries, and rickshaw pullers, denied adequate food rations, turned to black-market practices, showing how food rationing mattered more than cash in those days.

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) March 26, 1945

Let's Display Fare Tables Inside Rickshaws!
Disorder from Rickshaws “Pooling Together”
Sunday Paper Inspection: Vehicles

Lately, streetcars can no longer be relied upon, so in the end, people with urgent errands and elderly passengers, women, and children have to rely upon automobiles, hand-pulled rickshaws, and bicycle-powered "welfare" rickshaws for transportation. But can passengers actually ride these rickshaws comfortably? Let us cast an inspector’s eye on the situation.

Hand-Pulled Rickshaws

In the days when taxis were flourishing, the shabby hand-pulled rickshaw had been forgotten, regarded as a relic of the past, and had all but disappeared. But now, when taxis are nearly impossible to access, the reality is that one must bow and plead to be allowed to ride in a rickshaw. Even after persuading a puller and setting off, when the time comes to pay, the puller will suddenly demand “Please be more generous,” and insist on double or triple the regulated fare.

According to the fare revision of February this year, even if one were to ride across Seoul from end to end, the maximum fare should not exceed five yen. For example, from Dongdaemun to Yongsan Station is four yen, while from Seoul Station to Chōsen Industrial Bank is fifty sen. Even these revised fares represent roughly a doubling of the earlier prices.

Looking at the Honmachi police district, where there are the most depots, there are ten depots and 261 rickshaws registered. Excluding broken rickshaws and shortages of pullers, about 220 are actually in operation. Some depots have “pooling” arrangements, where pullers who own their own rickshaws gather together to form joint depots. These so-called “pooled” depots easily disrupt order and ought to be dissolved and transferred to regular depots.

The fare problem remains. If every puller had the chivalrous temperament of the legendary outlaw “Muhōmatsu,” illegal fares would not run rampant. To be sure, the difficulty of repairs and food shortages are matters for sympathy, but still, dishonest pullers should not be tolerated. The February fare revision abolished the earlier meter system, and since most passengers do not know the regulated rates, they are easily exploited. Authorities currently require the fare table to be posted only at depots, but why not make small versions and require them to be posted inside each rickshaw? A receipt-slip system, recording distance and amount, exchanged with the fare, would also be good. In fact, Seoul Station depot is about the only one implementing this properly. Other depots should quickly adopt a mandatory receipt system.

Pullers complain that, despite the labor involved, they receive no special food rations. This is one cause of the black-market fares. If even barbers receive special food rations, surely men who run around pulling passengers all day should be considered as well. If food rations are too difficult, then all pullers should be enrolled in the Labor Service Association and allowed to use the association dining halls.

As a rule, rickshaws are forbidden to pick up passengers outside designated stands, but this rule is scarcely observed. It is outrageous that there are rickshaws to carry drunken men to the red-light districts, yet none to carry elderly women stranded late at night with heavy luggage at the station. Ghostly pullers loitering in suspicious quarters outside stands must be strictly suppressed by the authorities. Likewise, the dishonorable “gentlemen” who, relying on their wealth, recklessly throw down bills far beyond the proper fare and thereby disrupt order, should engage in serious self-reflection.

Passengers too must not simply pay the dishonest fares that are demanded by the puller, but should always insist on receiving a receipt listing the operator, the puller's name, distance, and payment amount as proof for later. The murky state of rickshaw operations should not be blamed only on the pullers. As in other spheres, the unscrupulous attitude of the nouveau riche- “as long as you have money, anything goes” - has naturally helped create this climate.

Welfare Rickshaws and Automobiles

In place of hand-pulled rickshaws, the “welfare rickshaw” (bicycle-powered) has emerged in step with the times. However, since bicycles themselves cannot be shipped in reliably and repairs are difficult, the number of welfare rickshaws operating in Seoul is only about fifty, which are too few to matter. In terms of fares and treatment, they may be regarded the same as hand-pulled rickshaws, since the standard fare is identical. Their transport companies should also adopt a receipt-slip system.

As for taxis, they no longer resemble their former selves. Of about sixty taxis in Seoul, only twenty are barely running, hampered by fuel shortages and repair difficulties. Fares remain by charter or by meter, as before, but in practice they are used only for exceptional cases such as weddings or funerals. Some operators even demand that passengers bring their own fuel, extracting hefty profits, but such operators ought to reflect on their conduct. With fuel and materials growing ever scarcer, taxis may soon be forced to disappear altogether. [Photo: Rickshaws scrambling for passengers at the front of the train station]

[Transcription]

京城日報 1945年3月26日

乗り物：俥内に賃金表を

秩序を紊す『持寄り』

日曜紙上査察

このごろの電車も仲々あてにならないし、結局急ぎの用とか、老幼婦女子の足を確保してくれるのは自動車、人力車、厚生車などであるが、果してこれらの俥に気持ちよく乗れるかどうか査察の眼を向けて見よう。

人力車：かつてタクシー華かなりしころ、うす汚い人力車は昔の遺物のごとく忘れられ、すっかり影をひそめていたが、タクシーなど思いもよらぬ今となっては平身低頭してやっと乗せて貰えるというのが現状。さて拝み倒すようにして挽子を納得させた上、俥を走らせ料金を払わんとすると、挽子は『もっと考えてやって下さい』と居直り規定料金の二倍、三倍を要求する始末である。

今年の二月改正になった規定料金でゆけば京城府内の端から端まで乗り廻って見ても五円以上の料金をとられることはない。例をとると東大門から龍山駅前までが四円、京城駅から鮮銀前までが五十銭となっている。これでもこの改正料金は従前の約二倍の値上げを行っている。

最も帳場の多い本町署管内を中心にしてこれらの現状を追求して見る。本町管内で帳場が十ヶ所、台数が二百六十一台その中で故障俥や挽子不足による動かない俥を除けば現在二百二十台が走っている。さてこの帳場の組織であるが、中には俥を持った挽子がお互いに寄り集って一つの共同帳場を形成しているものが相当ある。所謂『持ち寄り』というのだが、これなどはとかく秩序を紊しやすいから解体し、他の帳場に移るべきであろう。

賃金の問題であるが挽子の全部があの無法松のごとき気質の持ち主であれば闇賃金なぞ横行しないであろう。そうはいかない修理難、食糧不足など同情すべき点もあるが、そうかといって不正挽子の横行は許さるべきではない。二月の改正料金によって以前のメーター制は撤廃されているが、客が規定料金の基準を殆ど知っていないということが、挽子に乗ぜられやすい一つの弱点である。当局は規定料金表の明示を帳場のみに指定しているが、その料金表を小型にして各俥内に掲示しておくようにしてはどうか。距離と金額を記載した領収証となる伝票を料金と引き換えに受け取る伝票制もよいが、現にこれを大体確実に実施している帳場は京城駅内の帳場位であろう。他の帳場も絶対伝票制を速やかにとるべきである。

挽子の悩みであるのは労働の割に食糧の特配がないことだ。これが闇賃金を醸成する一つの原因である。理髪業の職人が特配食糧を受けているくらいならば一日中走り廻っている挽子なども当然考慮さるべきであろう。食糧の特配が面倒なら挽子を全部労務奉公会に加入させ、所属食堂の利用を許しては如何。

原則として指定の駐車場以外で客を拾うことは出来ないが之がさっぱり遵守されていない。千鳥足の酔漢を遊郭に運ぶ俥はあっても深夜の駅前で荷物をかかえ途方にくれる老人婦女を乗せる俥がないとは言語道断である。駐車場以外の怪しげなる界隈をうろつく幽霊車夫は当局が断乎粛正すべきであろう。また金のあるにまかせて料金以上に札ビラを切っての世界を紊す不徳紳士も猛省すべきである。

客も又挽子の要求する不正料金をいうが儘に払わず営業者、従業者氏名、距離金額を明載した伝票を必ず後日の証拠として受け取ることだ。人力車の不明朗な現状をただ挽子の責とすべきではない。他の場合もそうであるが、得てして金さえあればという道義心のない成金的な義が自然とこういう世界を作りあげているのである。

厚生車・自動車：人力車に代る厚生車が時代の波に乗って登場して来たものの、肝腎な自転車の入荷が当にならないのと、修理難でいま府内で動いているのはせいぜい五十台ぐらいを数えるのみで全く問題にならないが、料金をはじめ待遇など人力車と同じに見做してよい。基準料金も人力車と同一であるから交通会社も伝票制にすべきだ。

同じくタクシーも昔日の面影はなく京城府内約六十台のタクシーが燃料の欠乏、修理難のため、その中二十台辛うじて動いている状態である。料金は貸し切り、メーター制で以前のままであるが、これを利用するのも結婚、葬式など余程やむを得ない場合が多い。一部の業者は燃料を持ってくれば動かすという条件で相当ボロイ儲けをしているが、業者の反省を促したい。これから益々燃料、資材の逼迫によってタクシーもやがて姿を消さざるを得なくなるであろう。【写真＝駅前で奪い合の人力車】

Source: National Library of Korea, Digital Newspaper Archive 

See also:

• Imperial Japanese and Korean collaborator elite partied in brothels and luxury restaurants while ordinary Koreans starved in wartime Seoul, early 1945 (link)

• April 1945 Seoul dining: the public endured price-gouging and scraps, while privileged Japanese and Korean collaborator elites drank and feasted behind closed doors (link)

• Imperial Japan’s railway system in Korea was falling apart by early August 1945 with severe overcrowding, parts and labor shortages, exhausted staff causing more accidents, train conductors gone rogue … (link)

[Rough comparison of 1945 rickshaw fares to 2025 taxi fares in Seoul]

Out of curiosity, I compared Seoul rickshaw fares in March 1945 to equivalent taxi fares today in modern day Seoul. To do my estimates, I assumed that 1 yen in wartime 1945 Korea would be roughly equivalent to 25,000 Korean Won today. I came up with this rough conversion by noting that each morning edition of the Keijo Nippo of 1942 was priced at 6 sen, and each morning edition of Asahi Shimbun is priced at 160 Japanese yen today. This conversion isn't perfect, so this will be just one imperfect metric to help understand the amounts of money mentioned in this article.

A rickshaw trip from Dongdaemun to Yongsan Station was quoted as 4 yen, roughly equivalent to 100,000 Korean won today. According to KakaoMap, a similar taxi trip would cost 14,700 Korean won today, about 7 times less expensive than over 80 years ago. 

A rickshaw trip from Seoul Station to Chōsen Industrial Bank (now Lotte Department Store Avenuel Main Branch) was quoted as 50 sen, roughly equivalent to 13,000 Korean won today. According to KakaoMap, a similar taxi trip today would cost 9,400 Korean won, a difference of only around 4,000 Korean won.

April 1945 Seoul dining: the public endured price-gouging and scraps, while privileged Japanese and Korean collaborator elites drank and feasted behind closed doors

As Imperial Japan’s war effort was collapsing in spring 1945, life in colonial Seoul grew increasingly desperate. Ordinary Koreans were suffering under brutal rationing, food shortages, and the pressures of forced labor, while the colonial press in Seoul still tried to project order. In April 1945, the Keijo Nippo newspaper ran a rare, scathing exposé on the city’s restaurant scene in Jongno and Honmachi (本町), a major shopping and entertainment district along a major thoroughfare bordering today’s Myeongdong. It described ordinary diners facing overpriced scraps and scams, while Japanese and Korean collaborator elites with money or connections went to exclusive spots for liquor and feasts, highlighting both the corruption of wartime society and the everyday struggles of those left outside.

The accompanying photo shows a line of men waiting in line in front of a sign saying "本日売切中候", or "sold out today".

TL;DR: In April 1945, Seoul’s Japanese daily Keijō Nippō blasted restaurants in Honmachi and Jongno for gouging prices, serving lousy food, and only letting in elites with connections. Ordinary diners were turned away or scammed with fake charges and watered-down booze. The paper claimed “nine out of ten” places were frauds and demanded state-run canteens to feed the city fairly.

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) April 23, 1945

Restaurants: Trampled in Quality and Quantity (Daytime)
Resentment over the connections-only drinking scene (Nighttime)
Sunday Paper Inspection

These are the times we live in. Nobody expects to eat their fill or drink plenty of liquor, yet even a fraction of that modest wish is rarely satisfied when one walks around the restaurants of Seoul day or night. Displeasure, indignation, and despair—these are the only words that fit the present state of these establishments.

Some voices in the streets are already saying, “They should all be shut down.” If so, then shut them down. If not, at least operate them with some semblance of honest business. That is why this Sunday inspection turns once more to the restaurants.

Honmachi Area

As readers saw in a previous letter to this paper, daytime meals are abysmal—no need to belabor the point. Only those who wander from shop to shop tasting the food can truly grasp it. At its worst, there is the case of a certain restaurant near the police station, whose lunches are so deplorable they defy comment. A careful comparison with the official fixed prices would surely reveal profiteering severalfold. That such a deplorable state of affairs exists even in the vicinity of the very police station that ought to be enforcing the rules shows plainly what can be expected of other shops

Worse still, it is not just that customers are served fraudulent meals; the proprietors act as though they are “allowing” one to eat, with sullen faces, rather than serving them. Not every place is so bad—there are a few conscientious shops, but they are like oases in a desert. The situation is beyond words. So let us leave the daytime scene aside and look at the nighttime scene.

Restaurants fall broadly into two classes: so-called “elite dining” (snow-grade) and “dining for the masses” (moon-grade).

• Snow-grade: with tatami rooms, charging about 1 yen in the morning, 1 yen 50 sen at lunch, and up to 3 yen at night.
• Moon-grade: ordinary eateries, charging about 80 sen in the morning, 1 yen at lunch, and up to 1 yen 50 sen at night.

Within Honmachi precinct there are 170 restaurants, of which 25 are elite-grade and the rest are for the masses. Each employs 2–4 workers, including waitresses and cooks.

Yet in all these many restaurants and with so many women employed, one still cannot enjoy even a single bottle of liquor in peace. But that is when one has at least something to drink. Too often one goes from door to door in vain looking for anything to drink. The wasted time is regrettable, but consider the exhausted industrial soldiers who want at least one drink before returning home—no wonder they persist. Still, about 90 percent of establishments operate on “connections only”: unless you are a familiar patron, you are turned away.

What governs these connections? Money, goods, and power. Waitresses and proprietors compete to attract nouveau riche customers with thick wallets. Salaried men, living on modest monthly wages, will never be of interest to them. Tricks abound: selling black-market foodstuffs at exorbitant prices only to familiar customers, brusquely dismissing strangers by claiming that everything is “sold out,” or by scrutinizing clothing—telling someone without kyahan cloth leggings to go home. Thus, see how a waitress working only one or two hours a night can earn 500 to 1,000 yen a month.

What of the wartime emergency measures that were supposed to stamp out such entertainments? Yet the waitresses still seat themselves proudly at customers’ sides, pouring their drinks. And once you are inside, the dishonesty of the food served leaves no doubt—nine out of ten establishments are sheer fraud in every respect. It would hardly be an exaggeration to say so. And what of the local police precinct that turns a blind eye to this situation?

Jongno Area

What of enforcement here? Out of 48 restaurants, how many conduct business conscientiously? When the wartime emergency decrees swept the entertainment districts a year ago, a rule was laid down in the Jongno district: with every bottle of beer or sake, one dish costing no more than 70 sen. Where has that initial rule gone? Suspicious “set meals” have appeared, costing 1 yen 50 sen, 2 yen, 3 yen, climbing endlessly, while the quality and quantity of the food deteriorate.

If there are no ingredients, then why not just serve none? People can drink without side dishes. Everyone understands that proprietors cannot get by without serving food, but the reality is harsher: they profiteer off each bottle as though it were gold.

One example: the customer is told, “The set meals are sold out, but would you care to at least have a beer?” The customer happily agrees. Yet when the bill arrived, there it was: a charge of 2 yen 50 sen for the set meal. If drinking bars mirror the state of society, then morality has truly collapsed. It is truly heartbreaking.

Other examples abound. Even after a short walk one runs into two shops that keep the front doors locked tight and conduct business only through hidden back entrances, invisible to newcomers. What would happen if an air raid warning were given? In one place, what they called brandy was scarcely enough for two cups, yet sold for 1 yen 20 sen—with food supposedly included. Elsewhere, one could not tell whether hot water had been poured into sake or sake into hot water. As for makgeolli, one had to spend nearly ten yen before feeling any effect. A so-called ‘bottle’ of sake contained barely six cups’ worth. The list is endless.

A Call for Public Eateries

In conclusion: between Honmachi and Jongno there are 218 restaurants. But not all open daily; they cannot operate properly because the rations are too small. Many exhaust a month’s rations in two or three days. Further ration cuts are expected. Yet even such shops still keep staff. The only solution is to swiftly switch to publicly run national restaurants. Reduce the number by half or two-thirds, but run them properly and serve lunch and dinner under a ration ticket system. Abolish meals at inns so that travelers eat at the national restaurants. If the national restaurants are managed by region and time slots, then it should be doable. Seoul could manage about fifty such restaurants.

When designating national restaurants, do not rely on past achievements; entrust them only to those proprietors who are truly conscientious. In this age of scarcity, only with careful planning and bold policy can the diet of 1.2 million residents be safeguarded.

(Photo: a view of a restaurant in the city)

[Transcription]

京城日報 1945年4月23日

食堂：質、量で（公）蹂躙（昼）
（夜）ああ怨めし情実の酒
日曜紙上査察

こういう時世である。腹一ぱい食べ、多くの酒を飲もうという欲張った気持ちは毛頭ないのであるが、現在京城府内の食堂を昼夜歩き廻ってみてもこの気持の十分の一でも果して充たしてくれる店があるであろうか。不愉快、憤慨、そして絶望という文字はまさにこれら食堂に投げかけてやりたいのが偽らざる現状である。

全部廃店すべしという巷の声も聞かないではない。廃店するなら廃店し、やるならやるで、もっと何とか善良な営業から考えてもよさそうなものである。あえてここに日曜査察として繰り返し白羽の矢を食堂部門に向けた所以である。

本町界隈：過日の本紙『的』における投書にみるごとく昼食の粗雑さはここに再びくどくどしく列記するまでもない。食べ歩き廻った者のみが分かることであるが、甚だしいのになると所もあろうに警察署附近の某食堂などの昼食に至っては全く呆れはてて論ずるに足らずと言いたい。綿密に公定価と照合して計算したら恐らく数層倍の暴利は間違いない。取り締まるべき警察署の附近に於いてすらかかる歎かわしい状態であるから、他店は推して知るべしである。それもそういうインチキ甚だしいものを客に食べて貰うのではなくて、食べさしてやるという仏頂面した営業者に及んでは言語道断である。勿論全部が全部というのではない。中には良心的な店もある。それも砂漠の中のオアシスのような有様である。お話にならない。昼はさておいて夜間に覗いてみよう。

大体食堂は二つに分かれている。所謂高級と大衆向との二つである。業者側からいうと雪級（高級）と月級（大衆向）である。雪級とは店内に座敷などを有している店で定まっている。料理値段は朝一円、昼一円五十銭、夜三円以内。
月級はその他の大衆向食堂で、料理値段を朝八十銭、昼一円、夜一円五十銭以内となっている。本町署管内で食堂は百七十軒。その中高級二十五軒、残りが全部大衆向である。

そこに平均運び女及び調理人など従業員が一軒二人乃至四人の割で使用されている。これら多くの食堂であり、多くの女が使われていながら、一本の酒も中々愉快に飲めない。まだ何とか飲めるならよい。数軒の入口を叩き廻って徒労に帰する場合が余りにも多い。その浪費する時間も惜しいが、一日の勤労に疲れた産業戦士たちがせめて一本の酒でも呑んで帰りたい気持を汲めば無理もないのである。顔見知りのお得意さんでなければ絶対に入れないという情実営業が約九割占めているのであるから、ただ普通の通りががりの人が飲めないのは当然である。

情実営業を支配するものは他でもない。金と物と権力である。少しでも多くの金を客から求めんがために業者はじめ運び女はふんだんに札ビラを切る成金的な紳士の獲得に躍起となるのである。だから月に幾ばくかの給料を貰って生活している所謂サラリーマンなる者は永久的にこれら業者の眼中には入らないわけだ。情実営業にも色々と手がある。業者が闇で物資を仕入れて見知りの客と黙約し、法外な値で売り捌く。知らない者は真向から『売り切れ』と言い切って追い返す。売り切れというのがバツが悪ければじろじろと客の服装を見て、脚絆を巻いていないから御帰りなさいという手もある。だから見よ、夜一時間か二時間しか働かない運び女の収入が一ヶ月千円から五百円を下らないのだ。

さらに運び女は堂々とお客の傍らに侍り、お酌をする、あの享楽面に下された決戦非常措置は一体何のための措置であったであろうか。一たん店に入ってみても出す料理の不正、すべての点からみて業者の九割が全然出たらめであるとの断定をして過言ではあるまい。またかかる食堂の現状を看過している所轄署はどうしたことか。

鐘路界隈：所轄署の取締はどうした。四十八軒の食堂のうち良心的な営業方法をとっている店は果して何軒あろう。遊興街に決戦非常措置の旋風が吹いてここに一年ビール、酒を問わず一本につき七十銭以下の料理一皿という最初の規定（鐘路所轄下）はどこへ吹っ飛んだのか。怪しげな定食が続々と現れ一円五十銭、二円、三円と辿りつくところを知らず、それに伴って料理は量質ともに悪くなって行く。材料がないならないでいい。肴なしで酒が飲めないものでもない。勿論承知しておる。料理をださなくちゃ業者はやって行けない。だが現状はそんな生易しいものでない。かんびん一本を虎の子に暴利を貪る。なかにこんなのがあった。

『定食は切れているがビールだけでも飲みますか』と、お客は喜んだ。だが後から勘定書をもらうとちゃんと定食二円五十銭とつけてある。酒場が世相を反映するものとすれば巷はこんなにも道義に欠けているのか。嘆かわしくなる。表門を頑丈な錠で閉めてしまい、初め行った人間には到底探されそうもない裏門を専用に営業している店もちょっと歩いてみただけで二軒ぶっつかった。警報でもあったらどうするのだろう。ある店ではブランデーと称して盃二杯にもならぬ量を一円二十銭で売っていた。そのほかに料理がつく、また酒にお湯をいれたのか、お湯に酒をいれたのかわからぬ代物もある。マッカリなどでも十円位は飲まないと酔いが廻って来ない。とっくり一本というのが盃に六杯分しかはいっていない。数えあげればいくらでもある。

出でよ公営食堂

結論：食堂は本町と鐘路で二百十八軒である。だが全部が毎日やっているわけではない。配給量が少ないため満足にやれない。甚だしい店は一ヶ月分を二、三日間で売ってしまう。これから先も減配は覚悟しなければならぬ。だがそういう店も依然として従業員がいる。一刻も早く公営の国民食堂に切り替えよ。いまの半分にも三分の一にも減らしてしっかりした食堂をつくり昼食、夜食を切符制にする。そして旅館など食事を全廃して旅行者は食堂で食べる、地域別、時間別にすれば出来ないことではない。そうすれば五十軒位でも京城はやって行ける。そして公営食堂の選定にあたっては決して過去の実績によらずあくまで良心的な業者に委かすことが必要がある。乏しい食糧事情だ。緻密な計画と果敢なる施策で百二十万の食生活を護りぬこう。【写真＝街の食堂全景】

Source: National Library of Korea, Digital Newspaper Archive 

See also: Imperial Japanese and Korean collaborator elite partied in brothels and luxury restaurants while ordinary Koreans starved in wartime Seoul, early 1945 (link)

 

In May 1945, Imperial newspapers in Korea described a hypothetical atomic bomb using nuclear chain reactions that could destroy an entire fleet with a “single matchbox-sized device”

I have been going through Imperial Japanese newspaper articles from over 80 years ago that the National Archives of Korea has recently released through its digital archive, and I came across some very unusual coverage of atomic bombs that really challenges conventional historical narratives. These papers give us a fascinating window into what kind of current event knowledge an educated newspaper-reading public in Korea (and by extension Japan) might have had during the final year of the war.

For example, in December 1944, the Keijo Nippo carried a report claiming that Nazi Germany, under Field Marshal Rundstedt, had already used an “atomic bomb.” Whether this was somehow based on an actual battle event is unclear.

Then, in May 1945, the paper ran a feature on novel weapons being developed by scientists at Keijo Imperial University (the predecessor of Seoul National University). The scientist featured, Professor Honda, was primarily an engine specialist, but he gave an extraordinary explanation of novel weapons—mentioning both rocket torpedoes and atomic bombs. His description of the atomic bomb is strikingly accurate: he explicitly states that it works by exploding the nucleus through a nuclear chain reaction, and that such a device, no bigger than a matchbox, could obliterate an entire fleet in a single stroke. He also acknowledged that Japanese scientists were in an invisible race against “enemy scientists”—clearly suggesting the United States.

This is remarkable, because Honda’s remarks reveal far more technical detail about nuclear weapons than was available to the general American public at the same time in May 1945, when the Manhattan Project was still a closely guarded secret.

One especially interesting comment from Honda is: “There was a time when atomic bombs caused a stir among the public, but before we knew it, they disappeared as mere talk of the town.” This may suggest that the December 27, 1944 report about a German atomic bomb was widely discussed in Korea before being dismissed as rumor.

So by the time the Keijo Nippo reported on the Hiroshima bombing on August 8, 1945, describing it as a “novel-type weapon,” it is very possible that educated readers in Korea already suspected that it was an atomic bomb. They may have understood that it was compact, devastating, and based on nuclear chain reactions. And while this kind of knowledge would have been clearest among the educated, newspaper-reading class, word of mouth could well have spread such ideas to the general public.

TL;DR: Imperial Japanese newspapers in Korea were already talking about atomic bombs months before Hiroshima. A December 1944 article claimed Nazi Germany had used one, and a May 1945 article quoted a Keijo Imperial University professor explaining how atomic bombs work—by exploding the nucleus with a chain reaction, compact but powerful enough to destroy an entire fleet. This was more technical detail than the American public knew at the time, and suggests that by August 1945, educated readers in Korea could have recognized Hiroshima’s destruction as the result of an atomic bomb.

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) December 29, 1944

Germany Uses Atomic Bomb

(Lisbon, 27th – Dōmei News Agency)
A dispatch from London reports: A German radio station announced on the 27th that the German forces under the command of Field Marshal Rundstedt are currently using atomic bombs.

According to the broadcast, in the areas where atomic bombs have been dropped, all plant and animal life has ceased to exist. Forests have been completely incinerated, vast areas have been turned into scorched earth, and anything caught in the massive blast winds is said to have been pulverized into dust.

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) May 26, 1945

Slaughtering an Entire Fleet with a Single Blast
The Emergence of Atomic Bombs is Also Possible
Under the Z-Flag, We Shall Die (Part 1): The Novel Weapons Edition

May 27 marks the 40th Navy Memorial Day. In various parts of Seoul, the Z-flag already flutters proudly, and under this symbol of our forefathers’ glorious traditions and spirit, a surge of fighting resolve is rising. The decisive battle over Okinawa is intensifying day by day, and Korea, too, is hurrying to fortify itself in body and spirit in preparation for the day it becomes a battlefield.

This year’s Navy Memorial Day carries even deeper and more intense significance for our hearts. “The fate of the Empire hangs on this battle"—this phrase has once again become a reality we now face forty years later. Our forefathers, through their victory in that one battle, left behind a brilliant history for us to inherit. Now, as the Z-flag is raised high once again, we, too, pledge under it: “We shall win this battle, resolutely and without fail.” I saw that pledge and surging fighting spirit in the laboratory of the Department of Science and Engineering at Keijo Imperial University.

Scientists, too, are fighting with their entire souls, driven by an ardent wish to complete weapons that will strike without fail. Weapons that will annihilate hundreds and thousands of incoming enemy task forces and aircraft—this is the fervent hope of the entire nation, and it now rests heavily on the shoulders of the scientists. In the foothills of Mt. Bukhan, far from the dust of the city, Professor Honda of the university’s Department of Science and Engineering continues his unseen battle with enemy scientists, devoting himself to researching special internal combustion engines. He paused his experiments to speak passionately about the spirit and aspirations of Japan’s scientists.

"Novel weapons do not appear easily," he began. "There is always a large gap between theory and reality, and we must wait for the sudden inspiration that breaks through after long and difficult thought. Once that new direction is found, the entire power of the nation must be mobilized to carry out mass production—both in quality and quantity."

On the professor’s face was a stern expression, as if reproaching the public for harboring naive hopes about novel weapons.

"The weakness of rocket artillery lies in its imprecise targeting. Right now, scientists around the world are working on how to accurately hit targets using rockets, which are notable for their high speed and simple launching mechanisms. Research aimed at improving the precision of existing weapons may appear plain compared to flashy new inventions, but it is no less important. If we can make rocket projectiles accurate, not a single one of those hateful enemy planes would make it back after flying over our seas or homeland. When considering weapons, we must think on two fronts: First, improving the quality and quantity of existing weapons; second, the appearance of completely novel weapons that catch the enemy off guard. The improvement of existing weapons can hold decisive importance. We should reflect deeply on the example of Germany, which was destroyed despite its novel weapons."

"But Japanese scientists, too, are pouring their entire bodies and souls into their efforts day and night. What might emerge from this is unpredictable. Ideas that once belonged to fantasy or theory confined to the laboratory can suddenly become real. Science has always had a history of breaking through difficulties, so I believe we can place absolute faith in the level of Japanese science."

Although Professor Honda spoke with scholarly humility, he gave a powerful explanation of the real possibility of highly accurate novel torpedoes and atomic bombs capable of annihilating an entire fleet with a single strike.

"As for torpedoes, the enemy is said to have recently developed something like a rocket torpedo. It is launched from an aircraft and flies at high speed through the air for half the distance, then rushes through the water for the rest. Because of its speed, it is believed to have features like reduced deflection from water currents—but the details are unclear. Of course, in Japan, we cannot publicly reveal these developments, but many new innovations are being steadily implemented."

"There was a time when atomic bombs caused a stir among the public, but before we knew it, they disappeared as mere talk of the town. However, scientists are continuing their research into them seriously. Theoretically, they are firmly grounded, and even in experiments, it is possible to photograph the explosion of atoms."

The article then explores the astonishing potential of the atomic bomb—a single matchbox-sized device that could blow enemy warships to pieces.

"The atomic bomb is like someone who has only been eating the flesh of a peach discovering that the seed inside contains even more incredible nourishment. Just as such discovery would completely be a food revolution, the use of atomic energy would represent a complete revolution in the way we use matter, and that could bring upheaval to the history of civilization."

"Up until now, human life has relied on three main types of energy: First, fire; second, the use of explosions to power things like guns and engines; and third, electricity for communication and power. But all of these use the electrons that orbit the outside of atoms. They do not use the real inner power of atoms—the nucleus. The atomic bomb explodes this nucleus. Future research must focus on how to achieve a chain reaction of the nuclei. That is the key. I hope people will believe in the principle that science, after long hardship, can suddenly leap forward and overcome even the most difficult obstacles."

Professor Honda thus emphasized the confident and indomitable spirit of Japan’s scientists. As Navy Memorial Day approaches, this is the fighting spirit being sent from the home front.

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) August 8, 1945

Did the Enemy Use a Novel-Type Bomb?
Small Number of B-29s Raid, Damage to Hiroshima City

Imperial Headquarters Announcement (August 7, 1945, 3:30 PM)

1. On August 6, Hiroshima City sustained considerable damage as a result of an attack by a small number of enemy B-29 aircraft.

2. It appears that the enemy may have used a novel-type bomb in this attack, but the details are currently under investigation.

[Transcription]

京城日報 1944年12月29日

独、原子爆弾を使用

【リスボン二十七日同盟】ロンドン来電＝ドイツの一放送局は二十七日ルントシュテット元帥麾下の独軍が目下原子爆弾を使用している旨放送した。右放送によれば原子爆弾が投下された地域は一切の動植物が生存を停止し森林は焼きつくされ広大な地域を焦土と化し、大爆風に当ったものは誰でも粉微塵になってしまうといわれる。

京城日報 1945年5月26日

一発で全艦隊屠る
原子爆弾の出現も可能
Z旗の下に死なん（上）新兵器篇

二十七日は第四十回海軍記念日である。京城の街の處々には早くもZ旗が翩翻とひるがえり父祖の築きあげた輝かしき伝統と魂に続かむとする戦意はこのZ旗の下に澎湃として沸き起った。沖縄をめぐる決戦の様相は日に日に苛烈の度を加え朝鮮もまた戦場と化する日に備え物心挙げての要塞化が急がれている。

この日に迎えようとする海軍記念日の意義はそれだけ深く強烈にわれらの胸を打つ『皇国の興廃この一戦にあり』は再び四十年後のいまわが皇国が直面した現実である。われらが父祖はこの一戦を勝利をもっていろどり輝かしき歴史をわれらに継がしめた。この日高らかに掲げられたZ旗にわれらもまた誓う『この一戦を断乎勝利へ』とこの誓いと沸る戦意を城大理工学部の研究室に見た。

科学者も精魂をつくして闘っている必生必中の兵器を完成しようとの熱願、来襲機動部隊や敵機が幾百幾千たりともこれを全滅させる兵器―この全国民の熱願はいま科学者の双肩にひっしとのしかかっている。ここ都塵離れた北漢山麓に眦決して敵科学者と見えざる戦いを続ける城大理工学部に特殊内燃機関の研究に没頭する本多教授は実験の手を休めて沸る科学者の戦意と抱負を籠め乍ら語るのだった。

『新兵器は容易に現れるものではない。理論と現実には常に大きな隔たりがあり科学者の永い苦慮を通して突如打開される霊感に俟たなければならない。次にはこの打開された新しい方向には国家の総力を挙げた量と質とへの生産の努力が展開されるのだ』

こう語り出した教授の面には国民が唯新兵器に軽い甘い気持を叱責するような厳しい表情がある。

『ロケット砲の欠点はその照準の不確実にあるが今世界の科学者は如何にしてこの高速度と簡易発射の特長を持つロケットを目的物に命中させるかを研究している。現在ある兵器を単に精度の向上を図るといった研究は奇抜な新兵器の発明よりも地味であるが決して新兵器の発明に劣るものではない。もしロケット弾の精度を決定的にするならばあの憎い敵機を海に本土に邀えて一機も無事に帰えすことはないのだ。兵器は第一に古いものの質と量の向上、第二に全く新しい敵の意表を突く兵器の出現、この二つの面から考えなければならない。古いものの質と量との向上は時に絶対的意義を持つのであって新兵器になお殪れた独逸を深く考えてみねばならない』

『しかし日本科学者も日夜その全身魂をぶちこんで努力しているから何が生れるかは予想も出来ない。全く空想或は実験室の理論であったものが突然現実化する。科学は常に窮しては打開して来た歴史であるから我が日本の科学水準には絶対期待してもよいと思う』

教授の学者らしい謙遜の言葉は必生必中の新型魚雷や精鋭よく一発で全艦隊を屠る原子爆弾の可能性を力強く説くのだった。

『魚雷ではロケット魚雷というものを最近敵で作ったらしい。これは飛行機から放たれた魚雷が行程の半分を高速で飛行し、後の半分を水中で突進するが、速度の大、水流による偏流の減少などの特長があると思われるが、その詳細は不明だ。日本では勿論公表出来ないが新しい工夫はどしどし実施されている。原子爆弾は一時国民に騒がれたが何時の間にか一時の街の話題と消えさったようだ。しかし科学者は之についても真剣に研究を進めている。理論的には厳たる事実であり実験的には原子の爆発を確実に写真に撮ることさえ出来るのだ』

マッチ箱一つで敵艦船を吹き飛ばすというあまりに不思議なこの原子爆弾の威力は掘り下げられる。

『原子爆弾は桃の肉ばかり喰っていた人間が種子の中にもっとすばらしい栄養を発見したようなものだ。これは全く食物の革命だろう。この通り原子エネルギーの利用は全く物質利用の革命であり文明史の動転を意味するほどのものだ。要するに今までの人間生活は三つの面を出でない「火」の利用がその一つ。鉄砲や発動機等を成功させた「爆発」の利用がその二。通信や動力などに活用せられた電気がその三つ。ところが之は総て物質原子の外側を廻る「電子」の力であって原子の真の中味である「核」の力ではない。原子爆弾はこの核を爆発させればよいのであって、今後の研究は核の連鎖反応を如何にして実現するかにあると言ってもよいと思う。科学は長い苦心の後突如飛躍的に難関を打開するという命題には大いに期待してもらいたい』

教授は自身満々たる科学者の精神を強調するのだった。海軍記念日を迎えこれは銃後へ贈る闘魂である。

京城日報 1945年8月8日

敵、新型爆弾を使用か
B29少数来襲、広島市に被害

大本営発表（昭和二十年八月七日十五時三十分）

一、昨八月六日広島市は敵B29少数機の攻撃に依り相当の被害を生じたり。

二、敵は右攻撃に新型爆弾を使用せるものの如きも詳細目下調査中なり。

Source: National Library of Korea – Digital Newspaper Archive

21-year-old Kamikaze pilot Han Jeong-sil (한정실, 韓鼎實) delivering his last testament for radio broadcast before flying to die off Okinawa on June 6, 1945 (inset shows Kamikaze pilot 박동훈, 朴東薫 who died in March 1945)

In June 1945, as Imperial Japan was losing a brutal war against the United States, Korean support for the empire was rapidly unraveling. For years, the Japanese colonial regime had enforced State Shinto and mandatory emperor worship across Korea—forcing everyone, including schoolchildren, to bow toward the Imperial Palace in Tokyo every morning at 7 am in a ritual known as Kyūjō Yōhai (宮城遥拝). But it was becoming clear that no amount of coerced ritual could manufacture genuine Korean loyalty, which the authorities were going to need if the general Korean civilian populace was going to be mobilized into makeshift militias to fight Allied ground forces invading Korea by land.

Original caption: Corporal Kiyohara making an appeal to all Koreans for certain victory

So in desperation, Japan's colonial authorities turned to a new strategy: manufacturing Korean war heroes. Beginning in early 1945, the Keijō Nippo newspaper began idolizing young Korean kamikaze pilots who had died in suicide missions for the Empire. The first two were Matsui Hideo (Korean name In Jae-ung, died on November 29, 1944) and Lim Jang-su (died on December 7, 1944), whose cults of loyalty were pushed hard in January 1945. The Korean war heroes were not limited to deceased kamikaze pilots — one was Park Gwan-bin (박관빈, 朴官彬), a Private First Class in the Imperial Army who sacrificed himself destroying an Allied machine gun nest with an anti-tank explosive in Myanmar.

By June, two more Korean kamikaze pilots had become posthumous heroes: 21-year-old Kiyohara Teijitsu (Korean name Han Jeong-sil, died on June 6, 1945 off Okinawa), born in North Hamgyong province and Seoul resident, and 21-year-old Ōkawa Masaaki (Korean name Park Dong-hun, died on March 29, 1945 off Okinawa). But there was a new propaganda innovation this time—radio broadcasts of the pilots’ own voices, recorded just before they flew their final missions. These “last testaments,” delivered calmly into a microphone, were aired across Korea, creating the eerie effect of fallen heroes speaking from beyond the grave—not unlike the farewell videos of modern suicide bombers.

The film Love and Vows (愛と誓ひ), released in May 1945, fictionalized such a broadcast on vinyl, but Kiyohara’s and Ōkawa’s messages were very real, and played in Korean households and public spaces. His and Ōkawa’s broadcasts were accompanied by emotional newspaper reports on weeping families and patriotic villagers gathered around radios.

A Korean academic has written a (paywalled) paper on the Imperial propagandization of these Korean kamikaze pilots. Additionally, I used a detailed online roster of Kamikaze pilots, compiled by Japanese blogger, to verify their ages, death dates, and Korean names. 

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijō Nippo), June 13, 1945

The Voice of Corporal Kiyohara

I am convinced of the Imperial Nation’s certain victory, and although unworthy, I have received the Imperial command to attack as a member of the Heavenly Sword Unit. I am overwhelmed with tears of gratitude for this profound Imperial favor.

I am a man born on the Korean Peninsula. Though I am an inadequate person, I wish to express, as a token of my loyalty to the nation, the joy of having been born under the rule of the Empire and the benefit I have received from my training as an Imperial soldier—especially to the young people of the Peninsula who remain behind on the home front. I am still immature and unpolished, but if my words can serve in any way as a reference, I would be most happy.

The pure three-thousand-year stream of the Imperial Nation’s history also flows with the lifeblood of us on the Korean Peninsula. I firmly believe that this history is also our own. Ever since the distant Age of the Gods, the bond between Korea and Japan has never been merely that of so-called "next-door neighbors." Even then, our Peninsula was a child of His Majesty, a powerful and integral corner of the Imperial Nation.

Now, our homeland is at war with the United States and Britain. Conscription, long anticipated, has now been extended to us. Moreover, the path to participation in the Imperial Diet has also been opened. Many of our elders and seniors are already fighting. There is no greater honor than this. Now is the time for young men, burning with the purest patriotism, to step forward without hesitation, enter the military ranks, stand shoulder to shoulder with friends in the Japanese mainland, and fight the enemy.

Let us offer our blood and build a new, refreshing Greater East Asia. Let us not remain confined in a small shell, but rather take joy in serving our great parent (the Emperor), and pass on this legacy for a thousand generations. Even now, the solemn and majestic figure of the Chōsen Shrine comes vividly to mind, as do the people who continue to pay their respects there.

As I depart, I hold firm faith in those who will follow after me.
Young Korean people! Live righteously. Live strongly.
And protect the three-thousand-year history of the Imperial Nation.

This is my unwavering prayer.

Let Us Follow This Heroic Cry
Voices of Certain Victory from the Two Divine Falcons, Kiyohara and Ōkawa, Ring Across the Entire Peninsula

“I am convinced of the Imperial Nation’s certain victory, and although unworthy, I have received the Imperial command to attack as a member of the Heavenly Sword Unit. I am overwhelmed with tears of gratitude for this profound Imperial favor.”

Youthful voices, filled with fierce resolve, echoed through towns shrouded in the approaching dusk. At 8:05 p.m. on June 12th, the Seoul Central Broadcasting Station began airing recordings of the final words of two Korean-born Divine Falcons—Corporal Kiyohara Teijitsu (Han Jeong-sil 한정실, 韓鼎實) and Corporal Ōkawa Masaaki (Park Dong-hun 박동훈, 朴東薫).

In that moment, the Peninsula was enveloped in deep emotion. People across the land listened in solemn silence, determined not to miss a single word from the final voices of the Divine Falcons.

Ah, Corporals Kiyohara and Ōkawa—they left these words as a testament to the Peninsula, then boldly hurled themselves against enemy warships, offering their lives for the homeland in crisis.

Now, even the Peninsula is becoming a fierce battlefield. The enemy—those American devils—may invade the Peninsula at any time. Hearing the final cries of these Divine Falcons, who perished this spring as the vanguard of Korean loyalty, brought especially deep emotion to the Korean people.
The loyal spirits of these two Divine Falcons were seared deeply into the hearts of 26 million people, powerfully awakening a renewed fighting spirit.

“I hold firm faith in those who will follow after me”.

Now, the Peninsula is burning with the resolve to answer this trust placed in them by the Divine Falcons, in the depths of profound emotion.

The Voice of Corporal Ōkawa

"As one of His Majesty’s people, I live with purpose. To have encountered such a time when Heaven and Earth flourish—what joy I feel."

Alone with my beloved aircraft, as I quietly surround myself with this song (Mitamiware), my heart is filled with an indescribable emotion.

Even now, I can already see before me the demonic American and British warships and B-29s. I cannot remain still. I am convinced that the spirits of those who came before us—our seniors, our fathers, and our elder sisters—are with us here, helping us.

Having come to this point, I shall demonstrate the skills forged by our instructors and assistant instructors through their blood and sweat, and I shall prove the strength of this spirit they instilled in us.

Even if our great battle achievements are never printed in the newspapers, I shall strike a blow—one aircraft, one warship. I will smash myself into that hateful enemy vessel and shatter my body into pieces.

To protect our history—let every person from the Peninsula become a special attack warrior and preserve this history for eternity. Know that this is the path we must take.

Let us all, swearing by the five articles of the Special Attack Code, raise the flag of the Rising Sun high and proud.

Father, Mother—please remain well. I deeply apologize for being such an unfilial son who has caused you many worries. But I believe that in light of this noble cause, you will forgive me. I go forward in high spirits.

To my younger brother and sister: Forgive your older brother for never having been able to care for you or do anything for you. Be strong. Live with pride and courage.

Lastly, for the first and only time in my life, I have composed a verse straight from my heart:

"Summoned to Yasukuni, this body—what regret can I have?"

Tear-Streaked Faces Lean Toward the Radio
Villagers Gather for the Broadcasts of the Two Corporals
A Stern Father Nods, a Sobbing Mother Weeps

As the soft crimson sun sank behind the western ridgeline, the lights suddenly flicked on. Gathered beside the altar were eleven members of the household, including the stern father Yeong-bin (영빈, 永彬), age 53, the mother Yeong-sook (영숙, 永淑), age 50, the second eldest brother Jeong-sun (정순, 鼎淳), and even the eldest brother’s grandchildren. They sat formally before the radio, holding their breath, awaiting the voice of their departed loved one.

Original caption: The Kiyohara family gathering together to listen to their son's broadcast.

That day, the home of the fallen Corporal Kiyohara Teijitsu (Jeong-sil) filled with villagers who had come to honor his noble sacrifice. They overflowed from inside the house into the yard, yearning for the sacred moment.

The second brother, Jeong-pil (정필, 鼎弼), age 27, had tested the radio repeatedly throughout the day, wearing a worried expression, fearing that static might interfere.

From across the quiet compound, the croaking of frogs echoed gently through the evening haze, accentuating the solemn stillness of the home.

At 8:05 PM, the solemn voice of the broadcaster announced the beginning of the program. The family members bowed in unison, placing both hands on the floor and lowering their heads.

“I am convinced of the Imperial Nation’s certain victory, and although unworthy, I have received the Imperial command to attack as a member of the Heavenly Sword Unit. I am overwhelmed with tears of gratitude for this profound Imperial favor.”

It was a strong, succinct voice, emblematic of the fierce fighting spirit of the late corporal.

"I am a man born on the Korean Peninsula. Though I am an inadequate person, I wish to express, as a token of my loyalty to the nation, the joy of having been born under the rule of the Empire and the benefit I have received from my training as an Imperial soldier—especially to the young people of the Peninsula who remain behind on the home front."

Villagers listening intently to the radio also bowed their heads deeply in silence. As the departed son spoke of the historical significance of Japanese-Korean unification and expressed joy in living as a subject of the Empire, his stern father, Yeong-bin, nodded repeatedly and closed his eyes in deep reflection. His mother, Yeong-sook, was already overcome with tears. She clenched her teeth to endure, but sobs escaped through her trembling lips. She was gripped by the memory of their final parting—when her son, Corporal Jeong-sil, had gently lifted her hand to his forehead in farewell and softly said, “Mother, you are still working so hard,” as he quietly stroked her worn, calloused hand. A single tear rolled down the father’s cheek and dropped silently into the hands folded on his lap. No one reached to wipe away their tears.

"As I depart, I hold firm faith in those who will follow after me. Young Korean people! Live righteously. Live strongly. And protect the three-thousand-year history of the Imperial Nation. This is my unwavering prayer."

The broadcast ended abruptly.

No one raised their head.

Following this, a poem was solemnly recited—a farewell verse left behind, beginning with "a young cherry tree was raised in the fields of the Peninsula..." The broadcast of Corporal Ōkawa’s message then began.

As the family listened, in tears, to the voice of the son and brother who had become one with the gods, the father, Yeong-bin, gently calmed them. He straightened his posture with dignity and listened attentively to Corporal Ōkawa’s broadcast.

Though brief, the broadcast was listened to by all with a longing and joy that surged from the depths of their hearts.

“He did it, he did it!” “He did such a great thing!”

As the program ended, voices of awe and admiration broke out from the crowd that had gathered.

Among them, a young man, trembling with emotion, cried out,

“Kiyohara-kun, you really did it. I will—I will do it too! I will follow after you!”

Tears streamed down his face, yet he made no attempt to wipe them away. He pledged before the spirit of the deceased.

Truly, that vow embodied the unshakable determination of the young men of the Peninsula’s home front, swearing to follow in the path of the shattered-yet-glorious Divine Falcons, Kiyohara and Ōkawa.

And in the softly swaying shadows of the incense smoke, the smiling portrait of the late Corporal Kiyohara Jeong-sil seemed to radiate with a quiet, resolute smile.

Photos: (top) Corporal Kiyohara making an appeal to all Koreans for certain victory; (bottom) The Kiyohara family gathering together to listen to their son's broadcast.

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijō Nippo), June 11, 1945

“From School to Battlefield”
A ‘Child of the Great Sky’ Who Bloomed in Death
The Home of the Brave, Corporal Kiyohara, Heavy with the Fragrance of Honor

Surrounded on three sides by lush green mountains, the home of the brave Divine Falcon Corporal Kiyohara Jeong-sil, heavy with the fragrance of valor, stands in 274 Jōdō-chō, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul.

His stern father, Mr. Kiyohara Yeong-bin, had long served in government positions, and the family relocated many times across the country. Corporal Kiyohara, the third son, was born in Gyeongseong, North Hamgyong Province. After transferring between the Orang and Jubuk (주북, 朱北) Public Schools, he graduated from Bakcheon Public School, and then entered the Mining Department of Seoul Technical High School.

Corporal Kiyohara (top right), his father Yeong-bin (bottom left)

While in his third year, he was filled with a burning sense of loyalty and enrolled in the Imperial Army Youth Aviation School. There, he displayed a natural talent and, in [year and month redacted], received the Army Air Corps General's Prize, the highest honor for a student pilot.

Afterward, he trained at [base name redacted], and with great enthusiasm, deployed to the front. He joined the Heavenly Sword Unit and dove into the enemy formation, falling gloriously in battle, giving his life to the eternal cause.

Surviving family members include his stern father, Yeong-bin, his kind mother, Yeong-sook, his eldest brother Jeong-sun (age 32), who is a teacher at Ilsan Public School in Jangdan County, and his second eldest brother Jeong-pil (age 27), who works at the Seoul City Office. He also had two younger brothers and three sisters.

His father, Mr. Yeong-bin, now speaks of his late son while holding the pocket watch awarded for the Aviation General's Prize and a single cigarette bestowed upon the Heavenly Sword Unit members when it was formed.

“He simply fulfilled his natural duty as a loyal subject of His Majesty the Emperor. That child was always saying, ‘I am a child of the great sky, a child of the great sky.’ Even though he knew the time and place of his death, he smiled brightly like a child and said that, when he returned, he wanted to make our house look nicer. When he graduated from the Youth Aviation School, his older brothers encouraged him to advance to the Air Officer Preparatory School or Aviation Officer School, but he firmly refused. He said that on the front lines, people were waiting—waiting for someone like him to arrive even a second sooner. Hearing him say that, we felt ashamed of ourselves.”

“Before departing from [base name redacted] after being assigned to the Heavenly Sword Unit, he stopped briefly at home. He asked me to write something on the Rising Sun flag. I wrote, ‘Special Attack Unit.’ He smiled and left. Now, I am simply overwhelmed with gratitude—he truly did well.”

[Transcription]

京城日報 1945年6月13日

清原伍長の声

皇国の必勝を確信し不肖このたび天剣隊の一員として出陣の大命を拝し皇恩の深きに感泣する次第であります。

私は半島に生れた者であります。拙き身ながら皇国に生を享けた喜びと帝国軍人としての修養の一端を銃後の特に若い半島の青少年の方々に報国のつもりで申し上げます。未だ〇〇の未熟の者でありますが何かと参考になれば多幸と存じます。

皇国の清い三千年の流れには私達半島の血潮も咲いております。又一面この歴史は私達の歴史であると信じます。遠い神代からの御交りは俗にいう隣組ではなかったのであります。既にその時から私達の半島は陛下の赤子であり、皇国の力強き一角でありました。

今や私達の祖国は米英と戦っているのであります。私達にも待望の徴兵制が布かれ、また帝国議会参与の途も拓かれたではありませんか。多くの先輩達は戦っています。こんな光栄なことはありません。今こそ若き愛国の至誠に燃ゆる青少年諸君は何のよどみもなく軍門に入り内地の友と伍し敵と戦うべきです。

血潮を捧げ涼しい新たな大東亜を築くべきです。小さな殻に据われず大親に仕える喜びを味わい千載まで貽しましょう。斯くいういまでも森厳な朝鮮神宮の麗姿が、また引き続き参拝せられる人々が目に浮かんで来ます。征くにあたり後へつづく者を堅く信じます。半島の青少年よ、正しく強く生き皇国三千年の歴史を守らんことを祈って已みません。

この雄叫びに我ら続かん
清原・大河両神鷲・全半島に必勝の声

『皇国の必勝を確信し不肖このたび天剣隊の一員として出陣の大命を拝し、皇恩の深きに感泣する次第であります』

烈しい決意を秘めた若々しい声が夕闇迫る町々に響きわたった。十二日午後八時五分、半島が生んだ二神鷲清原鼎実、大河正明伍長の最後の言葉を伝える録音放送が京城中央放送局から開始されたのである。一瞬半島は深い感激に包まれ、神鷲最後の声を一言も聞き洩らすまいと静かに耳を澄ませるのだった。

ああ清原、大河両伍長はこの言葉を半島に遺して敢然敵艦艇に体当たり、危急の祖国に殉じたのだ。

今や半島も苛烈な戦場と化しつつある。敵米鬼はいつ半島に来冠せぬとも限らない。この秋半島尽忠の魁けと散った神鷲の最後の叫びを聞く半島の感激は一しお深く、両神鷲の忠魂は二千六百万の胸底にしっかと灼きつけられ新たな闘魂を逞しくよび起したのであった。

『後に続く者を堅く信じます』

半島はいま深い感動のうちにこの神鷲の信頼に応える決意に燃えきっているのだ。

大河伍長の声

御民われ生ける験しあり、天地の栄ゆる時に遇えらく思えば」独り愛機と共に静かにこの歌に包まれるとき、なんともいえない気持ちで胸一杯であります。もういまでも鬼畜米英の軍艦或はB29が目前にみえて来てじっとしておられません。必ずやここには先輩或は父姉等の精神が籠っていて我々を助けてくれると思います。こうなればきっときっと長い間教官、助教殿より血と汗をもってつくられた腕やこの精神でやってみせます。

大きな戦果が新聞に載らずとも一機一艦あの憎い艦にぶつかって身を粉々にしてみせます。歴史を護る半島人一人一人が特攻隊となってこの歴史を永遠に保ってくれ。それが我々の進べき道と思ってくれ。そうして五ヶ条の精神に誓って日の丸の旗を高く翻えそうではないか。

お父さん、お母さん。元気でいて下さい。いろいろ御心配かけた不孝者洵にすみません。しかしこの際の大義にはこのことをお許し下さることと思って元気で征きます。

弟よ、妹よ。兄は可愛がることも何も出来なかったことを許して、力強くそうして立派にやってくれ。最後に生れて初めての一句を心づくままに作ってみました。

靖国に召されるからだ如何せん。

耳傾ける涙の顔
両伍長の放送に集う村人たち
頷く厳父に嗚咽の母

薄紅の陽が西の山嶺に沈むとパッと電灯がともった。厳父永彬さん（五三）母掌永淑さん（五〇）を初め次兄の鼎淳さん以下長兄のお孫さんまで入れて一家十一人が祭壇の横に据えたラジオの前に端座し、固唾をのんで声の対面を待った。

この日神鷲清原鼎実伍長の録音放送を待つ生家には故伍長の遺烈を慕う村の人達が室内から庭前にまで溢れて聖なるひとときを待ちわびていた。

次兄の鼎弼さん（二七）は昼間から何度もラジオの試聴をして雑音が入らねばよいがと案じ顔だった。

烟の面を伝って蛙の声が尊い家の静寂を引き立たせている。

八時五分放送員の厳粛な声が放送開始を告げると家族は等しく両手をついて頭を垂れた。

『皇国の必勝を確信し不肖このたび天剣隊の一員として出陣の大命を拝し皇恩の深きに感泣する次第であります』

熾烈なる故伍長の闘魂を象徴するような力強く簡潔な語調である。

『私は半島に生れた者であります。拙き身ながら皇国に生を享けた喜びと帝国軍人としての修養の一端を銃後の特に若い半島の青少年の方々に報国のつもりで申し上げます』

じっとラジオに耳傾ける村の人達も深々と頭を垂れて聴き入った。内鮮一体の歴史的意義を解明し皇国の民としての喜びを語る我児の言葉に厳父の永彬さんはうんうんとうなる様に相槌を打ちながらじっと眼を閉じて聴き入った。女親の永淑さんはもうすっかり涙である。じっとこらえて喰いしばる歯の間から嗚咽が洩れる。最後の帰郷の時、母親の手をそっと押し頂いた鼎実伍長が『お母さんまだ苦労していますね』と脂気の失せた手を静かにさすってくれた在りし日の思出がぐんと胸を衝きあげてくるのだった。父親の頬を一筋すっとながれたものがボトリと膝に重ねた手の中に落ちた。誰一人涙を拭う者すらない。

『征くに当り後へ続く者を堅く堅く信じます。半島の青少年よ、正しく強く生き皇国三千年の歴史を守らんことを祈って止みません』ぶつりと終った。誰一人頭を上げようとはしない。続いて半島の野辺に育ちし若櫻．．．外一首の遺詠が荘重に朗誦され、大河伍長の録音放送に入った。

神と去りましし我児我兄の声に唯涙して聴き入る家族の者を父親の永彬さんは静かにたしなめると威儀を正して大河伍長の放送を傾聴した。

ほんの僅かな放送時間ではあったが、肚の底からこみあげてくる懐しさ、嬉しさで聴き入った人達である。

『やったやった』『よくやってくれたなあ』放送が終ると同時に集い寄った人群のなかから感嘆の声が巻き起った。なかに年若い青年は感激に身をふるわせ、『清原君やってくれたか。俺も俺もきっとやるぞ。あとから続くぞ』とあふれる涙を拭いもやらず霊前に誓う者もいた。まことこの誓いこそ玉と砕けし清原、大河両神鷲に誓う若き半島銃後の固い決意でもあるのだ。心なしかゆらぐ香煙の影に凛たる故清原鼎実伍長の遺影もまた莞爾とほほえんだことであろう。

写真＝（上）全半島に必勝を呼びかける清原伍長、図内は大河伍長（下）我子の放送に一家揃って聴き入る清原家

京城日報 1945年6月11日

『進学より戦場へ』
散って咲いた『大空の子』
武勲一入薫る清原伍長の生家

三面を翠緑の山に囲まれて武勲一入薫る神鷲清原鼎実伍長の生家は京城府永登浦区上道町二七四だ。厳父永彬氏は多年官界に勤め、各地に転勤したが、同伍長は咸北鏡城にて三男として生れ、漁郎、朱北両国民学校に転学の後、博川国民学校を卒業。京城工業学校鉱山科に進学。三年在学中殉忠の意気に燃え、〇〇少年航空学校に入学。在学中は生まれながらの才能を発揮し〇年〇月少年飛行士の最高の栄誉たる陸軍航空総監賞を受け、その後〇〇基地にて訓練を積んでいたが、勇躍前線に出勤、天剣隊の一員に加り敵陣に突入散華し悠久の大義に生き抜いたのである。

遺家族は厳父永彬氏、慈母永淑さん、長兄徳淳（三二）＝長湍郡一山国民学校訓導＝次兄鼎弼（二七）＝京城府庁勤務＝がおり、その外二人の弟と三名の姉妹がいる。厳父永彬氏は航空監賞の懐中時計と天剣隊編成時に賜わった恩賜の煙草一本を前にして在りし日のわが子を思いながら語る。

天皇陛下の赤子として当然の本分を尽くしただけで、あの子は何時も『大空の子、大空の子』といっていましたが、死に場所も時も知っていながら帰って来たらもっと家を綺麗にすると子供のように朗らかに笑っていました。また少年航空学校を卒業した時に兄達が航空予科士官、航空士官へと進学を進めたが、あの子はきっぱり断り第一線では自分等を一瞬でも早く来るのを待っているといった時は却って私達が恥ずかしくなったのです。

天剣隊に編入され〇〇基地に出発する前に家に一寸よったが日の丸の旗に何か書いてくれといわれといわれたので『特攻隊』と書いてやったらにっこりと笑って征きました。ただただ今はよくやってくれたということで胸一杯です。

Sources:

• National Library of Korea - Digital Newspaper Archive
• Kamikaze Pilot Deceased List (特別攻撃隊 戦没者名簿)
• 이형식. (2012). 太平洋戦争時期における帝国日本の軍神作り — 『毎日新聞』の朝鮮人特攻隊報道を中心に (韓鼎実 / 清原鼎実). 日本學硏究, 37, 193–217. Retrieved from [earticle.net Article A184665]

Minor note: There is one place in the published articles where Jeong-sun (鼎淳) is mentioned as the second eldest brother (次兄), but this is probably a typographical error. Jeong-pil (鼎弼) is mentioned as the second eldest brother twice elsewhere in the articles.