Korean family of radio broadcasting official lived under the Samurai code, spoke only Japanese, and taught their children kenshibu (interpretive dance with katana sword performed to poetry) (Gye-dong Seoul 1942)

 

(Notes)

Back row, left-to-right: mother Keiko (38), son Kenkichi, daughters Eiko (18), Akiko (15), father Shōsei/Changseong (창성) (45)

Front row, left-to-right: daughters Kōkichi (3), Tokuko (8), paternal grandmother, daughters Kenko (11), Mitsuko (6)

The children of the Yahata family were taught shigin, the art of Japanese poetry recitation that was chanted in a melody. They also learned kenbu or kenshibu, a traditional Japanese interpretive dance with katana sword performed to shigin. 

The Yahata family lived in a desirable part of Seoul near the home of Colonel Prince Yi U, a member of the imperial family of Korea as a prince, the head of Unhyeon Palace, and a lieutenant colonel in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. He was killed during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The home was well within walking distance of Gyeonggi Girls' High School, which daughters Eiko and Akiko attended, and Jaedong Elementary School, which daughters Kenko and Tokuko attended (showing 1933 map of Seoul).

This location is still in a desirable neighborhood in Seoul today, as shown in the latest Google Map:

The father was the head of the Second Broadcasting Department of Seoul's radio station. From reading the pages of Keijo Nippo, it seems like Seoul had only one radio station at the time, and there was a First Broadcasting Department and a Second Broadcasting Department. In general, the First Department handled radio programming before noon, and the Second Department handled radio programming in the afternoon and evenings. In the late 1930's, there was usually a little bit of Korean language programming here and there - a 30-minute news program in the morning with an extra 30 minutes of some talk show, but by the early 1940's, even that disappeared, and the only Korean language programming available was generally for Japanese language courses taught partly in Korean.

The second article is about the orphans at the orphanage Hyangrinwon (향린원/香隣園), featured in the 1941 Korean-language movie Homeless Angels (Japanese-language synopsis here, Korean-language synopsis here) about a Korean doctor who builds an orphanage, saves a pair of siblings from the streets, and gathers them under the Imperial Japanese flag to pledge their loyalty as Imperial subjects. This article also mentions a conscription order, but in 1942, this was a call for volunteers and an announcement of an upcoming mandatory military draft in the future.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) May 21, 1942

Unification of Japan and Korea starts with the Japanese language

Japanese-style clothing is favored

Encourage the regular use of the Japanese language from childhood, say Mr. Yahata Shōsei and his wife.

Mr. Yahata Shōsei (45), whose address is 140-5 Gyedong, has worked for the broadcasting station for 15 years since its establishment and is currently the head of the Second Broadcasting Department. He is also a happy regular speaker of the Japanese language. When I visited the family on May 20, his wife Keiko (38) greeted me affectionately and the couple told me the following. [Photo: the Yahata family] 

"Since we went to school for Japanese people from the time we were in elementary school, we have always used the Japanese language from an early age, so our own children naturally also use only Japanese in daily conversations.

My mother, however, speaks Korean only in passing, and we wear Western or Japanese clothes. My wife has never worn Korean clothes before, and she has become completely used to wearing Japanese clothes, saying that she prefers wearing them. Ten years ago, I injured my foot in the train, and I had no choice but to wear Korean clothes, because it would otherwise have been very cumbersome when sitting down or wearing geta (wooden Japanese sandals)", Shōsei said regretfully. His wife Keiko spoke,

"The most important thing is that the colonial people who will take on the responsibility of the next generation of the Japanese Empire should be trained to have a strong, correct, and bright spirit. To be of service as true Imperial subjects in the future, we must first get our children used to a lifestyle similar to that of the Japanese people. At the same time, I believe that the most important thing is to educate families to nurture the spirit of Bushidō (Japanese samurai code), which is unique to Japan, in their daily lives. For this reason, we invite teachers into our home every day to teach our children kenbu (interpretive dance with katana sword performed to traditional music and poetry) and Japanese poetry recitation (shigin).

Especially last year, at around the time of Sōshi-kaimei (the 1940 ordinance pushing Koreans to adopt Japanese names), my husband was very happy and said that it was a great honor. Our son is named Kenkichi, but based on the six Chinese characters (英明賢徳光興) in the Japanese proverb saying, 'gloriously prosperous are the outstanding, smart, wise, and virtuous', we named our six daughters using those six Chinese characters as follows: Our eldest daughter is named Eiko (英子, 18 years old), who graduated from Gyeonggi Girls' High School. Our second daughter is named Akiko (明子, 15 years old), third year student at the same school. Our third daughter is named Kenko (賢子, 11 years old), fourth year student at Jaedong Elementary School. Our fourth daughter is named Tokuko (徳子, 8 years old), second year student at the same school. Our fifth daughter is named Mitsuko (光子, 6 years old) and our sixth daughter is named Kōkichi (興吉, 3 years old).

From now on in these times, the Korean people will also use the Japanese language regularly. I believe that this will help us to achieve the fruits of Japanese-Korean unification more quickly. I believe that the most important thing is to speak the Japanese language without hesitation to everyone. Since it is impossible to pronounce Japanese words correctly unless they are spoken from an early age, it is absolutely necessary to encourage the use of the Japanese language from childhood first and foremost."

Spurring the Training of "Strong Little Citizens"

Seoul Shōgi Academy

At the Seoul Shōgi Academy in Shin'ei-machi, School Director Kaneda has been devoting himself to providing free Imperial Japanese education to more than 20 "homeless angels" from the orphanage Hyangrinwon (향린원/香隣園), and has earned the gratitude and trust of all concerned. As the conscription order was issued to Korean compatriots on April 9th, people were moved by the greatness of his divine generosity. "To repay the honor of this conscription order, we must improve the physical condition of the little citizens," he said, and he designated every Wednesday as a physical training day for all the students. On that day, he mobilized all the children, numbering more than 460, and actively conducted disciplined group training.

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-05-21

Reddit Link: 

https://www.reddit.com/r/korea/comments/tqcdwl/korean_family_of_radio_broadcasting_official/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

(Transcription)

京城日報　1942年5月21日

内鮮一体は『国語』から

服装も内地好み

幼少時から常用を奨励せよ、八幡昌成氏夫人語る

放送局創立以来満十五年勤務、現在第二放送部長、桂洞町一四〇ノ五、八幡昌成氏（四五）方も嬉しい国語常用家で、二十日同家を訪れると慶子夫人（三八）は愛想よく迎えながら次の如く語った。【写真＝八幡さんの一家】

『私達は小学校の時分から内地人側の学校に行っていたので、幼少の頃からずっと国語を常用しておりますので、子供達も自然日常の会話なども国語ばかりを用いています。

只私の母がちょっとした弾みに朝鮮語を話す位で、服装も洋服か和服を着用し、夫人は今まで一度も朝鮮服を着たことがなく和服姿にもすっかり馴れて、「着物は和服に限るよ」といっていますが、私は十年前の或る日、電車で足を負傷したため、それからは下駄も履けず坐る時にも非常に困るので、仕方なく私だけが朝鮮服を着ていますよ』と口惜しそうに語り、

『最も大事なのは、これから次代の帝国を背負って起つ第二国民を強く正しく明るい精神を培い、将来真の皇民としてお役に立つためには子供等を先ず内地人同様の生活様式に馴らせると同時に、そうした日常生活のうちに日本固有の武士道精神を養うような家庭教育が一番必要だと思います。これがため、家の子供等には毎日先生を招いて剣舞や詩吟等も教えています。

特に去年、創氏制度の時には、主人が非常に喜んで「これは目出度いことだ」と長男健吉を除く六人の娘は英明賢徳にして光興であるという日本の言葉を基に長女は英子（一八）＝京畿高女卒業＝次は明子（一五）＝同校三年＝三女は賢子（一一）＝斉洞国民学校四年＝四女は徳子（八つ）＝同校二年＝五女は光子（六つ）、六女は興吉（三つ）と名付けました。

これからは、もう半島人も国語常用の時代ですね。これによってより早く内鮮一体の実を挙げることが出来ると存じます。国語常用には世間や相手方に遠慮なく話すことが何より大事だと思っておりますが、言葉は幼少の時分からでないと、正確な発音が出来ませんから、国語常用は先ず何よりも子供の時分から大いに奨励することが絶対必要であると存じます。』

”強い小国民”の錬成に拍車

京城彰義学院

新栄町京城彰義学院では金田院長の肝煎りで香隣園の『家なき天使』二十余名を収容、無料で皇民教育を授け、関係者から感謝と信望が寄せられているが、去る九日半島同胞に徴兵令発布されるや、聖恩の鴻大無辺に感激。『この光栄に報ゆるには小国民の体位向上を図らねばならぬ』と毎週水曜日を全院生の体育錬成日と定め、同日は四百六十余名の全児童を総動員して規律正しい団体訓練を積極的に行っている。