Vegetable rationing in 1943 Seoul was measly (~200 grams a day per person), monotonous (mostly bok choy and daikon radish), and controlled by Patriotic Groups, the local arm of the ruling party of Japan-colonized Korea - severe shortages of carrots, taro roots, yams, all sold on the black market

This article talks about vegetable shortages in Korea in December 1943, two years into an all-out war against the US. In response to widespread vegetable shortages and the proliferation of black markets, colonial authorities implemented a rationing system for vegetables, where vegetable supplies were funneled into a centralized distribution point, and then distributed to non-households (including restaurants) and households, where each person was allotted a measly vegetable ration of about 200 grams per day. The situation with eggs, meat, and fish was also dire. Not surprisingly, ordinary citizens were encouraged to grow their own food and forage for edible wild plants.

Patriotic Groups (local neighborhood cells) were in charge of vegetable rationing. The Korean Federation of National Power (国民総力朝鮮連盟, 국민총력조선연맹), the single ruling party of Japan-colonized Korea, organized these patriotic groups (愛国班, aikoku-han or aeguk-ban) to control the colonized population at the local level. Members of the cells would report each other for infractions, perhaps for breaking rules like speaking Korean in public. They would also organize 'patriotic' activities like worship rituals at Shinto shrines, mandatory Shinto prayer sessions twice a day, etc. Food rationing was often withheld when a cell member refused to participate in Shinto worship at shrines. Similar local cell organizations still exist in countries like Cuba and North Korea.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Daily (Keijo Nippo) December 18, 1943

Selfishness leading to rotting vegetables

Dry Storage in Preparation for Winter

Tomorrow's posture to win through to victory

A Focus on Eating Habits (2) (Vegetable Edition)

A pile of green onions at a central market in Seoul.

A considerable amount of daikon radishes and bok choy, which had arrived in considerable quantities during the fall and early winter for processing into pickles, has rotted away. This was due to the fact that the vegetable buying teams that were dispatched to the surrounding countryside in the fall brought in a larger quantity than expected, and the efforts by the Seoul government to collect the vegetables were betrayed by the individualistic behavior of the people of Seoul.

The fact that these bok choy and daikon radishes, which arrived at the central market everyday, were left to rot during wartime due to the lack of consumption by the consumers is an indication that it is impossible to simply sum up the situation by using the word "wasteful".

While there was a huge surplus of these vegetables, there were still households in need of more vegetables for pickling. With these contradictions in mind, the vegetable problem was dealt with by the Seoul Central Fruit and Vegetable Corporation, the receiving agency of the Seoul government under the Korean Fruit and Vegetable Storage Regulations, and in October all vegetables were put under a strong wartime distribution system.

The 560 newly designated vegetable retailers formed blocks for each town council. While maintaining close relations with their own town councils, they began centralized distribution of vegetables to the Patriotic Groups through the town councils.

However, when it came to rationing, the green vegetables were always the same: daikon radish and bok choy, with the occasional small amount of lotus roots and burdock roots. However, carrots, taro roots, and other special vegetables have all but disappeared from rations.

This has caused some controversy, and we asked Mr. Masaji Toya, president of Seoul Central Fruits and Vegetables Corporation, to explain the phenomenon of carrots, burdock roots, yams, and other vegetables making appearances in the public market, albeit being sold openly at horribly high black market prices.

He explained that the rationing of vegetables to retailers is allocated based on the population living in the district to which the retailers belong, so there is no need to worry about the rations being small because of the small number of retailers in certain districts. According to the Patriotic Groups, the vegetables are apparently being rationed equally by household. However, since rationing by the central market to the retailers is done based on population, it is appropriate for the town councils and Patriotic Groups to allocate rations based on the number of families, not based on the number of households.

The shortage of vegetables in general seems to be a problem, but the green vegetables shipments have been rationed at an allocation of 70% for households and 30% for non-home use, and we actually plan on reducing the allotment for non-home use even further. We know that the amount of carrots, burdock roots, tubers, and other vegetables that make it to the kitchens of ordinary people from the retailers is very small due to their very small shipments. But we would like you to endure some shortages with the intention of establishing a wartime lifestyle. We would like the people of Seoul to understand that most of the retailers in town are not selling in the free market, but rather putting all their effort into distributing the vegetables to the Patriotic Groups through the town councils.

It has been said that, the fact that there are special vegetables available at restaurants means that, if we had to distribute these especially scarce special vegetables to 1.2 million households, then the rations would not amount to as much as the tip of a pinky finger. However, if we had a clearly known supply amount of special vegetables along with a good prospect of distributing them to all households, even if it was a little bit, we would be able to distribute the special vegetables in a more orderly fashion. The fact that matsutake mushrooms, which were particularly scarce this fall, were all allocated to restaurant use may have been the cause of the misunderstanding.

In addition, the black market is considerable, and the fact that the market offers a wide range of products at high prices means that undesignated producers from the surrounding areas are appearing in the vicinity of the markets as smugglers, so we have no choice but to wait and see what the economic police authorities will do to crack down on this. The 22 public markets and department stores in Seoul have buffer zones where there is a free market of goods other than those rationed by the town councils. When a given vegetable shipment is small, then those vegetables are not rationed.

Since the introduction of controlled rationing, rations distributed by town councils have not been plentiful, but they have been adequate, and the fact that the vegetables are not distributed to general households is due to the small amount of vegetables arriving at the markets. The market strives to secure 50 to 70 momme (187.5 to 262.5 grams) of vegetables per person per day, and they are receiving close to this amount of vegetables, but there may be some shortages from this time through the winter season.

Regarding the rationing by the retailers to the town councils, when the vegetable shipment is small, free market sales are carried out after discussions with the town council. The first priority is to secure sufficient amounts of vegetables to avoid these free market sales, but shipments of vegetables to the market are getting smaller due to transportation problems and pricing issues.

We asked about the winter supplies of vegetables and future countermeasures….

The Seoul government seems to be working on a concrete plan for the frozen storage of vegetables, but we have no choice but to expect shipments of winter vegetables from producing areas and distribute them according to the amount of vegetables received. To cope with the annual shortage of vegetables from late December to around March, we would like to ask consumers to try to store dried vegetables, such as by splitting and drying daikon radishes which are plentiful in early fall, and storing bok choy tightly wrapped in newspaper sheets in a corner of the kitchen. The market is also doing its best to collect shipments as much as possible. In addition, when shipment amounts are very small, all free market sales will be suspended, and non-home use allocations will be reduced and redirected to general households instead.

Future measures include a registration system to connect traders and consumers, and having town councils take charge of all rationing. Retailers will be strengthened by having them assume full responsibility for rationing. We will carefully select retailers to ensure proper rationing. We are currently conducting a fact-finding survey of designated retailers, and we are readily taking action against those retailers who are of bad character in order to ensure that rationing is strictly enforced.

Regarding fruits, it seems that a few tangerines have been distributed recently for New Year's Day, and apples have been seen from time to time, but persimmons and other fruits have not been seen at all. Fruits are also distributed by designated retailers through the town councils in the same way as vegetables, but there is almost no supply at all. We will soon receive a considerable amount of apples, but we are trying to collect all the fruit that comes in, even if only a little, as rations for the town councils, so that we can give the fighting residents of Seoul a taste of the four seasons. [Photo: A pile of green onions that have just arrived.]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-12-18

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年12月18日

野菜腐らす「利己」　蔬菜篇

冬枯れに備え乾燥貯蔵

勝ち抜くあすの構え

食生活を衝く②

秋から初冬にかけて相当量入荷した漬物用大根、白菜が相当に腐った。これは秋に近郊へ押し出した野菜買出し部隊の自家搬入が思ったより大量だったことが原因し、集荷に努めた府の努力が府民の個人本位な行動に裏切られたといってもよい。

連日中央市場に入荷するこれら白菜、大根が需要者の不消化から戦時下に立ち腐りさせられたということは勿体ないの一言では遂げない或る示唆を含んでいる。

これら蔬菜がくさる程余った反面、まだまだ漬物用野菜が足りなくて困った家庭もあった。こうした矛盾を含んだ儘、蔬菜問題は朝鮮青果物貯蔵規制に基いて京城府の荷受機関は京城中央青果株式会社が実行することとなって、十月野菜類は一切決戦下の強力な配給機構に完備された。

かくして新たに指定された五百六十軒の蔬菜小売商は各町会毎にブロックを作り、所属町会と密接な関係を保ちながら町会を通じて愛国班へと一元的な配給へ乗り出した訳であるが、

さて配給となってみると廻ってくる青物はやはり大根や白菜等同じ物ばかりで時たま蓮根や牛蒡（ウマフブキ）がほんの少々配給されるが人参、里芋などから特殊の野菜はバッタリと影を断ち姿を見せないが、一度料理屋などに行けば松茸や其の他の青物がちゃんと出てくる。

そこでまた面白からぬ物議をかもす次第で一方公設市場などに行けば人参、牛蒡、山芋などの姿はあるが、恐ろしい位の闇値で公然と売りさばかれてゆくといった現象に対して京城中央青果株式会社社長戸谷正路氏の説明を求めた。

小売商への配給は所属する地区の居住人口を基準として配給量を割り当てているので、ある地区内に業者が少ないから配給も少ないという憂は無い。愛国班に依っては世帯毎に均一に割っている様だが市場から小売商への配給が人口でやっている以上町会、班の割り当ても世帯数でなく家族数で配給するのが適正である。

一般蔬菜の不足をかこっている様だが入荷した青物は家庭用七割、非家庭用三割の率で割り当て配給を行っているが、実際はまだ非家庭用を減少するつもりである。人参にしても牛蒡、芋類等の入荷は非常に少なく、小売商から一般のお台所へ入るのは微々たる量であることは解っているが、これなども戦時生活を確立する意味で多少の品不足は凌んで貰いたい。現在街の小売商はほとんどが自由販売は行わず町会を通じて愛国班配給に全力を挙げていることを府民はよく理解して頂きたい。

料理屋などに特殊野菜があると云うことは特に少量な入荷のこれら野菜を百二十万のお台所へ廻すことになったら、それこそ小指の先位も当らないという、はっきりとした入荷量、それも全家庭へ少しづつでも廻す見込みのついた特殊野菜なり、又順を追って配給も出来るが、今秋の如く特に少なかった松茸等は全部業務用に廻したのが誤解をまねく因となったのでしょう。

また市場の闇が相当あり、市場に行けば高くても品物が揃っているということは近郊から指定でない生産者がもぐりで市場周辺に姿を現しているので、これは経済警察当局の取締りを待つより他ないでしょう。府内二十二ヶ所の公設市場と各百貨店は緩衝地帯として町会配給以外の自由販売をやらしているが、これなども入荷量の少ない時は割り当てを行わない。

統制配給になってからは町会配給は潤沢とは云えないが、適度な配給は行われている訳で、結局一般家庭への出回りが少なくないと云うことは、当市場への入荷量が少ないことが原因するので、市場としては府民一人当り一日五十匁から七十匁の野菜は確保する様努め、またそれに近い量は這入って来てますが、之から冬期にかけては多少の欠乏は来するでしょう。

小売商の町会配給と云ってもやはり量の少ないものは町会と話し合いの上で自由販売を行っていますが、自由販売をせずにすむだけの量を確保することが第一ですが輸送問題、価格の関係などから市場への入荷は少しく減少しています。

其処で野菜の冬枯れと今後の対策を訊く．．．

府では蔬菜の冷凍貯蔵の具体案を進めている模様ですが、生産地の冬蔬菜の出荷に期待し、入荷量に応じて配給する外ないでしょう。十二月下旬から三月頃までにかけて野菜は毎年欠乏を来たしますが、それには消費者が秋口から多い大根は割り干しにし、白菜は新聞紙で堅く巻いて台所の隅にでも貯蔵する等、乾燥野菜の貯蔵に努めて貰い度い。市場としても極力集荷に全力を挙げている。また極端に入荷の少ない時は一切の自由販売は停止し、非家庭用を減少させて一般家庭へ振り向けます。

今後の対策といっても業者と消費者の結びつけ登録制、町会へ配給を全部担任させる。小売商を強化して配給の全面的責任を負わせる。小売商を厳選して配給の適正を図る等ですが、現在指定小売商の実態調査を行っていますが、気質の悪い業者はどしどし摘発して配給の厳正を期しつつあります。

果実は最近正月用蜜柑が少し配給されている様だし、リンゴなども時たま少しづつ姿を見せたが、柿その他の果実は全然姿を見せないが、どうなっているのですか？果実も蔬菜に準じて指定小売商から町会を通じて配給を行っていますが、ほとんど入荷が皆無といってよいでしょう。近くリンゴが相当量入りますが、少しでも入荷した果物は全部町会配給として戦う府民に四季の味わいだけは与えたいと集荷に努めています。【写真＝入荷したネギの山】

Imperial Japanese police in Seoul raided amusement centers, cafes, parks late at night and rounded up ordinary residents labeled 'rebellious intellectuals' and 'insolent fellows', announcing 'every single idle person must be exterminated ... to bring down the hammer on the neon bugs' (August 1943)

If you suddenly found yourself in Seoul in 1943 and couldn’t stand your oppressive surroundings, you would have probably been tempted to hang out with friends at the local bars or cafes in the evening. For a little more privacy and to feel freer to speak in Korean, you may have chosen to hang out at a local park with friends late at night. But apparently, local police were conducting raids on all these places, deciding that you were an insolent ‘idle person’ or ‘neon bug’ worthy of ‘extermination’. Those caught up in the raids conducted in August 1943 included a government employee, a bank employee, students, a store owner, and a film distributor.

It may seem a bit strange that the Battle of Attu is mentioned in this article, because it resulted in defeat for Imperial Japan in May 1943, but the propaganda media machine routinely spun military defeats into stories of inspiration.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) August 31, 1943

Simultaneous lighting raids on gathering spots

Honmachi Police Hunt for Delinquents

“Follow in the spirit of Attu!” Thus, Colonel Yamasaki‘s exalted spirit of loyalty, whose glory shone forth from the hearts of the people, serves as inspiration and encouragement for the hearts of the people on the home front. Now is the time for all 100 million people to rise up. Every single idle person must be exterminated at this time. In order to bring down the hammer on the “neon bugs” that are randomly piling up in Seoul at night, the Honmachi Police Department, led by Chief Masaoka, called an emergency meeting of several dozen members of the Judicial, Higher Police, and field work personnel, including Chief Shōji and other high officials. The police then carried out a simultaneous hunt for delinquents throughout the entire area covering Meiji-chō (now Myeong-dong), the Honmachi belt through Shin-machi (now Mukjeong-dong), Namiki-chō (now Ssangnim-dong), Sōkei Temple (now on Dongguk University campus), and Namsan Park on both August 28th and 29th.

More than 50 men were rounded up, including rebellious intellectuals who were found very drunk in the neon district, herds of students who spent their idle time in corners of coffee shops ignoring the autumn training season, and insolent fellows wriggling around like bugs in the darkness of the parks late at night. About half were detained, and the rest were released after strict admonition. The Honmachi Police Department’s wise decision to clear out the idle population attracted a great deal of attention. Among the drunks in Shin-machi were Yoshio Umada (pseudonym, 40-years-old), an engineer for a certain government agency, paper retailer Sōki Minami (26-years-old) of Jongno-3-chōme, who is thought to be a regular of a certain amusement center at Honmachi 5-chōme, and over ten others who were taken away chained together in a single file.

There were many male students from specialized schools in Seoul, and there was a surprisingly large number of students who had returned home from mainland Japan, including two students from Tokyo Women’s College. A group of three delinquent girls who frequented a certain coffee shop in Namsan-dong, a bank employee, a film distributor, and many other intellectuals were arrested. They were caught by surprise, and we will continue this and other efforts in the future to clean up the idle population.

Tobacco Retailers Perform Volunteer Work

1,000 of the 1,100 tobacco retailers in Seoul, who have sold cigarettes for a long time but have never experienced firsthand how cigarettes are actually manufactured, will perform volunteer work at the Uiju Street (now Tongil-ro) and Inui-dong factories for 20 days, excluding Sundays and holidays, starting on September 1. A total of 1,000 workers, including 800 workers at the Uiju Street factory who will serve for 16 days, and 200 workers at the Inui-dong factory who will serve for four days, will work from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day among the male and female workers to learn the actual production of cigarettes and increase production, so that they can appreciate the hard work of the laborers.

Source (page 3): https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-08-31

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年8月31日

盛り場を一斉電撃

本町署の不良者狩り

”アッツ魂に続け”と崇高な山崎中将の尽忠精神が粛然と国民の胸を搏ち輝く余栄は銃後の民心を鼓舞激励する。今こそ一億総起ちだ。一人の遊休者もこの際絶滅を期さねばならない。夜の京城に漫然と積集する”ネオンの虫”に鉄槌を下そうと本町署では正岡署長を陣頭に東海林高等主任以下司法、高等、外勤各部署員数十名の非常召集を行って二十八、九両日管内盛り場明治町、本町一帯から新町、並木町、曹谿寺、南山公園全域に亘る一斉不良狩りを断行した。

ネオン街に酔い痴れる時局逆行の有識層や、錬成の秋をよそに喫茶店の一隅に無為な時を過ごす学生の群、深夜公園の闇に蠢動する不埒な徒輩等男子五十余名が一斉検束され、約半数は留置され残余は厳重説諭の上放免された。遊休者一掃の本町署の英断は時局柄多大の注目を引いたが、新町での泥酔者の中には某官庁技手馬田芳夫（仮名四〇）があり、本町五丁目某遊戯場では常連とおぼしき府内鐘路三丁目紙物商南相紀（二六）他十余名が珠数つなぎに連行された。

府内某専門学校の男子生徒多数がある他、東京女子大学生二名も加わる帰郷学生が意外に多い。南山町某喫茶店に入り浸る不良女子三人組の他銀行会社員、映画配給所員等有識階級多数が検束され、意外の感に打たれているが、これ等巷に横行する遊休者の一掃が今後引き続き断行される。

煙草小売人の奉仕

長い間煙草を売ってはいたが、その煙草がどういう風にして製造されているかと体験したことのない京城府内一千百名の煙草小売人中一千名が、来る九月一日から日曜、祭日を除き二十日間義州通り、仁義町で両工場勤労奉仕する。義州通り工場では十六日間八百人、仁義町工場では四日間二百人合計一千名が、毎日午前七時から午後五時まで男女工の間に伍して製造煙草の実際を体得増産に挺身して、工員の労苦を偲ぶこととなった。

Propaganda story about a Japanese couple in Seoul adopting a poor Korean orphan boy who grows up to become a restaurant owner in Japan with Japanese wife and mixed children, tearfully reuniting with his adoptive parents and vowing to "fulfill our duties as Imperial subjects on the home front" (1943)

This is my translation and transcription of a news article from Keijo Nippo, a propaganda newspaper and mouthpiece of the government of Japan-colonized Korea. It has never been republished or translated before, to the best of my knowledge. Ever since someone dumped these old newspaper issues onto the Internet Archive last October, I have been slowly translating and posting select articles at various subreddits to share my findings with the wider community.

This article is meant to be a feel-good story about a Japanese flower shop owner in central Seoul who 'adopts' an unemployed 18-year-old Korean orphan to live with him for four years, employing him at his store. Afterwards, the Korean orphan moves to Japan and eventually settles in Okayama to start his own upscale Japanese restaurant, marries a local Japanese woman, and has three daughters. He later has a tearful reunion with his adoptive Japanese parents when he returns to Seoul to set up a family register for his daughter. His adoptive Japanese parents reciprocate by visiting their adoptive son's family in Okayama.

Unlike the other 'model Korean families' featured in other propaganda articles, which praise Korean families for speaking only Japanese at home and identifying themselves as Imperial Japanese, this featured family stood out from the others because it was an ethnically mixed family, where the husband was ethnic Korean and the wife was ethnic Japanese. The ethnically mixed daughter had to set up her family register in Korea, because under the Japanese koseki (family registration) system, every citizen had to register at their father's family domicile.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) November 13, 1943

An angel without a home moves up in society with warm humanity

A flower of Japanese-Korean Unification blossoms at a crossroads

Fourteen years have passed since a Korean boy with no relatives was rescued, and now he has grown up and established his own respectable family in mainland Japan. After managing to reunite with his former master through chance circumstances, his former master visited him, traveling a long distance to encourage him, and they vowed to each other, "Let us both fulfill our duties as Imperial subjects on the home front". The following is a beautiful story of Japanese-Korean Unification.

Mr. Shōichi Yoshida (32) and his Japanese wife Atsue (27). To the left of Mr. Yoshida is his eldest daughter Masako (8). Atsue is carrying their youngest daughter, and to her right is their middle daughter. Top right insert is Mr. Yoshida's adoptive Japanese father, Mr. Einosuke Furusawa (59)

The subject of this story is Mr. Einosuke Furusawa (59), owner of Musumeya Flower Arrangement Shop, located at 2-2 Honmachi Avenue in central Seoul, whose innate chivalrous spirit led him to save a Korean boy who was struggling on the roadside 14 years ago. The boy who worked for him for four years and then went to Japan is Mr. Shōichi Yoshida (32), who is now involved in running all aspects of a restaurant called "White Fox" at 75 Nishi-Nakasange, Okayama City. He and his wife Atsue (27), whom he married in mainland Japan, have three daughters, including their eldest daughter Masako (8), and are now living happily ever after. With the help of Judge Shirakawa at the Seoul Oversight Court, they set up a family register for his eldest daughter to complete her school enrollment paperwork, and it was then that the story of his former master Mr. Furusawa's chivalry and deep compassion came to light. Here we look back at their story.

In the early spring of 1928, Mr. Furusawa took in and cared for a poor orphan boy who was wandering around the Meiji-machi neighborhood every day. He got along unusually well with customers, beloved by everyone who came and went, and he spent four years at Mr. Furusawa's home. This boy was Shōichi, who had long wanted to work in mainland Japan. He subsequently moved there, and after ten years of hard work in the Osaka and Okayama areas, he became so successful that he opened his own high-class kappō Japanese restaurant.

He married a mainland Japanese woman and had three daughters, but when his eldest daughter entered school, he was troubled by the issue of her family registration. This spring, Shōichi came to Seoul and visited the family of his former masters, Mr. and Mrs. Furusawa. When he met Mrs. Jitsuno Furusawa (52) at the storefront, he greeted her saying "Mother, you are just as healthy as you were in the past". She was stunned by the suddenness of his greeting, but when she recognized Shōichi's appearance, noticing how he had moved up in society, she said with tears in her eyes, "Well, you've grown up so fine..." Mr. and Mrs. Furusawa were as happy as if they were welcoming their own child. With the help of Mr. and Mrs. Furusawa, his daughter with no family register was granted the privilege of creating a family register, which is considered a groundbreaking system on the Korean peninsula along with the Sōshi-Kaimei system under which Koreans adopt Japanese names. Then they went home in high spirits.

Mr. Furusawa visited Okayama City on November 8th, and spent the night with Mr. Yoshida and his family, parting with a vow to "make sure to protect each other on the home front as a national people at war". Judge Shirakawa, who worked hard to create the family register, praised Mr. Furusawa's chivalry. [Photo: Mr. Furusawa with Mr. Yoshida and his family]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-11-13

(End of Translation)

Unfortunately, I could not find any trace of Mr. Yoshida's "White Fox" restaurant anywhere in Japan today. However, I looked up Mr. Furusawa's old store location in Seoul on a 1933 map and on Google Maps in an area just to the west of Myeongdong Cathedral, and it is still a lively, busy apparel retail district, just as it was in the colonial era. The local Russian Tatar community also likely had its clothing businesses in this area.

Mr. Furusawa's flower arrangement shop, Musumeya, in 1933 Seoul.

The former location of Mr. Furusawa's store in 2022 Seoul today (Google Maps).

Link to 1933 Map of Seoul: https://www.reddit.com/r/korea/comments/ta395c/seoul_1933_versus_seoul_2022_map_comparisons/

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年11月13日

家なき天使が温かい人情で出世

巷に咲いた内鮮一体の華

身寄りなき半島少年を救って十四年。偶然の機会に再会した元の主人が今は内地にあって立派に一家をなした当人を遥々訪れて激励し、『皇国臣民としてお互いに銃後の務めを果たしましょう』と互いに誓い合った内鮮一体の美談がある。

話題の主は府内中枢本町通り二ノ二、むすめや造花店主人古沢栄之助氏（五九）がその人で、生来の義侠心から十四年前路傍に行悩む半島少年を救った。四年間同氏の下で実直に働いて内地に渡った当時の少年は現在岡山市西中山下七五に料理店『白狐』を手広く経営する吉田正一さん（三二）である。今では内地で貰った妻女厚枝さん（二七）との間に長女正子さん（八つ）ほか二女をもうけ、幸福な日を送っているが、長女の入学手続きのため本籍地の戸籍必要から京城覆審法院白川判事に依頼して戸籍を設定し、ここに旧主人古沢氏の義侠と厚い人情美談が判明したもの、話は遡る．．．

昭和三年の春浅き頃、毎日のように明治町附近を彷う哀れな孤児の少年を古沢氏は引き取って面倒をみた。珍しく客当たりのいい子で出入りの誰彼に可愛がられて、四年間を同家に過ごした。この少年が現在の正一氏でかねての希望からその後内地に渡り、大阪、岡山方面で刻苦精励の甲斐あって十余年後には独立して割烹店を開く程の成功を遂げた。

内地人の妻女を娶り三女をもうけたが、長女の入学に当ってハタと困ったのは戸籍の問題であった。今春来城した正一さんは旧主古沢氏の一家を訪れた。店頭にいた古沢氏婦人ジツノさん（五二）に会って『おっかさん、昔通りにお元気ですね』と突然の挨拶に呆然とした夫人もやがて正一氏の出世姿と判ると『まあ、お前さんは随分立派になって．．．』と後は互いに涙にくれた。わが児を迎えるような喜びの古沢氏夫妻の斡旋で半島の画期的制度たる創氏と共に無籍者の戸籍創設の恩典に浴し晴れやかに帰郷した。

古沢氏は、さる八日岡山市を訪れ、吉田氏の一家と共に一夜を語り明し、『決戦下の国民として銃後を互いにしっかりと護り抜こう』と誓って別れた。戸籍創設に尽力した白川判事も古沢氏の義侠心を賛賞している。【写真＝古沢氏と吉田さん一家】

In November 1943, colonial authorities implemented a clumsy, inefficient fish rationing system in Seoul which led to large spoilage losses, a measly fish quota of less than 750 grams a day per person, angry complaints about irregular store hours, families were sometimes allotted poisonous fugu fish

This is my translation and transcription of a news article from Keijo Nippo, a propaganda newspaper and mouthpiece of the government of Japan-colonized Korea. It has never been republished or translated before, to the best of my knowledge. Ever since someone dumped these old newspaper issues in the Internet Archive last October, I have been slowly translating and posting select articles at various subreddits to share my findings with the wider community.

This article talks about fish shortages in Korea in December 1943, two years into an all-out war against the US. In response to widespread fish shortages and the proliferation of black markets, colonial authorities implemented a rationing system for seafood, where fish supplies were all supposed to be sold by fishermen to the colonial government at officially set prices, funneled into a centralized distribution point, and then distributed to non-households (including restaurants) and households, where each customer was allotted a measly fish quota of 750 grams per day.

However, the rationing system ran into problems as fish was very perishable, and supplies could often be irregular depending on the daily catch. Before rationing, fish was efficiently auctioned off at wholesale markets to middlemen who knew how much fish and what kinds of fish to buy. But, when the rationing system eliminated the middlemen, this prolonged the process of sorting and allocating the fish, since distribution was now done by workers who weren’t familiar with how much fish and what kinds of fish to pack, which led to increased spoilage, especially in the days before modern refrigeration. The ignorance of the workers also led to ridiculous situations were poisonous fugu fish were inadvertently shipped to households, which could have been fatal to the consumers, since very specialized training is needed for cooks to prepare fugu without leaving any fatally poisonous parts behind.

Further, fishermen as well as retailers were incentivized to bypass official channels and sell fish on the black market at higher prices, similarly to what happened in the Soviet command economy.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) December 17, 1943

What’s missing is preparedness (fresh fish edition)

Registration system for consumers and retailers being considered

Tomorrow’s posture to win through to victory

A Focus on Eating Habits (1)

In the autumn, as wartime food problems were being loudly voiced, we reflected on dietary habits in the second year of living victoriously fighting decisive battles, and we dealt with reports of supply shortages floating around in the city. We got to the bottom of the realities of the wartime dietary habits of the 1.2 million residents of Seoul dashing to implement a more robust wartime lifestyle as they prepared to welcome the spring of victory. We recorded the authorities’ preparations, the measures taken by vendors, and the voices of consumers in order to deepen our correct understanding and awareness of food rationing as we prepare for a renewed assault next year. The following is a valiant depiction of wartime dietary habits.

[Photo: Sorting fresh fish arriving at the city’s central market]

[Photo: Sorting fresh fish arriving at the city’s central market]

It has been a month since fish supplies were brought under central control to prevent the precious protein source of Seoul’s 1.2 million people’s from flowing into the black markets, which had been a major obstacle in improving the physical condition of city residents on the home front. The problem was supposed to have been completely resolved in this way…

However, the problem of fish shortages has since become a common complaint in the city, with people complaining about the inadequate distribution of fish, and busy housewives screaming about the irregular sales hours of retailers. Let us now figure out what the people of the city have to say about their fish supplies.

Due to the centralized control of incoming and outgoing shipments, all fish and shellfish entering the city of Seoul are now centrally collected. As a temporary measure until a new company is established, the Fresh Fish Department of the Seoul Central Wholesale Market has taken over as the receiving agency for the fish supplies of Seoul. The daily fish collected at the central market is divided by staff into two separate lines, one for household use and the other for non-household use, and then directly delivered to household kitchens. That was supposed to have completely eradicated the involvement of black markets.

We thought that there was no reason why there would be no fish supplies when they were supposed to be smoothly distributed, so we went to the Seoul Central Market. Just as the freight cars were entering the market, the staff was busy sorting the fish shipments, sweating in the slight chill of the cold air. They were busy breaking down piles of fish from here to there and making small piles one by one. Their work was very long and slow compared to the vigorous and quick fish auctions of the olden days, so much so that we wondered whether the fish was going to spoil. No wonder the small retailers were setting their sales hours later in the day. When we unthinkingly suggested to our tour guide Mr. Murata, the supervisor, “At this rate, all the fish will spoil in the summer,” he frankly affirmed, “That’s right”. Adding that he was taking measures to set up large distribution centers for each region, he also addressed the fish shortages as follows.

First of all, explaining the route of fish shipments from arrival to distribution in earlier times, fish supplies were previously purchased by middlemen and then placed in the hands of waiting small retailers, so they were processed quickly and sold to the public at regular times. In this sense, fish seemed to be available in comparatively abundant supplies, especially since suburbanites and residents of upscale neighborhoods were able to sit back and buy fish, albeit at high prices akin to black market rates, thanks to the presence of fish dealers.

Today, incoming fish and shellfish are divided into household use and non-household use, and the fish and shellfish are sorted by the staff without middlemen. For household use, since greater Seoul is divided into seven regions and further divided into 48 retailing districts, the market has to divide the incoming fish and shellfish into 48 shipments. At this time, even though it would be easy if the incoming fish had to simply be divided into 48 shipments, it is actually important to divide the incoming fish and shellfish into different varieties to account for differences in regional consumption patterns, so it takes time and effort to allocate the fish. Then each regional representative takes their respective shipments and distributes them to the small retailers in their retailing district to be sold.

This is why sales hours have become late or irregular, and fish is now mainly sold in the evening. Therefore, many housewives visit seafood stores and find that fish is always unavailable, because they always miss those late sales hours. In addition, some people blame the inappropriate allocation of fish on the fact that the fish middlemen have been abolished and the staff is now made up of people who are ignorant of the fish business. However, when multiple shipments of one fish species arrive, sometimes the fish is diverted to households, even if they were meant to be received by restaurants. In the initial days, a large quantity of fugu (toxic puffer fish) arrived in the market, so some of them were diverted to be sold for household use, and housewives in general had trouble cooking them, which was criticized, but it would be nice to be able to eat any kind of fish during wartime.

As he earnestly talked, I asked him the following question: “It seems that there are areas where fish is abundant and areas where fish is scarce, especially in the suburbs?”

The reason for this is that the allocation of fish shipments to the district representatives is made in consideration of past consumption patterns. There has been high fish consumption in the city center due to the rush of buyers from the suburbs, while the suburbs have mainly been serviced by fish dealers and a few fish retailers, so the fish market is concentrated in the city center. In fact, there are many more people from the suburbs than from the city who buy fish at the 22 markets and department stores in Seoul. However, if we immediately increase the fish quota for the suburbs, that may cause more fish to spoil. To address this issue, we plan to establish a registration system that will link consumers and retailers, which will then be used to distribute and ration the fish supplies.

Now that we had a better idea of how fish supplies were distributed, we asked him why they had decided on selling less than 200 momme (750 grams) of fish per customer at the small fish retailers. He replied that they were certain that 60% of the planned daily fish shipments of 45,000 kan (168,750 kg) arriving at the central market would be consumed by 200,000 households in Seoul, and they came up with this number by dividing the daily fish shipment weight by the number of households. Since fish and shellfish are living organisms that change depending on the fishing conditions in the area where they are shipped, supplies are sometimes very low and often uneven, so consumers should be well aware of this point.

We are hearing that some small retailers are diverting fish supplies to restaurants, and some stores are even avoiding paying duties. The quantities of each fish variety arriving that day are supposed to be clearly posted at the store, so inspectors from the market are doing patrols and rescinding retail permits from fraudulent vendors without delay. In addition, there is a law that allows for special delivery of fish directly from the market to volunteer soldiers and conscripts who need to receive one fish to celebrate their departure for military service, as long as they bring a certificate from the town council through the head of the patriotic group. The Seoul government is taking all possible measures to secure fish for household use.

In short, the consumers are trying to eat a little more than their neighbors by buying up fish supplies at retailer A and then moving onto retailer B, which is the cause of supply shortages and disruptions to the rationing system. Therefore, Mr. Senda, Director of the General Affairs Department of Seoul, exhorts the fighting people of Seoul to reflect more on their own dietary habits, which are more than adequate, before lodging complaints about irregularities in fish distribution.

Rabbit Hunting by Yongsan Middle School (Sosa)

At 7:00 a.m. on December 16th, all the students of Yongsan Middle School in Seoul gathered in front of Sosa Station to hunt for rabbits in the mountains behind the [illegible] areas.

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-12-17

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年12月17日

不足なのは心構え　鮮魚篇

消費者と小売の登録制も考慮

勝ち抜くあすの構え

食生活を衝く（１）

決戦下の食糧問題が声を大に叫ばれる秋、戦捷に暮れる決戦第二年の食生活を省みて街に漂う物不足の声を克服。完勝の春を迎えて更に強靭な戦時生活の実践に驀進する百二十万府民へ戦う食生活の実態を衝き、食品配給に対する正しい認識と理解を深めて新たなる年への突撃態勢を整えんがため、当局の構え、業者の措置、消費者の声を収録する。これは戦う食生活の逞しい姿態である。【写真＝市央場に入荷した鮮魚の荷分け】

お魚が統制になって一ヶ月経った百二十万府民の大切な蛋白源が闇から闇に流れ去って銃後府民の体位向上に大きな支障を来たしていた悩みもここに一掃された筈であったが．．．

その後、やっぱりお魚が無いの声は街に溢れ、分荷の不適正が鳴らされ、小売商の不規則な販売時間に多忙な主婦は悲鳴を挙げているのが現状だ。ではお魚に対する街の声を一つ一つ解明してゆこう。

出荷入荷の統制によって京城の街に這入る魚介類が一元的集荷になり、京城府の荷受機関は新会社設立までの臨時的措置として京城中央卸売市場の鮮魚部が代行し、この中央市場に集荷する日々のお魚は係員の手によって家庭用、非家庭用の二本に截然と分けられ、それぞれ分荷され、家庭のお台所へと一直線に行き、ここに一切の闇は完全に駆逐された訳である。

かくして円滑に出回るべきお魚が無い筈は無いと京城中央市場を訪れてみる。恰度貨車の入った後でうすら寒い寒気の中で係員は汗だくで分荷に忙しい。山と積まれたお魚をあちらこちらから崩しては小さな山を一つ一つつくってゆく。昔日の威勢良く迅速な競売から見ると実に悠長至極で生物の魚が腐って仕舞いはせぬかと心配になる位だ。これで小売商人の販売時間がおそくなる原因も頷ける。思わず案内の村田監督係長に、”この調子では夏場は全部腐りますな”と問うと、”そうですよ”と率直に肯定し、地区的に大分荷場を設置する対策を講じていますと前提してお魚不足の声に対する弁を述べた。

先ず入荷から分荷までの経路を説明すると、従来仲買人によって買い付けが行われ、待ちかまえていた小売商の手に入ったので処理も早く、一般への販売時間も一定していた訳で、また行商人の存在から闇の高値ではあったが郊外の高級住宅者などは坐してお魚も買えた訳ですし、こんな点から比較的潤沢に出回っていた様に見えたのですね。

現在では入荷した魚介は家庭用、非家庭用に分け、仲買人を廃した係員の手によって分荷されていますが、家庭用は大京城を先ず七つに分け、更に小売販売地区を四十八に分けているため、市場としては入荷した魚介を四十八に分荷するのです。この時ただ四十八に分けるのは容易ですが、消費面を地域的に考慮して入荷魚介の品種分けが大切ですから、これの按配に手間取り、地区代表者が待ち帰ってそれぞれの小売商に割り当て市販される。

時間も不定期になったりおそくなったりして主に夕方の売り出しになる訳です。ですから主婦の方は魚屋の店頭を覗いてお魚がいつも無いというのは、この販売時間をいつも外す人が多いのでは無いでしょうか。また分荷の不適正なのは仲買人を廃止してお魚に無智な係員が当る故という非難もありますが、多重に一種の魚が入荷した際は、それが料理屋向けの物であっても家庭用に流すこともあります。当初河豚が大量に入荷したため家庭用として流し、一般主婦をして料理に困却し非難されたこともありましたが、戦時下どんな魚でも食べるようにして貰い度いものです。

熱心に語る氏に次の質問を放つ。「地域的に潤沢に出回る所とさっぱり姿を見せない地域、殊に郊外は出回りが悪いようだが？」

それは地区代表者への分荷割当が従来の実績を考慮してなされているためで、都心は郊外からの買出し部隊の殺到で消費実績が多く、郊外は主に行商人が占めていたため、小売商も少なく、事実出回りは都心に集中している現状で、府内の二十二ヶ所の市場、百貨店へは郊外からの買出し人の方が多いでしょう。だからといって直ちに郊外へ割当量を増してもむしろ魚を腐らせる恐れもありますし、この点に就いては対策として近く消費者と小売商を登録制によって結びつけ、それによって配給割当をしてゆく方針です。

これで、ほぼお魚の出回り状態も一応解ったが、小売商の一客当り二百匁以下という理由を訊ねると、中央市場に入る一日のお魚の計画数量四万五千貫の六割を確実性として、それを府内二十万世帯に割っての消費計画と解った。魚介は、とにかく生物で出荷地の漁労状態によって変化しますから、入荷の非常に少ない時もあり、入荷のムラも多くこの点は消費者も充分心得ていて貰い度いという声を後に、今度は府当局に小売商人の問題を問う。

情実から料理屋方面へ流している小売商や、抱合わせをやっている店もあると聞くが、其の日の入荷品種数量は、はっきりと店頭に掲示することになっており、市場から検査員も巡回しているが、不正業者はどしどし指定を取り消してゆく方法である。又志願兵や応召者の入営などに際し首途を祝う魚一匹なくてはと愛国班長を通じて町会の証明さえ持参すれば直接市場から特配する法もあり、家庭用へのお魚確保には府としても万全を期している。

要するに消費者が人より少しでも余計に食べようとして、甲の小売商から乙の小売商へと買い漁りをすることが結局物の不足を来し、配給も紊す原因であるから、戦う府民はより一層出回り不順に不平をこぼす前に一応足りている自分達の食生活を省みて欲しい、とは京城府千田総務部長の弁である。

龍中の兎狩り　【素砂】

京城龍山中学校では十六日午前七時を期し素砂駅前に全校生千余名を集合。戍応、？里一帯の裏山に兎狩りを実施した。

On August 5, 1942, severe flooding hit all of Korea but especially Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, at least 13 people died, and water overflowed Cheonggyecheon River and flooded Gwanghwamun Street (news coverage published on August 7, 1942)

My condolences to the residents of Seoul who lost their lives in the flooding yesterday. I read a tip from someone on Twitter who said that this was the worst flooding in Seoul since August 5, 1942, so I did some searching in Keijo Nippo and found the relevant articles which describe the great flood that hit Seoul on that day. These articles will give you some historical perspective into the natural disaster which just befell Seoul. I hope you will find these helpful and useful.

(Translation)
Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) August 7, 1942
Heavenly Blessings Abound on the Breadbasket Peninsula
Five Days of Obon Festival Rains Enveloped All of Seoul

It rained. Water was poured into the mouths of the rice paddy fields! It rained as though rice was going to be planted. The fierce rain that began on the morning of the 5th and enveloped all of Korea, both the northern and the southern parts, did not stop falling even in the afternoon, and in Pyeonganbuk-do, the rainfall exceeded 320 mm in total. Under the skies, where the breadbasket peninsula was joyfully fulfilling its mission, houses were collapsing but with minor damage to people and livestock. Against this backdrop, the Imperial farmers sprang forth into the rice paddies and the farm fields, and they are now hard at work holding their hoes. The following is a report on the amount of rainfall and damage to houses and livestock in each region that has guaranteed this year's rice crop.

Flooding in Central and Northern Korea
Information reported to the Defense Division
The following is the status of flood damage in Central and Northern Korea as reported to the Defense Division of the Police Department on August 6.
7 Gyeonggi residents were injured, 10 dead in Gyeonggi, 3 dead in Hamgyeongnam-do, 7 missing; 9 structures washed away in Gyeonggi, 10 structures washed away in Hamgyeongnam-do; 28 structures collapsed in Gyeonggi, 12 structures collapsed in Hamgyeongnam-do; 7988 structures flooded in Gyeonggi, 2906 structures flooded in Hamgyeongnam-do, 20 structures flooded in Pyeongannam-do, 2300 structures flooded in Pyeonganbuk-do; 169 mm rainfall in Gyeonggi, 142 mm rainfall in Hamgyeongnam-do, a large amount of rainfall in Pyeongannam-do, 323 mm of rainfall in Pyeonganbuk-do, 788 mm of rainfall in Yellow Sea; no rainfall in Jeollanam-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, Gangwon-do; 5 to 13 mm of rainfall in Hamgyeongbuk-do, no rainfall in Chungcheongnam-do, 150-200 mm of rainfall in Jeollabuk-do.

Struggles of the Telecommunications Defense Corps
Working hard in the rain
The muddy water flowing into Cheonggyecheon River in Seoul overflowed Gwanghwamun Street and entered the basement of the Health Management Division of the Bureau of Telecommunications, and by 1 p.m. on the 5th, the water was pouring into the warehouse. The members of the special Defense team of the Bureau of Telecommunications rose to the occasion and took advantage of the occasional pauses in the downpour to remove safes and documents from the building. After the rain stopped, the team members worked tirelessly to drain the water, and on the 6th, from early in the morning, Health Supervision Section Chief Ogawa took the lead in encouraging the team members, who showed the results of their daily training by moving documents through a relay system and performing drainage work without regret.

Traffic is fine!
Trains were restored despite a 20% reduction in the number of trains
The Dongdaemun area, which is the transportation hub for the Seoul Train Depot, Gyeongchun Railway, Seoul Transportation Company, and Seoul Trolleys, was not affected at all by the flooding, as appropriate measures were taken. Seoul Railway's dispatch of train cars, which was to be reduced by 20% on the 6th, was restored without any inconvenience to the city residents.

Telephone lines in Seoul partially damaged, but steadily restored
The rains of the 5th caused partial damage to the telephone lines in Seoul, but by noon of the 6th, most of the lines had been restored thanks to the efforts of the Bureau of Telecommunications. The damage in Seoul included flooding of cables at the Yongsan Branch Office, and some malfunctions in the main branch office and outside lines, for which the restoration work is progressing extremely well with all the engineering staff mobilized, and there were no accidents on any of the city's outside lines.
Although there were some problems with the transport system, the results of the training the Bureau of Telecommunications had received in the past were put to good use, and the prompt emergency measures taken by the Bureau in the midst of Holy War ensured that the telecommunications team was not affected in the slightest.

Complete recovery this morning, Jongno Police Station reporting
The number of flooded houses in the jurisdiction of Jongno Police Station in Seoul was 2,439, of which 12 were destroyed, 5 were swept away, and 1 person was killed, but the damage was limited to the northern foot of the mountains and the Cheonggyecheon riverfront. The survivors were temporarily housed in the auditoriums of Sookmyung High School, Maedong National School, and other schools on the 5th, but thanks to the efforts of the defense brigade, everything was restored on the morning of the 6th.

Defense team in action, Honmachi Police Station reporting
In the Hommachi Precinct, damage was minimized to the extent that some houses slumped due to the relatively elevated conical shape of the hill, thanks to the efforts of all the members of the Defense Brigade and the Patriotic Groups.

Surprisingly minor damage, Seongdong Police Station Reporting
The flooding in the Seongdong district in the eastern part of Seoul was expected to cause considerable damage due to its low location, but the damage was less severe than expected, and all of the affected residents returned to their homes early in the morning of the 6th. They are now vigorously working to clean up their household goods and restore their fields.

Take Care of Sanitation
Director Amagishi of the Gyeonggi Provincial Sanitation Department speaks of the situation
Seoul was hit by torrential rains on the afternoon of the 5th, and an outbreak of epidemics is expected to occur soon due to the accumulation of contaminated materials everywhere. However, since the outbreak of infectious diseases in the normal year has been extremely low, the Gyeonggi Provincial Sanitation Department has decided to conduct a temporary post-rain cleanup in the near future to ensure epidemic prevention. On August 6, Director Amagishi of the province's Sanitation Department spoke as follows.
"We are happy that the heavy rains have washed away the dirt curtains on the mountain, but it is a problem that the sewage has flowed into the town, creating a convenient condition for the outbreak of infectious diseases. We are planning to conduct a temporary cleanup in the near future, but I would rather that the residents of the province themselves take care of their own sanitation. In addition to disinfecting wells and cleaning houses, the best way to practice simple hygiene is to wash your hands first. If possible, wash your hands with soap and water after using the toilet. Shigella bacteria can pass through about 30 sheets of paper with no problem, so not washing your hands is the most dangerous thing you can do.
In addition, children, in particular, should not neglect to wash their hands because many parasites can be found under their fingernails. The statistics often prove that washing hands is effective to some extent in preventing disease. In addition, I think we must also encourage people to get vaccination shots and take preventive medication, which is something we must all keep in mind as we have more opportunities to eat out."

[Photo: Mr. Amagishi, Director of the Department]

A hundred yen for the victims
One gentleman deposited the money at a police stall
On the morning of the 6th, a gentleman visited the police stall in Naeja-dong, Seoul, and offered 100 yen, saying, "Please spend it for the victims of the flood", and left without leaving his name. Upon investigation by the Jongno Police Department, they found out that this exceptional gentleman was Kim Sun-heung (김순흥/金淳興), who lives at 167 Naeja-dong.

No damage to the county (gun)
According to the Director Miwa of the Provincial Defense Division
Director Miwa of Gyeonggi Province's Defense Division described the flood damage as follows [Photo: Director Miwa of Defense Division].
The flooding on the morning of the 5th was only a minor flood compared to the great floods of 1940. The fact that the damage was centered in the urban center and did not extend into the county areas was due to the fact that this was a developed city, and the other regions were probably rather happy to receive the rain.
The fact that we have not heard of any damage in other regions so far is also evidence that there has been no major damage. The cause of the flooding was that the Cheonggyecheon and other rivers that flowed through Seoul overflowed due to the heavy rainfall in a short period of time, and the water flowed into the city center.
The main areas affected were the riverfronts and the low-lying areas of Donam-dong, Samcheong-dong, and Seongdong-dong, but the rest of the city was not affected in any way different from normal. The provincial authorities need to consider future civil engineering measures based on this experience, and I hope that the people of the province will learn from this flood disaster and study the drainage outlets carefully and think about how to deflect nature's fury so that both the public and private sectors can avoid further damage to infrastructure in the home front.

[Photo: Director Miwa of Defense Division]

A splendid story of police officers which unfolded in the torrential downpour
The heavy rains of the 5th showed the remarkable activities of the members of the National Disaster Prevention Team and the Youth Corps in all areas. The members of the Dongdaemun Police Brigade No. 2, both the defense and the poison prevention sections, were led by Captains Kunimoto and Tanari to follow drainage work in Chungsin-dong until 1:00 a.m. on June 6. Ōyama Hitoto, a member of the same defense and poison prevention sections, and Tano Osamu, a member of the rescue section, heard the news that their houses were being flooded every minute, but together with Deputy Commander Matsumoto, they remained at the headquarters in Jongno 5-chōme as liaison officers until the end, demonstrating their splendid defense spirit.

Relief Fund from Donors
Hamamura Tamanosuke of 33 Hap-dong, who has long served as the third ward leader while providing aid to the needy, gave 100 yen as part of the relief fund to the more than 300 people who were affected by the torrential rain on the 5th, and delighted the recipients of the funds.
Mr. Mamiya Mitsuji, the leader of the 10th patriotic group of the second ward of the town council, also gave 100 yen to the victims.

Temporary cleanliness inspections of flooded houses
Conducted at Dongdaemun Police Station
In order to quickly curb the epidemic that would hit the city after the heavy rain, on the 6th, the Sanitation Section of the Dongdaemun Police Station immediately ordered each dispatch station in the district to conduct a survey of flooded houses and conduct temporary cleanliness inspections only in those areas. At the same time, all pharmacies in the area were ordered to prepare phenol and other disinfectants.
The inspections will be carried out within the next two to three days.

Hope for self-reliance
Provincial Governor Taka makes a request to the victims
Gyeonggi Province has been providing relief for the victims of the torrential rains that hit the Seoul area on the 5th by spending a considerable amount of money from the Seoul and provincial government's joint enhanced crop disaster emergency relief fund, and has placed the victims in six locations, including Sookmyung High School, Maedong National School and Donam Town Hall. In addition to providing shared meals, they have taken all possible measures, including lending clothes collected from each town council. The governor of Gyeonggi Province, Mr. Taka, made the following remarks on the 6th.
"This disaster is not even close to being classified as a flood disaster, but I sincerely regret that so many people have been affected. I am also grateful for the fact that the public and private sectors worked together to restore normalcy without any major problems as soon as the disaster occurred.
While the authorities are taking all possible measures to rescue the affected people, I sincerely hope that the victims themselves will not rely solely on the government's relief measures, but will exert a spirit of self-reliance to overcome this difficult situation."

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-08-07

(Transcription)
京城日報　1942年8月7日
天恵豊か穀倉半島
五日全鮮を包んだ覆盆の雨

雨が降った。がっくりと口を開けた水田に水を引けよ！稲を植えようと雨が降った。五日朝から全鮮をつつんで降りだした生拡敢闘の慈雨は、南鮮、北鮮とも午後に至ってもなお降り止まず、平北のごときは貫に三百二十ミリを突破する大雨量を示し、穀倉半島に使命完遂の喜びが谺する空の下では家屋の倒壊、人畜の軽微な被害を尻目に、臣民という農民は水田に飛び出し畑に飛び出し、いま懸命の鍬を振り出した。今年の米を保証づけてこれた各地の降雨量と、家屋、人畜の被害を拾っている。

中北鮮の水害
防護課への情報
六日警務局防護課に達した中北鮮の水害状況は次の通り。
負傷京畿七名▲死者京畿十名、咸南三名▲行方不明七名▲流失京畿九戸、咸南十戸▲倒潰京畿二十八戸、咸南十二戸▲浸水京畿七九八八戸、咸南二九〇六戸、平南二十戸、平北二三〇〇戸▲雨量（単位ミリ）京畿一六九、咸南一四二▲平南多量、平北三二三、黄海七八、全南、慶南、江原ナシ、咸北五～一三、忠南ナシ、全北一五〇～二〇〇

逓信防護団の奮闘
雨中に甲斐甲斐しい働き振り
京城府内清渓川に流れた濁水は光化門通に溢れ出て逓信局保健監理課の庁舎地下室に侵入、五日午後一時ごろには同室の倉庫までにも水がどんどんと滲みこんだ。ここに起ちあがった逓信局特設防護団員は折柄の豪雨を衝いて金庫、書類の持ち出し作業に出動。雨がやんでからは排水作業に甲斐甲斐しい働きを見せ、六日も早朝から小川保健監理課長が陣頭に立って団員を督励、リレー式による書類の整備や排水工事に職場防護団の威力を遺憾なく発揮して日頃の訓練の手並を見せた。

交通陣は大丈夫
電車二割減も復旧す
京電車庫、京春鉄道、京城交通会社、京城軌道等の交通起点を管内に置いている東大門方面は増水と共に適宜な措置をとったため、この方面の被害は全くなく、京電の六日における二割減見当ての配車も見事復旧して府民の足には何らの不便も感じさせなかった。

府内電話線一部に障害、着々復旧す
五日の雨で京城府内の電話線は一部の障害を起こしたが、逓信局の懸命の努力により六日正午には殆ど復旧をみた。被害状況は京城府内で先ず龍山分局のケーブルに浸水さらに本分局、外線に一部の故障があったのを工務課技術員が総動員で極めて順調に復旧工事が進んでいるが、市外線には一切事故がなかった。
なお逓送関係には、やや不円滑なものがあったが、逓信局が平素鍛えた訓練の成果をここに発揮敏速な非常措置によって聖戦下逓信陣は少しの揺らぎもない。
けさ全く復旧、鐘路署管内
京城鐘路署管内の浸水家屋は二、四三九戸、破壊十二戸、流失五戸、死者一名を出したが、被害は北部の山麓、清渓川沿岸が被っただけであとは格別のことなく、罹災者は五日淑明高女、梅洞国民学校をはじめ学校の講堂に一時収容したが、警防団の活躍により六日朝すでに悉く復旧した。

防護団活躍、本町署管内
本町署管内は比較的高台の錐形と防護団、愛国班員総動員の活躍によって、一部家屋が傾斜した程度で被害を最小限に食い止めた。

意外に軽微、城東署管内
京城の東部城東地区の水害は土地柄の低さから相当の被害が予想されていたが、思ったより少なく十六日早朝罹災民の全部は各自家庭に引き揚げて水害による家財の整理、田畑の手入りに復旧に雄々しく起ち上っている。

衛生に気をつけよ
天岸京畿道衛生課長は語る
五日午後豪雨に見舞われた京城は到る處、汚染物の集積で早くも悪疫の発生が予想されているが、平年度の伝染病発生状況が極めて低く良成績を納めているので、京畿道衛生課では近く雨後の臨時大清掃を施行して防疫に万全を期することとなった。六日道天岸衛生課長は右について次の通り語った。
この大雨で山の上の土幕がすっかり洗われたことは嬉しいが、その汚水が町に流れて伝染病の発生に都合のよい状態となったことは困りものだ。近く臨時大清掃をやるつもりだが、それよりも府民自身が衛生に留意して欲しい。井戸の消毒、家屋の清掃は勿論のこと、先ず簡易衛生としては手を洗うことが一番よい。できることなら用便のあとは石鹸で手を洗うことだ。赤痢菌は用紙三十枚位は平気で通るから手を洗わずにいるのは最も危険である。
また爪の中には沢山の寄生虫がひそんでいるから特に子供らには手を洗わせることを怠ってはならない。この手を洗うことである程度の防疫が可能であることは、よくその数字が証明している。その他、予防注射、予防薬服用の励行等は外部で食事を執る機会の多くなった昨今において、ぜひ共心得て置かねばならないことだと思う。
【写真＝天岸課長】

罹災者へ百円也
一紳士が交番へ寄託
六日朝京城内資町交番を訪れた一紳士が百円を差し出して『どうか水害の罹災民のためにお使い下さい』といい残したまま名もつけずに立ち去ったのを鐘路署で内査した結果、その奇特なる紳士は内資町一六七金淳興氏と判った。

郡部に被害なし
三輪道防護課長談
京畿道三輪防護課長は水害について左の如く語った【写真＝三輪防護課長】
五日朝の出水状況はさる昭和十五年の大水害に比べれば子供ほど差のある小水害に過ぎない。被害は都心地帯を中心として郡部に及ばなかったのも、完成した都市なるが故の水害であって、他地方ではむしろこの雨を喜んでいたぐらいだろう。
今のところ地方の損害を耳にしていないのも大した被害のない証拠だ。水害の原因は京城内を貫流する清渓川その他の河川が短時間に部厚く降り注いだ雨のために溢れて市街地に流れ出したが、現在京城府が施設している排水溝ではどうにもこの水が捌け切れず、一瞬に洪水の様相を呈したものだった。
被害地の主な所は、各河川の沿岸地、低地の敦岩町、三清町、城東方面が表面に現れているが、他は平生と異なることがなかった。道当局としてもこの経験に基いて今後の府土木対策に一検討を加える必要があるわけだが、今回の水害に懲りて府民もよく排水口の研究を行い自然の暴威を如何に外らすかを考えて、官民共に銃後資材に少しでも損害を深めぬよう緊張して貰いたいと思う。

天晴れ警防団員、豪雨中に咲いた佳話
五日の豪雨に各方面とも警防団員、青年隊員のめざましい活躍に頼もしい場面を見せたが、その中でも東大門警防団第二分団警護、防毒両部員は国本、田成両部長に引率されて六日午前一時まで忠信町方面の排水工事に従い、また同団防毒部員大山一青、同救護部員田能磨の両君は自宅が刻々浸水しつつある報を耳にしながら松本副団長とともに鐘路五丁目の分団本部に最後まで連絡員として踏み止まり天晴れ警防精神を発揮した。

篤志家から救護基金
蛤町三三浜村玉之助は同町会の第三区長をつとめながら再三窮細民に救済の手を差し伸べている陰の篤志家であるが、五日の豪雨によって被害を蒙った罹災民三百余名に対し救護基金の一部として金百円を贈り関係者を感激させた。
なお同町会第二区第十班長間宮光次氏も同じく金百円を贈り罹災者を見舞った。

浸水家屋の臨時清潔検査
東大門署で実施
大雨後の街を襲う悪疫に早くも締め出しを食わせるため東大門署衛生係では六日直ちに管内の各派出所に命じて浸水家屋の調査を行わせ、その部分だけに臨時清潔検査を施行することとなったが、同時に管内各薬店に対して石炭酸その他の消毒薬整備を命じた。
なお施行は二、三日中に行われる。

自力更生を望む
高知事罹災者に要望む
五日京城地方を襲った豪雨による罹災者救助に京畿道では京城府と協力道府強権凶歉救済費から相当額を支出して救護に当るとともに罹災者を淑明高女、梅洞国民学校、敦岩町会事務所など六ケ所に収容。共同炊事を行うほか近隣の各町会から衣類を借り集めて貸与するなど万全の対策を講じているが、右につき高京畿道知事は六日左の如く語る。
今回の災難は水害の部類にも入らないほどだが、罹災者の出たことには衷心遺憾に思う。また災害発生と同時に官民一致協力して別段大したことなく平常に復旧されたことは全く感謝のほかはない。
罹災民の救助については当局でも万全の対策を講じているが、罹災者自身もあまり官庁の救済策にのみ頼らず、自力更生の精神を発揮してこの難関を突破するよう邁進されんことを切望する。

自力更生を望む
高知事罹災者に要望む
五日京城地方を襲った豪雨による罹災者救助に京畿道では京城府と協力道府強権凶歉救済費から相当額を支出して救護に当るとともに罹災者を淑明高女、梅洞国民学校、敦岩町会事務所など六ケ所に収容。共同炊事を行うほか近隣の各町会から衣類を借り集めて貸与するなど万全の対策を講じているが、右につき高京畿道知事は六日左の如く語る。
今回の災難は水害の部類にも入らないほどだが、罹災者の出たことには衷心遺憾に思う。また災害発生と同時に官民一致協力して別段大したことなく平常に復旧されたことは全く感謝のほかはない。
罹災民の救助については当局でも万全の対策を講じているが、罹災者自身もあまり官庁の救済策にのみ頼らず、自力更生の精神を発揮してこの難関を突破するよう邁進されんことを切望する。

A splendid story of police officers which unfolded in the torrential downpour

Hope for self-reliance
Provincial Governor Taka makes a request to the victims

By December 1943, poultry was unavailable anywhere in Seoul, eggs were supposed to be priority-rationed to hospitalized war veterans and people with doctors' certificates (pregnant women and nursing mothers), but ordinary Koreans had to buy eggs on the black market at 30 sen (about $6 USD today) each

This article talks about the egg and poultry shortage that was rampant in Korea in December 1943, two years into an all-out war against the US. Eggs were all supposed to be sold by farmers to the colonial government at officially set prices, funneled into a centralized distribution point, and then distributed to stores and hospitals. Hospitals and war veteran patients had priority, followed by anyone who had doctors' certificates, who presumably included pregnant women and nursing mothers.

However, this rationing system apparently had problems, as farmers as well as retailers were incentivized to bypass official channels and sell eggs on the black market at higher prices, similarly to what happened in the Soviet command economy. 

Black market retailers charged 30 sen per egg (about $6 USD in 2022), and consumers could only buy two or three eggs at a time. Each morning edition of the Keijo Nippo of 1942 was priced at 6 sen. Today, each morning edition of Asahi Shimbun is priced at 160 yen. Using this conversion, 30 sen would be worth 800 yen today, which would be worth US $5.93 today.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) December 24, 1943

Tomorrow's posture to win through to victory

A Focus on Eating Habits (6)

Meat and Eggs

Eggs are luxury items!

Regulation demanded to reserve eggs for the sick

The distribution of meat, which is a fatty food and a source of caloric supply for the fighting residents of Seoul, has been going well so far, providing 50 momme (187.5 grams) for a family of up to four, 100 momme (375 grams) for a family of up to nine, and 10 momme (37.5 grams) for each additional family member for a family of 10 or more, according to the rotational purchase coupons for meat for household use. However, unregulated poultry has disappeared from Seoul due to officially set prices as well as issues with feed.　When supplies do not appear in the market, we may immediately imagine chicken being siphoned off or sold on the black market, but in fact, there is absolutely no poultry arriving at the Gyeonggi Provincial Livestock Products Sales Association at the moment.

In addition to poultry shortages, there is also a shortage of eggs, which have been kept away from the kitchens of the people of Seoul. Milk and eggs, the most essential source of nutrition for the sick, are not available in Seoul at all, but unlike the situation with poultry, the quantity of eggs received has been gradually improving in 1942 and 1943 since the lowest quantity of eggs was reached in 1941, and the egg supply is showing a steady increase.

Believing that egg supplies are at their lowest level ever, many consumers have already given up on eggs, thinking that they are the most difficult product to obtain. As for the actual situation with egg shipments, most of the eggs laid by poultry farmers in the province are delivered smoothly to Seoul because feed, which is the lifeblood of poultry farmers, is distributed through Gyeonggi Province, and the poultry farmers are forced to provide eggs in exchange for the feed.

The quantity of eggs laid has been significantly reduced due to the decline in the quality and quantity of feed, and the quantity of eggs received this year has dropped to about 30% of the peak level in 1940, when eggs were the most abundant in Seoul. Although 30% sounds like a good figure, the number of eggs that flowed into Seoul without passing through the Gyeonggi Provincial Egg Association at that time was almost double the number of eggs that passed through the Gyeonggi Provincial Egg Association and flowed into Seoul, so the actual figure is about 10% of the peak level in 1940.

At present, all eggs entering Seoul are centrally collected at the Gyeonggi Provincial Livestock Products Sales Processing Station, and from there they are distributed to hospitals and small retailers, with about 30% of the incoming eggs given priority for distribution to hospitals, and the remainder given to the 65 small egg cooperative retailers and 65 small food retailers in Seoul. As for the method of sale:

The eggs are ordered to be preferentially distributed as hospital food to those who have doctors' certificates. The average quantity of eggs received per day is approximately 100 kan (375 kg) per day, of which the quantity for general consumers is estimated to be over 60 kan (225 kg). If 7 eggs weigh an average of 100 momme (375 grams), that means that an average of 3,600 eggs come into the hands of small retailers.

In reality, however, there are no eggs whatsoever in the market. Although eggs are not distributed daily to the 130 egg distributors in Seoul due to a decrease in the number of eggs received, they are distributed wholesale once or twice a week, so to sum it up, eggs are definitely being allocated to the small retailers.

When we asked one retailer in Hanazono-chō (now Yegwan-dong), Seoul, about the actual situation of eggs being sold as a rationed food, he replied,

"We usually receive egg deliveries of about 3 to 5 kan (11.25 to 18.75 kg) once a week in general. When the eggs arrive at the store, we post a notice at the storefront saying that we will start selling eggs on what day and from what time, and those who bring a doctor's certificate are given priority. We sell a maximum of two or three eggs per customer," he disclosed. The current black market price for eggs is around 30 sen per egg, and it is said that consumers will never receive eggs except on the black market. The current situation is that eggs are actually not being sold at general grocery stores. We asked Mr. Satō, manager of the Gyeonggi Provincial Livestock Products Sales Association, about the actual situation of eggs being sold on the black market.

He replied, "The eggs that are now being sold on the black market seem to be brought in by farmers who keep chickens in the surrounding areas and do not receive feed from the Gyeonggi Provincial Agricultural Association. We have no choice but to wait for the authorities to take control of this situation, but depending on how the problem is handled in earnest, we may see a slight turnaround in the egg collection situation. I have heard that some small egg retailers are actually siphoning eggs, but I do not know for sure. In view of the current situation as we fight decisive battles, if the general public would refrain from consuming eggs, and reserve them mainly for the sick, then there would be enough eggs to go to families with sick people who really need them, but it is up to the retailers to be aware of the situation and the consumers to be self-aware.

Since the use of eggs as a general foodstuff is truly a luxury under the current circumstances, some kind of appropriate regulation is desirable for families that desperately need eggs as a special food for the sick.

The current dietary situation of the people of Seoul is far more plentiful than those of the rest of the world on the home front, but in order to make use of eggs as a much more active supply source for the war effort, the righteousness of the small retailers and the self-awareness of the consumers are strongly desired, and together with the urgent measures taken by the authorities, an advancing marching song can be played to provide direction for dietary habits going into the third year of the war. (End of this section) 

[Photo: Meat retailers showing a plentiful supply]

A beautiful, beautiful story

Mr. Kiyohiro Ōhara, a chair manufacturer in the 54th patriotic group, 6th Ward, Jugyo-dong, Jung-gu, won 1,000 yen in the October lottery from a 2-yen bullet stamp that he bought at a regular meeting. Since he received extra money in November, he donated four red and white curtains to the town council and 15 cushions for the regular meeting to the patriotic group, and again won 100 yen in the November lottery. Now that he will receive extra money this month, he is asking the town councilor for his wisdom on what to donate this time, which is an enviable beautiful story.

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-12-24

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年12月24日

勝ち抜くあすの構え

食生活を衝く（６）

肉類・鶏卵

鶏卵は贅沢品だ

病人用食の統制を望む

脂肪性食品として戦う府民の熱量補給源たる肉類の末端配給は家庭用肉類輪番購入票により家族数四人迄は五十匁、九人迄は百匁、十人以上は一人増す毎に十匁を加えて順調な出回りを見せているが、此処で統制外の鶏肉は公定価格並びに飼料の関係から府内にさっぱりと姿を見せない。出回りが悪いと一般では直ちに闇や横流れを想像するが事実京畿道畜産物販売組合に入荷する鶏肉は現在の所皆無と云った状態である。

なお鶏肉に関連して府民のお台所を遠のいているものに鶏卵がある。牛乳その他の病人食として最も不可欠な栄養補給源である鶏卵も全然府内に入荷がないのであろうが、これは鶏肉に反して従前通り、否昭和十六年度の鶏卵の最も払底した時を基に十七年度、本年度と入荷数量は漸次好転し、順調な集荷状況を示している。

最も払底していると思われ既に一般消費者間には鶏卵の入手は最も困難なものとして時は諦めている向も多い。鶏卵の実際の入荷状況を見ると、先ず養鶏家に取って生命というべき飼料が京畿道を通じて配給されているため、それと引替に卵の供出が強要される所から道内養鶏家に産せられる大半の卵を順調に京城に入荷する。

数量的に見れば飼料の品質低下、品薄から産卵高は著しく減少されていて、最も順調で府内に卵の氾濫していた昭和十五年を基準として本年度の入荷数量は約三割に落ちている。三割という量は数字的に見れば良い方であるが、当時は京畿道鶏卵組合を経ずに横から府内に流れていた卵が約倍近くあり、実際的にはやはり当時の一割位ということになる。

所で現在京城府内に入る鶏卵は総て京畿道畜産物販売斡旋所に一元的に集卵され、此処から病院その他小売商に廻されているが、先ず入荷した卵はその三割程度を病院用として優先的に配給され、残りを府内六十五軒の鶏卵組合小売商と同じく六十五軒の食料品小売商の手に渡されていて、販売方法に就いては、

病院用食品として医師の診断書持参者には、これ又優先的に配給する様指示されている。大体現在の所、一日百貫平均の入荷状況であるが、この内一般消費者用として出回る数量約六十貫強と見て百匁七個平均では三千六百個の卵が一般小売商の手に入っている訳である。

所で現実の出回り状況は皆無といって良い状況である。府内百三十軒の鶏卵配給業者へは入荷数量の減少から毎日配給は行われていないが、一週間一回乃至二回の卸配給は行われているので、要約すれば鶏卵は小売商迄は確実に割り当てられているのである。

そこで末端配給として鶏卵の販売実状を小売組合商である府内花園町の一商店に訊ねると、

「一大体一週一回約三貫から五貫程度の配給を受けますが、入荷した際は店頭に何日何時から卵の販売を致しますと掲示を行い売っており、医者の証明書を持参された方には優先的に渡しています。一客二個三個を限度として販売しておりますが」、と中開きをした。卵の闇相場は現在一個三十銭前後で消費者には闇以外絶対に渡らないといわれている現状で、一般食料品店では卵の販売の実際は見当たらない現状である。ここで京畿道畜産物販売斡旋所佐藤主事に闇に横行する鶏卵の実状を訊ねる。

『現在闇に流れているという卵は京畿道農会から飼料の配給を受けていない近郊の鶏を飼っている農家から持ち込まれるように思います。之は当局の取締りを待つより外は有りませんが、本格の問題如何では今少し集荷の状況も好転するのではないでしょうか。鶏卵小売商では卵は情実流しをしているとの声もききますが、はっきりしたことは解りません。決戦下の時局に鑑み、卵は主として病人用として一般の方々が卵の消費を手控えてくれるなら、病人を抱えた本当に卵の必要な家庭へは応分に出回る位の出荷状況ですが、小売商の自覚と消費者の自省とに俟つよりは外ありません』

一般食料品として卵の使用はこの時局下正に贅沢品である以上切実に卵を求める家庭の病人特別食として何等かの適宜な統制が望まれる。

現在京城府民の食生活は全世界の戦う銃後にくらべてはるかに潤沢な出回りを見せているが、これをより一層活きた戦力の補給源として活用するには小売商の道義と消費者の自覚が強く望まれる所であり、当局の応急なる措置と相俟って、明朗なる決戦第三年への食生活の進撃譜が奏でられるのである（この項終り）【写真＝潤沢な出回りを見せる肉類販売店】

美しい美しい話

中区舟橋町第六区第五十四愛国班の椅子製造業大原清弘さんは常会で買った二円の弾丸切手が十月の抽籤で千円に当籤。十一月に割増金を貰ったので、紅白の幔幕四張を町会へ、常会用の座布団十五枚を愛国班へ寄付したところ、十一月の抽籤で又々百円に当籤。今月割増金を貰うことになったので、こんどは何処へ何を寄付しようかと町総代に智恵を借りているとは羨ましいような美しい話。