This article from 1943 offers a rare glimpse into one aspect of the severe censorship regime that Imperial Japan imposed on all its domains, including Korea. Here, we visit a coffeehouse in front of Seoul Station, where the owner is busy getting rid of American and British music records. Apparently, any music from American or British composers was now forbidden. That meant that Stephen Foster's folk music needed to go. Dvořák's music was also deemed unacceptable, because even though his nationality was Czech, he was considered to have strong ties to the U.S., especially since he wrote the New World Symphony there. On the other hand, music from composers of the Axis nations of Germany and Italy were considered acceptable.
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| Original caption: Mr. Kawamoto donating hostile-nation records. |
Throughout 1943, the newspaper issues featured brief, periodic announcements of music record confiscations. Here, I am showing you one representative notice from May 1943 that features the confiscation of American and British music records as well as "inappropriate" Japanese and Korean-language music records. We can see here that the neighborhood cell (Patriotic Group) leaders were tasked with inspecting and gathering the banned music records from all the households under their jurisdiction and submitting them to the League of Mobilization at the town (eup) level for disposal and recycling. The League of Mobilization was the one and only political party of Colonial Korea that had a hierarchical structure that extended down to the neighborhood cell level to exert oppressive, totalitarian control over the Korean people.
[Translation]
Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijō Nippo) March 20, 1943
Over One Hundred Selected Records
The First Spear in Sweeping Away American and British Music
Mr. Kawamoto Immediately Goes to the Military Government Office
Chief Dōmoto of the Information Section recently made a forceful statement: “Now is the time to drive out from our homes and our streets the American- and British-made jazz and demonic music that whip up the noise of the city and drive madness into the very marrow of people’s brains!” The web of ideological subversion that spreads through cultural channels cannot be cut in a single day. The harmful influence of American- and British-style records is one such danger.
Rising to the call, declaring “We must eradicate this demonic music without fail…,” is Mr. Kawamoto Ishi"iwa (age 39), owner of Seoul Café in front of Seoul Station, known as a “Western-music coffeehouse.” On March 19th, the very day of Chief Dōmoto’s statement, he immediately went to the shelves holding the numerous Western-music records stored in his shop and selected over one hundred American- and British-type records, including parts of The Foster Collection, Dvořák’s New World Symphony, Hawaiian Jazz, and World Folk Songs, and decided to proceed with the donation process through the Military Government Office. On March 19th, Mr. Kawamoto spoke:
“As you can see, I have collected Western-music records extensively as a hobby, so there are many. Even sorting out the American and British records will take several days. But I also have many works by musical saints of the Axis nations, like Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, and Italy’s Verdi, so there is no shortage of wholesome entertainment. At this opportunity, I intend to sweep out all American and British records entirely and donate the whole lot.”
[Photo: Mr. Kawamoto donating hostile-nation records]
Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijō Nippo) May 16, 1943
Collection of Hostile-Nation Records
[Miryang] In the town (eup), in order to heighten hostility toward the enemy and strengthen the movement to reject enemy nations under the wartime system, it has been announced that all records from enemy nations, America and Britain, will be collected. This includes Japanese-language and Korean-language records whose musical content is deemed unhealthy or unsuitable for performance in the present circumstances. The goal is to sweep them all away and elevate the people’s fighting spirit toward certain victory, urging each member of the League of Mobilization to voluntarily contribute such materials.
The notice provides:
▲ Patriotic Group Leaders are to survey in advance the American- and British-made records possessed by each member of their group.
▲ Patriotic Group Leaders are to gather the records submitted by each member and bring them collectively to the Town (eup) League.
▲ Care must be taken not to damage records that fall under the contribution requirement. In view of material shortages at this time, used records are also to be thoroughly collected as part of resource recovery.
[Transcription]
京城日報 1943年3月20日
選りだした音盤百余枚
米英音楽一掃へ一番槍
河本さん早速武官府へ
巷の喧噪に拍車をかけ脳髄のシンまで狂わせる米英製ジャズや鬼畜音楽を今こそ家庭から街から駆逐せよーとの堂本情報課長の談話は大きく響いた。文化面を通じこの思想謀略の網は一朝にして断ち切れない。米英的レコードの害毒もその一つ。『鬼畜音楽を断じて絶滅しよう．．．』と立ち上ったのは『洋楽の喫茶店』でしられた京城駅前京城茶房主人河本石岩さん（３９）で、課長談話のあった十九日、早速店内に積まれた夥だしい洋楽レコードの棚から『フォスター選集』『ドボルザーク新世界』『ハワイアンジャズ』『世界民謡集』の一部などの米英的レコード百余枚を取出し武官府を通じて献納手続きをとることとなった。十九日河本さんは語る。
御覧のように洋楽レコード専門に趣味的に集めてあるため数も多く米英レコードを選り出すにも数日かかる有様です。しかしベートーベンやモーツァルト、バッハ或は伊太利のベルデ―など枢軸国楽聖のも多数あるので、健全娯楽にはことを欠きません。米英レコードはこの際一掃して全部を献納しようと思います。【写真＝敵性レコード献納の河本さん】
京城日報 1943年5月16日
敵性音盤回収
【密陽】邑では決戦体制下敵愾心昂揚と敵国排撃の運動強化を図り、この際敵国米英の音楽内容不健全にして時局柄演奏不適と認める国語盤及び朝鮮語盤も一掃し国民必勝の士気を昂揚せんと各聯盟員の自発的供出促進を促し回収方を通告した。
▲愛国班長をして各班員の所持せる米英のレコードを予め調査せしめる。
▲愛国班長をして各班員の供出せるレコードを取纏め邑聯盟へ持参せしめる。
▲供出該当レコードを破損せしめざぬ様注意する、なお資材不足の折柄資回収の意味において中古品レコードも併せて供出方徹底せしめる。
Source: National Library of Korea, Digital Newspaper Archive
See also:
- Not content with merely banning U.S. and British jazz music, colonial authorities forced cafes, bars, and restaurants to throw out all phonograph records, and replaced the in-store background music with Imperial Japanese military songs and news propaganda blaring on the radio (Jongno, Seoul, 1943) (link)
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In 1944, Imperial Japan launched an “all-out campaign” to erase Hangul from public life, mobilizing teachers and Korean youth to destroy Korean signs, books, and even phonograph records (link)
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