In February 1943, a massive network of Imperial Way Training Institutes was launched in Korea to initially train 500,000 Korean ‘leaders’ in ‘character building’ based on the ‘pure Japanese spirit and worldview’, but not in Japan proper because of the ‘high national character’ of the Japanese people

In February 1943, Governor-General Koiso issued an executive order creating a vast nationwide network of 'Imperial Way Training Institutes' that would initially train over 500,000 Korean 'leaders' (about 2% of the Korea population at the time) in the 'pure Japanese spirit and Japanese worldview' for 'character building' and 'spiritual training'. Adopting the 'Japanese spirit' and 'Japanese worldview' would have not only meant adopting the Japanese language, culture, and national identity, but also converting to the State Shinto religion and submitting to the Japanese Emperor.

The second article features an interview with an exuberant Mr. Takeuchi, the colonial bureaucrat in charge of this vast network, who explained that mainland Japan did not need a similar program because the Japanese people already had a 'high national character', the implication being that the Korean people didn't.

Mr. Takeuchi, the Director of the Training Division in charge of the Imperial Way Training Institutes.

Mr. Takeuchi apparently drew some inspiration from a young farmers' boot camp run by the Imperial Army in northern Japan. He probably also got some ideas from the 'Yamato Cram Schools', which were founded in April 1941 to convert ideological criminals such as Korean independence activists. 

This vast campaign to dilute Korean ethnic and national identity and mold the Korean people into loyal Imperial Japanese subjects is arguably one of the most ambitious social experiments ever attempted in the world in the 20th Century.

The 'leaders' were trained in four different programs: an elite government leader program, a workplace-based program, a school-based program, and a rural-based program. These programs established the pattern of workplaces, schools, and rural villages 'volunteering' laborers to work for the colonial government in detachments as labor shortages became critical over the course of the war.

The elite program was attended by Koreans who were already fluent in Japanese, so they studied advanced Shinto philosophy and Classical Japanese literature, presumably so that they could read the ancient Shinto scriptures in the original Old Japanese. The general idea was that the graduates of these programs would eventually train others and then create a 'trickle-down' effect of converting all of Korean society from the top-down. I have previously posted articles showcasing at least one example from each program, with the exception of the elite program, but this article connects the dots by revealing that they were all part of one big network of 'Imperial Way Training Institutes'.

• Internment camps for young Korean schoolgirls
• Workplace training making employees run until they collapse from heat exhaustion
• Yuseong Farmers' training camp to train rural leaders

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) February 2, 1943

Spiritual Training Guidelines Established for the Groundbreaking Korean Peninsula (Effective March 1st)

"Imperial Way Training Institutes" to be established

Four different training programs to be implemented

The Governor-General's Office, in accordance with the aim of the New Year instructions given by Governor-General Koiso on January 4th at the opening ceremony of his administration, has instructed the leaders of the 24 million compatriots on the Korean peninsula, including government officials, executive staff at various private companies and organizations, male and female students attending junior high school and above, and young men with leadership potential, to thoroughly practice character building and spiritual training in accordance with the current decisive wartime system. These guidelines had been in the drafting stages for quite some time, but they were just recently finalized. On the first day of the month, the groundbreaking "Outline of Thorough Practice of Character Building and Spiritual Training" was announced along with Governor-General Koiso's message as follows.

According to the outline, the "Imperial Way Training Institutes," which will form the core of the various training institutes, will be newly established in Seoul to train leaders from all walks of life in the public and private sectors based on the pure Japanese spirit and Japanese worldview that the Governor-General has long advocated, enabling government officials and ordinary people from all of Korea to become leaders in providing character building and spiritual training. The training methods will be divided into four programs:

(1) Government leadership training program

(2) Workplace training program

(3) School training program

(4) Rural leadership training program

These programs are designed to train the mind and body to be strong and healthy enough to literally endure a bloody battle, by augmenting iron-like character building and spiritual training that are adapted to the trainees' academic level, age, and personal qualities. The "Imperial Way Training Institutes" will start this April.

As for the workplace training program and school training program, every Monday will be designated as a "Training Day" starting on March 1st, and the training will be conducted simultaneously all over Korea in accordance with prescribed training methods. In addition, this unprecedented training, which also deserves to be called 'battle training', will include not only government officials and leaders of private companies and organizations as targets for mobilization, but also about 195,000 members of the police, security, and railway patrol agencies in all of Korea, about 50,000 male and female students from junior high school and above, about 2,500 people undergoing training at various training institutes or re-education institutes for government officials, about 97,000 students at youth training centers, and about 110,000 youth at special youth training schools. Altogether, the total number of trainees will be well over 500,000.

The thoroughness of these training methods is a clear embodiment of one of the three major policies that Governor-General Koiso has long declared. At the same time, it is now the autumn of the year when our nation is risking life and death valiantly fighting on in the Greater East Asia War. This is truly a decisive kind of training that is immediately adapted to the current decisive wartime system.

Outline for the thorough implementation of character building and spiritual training

(1) The Imperial Way Training Institutes are to be newly established by the Governor-General of Korea by this April, and the affairs related thereto shall be placed under the jurisdiction of the Training Division of the Scholastic Affairs Bureau. The Imperial Way Training Institutes shall clarify the Japanese spirit and the Japanese worldview, directly train leaders, and lead the character building and spiritual training of government officials and ordinary people in general.

(2) The training is divided into the following four training programs, and they will be implemented starting on March 1st.

1: Government leadership training program: includes government officials, private executives, and those who deserve to become executive staff in both the central and outlying areas of the country

2: Workplace training program: includes the groups which are specified elsewhere in other paragraphs.

3: School training program: includes those undergoing training at schools and school-like institutions as specified elsewhere in other paragraphs.

4: Rural leadership training program: includes leaders from rural areas.

(3) The following are the main features of each training program

A: Government leadership training program (a) Location = the dōjō attached to the Imperial Training Institute (an alternative dōjō can be arbitrarily chosen until the Imperial Training Institute is newly built) (b) Training period = an average of two weeks per term, and depending on the trainees, it may be as short as one week or as long as one month (c) Training method = The trainees are required to stay under strict discipline. Taking into account the trainees and the length of their training period, they are required to take classes on the National Body, Classical Japanese literature, and the Japanese worldview as appropriate. They are also required to perform Seiza, Misogi, as well as martial arts training, calisthenics, and manual labor. (d) The actual cost of the meals provided at the executive leadership training dōjōs shall be deducted from the trainees' travel allowances.

B. Workplace training program: (a) Training days shall be scheduled every Monday throughout the year for all of Korea. However, if the training day falls on a holiday, or if training cannot be due to rain or other circumstances, then the training shall be postponed (b) Training shall be held 30 minutes to 1.5 hours before the start of work for government offices, public organizations, companies, banks, and various trade union offices. The training start time for factories, mines, and labor sites shall be set at an appropriate time as determined by their respective leaders. The following activities shall be performed: (1) National Worship Ritual (2) Calisthenic exercises and drills. Depending on the occasion, these may be replaced with character building talks, manual labor, and other activities. Girls shall be allowed to participate in the above events by performing the girls' ritual and learning how to use the Naginata sword. The police, security, and railway patrol agencies shall assemble on training day as much as possible, and generally perform the same activities.

C. School training program: In schools (including girls' schools), the appropriate time and day shall be set and activities shall be conducted in the same manner as in the workplace training program. However, the character building talks and the labor tasks, which are the mainstay for the training of government officials, shall be adapted in accordance with the age of the trainees. The activities performed on training day may derive from the workplace training program or the government leadership training program, and the training shall always be conducted in accordance with the trainees' personal qualities.

D. Rural leadership training program: At the training dōjōs in the rural areas, training shall be conducted in accordance with the government leadership training program.

The following shall receive training in accordance with the workplace training program:

(A) Employees at the following government agencies and public organizations: (1) Governor-General's Office (including quasi-governmental agencies), provincial governments, prefectural governments, county governments, island governments, police stations, eup offices, etc. (2) Provincial telecommunications agencies, savings management offices, main post offices, etc. (3) Provincial railway agencies, railroad offices, main rail stations, track maintenance districts, railway management districts, factories, etc. (4) Provincial monopoly agencies, main monopoly agency branches, factories, etc. (5) Customs Bureau and main customs branches, etc. (6) Tax supervision bureaus and taxation offices, etc. (7) Courts, prosecutors' offices, court branch offices, prosecutors' sub-offices, probation offices, prisons, etc. (8) Forestry offices (9) Branch offices of government agencies, inspection stations, and examination centers, etc. (10) Hospitals attached to provincial medical schools, etc. (11) Other government agencies and public organizations that are required to conduct spiritual training

(2) Police, security forces, and members of the railway patrol agencies: approximately 195,000 people

(3) Employees of major companies, banks, various trade unions, factories, mines, and other workplaces, etc. (Workers should also be spiritually trained as much as possible in a manner that is in accordance with their occupation)

The following shall receive training in accordance with the school training program:

(1) Students from junior high school and above: about 50,000 students

(2) Those undergoing training at the various training institutions for government officials, etc., as listed in the attached table, or those undergoing re-education as government officials: about 2,500 persons

(3) Students at youth training centers: about 97,000

(4) Students at special youth training centers: about 110,000

(5) Those who are enrolled at various training institutes such as farmers' training institutes, etc.

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-02-02

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) February 3, 1943

Training days are every Monday

The Establishment of the Imperial Training Institutes as explained by Mr. Takeuchi, Director of the Training Division of the Scholastic Affairs Bureau

At the opening ceremony of Governor-General Koiso's administration in the very beginning of 1943, when 24 million people on the Korean peninsula had risen up with iron determination, Governor-General Koiso raised up the three major principles of "thorough practice of character-building and training, decisive increase in production capacity, and epoch-making reform of general administration". He requested strong executive power under the banner, "Practice is better than theory!" Not long after the New Year, he announced the "Outline of Thorough Practice of Character Building and Spiritual Training". After a one-month preparation period, it will be to be put into practice as early as March 1 with great pomp.

The Imperial Way Training Institutes, the most organized government-run training dōjōs in Korea, are to be established ahead of other training dōjōs in mainland Japan, because iron-solid mental strength and power of execution should be the main road to complete victory in this decisive war. They are intended to give the people of the Korean peninsula (government officials, ordinary people, and students alike) the mental strength and power of execution made of indestructible diamond to fight through the Holy War of the Century. Mr. Takeuchi is busy right now with various preparations for the training programs, but let's listen to him talk about training the Korean peninsula.

Mr. Takeuchi, Director of the Training Division of the Scholastic Affairs Bureau

There are already dōjōs and training centers for various occupational groups throughout the country, but Korea will probably be the first country to have government-run dōjōs in every region of the country. It is said that the various programs of the Imperial Way Training Institutes were added by Director-General Eguchi after consulting with the Governor-General. Although spiritual training should naturally be conducted in mainland Japan as well, it is harder to organize from a geographical standpoint, and the Japanese people have a high national character. That is probably why we don't adopt such large-scale training programs in mainland Japan.

Training can be roughly divided into three main programs: the training of leaders, the training at workplaces, and the training at schools. The term 'rural leaders' refers to section chiefs, county governors, police stations, directors of financial institutions, school principals, etc. in each province. Training will begin at the same time in each area of the country and will continue nonstop throughout the year for many years. Those students who have been trained at the schools will graduate and undergo training in their respective occupational fields, and then become local leaders and undergo training at the Imperial Way Training Institutes.

The details have not yet been announced, but starting in March, every Monday will be designated as a training day, and there is really nothing difficult about it. All you have to do is to come to work an hour or 30 minutes early on that day, do some calisthenic training, physical exercises, listen to a character building talk, and do some manual labor. Not all of them are required to enter a dōjō to perform Misogi. There seems to be a misunderstanding on this point.

There are many people who are suspicious of entering a training dōjō. Everyone nowadays knows the gravity of the times. They know that they have to work hard. However, if you enter a training dōjō and continue a rigorous mental regimen for even one week, you will achieve an iron determination. Then you will feel the pleasure of putting things into practice without complaint. You will be inspired. That might be all there is to it. The other day, I visited the Rokuhara Farmers dōjō (Iwate prefecture, Japan), which strictly enforced the National Worship Ritual, the raising of the national flag, and proper eating habits, but the rest was just field work. However, when I saw those who were doing the work, I found that they had an incorruptible mentality. I believe that this spiritual life makes the can-do attitude penetrate strongly and deeply into one's heart and soul.

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-02-03

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年2月2日

画期的半島の錬成要項成る　三月一日開始

『皇道修練院』を設置

四錬成型に分類実施

総督府では去月四日小磯総督が本府の御用始式においてなしたる初訓示の趣旨に則り、現下の決戦体制に即応して、全鮮の官公吏を初め、あらゆる民間会社、各種団体等の職員幹部、男女中等学校以上の学生、生徒など半島二千四百万同胞の指導者並びに中堅たるべき青壮年層に対し修養錬成の徹底的実践をなすべく、過般来立案中のところ、このほど具体案を決定。一日これに関する小磯総督談話と共に画期的な『修養錬成の徹底的実践要綱』を次の如く発表した。

要綱によれば各種錬成機関の中心たる『皇道修練院』を京城府に新たに開設して総督がかねて高唱する醇乎たる日本精神及び日本的世界観の透徹を基調として官民各界指導者の錬成を行い、かつ全鮮官民全般にわたる修養錬成を指導せしむると同時に他方錬成方法を

（一）指導者錬成

（二）職域錬成

（三）学校等の錬成

（四）地方指導者の錬成

なる四つの錬成型に分ち、被錬成者の学識、年齢、素質等に応じて鉄の如き修養錬成を加え、以って文字通り血の決戦にも堪え得る強健なる心身を鍛え上げんとするもので、『皇道修練院』は来る四月より開始。

職域錬成及び学校等の錬成については三月一日より毎週月曜日を『錬成日』と定め、所定の錬成方法に基づいて全鮮一斉に実施することとなっている。なお対戦錬成ととも云うべきこの未曾有の錬成に動員さるべき対象は官公吏、民間会社団体指導者などの外、全鮮の警防団員、鉄道愛護団員約十九万五千人、中等学校以上の男女学生、生徒約五万人、各種官公吏養成機関又は官吏再教機関に於いて修業中の者約二千五百人、青年訓練所生徒約九万七千人、青年特別錬成所生約十一万人等を加うれば、優に五十万人を超ゆべく其の規模。

其の錬成の徹底的方式に於いて小磯総督がかねて宣明せる三大施策の一を端的に具現せるものであり、それと同時に我国が生死存亡を賭して今や雄渾なる大東亜戦を戦い抜きつつある秋。正に半島の決戦体制に即応する決戦的錬成というべきである。

修養錬成の徹底的実践要綱

（一）朝鮮総督府に皇道修練院を新設（四月）し、之に関する事務を学務局錬成課の所管とす。皇道修練院は日本精神及び日本的世界観を究明し、直接指導者の錬成を行うと共に官民全般に亘る修養錬成を指導す。

（二）錬成を左の四に区分し、三月一日より之を実施す。

１：指導者錬成　中央及び地方を通じ官公吏及び民間の幹部並びに幹部たるべき者を対象とす。

２：職域錬成　別項の如き集団を対象とす。

３：学校等の錬成　別項の如き学校及び学校類似の機関に於いて修業中の者を対象とす。

４：地方指導者錬成　地方の指導者を対象とす。

（三）錬成の実施要目左の如し

１：指導者錬成　（イ）錬成の場所＝皇道修練院付設道場（皇道修練院新設迄は適宜選定の道場）　（ロ）錬成期間＝一期平均二週間とし被錬成者に依り一週間乃至一月間に於いて適宜之を定むるものとす　（ハ）錬成の方法＝厳格なる規律の下に起居せしめ被錬成者と錬成期間の長短を考慮し適宜国体学、古典、日本的世界観等を講習せしむると共に静座、『みそぎ』等の行い及び武道教練、体操、勤労作業を併課す　（二）経営、指導者錬成道場に於ける食費等は被錬成者の旅費手当中より実費を負担せしむ。

２：職域錬成　（イ）錬成日の設定全鮮を通じ毎週月曜日を錬成日と定む。但し当日休日なるとき又は雨天等の為め予定の行事を実施難きときは順延とす　（ロ）錬成の日の行事、官公署、公共団体、会社、銀行、各種組合事務所等に在りては出勤定刻前三十分乃至一時間半、工場、鉱山、事業場等に在りては指導者の定むる適宜の時限及び時分に於いて厳格なる規律の下に概ね次の行事を行う：（一）国民儀礼　（二）体操及び教練、時宜に依り訓話、勤労作業其の他の行事を以て之に代う。右の行事には女子を参加せしめ女子儀礼及び薙刀の習得等を以て男子の教練に代うことを得、警防団、鉄道愛護国は能う限り之を錬成日に召集し概ね同一の行事を行うものとす。

３：学校等の錬成　学校（女子を含む）に在りては職域錬成に関し定めたる錬成日に於いて適宜の時限及び時分を定め職域錬成に準じ行事を行うものとす。但し訓話又は勤労作業を主とすべし官吏等の養成機関及び之に準ずるものに在りては修業者の年齢に応じ、錬成日に於ける行事を前項学校等の錬成又は職域錬成方法に拠らしむるの外、指導者錬成に於ける『錬成の方法』を参酌し被錬成者の素質に応じ常時之に適応したる錬成を行うものとす。

４：地方指導者　地方錬成道場に於いて１の指導者錬成に準じ之を行う。

職域錬成を受くべき者

一、左の如き官公署及び公共団体の職員　（一）総督府（含外局）、道庁、府郡島庁、警察署、邑事務所等　（二）地方逓信局、貯金管理所、主なる郵便局等　（三）地方鉄道局、鉄道事務所、主なる駅、保線区、機関区及び工場等　（四）地方専売局、主なる専売局出張所及び工場等　（五）税関及び主なる税関出張所等　（六）税務監督局及び税務署等　（七）法院、検事局、法院支庁、検事分局、保護観察所及び刑務所等　（八）営林署　（九）官庁各種出張所、検査所及び試験場等　（十）道立医院学校附属病院等　（十一）其の他錬成を行うことを要する認むる官公署、公共団体等

二、警防団員、鉄道愛護団員、約十九万五千人

三、主なる会社、銀行、各種組合、工場、鉱山、及び事業場等の職員（労務者に対しても成るべく職員に準じ錬成を行うこと）

学校等の錬成を受くべき者

一、中等学校以上の学生、生徒、約五万人

二、別表の如き各種の官吏等の養成機関又は官吏再教育機関に於いて修業中の者、約二千五百人

三、青年訓練所生徒約九万七千人

四、青年特別錬成所生約十一万人

五、農民訓練所等各種訓練所に入所中の者

京城日報　1943年2月3日

錬成日は毎週月曜

皇道修練院の設置　竹内錬成課長談

半島二千四百万が鉄の決意をもって起ち上った十八年初頭の御用始式において小磯総督は『修養錬成の徹底的実践』、生産力の拡充、庶政執務の刷新の三大綱領を掲げ、”理念より実践へ”の旗幟も高らかに逞しい実行力を要望したが、新年度を待たずしてまず”修養錬成の徹底的実践要綱”を発表。一ヶ月の準備期間を置いて三月一日から早くも歩武堂々と実践に移すこととなった。

鉄石の精神力と実行力こそ決戦完勝への大道であらねばならない、と内地に先んじて最も組織的な官営修練道場『皇道修練院』を設置。半島官民学徒を問わず、この世紀の聖戦を戦い抜く金剛不壊の精神力、実践力を与えようとするものだが、錬成方法の諸準備に忙しい竹内錬成課長に半島を錬成する弁を聞いてみよう。

語る竹内錬成課長

各職域別による道場とか錬成所などは全国至る所にあるが全地域的な官営の道場を持つのは凡らく朝鮮が始めてだろう。皇道修練院の各種は江口総務局長が総督に相談されて付けたと聞いている。内地でも当然錬成を行なうべきだが、地域上からみてまとまりが悪いのと民度の高さからいってこうした大規模な錬成方法を採らないのであろう。

錬成は大体指導者錬成、職域錬成、学校等の錬成に三大別出来る。ここでいう地方指導者とは各道の課長級、郡守、署所、金組理事、学校長などを称する。錬成は各地とも一斉に開始し、年中無休で今後幾年でもやってゆく。早い話が学校で錬成された者は卒業して職域別の錬成を受け、更に地方指導者となって皇道修練院で錬成を受けるわけだ。

まだ実施細目を発表していないが、三月からは毎週月曜日を錬成日と定めて実践するが、別段難しいことはない。その日は一時間か三十分早目に出勤して教練とか体操とか時には訓話を聞くとか勤労作業を行うとかでよいわけだ。全部が全部道場に入って『みそぎ』を行うものだとは限らない。この点どうも誤解があるようだ。

錬成道場に入ることを不審がる人がよくある。今時の人なら誰しも時局の重大さを知っている。頑張らねばならぬことも知っている。然し錬成道場に入って厳しい精神生活を仮令一週間でも続ければ鉄の決意が出来る。それから文句なしに実践することの快味を覚える。発奮して来る。要するにそれだけかも知れない。過日、六原農民道場を観たが国民儀礼国旗掲揚、食事作法を厳重にして、その他は野良仕事だけだった。然しやっている人を見ると実に冒し難い精神力を持っているのだ。この精神生活によって”やらねばならぬ””実行だ”ということが強く深く心魂に徹するのだと信ずる。

Master Imaizumi Teisuke, the spiritual leader of the ruling class of colonial Korea, taught that Japanese-Korean unification should be thought of as a relationship between husband and wife, between a horse and its rider, and between a parent and a child, during his 12-day tour of Korea in 1942

Master Imaizumi Teisuke was a prominent Shinto theologian and spiritual leader of Imperial Japan. By 1942, when he went on a 12-day tour of Korea lecturing on the Imperial Way to the colonial ruling class, he was an 80-year-old man who had personally witnessed the dizzying pace of change that Japan went through from a feudal backwater in the 1860's to a sprawling empire in the course of a human lifetime. He had devoted his whole life to studying Kokugaku, which was a nativist Japanese academic movement which despised foreign thought, including Christianity, Buddhism, and Chinese philosophy, and advocated a return to Japan's ancient Shinto roots. His flowing white beard gave him the look of an ancient sage.

Imaizumi with Commander Itagaki

He was so revered that his words were considered gospel truth by the ruling class of colonial Korea. This is why I am presenting an excerpt of the first article, in which he explains how one should conceptualize Japanese-Korean unification: as a relationship between husband and wife, and as a relationship between a horse and its rider. In the second article, he gives a radio address to the Korean people in a paternalistic manner, as though they were his children, and describes Japanese-Korean unification as a relationship between parent and child. His comments may sound ridiculous, but his teachings were seriously followed by the colonial rulers of Korea, who prominently published his abstruse speeches about Shinto philosophy over many days in the Keijo Nippo newspaper. They serve to provide us with a glimpse into the religious fundamentalist motivations that drove the colonial regime into brutally imposing State Shintoism on the Korean population. The third article is an announcement about Imaizumi which was published ahead of his tour of Korea, in which the colonial regime explains just how important Imaizumi is to their ruling philosophy.

But the strange thing is that this once heralded Imperialist philosopher is no longer celebrated among the Japanese neo-Imperialists today. His books are now out-of-print and largely forgotten, hidden in obscure corners of libraries. Why is that? Perhaps because he politically spoke out against the regime during the war? A Japanese Wikipedia article about him says that he criticized the Imperial Japanese military's political policies during the war, which led to his works being censored. However, I could not find any online primary sources backing up this statement. My long-term project will be to do some off-line research where I can to figure out what he said against the Imperial military.

Imaizumi died on September 11, 1944. However, his obituary in the Keijo Nippo newspaper from September 12, 1944 is too blurred to read. The quality of the scans of the newspapers on Internet archive are often too poor to be legible. Just one of the many illegible newspaper pages that I'm curious about, I'm hoping to one day visit the National Library of Korea in Seoul to examine a hard copy of the newspaper to see how the obituary describes Imaizumi, or wait until the National Library of Korea gets around to releasing high quality scans of all the pages of Keijo Nippo in its archives.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) November 20, 1942

The True Meaning of the Imperial Way, by Imaizumi Teisuke

Generation and Development in accordance with Hakkō Ichiu

A nation of unity between the Emperor and His subjects

[…]

The Imperial Way Leading the World

[…]

In particular, the unification of the people of the Korean peninsula and the people of mainland Japan into "one body" has been preached daily for more than 30 years since the annexation of Korea. Although people often talk about "one body" today, the truth of this "one body" seems to be unclear to them. The easiest way to understand the concept of "one body" is to consider the example of a husband and wife. When the couple is seen as a man and a woman, they are counted as two people, but when they are seen as husband and wife, they are counted as "one body".

Therefore, if the husband has done something wrong, the wife is not blameless. If the woman has done something wrong, the man is not said to be without responsibility, because the husband and wife are "one body". The belief that they are two people [and not "one body"] leads to situations happening even to this day, where the husband harbors a secret and thinks that he can solve the problem by simply hiding his mistress from his wife. This is because they do not know the ethical truth of "one body". If the couple believes that they are "one body" and not two people, then there is no way that the man and the woman can keep secrets from each other. This is because it is impossible to keep secrets within "one body".

Making the leap towards becoming "one body"

Where else can one find such a thoroughgoing code of ethics as that of the Japanese people? In any other code of ethics, husband and wife are counted as two people. In the Chinese code of ethics, there is a concept of qin and se, two string instruments that play in perfect marital harmony. Whereas in China, they merely say that the couple are two string instruments that are well matched, in Japan, husband and wife are "one body". In this way, two completely different beings, both in form and spirit, become "one body". It is not a matter of combining one and one to become two. When a husband and wife become "one body", one and one multiply to become five or eight. That is the meaning that I would like you all to consider in the case of Japanese-Korean unification.

Japanese-Korean unification does not mean that one and one come together to form two. True unification into "one body" means that one and one come together to make five or eight. When you are doing some work together with a common purpose, one man and one man combine to become "one body". When two men combine to become "one body", their combined power is not that of two people, but that of five or eight people.

Here, we must carefully consider things. When we describe a master horse rider, we say, "Without someone on the saddle, there is no horse under the saddle," which means that man and horse are in harmony, but this is not a combination of one and one to form two. Neither can a horse jump alone, nor can a person run alone. However, when man and horse are in harmony, the heavenly horse can fly to the sky and travel a thousand miles.

With respect to the process of becoming "one body", similar beings can become "one body", or two completely different beings as a man and a woman can become "one body". Either way is fine, but at any rate, two beings become one. There is no doubt that the power of this union is very great.　(Speech stenograph)

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-11-20

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) November 25, 1942

The "Essence of the National Body" as explained by Master Imaizumi

Master Imaizumi broadcast his message to all of Korea yesterday

After finishing his lecture tour in Pyongyang and Hamhung, Master Imaizumi arrived in Seoul by train at 2:12 p.m. on November 24th. But before he could rest his old body, he broadcast a lecture entitled "The Essence of the National Body" to all of Korea from the Seoul Broadcasting Station at 7:00 p.m. Twenty minutes earlier, he had entered the broadcasting station and sat quietly in the waiting room meditating, not even moving his body so he could practice the draft of his speech. Soon thereafter, his voice came through the microphone as if he were a compassionate father who was patiently teaching his children.

In a voice so bright and clear that it was hard to believe that he was 80 years old, he was now exhorting the 24 million people of the Korean peninsula about the incomparable essence of our national body and the Great Way of Japanese-Korean Unification. Moreover, his voice was gentle as he explained the pure and fervent national body, and each word seemed to penetrate from the ear into the heart. As he proceeded to explain the Way of the gods, that is, the Way of the Emperor, his voice finally grew passionate, and he said the following:

"In our nation, the gods have given us the Three Sacred Treasures as a spiritual gift, and the Ears of Rice as a material gift. We cannot save humanity unless we cultivate both the material and the spiritual. We cannot be saved by merely teaching spiritual salvation, as is done in other countries, because eating is an essential part of human life." He went on to describe how the Japanese way of thinking, which has continued to flow for 2600 years, and the foreign way of thinking, represented by Christianity, differ in many ways.

"The love between parents and children in Japan is unparalleled in other countries. A family cannot exist without sincere contact by both the parents and the children." He explained the superiority of the ancient Japanese family system in terms of the affection between the parents and the children, saying,

"In the Meiji Era, the people of mainland Japan and the people of the Korean peninsula were united into 'one body'. In order for both sides to be truly happy, they must be able to relate to each other with the same love and affection that real parents and their children would have. This is where the Great Way of Japanese-Korean Unification can exist."

After returning to the waiting room, the Master chatted with his attendants and wrote in flowing brush strokes the four Chinese characters "神人感應" (God and man are in harmony) in the calligraphy book provided by the staff. At 8:20 p.m., he returned to his lodgings, braving the cold wind. [Photo: Master Imaizumi during his broadcast]

Imaizumi during his radio broadcast in Korea

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-11-25

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) November 10, 1942

Igniting the Torch of the Japanese Soul

Master Imaizumi, an authority on Kokugaku

Lecture events evangelizing the Imperial Way are fast approaching

Governor-General Koiso came to office proclaiming the "Penetration into the True Meaning of the National Body" and the "Establishment of Righteous Korea". This was the voice of heaven that cried out loudly to the 24 million people of the Korean peninsula from that day on. Only when we are committed to the true meaning of the national body and live by the Imperial Way can we become true Imperial subjects. From there, total power will be born. We can then expand our productive capacity. Righteous Korea will be brilliantly established. Be penetrated into the true meaning of the national body! Live the Imperial Way!

This must also be the direction of the movement of the newly launched Korean Federation of National Power. To further spur on this surging momentum on the peninsula, Keijo Nippo invited Master Imaizumi Teisuke, the greatest authority on Kokugaku, to give a "Great Lecture Event Evangelizing the Imperial Way" in all the major cities of Korea. The aim is to ignite the fire of the Japanese spirit in the hearts of 24 million people of Korea.

Master Imaizumi will leave Tokyo on the 15th, land in Busan on the 17th, and arrive in Seoul on the same day. He will participate at 3:00 p.m. on the 18th in the main auditorium of the Seoul Citizens Hall in order to establish a Righteous Korea. He will preach the dignity of the Imperial Way to the masses and teach them the way to grasp the Japanese spirit. On the following day on the 19th, he will speak about the Imperial Way to the ruling class as well at the Hasegawa Bank meeting hall. Departing from Seoul on the 20th, he will speak about the Great Way of the Japanese spirit with fiery speeches at Pyongyang Public Hall on the 21st, Hamhung on the 23rd, Daegu on the 25th, and Busan on the 27th.

Imaizumi arrives in Seoul

For 12 days from his landing in Busan to his departure from Korea, this Master who is thoroughly committed to the true meaning of the national body, will travel around the Korea peninsula where the cold weather is intense, despite having an old 80-year-old body, to devote himself to the National Structure Clarification Movement for evangelizing the Imperial Way. This must be an exaltation of his spirit of martyrdom.

He was born in Shiroishi, Miyagi Prefecture, in 1863 as an Imperial subject. He studied Kokugaku at an early age and lived through the Meiji era and the Taishō era. During this time when the vast Western civilization was being praised, he never stopped advocating for the penetration into the true meaning of the national body, and for evangelizing the Imperial Way.

Ceaselessly working to make sure that the study of the national body remained true to its principles, he became absorbed in studying the literature until his eyes became bloodshot. He is not averse to discussing the national body from a scientific standpoint, but he is more concerned with discovering the "soul" that resides in our national body, which is unrivaled by any other nation, from a higher spiritual standpoint. From there, he has been developing a nationwide National Structure Clarification Movement.

The Imperial Way Society, which he presides over, counts among his great followers the Generals Araki Sadao, Hayashi Senjūrō, Yamamoto Eisuke, and Yonai Mitsumasa of the Imperial Army and Navy, Hiranuma Kiichirō and other top military leaders and both Houses of the Diet, as well as Ogura Masatsune, Kurimoto Ryūnosuke, and Tadayoshi Obata, who are leaders in the Japanese business world.

He has recently written "A Collection of Recent Essays on the Imperial Way", and he has devoted himself to evangelizing the Imperial Way and clarifying the National Structure by spending four or five days a month in the Kansai region to lecture on the true meaning of the national body to those in the business world who are said to be from the old regime.

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-11-10

(Transcription)

京城日報　1942年11月20日

皇道の本義　今泉定助

生成発展、八紘為宇

美し君臣一体の国家

[…]

世界を導く皇道

[…]

殊に半島の人々と内地の人々が一体になるということは、合邦以来三十余年、毎日のように説かれて来ている。一体ということは今日よく人が申しますけれども、一体の真理がはっきりしておらぬように思われるのであります。一番わかり易いのは夫婦の一体である。男女という時には二人に数えるけれども、夫婦にして数えるときは一体である。

それだから夫に若し悪いことがあれば妻も罪なしとは言われぬ。女の方に悪いことがあっても男も責任なしとは言われない。夫婦一体である。二人だと思うから男の秘密があっても隠し女の方も隠していて、それで済むことのように考えて今日まで来ている。一体倫理の真実が判らぬからであります。二人でない一人であるという考えを持ちましたならば、男女ともにどちらに秘密があってもどうして隠せましょう。一体の中に秘密があるというようなことはあり得ないことであります。

飛躍する一体化

日本人ほど徹底した倫理はどこにありましょう。どこの倫理だって夫婦は二人と数えている。支那の倫理などでも琴瑟相和す。琴と瑟とよく揃っているという程度以外にはいっていない。日本のは夫婦一体である。そうして形の上からいっても、精神上からいっても全然違ったものが一体になる。一と一と合せて二になるのではない。夫婦が一体になるということは五にも八にも飛ぶのである。この意味を内鮮一体の場合において私はよくお考えを願いたいと思うのであります。

内鮮一体ということは、ただ一つ一つが集まって二つになったのではない。本当の一体は五にも八にも飛躍するのであります。あなた方が平常志を同じくして何か仕事をおやりになっている際に、男と男と一体となる。男と男と二人が一体になりましたならば、その力というものは二つの力ではありません。五人力、八人力を出すのであります。

ここでよく考えなければならぬ。馬乗りの名人を形容して『鞍上人なし鞍下馬なし』というようなことを申しますのは、人と馬との意気が合った姿であるが、これは一と一とを合せて二となったのではなく、五にも八にもなって飛ぶのである。馬だけでも飛べるものでなく、人間だけで走れるものでもありません。ところが人と馬との意気が合いますと天馬空を行く。いわゆる千里を行くのであります。

この一体化、同じものでも一体になる。男女のような全然変ったものでも一体になる。それはどちらでもよろしいが、兎に角、二つのものが一体になる。その力というものは、非常なものであるということだけは疑う余地がありません。　（講演速記）

京城日報　1942年11月25日

説き示す”国体の精華”

今泉先生、さくや全鮮へ放送

平壌、咸興の講演行脚を終えた今泉先生は二十四日午後二時十二分着。列車で一先ず帰城したが、老躯を休めるいとまもなく午後七時京城放送局から全鮮へ向け、『国体の精華』と題する講演を放送した。定刻二十分前に放送局に入った先生は控室で静かに瞑想に耽り、講演の草稿を練っているが如く身じろぎもしない。やがて諄々と子供にさとす慈父の如く語る先生の声がマイクから流れて来た。

今ぞ半島二千四百万民衆へ我が国体の精華の無比なることを、内鮮一体の大道を、八十歳の老躯とも思えぬ明るく澄んだ声で喝破するのだ。しかも純烈な国体を説く先生の声はあくまでやさしく、一語一語が耳から胸へしみ透るようだ。神ながらの道、即ち天皇の道なる帰一性へ説き進んだ先生の声はようやく熱を帯び、さらに

『我が国には昔から精神的なものを救う三種の神器があると同時に物質的な”斎庭の稲穂”を神はわれわれに下し賜わった。物質と精神の両方面をつくってするのでなければ、人間を救う事は出来ない。外国のようにただ単に精神的な救いのみを教えるのでは救われるものではない。人間は喰うことも生きる上に欠くことの出来ない要素である』と滔々として二千六百年を流れつづける日本思想と、キリスト教によって代表せられる外国思想との相違点を説き衝き、

『日本の親子の愛情は他国に比を見ない。親からも子からも真心をもって接触しなければ家庭というものは存続し得ない』と日本古来の家族制度の優位性を親子の愛情の問題から説明し、

『内地人と半島人は明治の御代に合邦せられて一体となった。両者が真に幸福になるには、お互いが本当の親子のような親愛をもって睦み合わなければならない。そこにこそ内鮮一体の大道が存在し得るのである』と内鮮一体の根本となる大道を説き示し、八時放送を終った。

控室に戻った先生は側近者を相手に雑談を交わし、係員の差し出した揮毫帳に墨痕淋漓、”神人感応”の四文字を揮毫。八時二十分寒風を衝いて宿舎へ引き揚げた。【写真＝放送する今泉翁】

京城日報　1942年11月10日

点ぜん、日本魂の炬火

国学の権威、今泉先生

皇道宣揚講演会迫る

『国体本義の透徹』といい『道義朝鮮の確立』といい、共に小磯総督が着任。その日から声を大にして半島二千四百万大衆に呼びかけて来た天の声である。国体本義に徹し、皇道に生きんとするときこそ我等は真の皇国臣民たり得るのだ。そこから総力は生れる。生産力の拡充が出来る。道義朝鮮は燦然と確立されるのだ。国体の本義に透徹せよ。皇道に生きよ。

新発足せる総力聯盟の運動方向もまた茲に存するに違いない。この澎湃たる半島の機運に更に拍車して本社では、わが国学の最高権威今泉定助先生を招じ、全鮮主要各地に『皇道宣揚大講演会』を開催。二千四百万民衆一人一人の胸中に惲く日本魂の火を点ぜんとするものである。

今泉先生は十五日東京出発、十七日釜山上陸、同日京城着、十八日午後三時から府民館大講堂で道義朝鮮確立を期して参ずる。大衆に対し皇道の尊厳を説き日本精神把握の道を教える。翌十九日は長谷川町銀行集会所で同様指導者層に対して皇道を語る。二十日京城発、二十一日平壌公会堂で、二十三日咸興、二十五日大邱、二十七日釜山の各公会堂で烈々火の如き講述をもって日本精神の大道を語るのである。

釜山上陸より離鮮まで十二日間、国体本義に透徹した先生が八十の老躯を厭わず寒気凛烈たらんとする半島を遍歴。皇道宣揚国体明徴運動に挺身することは、そのまま殉国精神の発揚であらねばならない。

文久三年、宮城県白石町に皇国臣民として生を享けた先生はいま年齢八十。幼にして国学を修め爾来明治、大正の両御代を生き蕩々たる西欧文明謳歌の間に敢然棹して国体本義の透徹を叫び、皇道の宣揚に寧日なかった。

先生は従来の国体論が主として史実に符節を合すことに汲々とし、文献渉猟に血眼となり、所謂科学的に国体を論ずるのに嫌がらず、更に高き精神的方面から入って万邦無比のわが国体に宿る『魂』の発見に努め、これより出でて国体明徴の運動を全国的に展開しているものである。

先生の主宰する皇道社は荒木貞夫、林銑十郎、山本英輔、米内光政各陸海軍大将、平沼騏一郎男をはじめ軍部、貴衆両院の各幹部を擁し、また日本財界の雄、小倉正恒、栗本隆之助、小畑忠良の各氏等もまた絶大なる先生の信奉者である。

『最近皇道叢書』を世に著した先生は多忙な身を割いて毎月四、五日を関西に旅し、最も旧体制といわれた財界人に国体の本義を説くなど皇道宣揚、国体明徴のため全く一死以て君国に捧げきっているのである。

Koreans in Seoul streetcar observing mandatory daily Moment of Silence at noon in 1943 to honor Imperial soldiers; caption reads “they offer infinite gratitude for the blood-soaked toil of the generals who are fighting valiantly to destroy the U.S. and Britain on the pathetically brutal front lines”

This photo captures a scene inside a Seoul streetcar in 1943 as the passengers respond to the sound of sirens to observe the mandatory daily noon Moment of Silence to honor Imperial Japanese soldiers. 

The propaganda narrative says that they were praying for the Imperial soldiers, but most likely the thoughts running in their minds ranged from fear, resignation, to anger. After all, they had no choice but to comply.

People in the British Commonwealth may find it similar to Remembrance Day, when a two-minute silence is observed at 11 am every year on November 11, only this silence was observed everyday at 12 pm. The other daily mandatory ritual was the 7 am Kyūjō Yōhai ritual (宮城遥拝), which involved deeply bowing several times in the direction of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo while standing, vowing loyalty to the Emperor. The two prayers were mandatory and enforced in Korea, but not so in mainland Japan. In August 1943, the rules were made stricter by requiring vehicles to stop in the middle of the road or the tracks at 7 am and 12 pm to perform the prayers.

The second article shows some orphan children who were observing the Moment of Silence at a police station before they were taken away by Seoul Social Services, possibly to an abusive orphanage like the Seongam Academy.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) August 25, 1943

A Great Silence Pledging to Win the War

100 million people march to take up the spirit of the Founding Fathers of Ancient Japan

When the sirens sound at noon, the city and the countryside immediately stop and become quiet. Workers stop working, pedestrians stop walking, trains and cars stop driving, and everyone inside vehicles stand up in silence for this solemn hour. At this moment, they offer infinite gratitude for the blood-soaked toil of the generals who are fighting valiantly to destroy the United States and Britain on the pathetically brutal front lines. They pray in this moment, "May the heroic souls, who have become the demons of national defense, rest in peace forever". They also make a firm pledge of victory to further increase production capacity and fight hard at their workplaces to win this decisive battle. The silent prayer at noon is a building block of wartime life, and people on the home front should not neglect this holy moment, and they should offer a solemn and pious silent prayer that emanates from their patriotic hearts. [Photo: Silent prayer in a train]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-08-25

 

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) November 15, 1942

Moment of silence observed even by mute and lost children

◇…. Around 9:00 a.m. on November 14th, Kim Gan-lan (김간란/金干蘭) (10-years-old), Oh Eung-cheon (오응천/呉應天) (7-years-old), and a mute boy aged around 3 wandered into the Dongdaemun Police Station. But even in the hearts of these lost children, the spirit of the Imperial people is strongly nurtured.

◇…. When the noon siren sounded, they offered a pious silent prayer to remember the hard work of the front line generals. The policemen watching this cute scene were moved to tears.

◇…. As they ate pieces of bread, the three lost children were led away by an old man from the Social Services Division of the Seoul Prefectural Government. [Photo: From left to right, Eung-cheon, Gan-lan, and the mute boy]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-11-15

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年8月25日

必勝誓う大いなる沈黙

肇国の精神を承け一億の進軍

正午のサイレンが響き渡ると一瞬にして街も農村も動かず静かに籠る。職場に挺身する者は仕事を止め、道路を歩行する者はピタリと足をとどめ、電車も自動車も運転を停止して車中の者は静かに此の厳粛なる一刻に起立。凄愴苛烈な前線に思いを致し生死を超越して米英撃滅に勇進力闘している将兵の血のにじむ労苦に無限の感謝を捧げ、「護国の鬼と化した英魂よ、永久に安かれ」と祈念するこの一瞬間。さらにさらに生産力増強に職場に敢闘して断じて決戦を勝ち抜かんとする必勝の誓いを固めるのだ。正午の黙祷は決戦生活の建設であり、戦う銃後国民は一人としてもこの聖なる一刻を忽せにすることなく、愛国の熱い赤心からほどばしり出る厳粛敬虔な黙祷を捧ぐべきである。【写真＝電車内の黙祷】

京城日報　1942年11月15日

唖で迷子の坊やも沈黙

◇．．．十四日午前九時ごろ、東大門署へ金干蘭ちゃん（一〇）、呉應天君（七つ）、それに三つ位の唖の坊やが迷い込んで来ました。でもこの迷い子達の胸にも皇民精神は根強く培われている。

◇．．．お昼のサイレンが鳴り渡ると敬虔な黙祷を捧げ、第一線将兵の労苦を偲ぶ可愛らしい姿に警察官を泣かせました。

◇．．．この迷い子三名は一片のパンに舌鼓を打ちながら府庁社会課のオジサンに手を引かれて行きました。【写真＝向かって左から応天君、干蘭ちゃん、唖の坊や】

Everyone in Korea was required to immediately stop exactly at 7 am for the Kyūjō Yōhai prayer vowing loyalty to the Emperor and at noon for the moment of silence honoring Imperial soldiers, even cars and trains had to immediately stop in the middle of traffic at the same time for prayers (Aug. 1943)

In Japan-colonized Korea, everyone was required to perform the daily 7 am and 12 noon prayers. These 7 am and 12 noon prayers were mandatory in Korea, but not so in mainland Japan. There were usually loud sirens marking those two times of the day, and you had to immediately stop what you were doing and perform the prayers. As the following articles indicate, starting on August 12, 1943, even if you were driving a car or operating a train, you were required to immediately stop in the middle of the road or the tracks at 7 am and 12 noon sharp to perform the prayers.

The 7 am Kyūjō Yōhai ritual (宮城遥拝) involved deeply bowing several times in the direction of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo while standing, vowing loyalty to the Emperor. The noon prayer was a moment of silence in honor of the Imperial Japanese soldiers.

Enforcement of this rule was performed by the Korean Federation of National Power (国民総力朝鮮連盟, 국민총력조선연맹), which functioned as the one and only political party of Korea, the patriotic groups (JP: aikoku-han, KR: aeguk-ban, 愛國班), which were the local level neighborhood cells of the political party, and the police.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) August 12, 1943

All vehicles must be stopped for the morning prayer and for the moment of silence at noon, effective today

Effective today, August 12, all vehicles must be stopped for the morning prayer and for the moment of silence at noon. At a regular press conference on August 11, Governor-General Koiso said, "Neither cars nor trains are stopping, even though they may have heard the sirens at noon," and called for the transportation authorities to look into this. The Governor-General's words were heard by the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Department, and he immediately ordered all trains, cars, rickshaws, and other vehicles to always stop for the Kyūjō Yōhai morning prayer and for the moment of silence at noon, just as ordinary pedestrians do, and he also instructed all police stations to ensure that drivers and others offer respectful prayers and moments of silence, so that his orders would be definitely executed.

Until now, government officials, merchants, farmers, and everyone else, whether at home or on foot, have always offered prayers and moments of silence. Once visitors set foot on the Korean peninsula, they voice their admiration seeing such a beautiful scene of people offering their prayers. Nevertheless, trains, cars, carts, and other vehicles have not stopped, but instead have sped along in clouds of dust past people offering their moments of silence. This unpleasant phenomenon was also lamented by the collective voices of the Korean Federation of National Power. On August 10th, the "Iron Rules for Life Fighting Decisive Battles" was issued by the Seoul Branch of the Korean Federation of National Power as a set of practical measures for the patriotic groups to follow, calling for all vehicles to be stopped to perform the morning prayer and the moment of silence. Starting today, all vehicles must stop immediately for the morning prayer and the moment of silence.

It is not too late!

Don't cause traffic accidents

Message from Mr. Isaka, Chief of the Provincial Safety Division

The chief of the Gyeonggi Provincial Security Division, Mr. Isaka, urged all drivers to be careful when stopping their vehicles for the morning prayer and for the moment of silence at noon:

All vehicles should have already stopped to observe the morning prayer and moment of silence by now. However, it is not too late if we do it thoroughly even today. It was unpleasant to see just the cars not stopping while everyone else was stopping for prayers.

We will strictly admonish drivers who do not do this in the future. Cars, trains, and other vehicles must pay attention to their surroundings when stopping in order to prevent traffic accidents if the vehicles all stop at the same time.

For example, if five or six cars are traveling in a row when the car in front stops suddenly, and the car behind carelessly forgets to stop at the same time, there is a possibility of a rear-end collision. All vehicles should pay attention to these points to avoid traffic accidents.

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-08-12

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) August 13, 1943

Moment of Silence in the Train

The train conductor will remind you when the train is stopped

From August 12, all trains, cars, carts, and other vehicles are to stop for the Kyūjō Yōhai morning prayers and at noon for moment of silence, just as ordinary pedestrians do, and drivers are to offer morning prayers and moments of silence to pray for military victory and for the long life of the Imperial Japanese Military, as well as to encourage the spirit of respect for the gods and the ancestors. The director of the Transportation Department, Mr. Sakamoto, who is in charge of transportation for the one million inhabitants of Seoul, was asked about what measures he has taken for stopping the trains in Seoul.

"We immediately gathered all the employees together and urged them to thoroughly enforce the stopping of the trains. I believe that it is a necessary act for the national people on the home front to stop their cars for the morning prayer and for the moment of silence at noon to offer heartfelt thanksgiving. However, for various reasons, it is impossible for trains to stop exactly on time with the sirens, and there is also the fear that a sudden stop could result in a traffic accident. Therefore, when the sirens sound, we stop the train as soon as possible, and the train conductor informs the passengers that it is time for the morning prayer or the moment of silence. This is technically difficult, but I believe things will gradually improve through training."

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-08-13

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年8月12日

諸車の運転を停止、きょうから実行

朝の遥拝、正午の黙祷に

きょう十二日から『朝の遥拝と正午の黙祷には諸車一斉に停止の事』。十一日小磯総督と記者団との定例会見で総督は『正午のサイレンがきこえないのかもしれないが自動車も電車も停まらない』と述べ、交通機関への注意を喚起した。その声は打てば響くが如く京畿道警察部に伝わり、直ちにきょう十二日から電車も自動車も人力車もその他の一切の車が一般通行人と同様、朝の宮城遥拝と正午の黙祷には必ず停車し、運転手等も敬虔なる遥拝と黙祷を捧げるよう各警察署に指令し、必ず実行することになった。

これまで官公吏も商人もお百姓さんも誰でもが家にいても歩いていても遥拝と黙祷は必ず捧げており、一度半島に足を踏み入れた者は、この美しい姿に感歎の声を放っていたのだ。それにも拘わらず電車、自動車、荷車等の諸車は停車せず、静かに黙祷を捧げている人々を尻目に砂塵を巻いて疾走していたのだ。この不快の現象は総力結集の上からも嘆じられていたことであり、十日国民総力京城府聯盟から愛国班の実践事項として呼びかけた『決戦生活の鉄則』にも諸車停止の上遥拝、黙祷を行うようになっているのだ。さあ、きょうから直ちに車は停止して、遥拝、黙祷を捧げるのだ。

今からでも遅くない

交通事故を起こさぬように

伊坂道保安課長談

朝の遥拝と正午の黙祷に諸車停止の実践に入るに際し、伊坂京畿道保安課長はつぎの如く語り、諸車の注意を促した。

諸車が停止して遥拝黙祷を捧げることは既に今までに実行していなければならなかったのである。だが、きょうからでも徹底的に実行すれば遅くはないのだ。全部の人が停止しているなかを車だけが停まらないのは見苦しいことだった。

今後これを実行しない車に対しては厳重に説諭する考えであるが、自動車、電車、その他の車は一斉に同時停車することになれば交通事故防止の上から、停止する場合よく周囲に注意することが必要である。

例えば五台、六台と続いて進行中、前の車が急停車し後の車が不心得にも同時に停車を忘れた場合は追突の虞があるのだ。こういう点に諸車は注意し、交通事故を起こさないようにすべきである。

京城日報　1943年8月13日

車内の黙祷

停車して車掌から知らせる

十二日から電車も自動車も荷車も、その他すべての車が朝の宮城遥拝と正午の黙祷時間には一般通行人と同様に必ず停車し運転手等も遥拝と黙祷を捧げ、皇軍の武運長久を祈願するとともに敬神崇祖の精神を昂めることになったが、百万府民の足を預かる京電側の停車対策を坂本運輸部長に訊く。

早速従業員一同を集めて停車の徹底実施を促しました。朝の遥拝と正午の黙祷時間に車を停めて心からの感謝をこめて黙祷を捧げることは銃後国民の必遂行為だと思います。だが電車は色々な事情でサイレンとぴったり合うようには停車が不可能であるとともに、急停車は却って交通事故の発生を招来する憂いもあるので、サイレンが鳴ればなるべく早く車を停めて車掌から乗客に対し遥拝や黙祷時間を知らせるように致しました。これは技術的に困難なことであるが、訓練によって漸次よくなって行くことと思います。

 

A back-to-school article telling Korean parents what their children would expect on their first day at Imperial Japanese elementary school: Shinto prayers to the Emperor, a free piece of bread for lunch, students were encouraged to earn their own money to buy some school supplies (April 1944, Seoul)

Imagine you are parent in 1944 Seoul and it is April, the beginning of the new school year. You are about to send your children to their first day of National School, which was equivalent to elementary school. To allay your anxieties, you may have picked up the newspaper and read this article to learn what to expect, and how to prepare your children for school. But this was Imperial Japan, so your children were going to be indoctrinated into State Shintoism. That meant bowing in the direction of the Imperial Palace every morning, praying in a moment of silence at noon for Imperial Japanese soldiers, and praying to the kamidana miniature Shinto shrines that were set up in the classrooms. The morning and noon prayers were mandatory in Korea, but not in mainland Japan. In addition, there were regular field trips to local shrines.

Textbooks and notebooks were provided free of charge. Free school lunch was provided, consisting of one 157-gram piece of bread, roughly equivalent to 1 and a half bagels, but parents were apparently expected to supplement it with food brought from home. Each piece of bread cost 13 sen, or roughly 2 to 3 US Dollars today.

In addition to memorizing their own names and home addresses, the children were also expected to memorize the names of their own Patriotic Groups, which would have been something like 'the Fourth Patriotic Group of the Fifth Team of Sajik-dong'.

Patriotic Groups (JP: aikoku-han, KR: aeguk-ban, 愛國班) were neighborhood cells which functioned as the local arm of the Korean Federation of National Power (国民総力朝鮮連盟, 국민총력조선연맹), the single ruling party of colonial Korea. Every Korean living in Korea belonged to a Patriotic Group. It typically consisted of a few households, led by a Patriotic Group leader, who normally acted as a mini-tyrant micromanaging the lives of everyone within the Patriotic Group. That included things like rationing food and goods, enforcing mandatory State Shinto prayer times and shrine visits, ‘volunteering’ laborers upon the colonial government’s request, arranging marriages, holding mandatory Japanese language classes, spying on ‘ideological criminals’, etc.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) April 1, 1944

Fighting Families

Discipline for school children

Be strong, honest and cheerful!

With the joyous first day of school for the children finally approaching, we asked teacher Ms. Nakajima Ei of Seoul Sakurai National School about how to prepare the children at home.

Ms. Nakajima Ei, teacher at Seoul Sakurai National School

☆ … Discipline for children starting school

The three desirable qualities in children starting school are (a) a strong body, (b) an honest and cheerful nature, and (c) orderly discipline. However, not all children are educated in a uniformly excellent manner at home, so if your child lacks even one of these three qualities, please take the opportunity to correct his or her shortcomings as soon as possible.

In the area of child discipline, above all, we must instill in our children the education and awareness of being Imperial subjects from the time they are children in order to raise them to become capable citizens who will fight decisive battles. To this end, we should remind them of the dignity of the Imperial family and cultivate a spirit of reverence for the gods and the ancestors, so that they will not neglect daily routine national disciplines such as the Kyūjō Yōhai ritual [7 a.m. bowing several times in the direction of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo while standing], a Moment of Silence at noon [to honor Imperial Japanese soldiers], visiting Shinto shrines, and worshipping at the kamidana (miniature Shinto shrines inside rooms).

Let's also make it a habit to change the carefree lifestyle of the past and have our children wake up early, go to bed early, and go to and from school properly according to the rules. We must also teach them how to greet people in the morning and evening and how to respond to adults in a courteous manner. In addition, although it may seem trivial, it is important to give your child the confidence to do what he or she can do on his or her own without help from adults, so that he or she can pay for school supplies on his or her own after entering school.

☆ … Preparation at home before school starts

There is no need to teach your child various complicated things, but it is a good idea to have your child practice reading and writing his/her own name, learn the names of his/her parents, their address, and their patriotic group.

☆ … School supplies and other belongings

The school will take care of the necessary school supplies such as textbooks and notebooks, so there is no need to worry. It is advisable to avoid new or extravagant clothing, and to wear only what you have on hand or recycled clothing. It is also a good idea to get into the habit of taking good care of things such as pencils and paper.

☆ … Correcting children's selfishness, pettiness, bashfulness, nervousness, etc.

There are many causes for these problems, and it is difficult to say exactly what they are, but the National School is a training ground to build a character which is appropriate for Imperial subjects. Of course, selfishness is unacceptable, but petulance, bashfulness, and nervousness will gradually improve as they spend their lives together as a group at school. If parents consult with their children's teachers and take appropriate measures, then it will be possible to correct their children's behavior.

To this end, please encourage your children to think of school as an interesting and fun place when you drop them off and pick them up in the morning and evening. When they come home from school, be sure to talk to them about their day at school, even if it is just to review the day's activities.

In short, the home and school should work together to help children grow up brightly and strongly, and to teach them to have the determination to win the war as little national people of Japan fighting decisive battles.

School Lunches

The new school year will see the start of school lunches for the children of the National Schools. For the time being, each student will be given one loaf of bread of 42 monme (157.5 g) each until the cooking facilities have been set up. This is equivalent to about 7 shaku (70 ml) of brown rice. This is an expression of concern by the parents determined not to let the growing little national people feel hunger. However, there are apparently some families where the adults take advantage of the fact that 13 sen was paid to buy bread for the children, by eating up the rice that they used to provide in their children's lunch boxes.

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1944-04-01

(Transcription)

京城日報　1944年4月1日

戦う家庭

就学児童の躾

強く素直で明るく

お子さんたちの楽しい入学の日もいよいよ近づきましたから、家庭での心構えを京城桜井国民学校の中島エイ先生におききしてみました。

☆．．．入学児童の躾について

入学するお子さんたちに望ましいのは（イ）丈夫な身体（ロ）素直な明るい性質（ハ）規律正しい躾の三つの事柄ですが、皆が一様に立派な家庭教育を受けているとは限りませんから、今申しました三つの中の一つでも欠けておる場合には入学を機会に子供さんの欠点を思いきって直すようにつとめて下さい。

その中で児童の躾については、何よりも決戦下りっぱな国民に育て上げるために子供の時分から皇国臣民としての自覚と教養を植えつけるようにしなくてはなりません。それには皇室の尊厳を心に銘じさせ、敬神崇祖の精神を培うよう、宮城遥拝、正午の黙祷、神社参拝と神棚礼拝など日常の手近な国民的躾を怠らないようにしましょう。

また今までの気ままな生活を切り替えて早起き、早寝を実行させ、登校、下校は規則正しくするように習慣づけましょう。それから朝晩のご挨拶や大人に対する返事の仕方など礼儀を正しくするように導かねばなりません。そのほか些細なことですが、入学後に学用品代などはお子さんが自分一人で納められるという風に、自分の力で出来ることは大人の手を借りずにやりとげるという自信を持たせるようにしつけましょう。

☆．．．学校がはじまる前の家庭での準備

いろいろむずかしいことを教えこむ必要はございませんが、自分の名前は読み書きできるように練習させ、御両親の名前と住所、愛国班の組くらいは覚えさせたら結構だと思います。

☆．．．学用品その他の持物

教科書、帳面など必要な学用品は学校の方でお引き受けしておりますから御心配はございませんが、服装などは新調のものや華美なものをさけて、なるべく有り合わせのものや更生品を利用された方がよいでしょう。また鉛筆や紙など物を大切に扱う習慣をつけるようにしましょう。

☆．．．子供の我儘、小心、はにかみ、神経質などの矯正

原因がいろいろあって一概には申されませんが、国民学校は皇国臣民にふさわしい素地をつくる錬成の道場ですから、我儘などは勿論許されませんけれども、小心、はにかみ、神経質などは学校で団体生活をしていくうちにだんだんよくなりますから、何よりも保護者のかたが受け持ちの先生とよくご相談のうえ適当な方法を講じて矯正されるよう努力されたらなおせるものです。

それにはお子さんたちに学校は面白くて楽しいところだと思いこませるよう、朝夕の送り迎えの際など元気をつけてやり、学校から帰って来ましたら、おさらいの意味からでも必ずその日の学校生活の様子を話させてお聞き取り下さい。

要するに家庭と学校が一体となって、お子さんたちが明るく強くのびていくようにして幼いながら決戦下日本の少国民として勝ち抜く気概を持たせるように指導しなくてはならないはずです。

学校給食

新学年度国民学校児童のお昼給食がはじまるそうである。さしあたり炊爨設備がととのうまでは、一人について四十二匁のパン一つづつが渡されるという。之は五分搗き米約七勺にあたる栄養価をもつもので、育ち盛りの少国民たちにひもじい思いをさせまいとする親心からである。ところがこれをいいことにして、こどもには十三銭出してパンを買ってやったからとて、今までこどもの弁当をつつんでいたお米を大人たちが食いこむような家はなかろうか。