How Imperial Japan used the Shinto holy book ‘Nihon Shoki’ to justify colonizing Korea: a look at Koiso’s 1944 anti-Chinese, anti-American, anti-Communist youth rally

In the following January 1944 speech to Korean conscripts, Governor-General Kuniaki Koiso advanced his theory that Koreans and Japanese shared the same ancestry and roots, drawing on passages from the Nihon Shoki to assert that Koreans’ ancestors were Japanese. Koiso framed his mission as one of awakening Koreans to their "true identity" as part of the Japanese nation, which he believed had been obscured by centuries of Confucian influence during the Joseon dynasty and by foreign ideologies like Anglo-American Christianity and Communism. He emphasized the need for Koreans to embrace Shinto practices and study Japan’s divine history to reconnect with their supposed origins and align themselves with Japan’s imperial vision. Koiso presented conscription and training not only as a means of contributing to Japan’s war effort but as a path for Koreans to fulfill their "destiny" by becoming spiritually and culturally integrated with the Japanese people.

Original caption: Governor-General giving a speech to the drafted students

During his reign as Governor-General of Korea from 1942 to 1944, Koiso, a man marked by vanity and a messianic belief in his own vision, sought to do what he believed no other Governor-General before him could achieve: persuade Koreans to abandon their identity and fully embrace being "Japanese." But Koiso’s approach was unlike his predecessors’. While others sought to forcibly assimilate Koreans by turning them into Japanese, Koiso’s so-called insight was far more insidious—he declared that Koreans were already Japanese and simply didn’t realize it yet. His self-appointed mission? To awaken the "Japanese person" within every Korean.

Koiso’s strategy centered on a mix of religious revival, forced education, and the enforcement of Shinto religious practices. He believed that Koreans would rediscover their "true selves" by observing Shinto rituals and studying Japanese scriptures, particularly the Nihon Shoki. According to Koiso, Koreans’ ancient ancestors were Japanese, and reconnecting with these roots would allow them to transcend their current identity and unify with the Japanese nation. This twisted vision was what he referred to as "being penetrated in the essence of the National Body (国体本義の透徹)," an idea propagated by Koiso's favorite Kokugaku scholar and Shinto spiritual leader Master Imaizumi (see related 1942 articles about Imaizumi).

To achieve this, with the help of Director Takeuchi (see related Feb. 1943 article about Takeuchi), Koiso established a vast network of training centers aimed at indoctrinating Koreans with Japanese ideology and customs. He also oversaw the construction of Shinto shrines across Korea, often built using forced labor (see related April 1944 article). These shrines were intended to enforce the worship of Japanese deities as a way of spiritually binding Koreans to Japan. After Korea’s independence, these shrines—symbols of cultural oppression—were burned to the ground.

About a month after delivering this January 1944 speech, Koiso would deliver a speech in February 1944 (see related Feb. 1944 article) pointing to a passage in the Nihon Shoki that he claimed proved Koreans’ ancestral ties to Japan. He fixated on the story of Susanoo, the younger brother of Amaterasu, the Japanese sun goddess, who was said to have descended upon a place called Soshimori. Koiso declared this as evidence that Koreans were part of the divine lineage of Japan. The Keijo Nippo newspaper, acting as a propaganda tool, amplified his speech, highlighting key phrases for emphasis. These bolded sections were drilled into Koreans by teachers, patriotic groups, and employers, forcing them to internalize Koiso’s distorted narrative.

Koiso’s vision was not just a form of cultural erasure—it was a deeply arrogant and delusional project to rewrite history itself. His attempt to impose Shinto worship and a fabricated Japanese identity on Koreans was not just oppressive; it was a direct attack on the dignity and spirit of the Korean people.

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) January 16, 1944

Japanese and Koreans Share the Same Ancestry and Roots

The Origins of Korean History are Found in the Nihon Shoki

Governor-General Speaks to Drafted Students for the Third Time

On January 13th, Governor-General Koiso delivered a lecture to the principals of private middle schools who were attending the Leadership Training Institute of the Yongsan Governor-General’s Office. On January 14th, he addressed the elementary school principals who were attending the Educational Research Institute in Samcheong-dong. Accompanied by Secretary Kobayashi and Training Section Chief Takeuchi, Koiso traveled a considerable distance to arrive at the First Volunteer Soldier Training Center in Nohae-myeon (노해면, 蘆海面), Yangju County, at 3:30 PM on January 15th.

There, he once again addressed the second group of drafted students, who had enthusiastically responded to the conscription summons. With a familiar and gentle demeanor, he elaborated on the theory of 'Japanese and Koreans sharing the same ancestry and roots,' drawing upon classical texts, and emphasized that they needed to be penetrated by the essence of the National Body. As the third year of the decisive war began, the Governor-General’s continuous efforts over these three days to convey a grand vision and underscore the need to be penetrated by the essence of the national body demonstrated nothing less than his profound determination to stand at the forefront of enlightening the 25 million people of the Korean Peninsula. [Photo = The Governor-General giving a speech to the drafted students]

"The volunteer students have now taken their first step through the gates of this facility. However, reflecting on the fact that some of you did not initially choose to volunteer, I must admit that there were shortcomings on my part. Volunteering, by its nature, allows for freedom of choice in theory. Yet, in the context of this Holy War, which seeks to liberate Asia from Anglo-American exploitation and enable each nation to find its rightful place, there is no room for theoretical reasoning or abstract arguments. We must drive the Anglo-American forces out of Asia entirely! It is with this conviction that I used strong words to inspire you to rise to the occasion," Koiso stated.

Koiso went on, ‘While various circumstances may have contributed to the presence of those who did not volunteer, I feel that, as someone entrusted with the governance of Korea, my leadership and example have been insufficient. For young men, especially, strong and vigorous training is necessary, as is an environment filled with warmth and camaraderie. It was with this in mind that I brought you here to this training facility. Once your training is complete, your peers will be striving to navigate these difficult times, and I believe it is an act of kindness on my part, from my position, to guide you toward fulfilling the vital responsibilities of war. This conscription is not just for your benefit but also to take the lead in Korea's industrial development. By stepping forward as industrial warriors, I hope you will proudly and confidently pave the way for the nation’s progress. Here I will share with you some of my sentiments that I believe you will need."

With these words, he framed the discussion of Korea's governance policies, explaining the trajectory of the administration of Korea up to the present day. Each sentence of the Governor-General’s remarks calmed and steadied the spirits of the students, who had just concluded their entrance ceremony. He first highlighted the emergence of a fervent spirit of patriotism that had begun to rise across the peninsula around the end of last year.

It was stated that the governance of the Korean Peninsula up to the present day had been hindered by Chinese thought, Anglo-American thought, and finally, Communism. "Chinese thought replaced the corrupt Buddhism of the Goryeo era when the Joseon dynasty adopted Confucianism as its primary ideology. In their excessive admiration for all Chinese ideas, they obstructed Japanese governance. Next came Anglo-American thought in the form of Christianity, which was nothing more than an attempt to impose Anglo-American concepts of logic and morality. Behind it lay ambitions for exploitation, which found Japan's principle of universal equality distasteful. Following this was Communism," he explained.

He asserted that, while people in areas such as mainland Japan, Manchuria, and Northern China criticize the Korean people, their criticism does not do justice to the true essence of the Korean people. Rather, such criticisms stem from the lifestyle shaped over the 500 years of the Joseon dynasty. The true essence of the Korean people must be sought far back, tracing the origins of the Korean ethnic group, and this origin, it was clearly pointed out, is found in the Nihon Shoki. Before the students who listened intently, the theory of 'Japan and Korea sharing the same ancestry and roots' was presented with a powerful argument.

"If anyone were to oppose this view, they would be opposing what is clearly and explicitly written in the Nihon Shoki. Upon examining the true essence of the Korean people, it is evident that Japanese and Koreans share the same ancestry and roots. Although we have had to use the term 'Japanese-Korean Unification' lately, this was due to a lack of thorough investigation. We must strive to understand the culture brought forth by this shared heritage and grasp the essence of the National Body.

In doing so, we must consider what kind of spiritual and cultural framework our shared ancestors possessed. To truly understand the essence of the National Body, we must remember and reflect upon the principles laid out in the Three Divine Instructions: the Clarification of the National Body (Kokutai Meichō), the Sacred Mirror and Sacred Rice Ear (Saikyō Saiho), and the Divine Mirror and Eternal Boundary (Shinkyō Bankyō)."

The Governor-General proceeded to explain the profound philosophy of the Three Divine Instructions in a way that was easy to understand. The listening students, now in a state of serene attentiveness, etched each word deeply into their minds. He then continued, expounding on the spiritual principles contained within the philosophy of the Eight Deities' Shrine and encouraging the students to thoroughly study the Three Divine Instructions. He gently advised them, saying, "By fully mastering these teachings, you will be able to purge the harmful influences of the five centuries of Confucianism propagated during the Joseon dynasty, which have taken root in your spirits."

The Governor-General remarked, "If I had been able to convey these thoughts more earnestly and clearly a little earlier, I believe I could have guided you to an even happier state today." For this reason, on the previous night, and the night before that, he worked late into the night, passionately addressing those involved in education. He called for a thorough penetration by the essence of the National Body, which is rooted in the grand spiritual and cultural framework woven since the age of the gods, and fervently advocated for the establishment of a Righteous Korea.

Finally, he stated, "Let us set aside all past matters and face the present. Born as men, we must clearly grasp the ideals of the spirit. To live a life of indulgence without purpose is to render one’s existence meaningless. The meaning of life lies in fully being penetrated in the essence of the National Body and uniting with the ancestors who bequeathed this magnificent philosophy."

He added, "If the opportunity arises, I hope to visit you once again during your training and engage with you further. I believe you understand the aspirations I have for you—do you?" With a warm smile, he asked this of the students, to which they responded with a powerful "Yes!" Their enthusiastic reply resounded, marking the end of the Governor-General's two-hour-long address, after which he shared a meal with the trainees and departed the training facility at 6 PM.

[Transcription]

京城日報 1944年1月16日

内鮮は同祖同根

半島史の根源は『書紀』

総督、三度び徴用学徒に説く

十三日には龍山総督府指導者錬成所に入所中の私立中等学校長、十四日は三清町教学研修所に入所中の国民学校長にそれぞれ訓話を行った小磯総督は小林秘書官、竹内錬成課長を伴い十五日午後三時半長駆、楊州郡蘆海面の第一志願兵訓練所に来所。同日徴用のお召しに感激して馳せ参じた第二次徴用学徒に再び諄々と馴染み深い優しい面持で古典に則り内鮮同祖同根論を説き、国体本義の透徹を強調した。決戦三年が明けてこの三日間ぶっ続けで遠大な論旨をもち国体本義の透徹を説く総督はとりもなおさず半島二千五百万教化の陳頭に立つ至大な決意の現れでもあった。【写真＝徴用学徒に説く総督】

『いまや志願学徒は営門の中に第一歩を印することとなったが、諸子は志願するに至らなかったことに関し、一面観察するに、自分の至らなかった点もあると思う。志願なのであるから理論としては選択の自由が保留されているとも思われるが、米英の搾取から亜細亜を解放し、各民族をして各々そのところを得せしめる今次聖戦下にあっては一切の理窟、理論を抜きにして米英の勢力を亜細亜から駆逐しなければならないのであって、かく考えたればこそ小磯は強い言葉をもって諸子の奮起を促したのである。

諸種の環境から然らしむるとは謂え未志願者を出したこと、小磯乏しきながら朝鮮統理に任じ指導垂範の足らざるところがあったと思う。男子として特に若い青年として強健なる鍛錬も必要であり、人情たっぷりな雰囲気が必要と思い、諸子を本訓練所に入ってもらった。訓練を終えれば同僚が時局を乗り切るために努力するのであるから、諸子を戦争の要務に導くということがこれ小磯の立場から諸子にしむける親切心であろうと思って、ここに集まってもらった。徴用は諸子のためばかりではなく、半島の立地条件に伴い換言すれば朝鮮の産業的に立上らんとする勤務者の先陣を截って、我こそ産業戦士になりと堂々と闊歩してもらいたいためなのである。かくする者に必要と思われる胸中の一端を披瀝する』

と前提して朝鮮統治の方針を今日に至るまでの朝鮮統治の経緯を述べる総督の一句一句は入所式をいまさきに終えたばかりの学徒の気持を静かに落ち着かせ、先ず昨年末頃から半島に殉国の精神が澎湃として興った点を指摘。今日まで半島における総督政治を妨げたものに支那思想、米英思想、最後に共産主義があると述べ、『支那思想は高麗時代の腐敗した仏教に代るに李朝が儒教を主教とし支那の総ての思想に心酔した余りに日本の政治を妨害した。次が米英思想としてキリスト教があり、これは英米自己流の論理道徳を押しつけんとするに過ぎないものであって、その裏には搾取の野望が蔵されており、日本の一視同仁を快からず思った。これにつぐものに共産主義あり』と講述。

ここで朝鮮人の本質は内地の一部、満州、北支で非難されているが如きものでなく、この非難は李朝五百年に醸し出された今日よかれの生活が然らしめたと断定。朝鮮の本質こそは遠く朝鮮民族の根源に溯って探求され、この根源は日本書紀の中に求められると明確に指摘。内鮮同祖同根論が力強い論旨をもって熱心に耳を傾ける学徒の前に繰展げられた。

『これに反対するものがあれば日本書紀に明々白々に書いていることに反対することになる。朝鮮民族の本質を洗ってみるに内鮮同祖同根は明確である。今日内鮮一体と言わざるを得なかったのに之が究明の足らざるところがあった。我々は内鮮の持ち来った文化、国体の本義を把握する必要があると考える。然らば我々の祖先は如何なる精神文化体系を持っているかを考えねばならない。国体の本義を把握するのに我々の記憶せねばならないことは国体明徴、斎鏡斎穂、神鏡盤境の三神勅である』

総督は次々と三神勅の深淵なる哲理を判り易く説明。聴く学徒は今は澄んだ心境に一句一句を彫みこむのであった。更に語を継いで八神殿の哲理に含まれている精神を説き三神勅を究めることをすすめ、『之を究め尽くした時諸君の精神にはびこる李朝五百年の儒教が流した害毒を払拭出来る』と優しく悟し、

『このことをもう少し早くしんみりと語明すことが出来たとすれば諸子を今日よりもって幸福な境地に進ませたと思う』と語る総督はこのこと故前夜も、その前夜も夜遅くまで長時間に亘って先ず教育に携わっている者に対し、既に神代に織り成した偉大なる精神文化の体系に国体の本義を究め、道義朝鮮の確立を絶叫して来たのである。最後に、『今迄のことは水に流し世に処し、男と生れた以上、精神の理念を明かに把握せなばならない。酔生無死せばこの世に存在の意義はない。生存の意義は国体の本義に透徹することにあり、この雄大なる哲理を残した祖先に合一してゆくことにある』と述べ、『時機があれば諸君が在訓練中にもう一度訪れ諸子に接したい。諸子に期待している念願は判ったと思うが、判ったかね』と双頬を綻ばせて質せば応徴学徒は”ハイッ”と力をこめてこれに応えた。

かくして二時間に亘る訓話を終えた総督は同訓練所で夕食を摂り同六時過ぎ帰路についた。

Source: 키워드 검색 - 신문 검색 - 대한민국 신문 아카이브

The Korean people were allegedly liars, slackers, quitters, and thieves, but Governor-General Koiso offered them a chance to redeem themselves and become honorable by submitting to Amaterasu and the Emperor, and awaken as true Japanese people to fulfill divine destiny in final part of 1944 speech

This is the third and final part of Governor-General Koiso's February 1944 intensely religious address to the entire Korean nation, which was prominently displayed on the front page of Keijo Nippo, the most widely distributed and read newspaper in all of Korea at the time. In the first part of the address, he described all Koreans as descendants of the Shinto god Susanoo-no-mikoto, the younger brother of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, but as he wrapped up his address in this final part, Koiso insulted the Korean people by calling them liars, slackers, quitters, and thieves, placing blame on the legacy of the corrupt Yi Dynasty. He then offered the Korean people a chance to redeem themselves and become honorable people by submitting themselves to the goddess Amaterasu and her descendant, the Japanese Emperor. In other words, he appealed to the Korean people to awaken as true Japanese people to fulfill divinely ordained destiny, so that they could "recognize their own true essence". It was a rather strange and dubious way to appeal to all Koreans to rally behind Imperial Japan in the middle of a desperate war against the U.S. and Britain.

You may notice how Koiso singled out Marxist philosophy for criticism, then claimed that Shinto philosophy also discusses the dichotomy between the material and the spiritual through the divine edict of the mirror (spiritual things) and the ears of rice (material things). This way of drawing parallels between foreign philosophies and Shinto philosophy is nothing new. It is very much in line with the rhetorical devices of Kokugaku, which was a Japanese nativist academic movement which sought to rid Japan of foreign ideas and influences and return Japan to the supposed purity of its ancient roots, of which Master Imaizumi's ideas arguably had the strongest influence on Koiso. Such parallels would be noted to then emphasize the differences and argue for the superiority of Shinto thought over foreign thought. Koiso's explicit mention of Marxism in this address may have been an implicit acknowledgement of the appeal that Marxism had for large sections of Korean society.

What is also strange about this address are the phrases in Mandarin Chinese and Russian that Koiso used to stereotype them as apathetic peoples. February 1944 was only about a year and a half away from the end of the war in August 1945, with Imperial Japanese forces suffering defeat after defeat, so perhaps Koiso's worries about Soviet Russia, China, United States, and Britain were reflected in the countries and peoples that he mentioned. 

Koiso displayed a photo of himself along with a rough draft of his speech in the February 16, 1944 issue of Keijo Nippo, but the photographed rough draft actually comes from this part of the speech, in which he mentions Marxism and its alleged shortcomings compared to Shintoism.

This article is full of references to lots of religious terminology from the Shinto religion, so I've added plenty of links to Wikipedia pages and other resources for further reading.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) February 19, 1944

Thorough adherence to the true meaning of the National Body brings inevitable victory!

(Transcript of Governor-General Koiso's Speech) [3]

Correct the self that appears in your mirror!

An Imperial Edict of Profound Significance

Earlier, I mentioned that, in addition to the divine edict concerning himorogi (divine trees) and iwasaka (rock cairns), there are two divine edicts concerning the mirror and the ears of rice. One divine edict says, "Amaterasu, holding a treasured mirror in her hand, gave it to Ame-no-oshihomimi and looked at him saying, 'My child, look into this treasured mirror as if you were looking at me. We shall share the same bed and the same room, so that it may serve as a mirror of worship'". The other divine edict says, "I shall take the ears of rice that I grew in the heavens in the fields of Yuniwa, and bestow them upon my children".

Those were the divine decrees about the mirror and the ears of rice. The first decree basically says, "I will give you this mirror. Think of this mirror as me, Amaterasu, and keep it with you in the same bed and in the same room". In other words, the divine edict tells you to always be with Amaterasu and worship her whether you are asleep or awake.

Since we are with the Goddess, everything we say, do, and think must be done in the presence of the Goddess. This is the expression of the godlike spirit which is embodied as a clear mirror, which is in contrast to the ears of rice, which represent material things.

In particular, the fact that the mirror was given to him to represent the Goddess is of profound significance. Please excuse me for explaining this to you as if I were speaking to elementary school children, but please stand in front of the mirror. Everything from your mind to your complexion will be reflected in the mirror. If you are worried about yourself, you will see your worries reflected in the mirror. If your button is undone, it will be reflected in the mirror as it should be.

However, the mirror will not say, "Hey you, Koiso! What's with your clothes? Isn't your button undone?" Rather, the reflection of Koiso in the mirror does some self-reflection on his own, and realizes that the button is something that needs to be fastened, so he fastens his button. The mirror does not say anything.

However, when we face the mirror, we reflect upon ourselves and correct what needs to be corrected. How truly profound it is that the mirror was given to us in the place of the Goddess in such a way! As I have just said, the mirror does not say anything. In other words, the mirror never makes excuses.

Recently, the wartime atmosphere of the world has become heavier, and the old system must not be allowed to prevail. Individualism, liberalism, and the capitalist economy are not acceptable. We are told that we must embrace totalitarianism, thought control, and a planned economy, but the gods do not take sides with any of these.

Everything is encompassed by the mirror, whether it be the free economy, controlled economy, individualism, or totalitarianism. Good or bad, right or wrong, beautiful or ugly, straight or curved, everything is encompassed. As I mentioned earlier with the example of Koiso reflected in the mirror, the mirror makes you reflect upon yourselves and discard the bad parts of yourselves in accordance with the times and the current environment. Eventually, only the good parts of yourselves will remain. It is the mirror and the Goddess who will guide you in this way. This is precisely what Susanoo-no-Mikoto and Amaterasu intended.

We do not spend our days only with trivial criticisms. When we see society from the viewpoint of encompassing everything, cutting off the bad parts, and keeping the good parts, it can be said that the structure of society today has many good parts, but there are also many parts in our ways of thinking that must be corrected. The other day, I talked about this with a student who came to see me regarding the issue of volunteer enlistment, and I must say that young students are very innocent.

I didn't consider myself the ideal vessel to embody the mirror, but as I accepted the mirror into myself and spoke with sincerity, as if I myself had turned into a god or the mirror, the students listened attentively and were convinced. I believe that this lesson from the mirror is truly a great lesson.

The next divine edict, which follows this great lesson of spiritual culture, reads "I shall take the ears of rice that I grew in the heavens in the fields of Yuniwa, and bestow them upon my children". It is a divine edict that reveals the importance of the material substance, that the spiritual side alone is not enough. This is a divine edict which mandates that we must give eternal life to the magnificent divine spirit with the help of this material substance, the ears of rice from the fields of Yuniwa. That is, with the help of the substance of purity and innocence.

Marxism is based on a materialistic historical view of all things material, and while it is not absolute spiritual speculation, it is merely a derivative spiritual theory that starts from a materialistic view. And even though Marxism is a product of modern times, the principle of the mirror and the ears of rice was already established tens of thousands of years ago in the reigns of Amaterasu and Susanoo-no-Mikoto, and has been teaching and guiding our ancestors in every generation.

The last of the divine edicts is the divine edict of the immortality of the heavens and the earth. This is the conclusion that the destiny of the emperor and the heavens and the earth will be unlimited only when we stand on the ground of the oneness of the sovereign, the people, and the nation in accordance with the aforementioned divine edict concerning himorogi (divine trees) and iwasaka (rock cairns), pushing forward based on this spirit in accordance with the divine edict of the mirror and the ears of rice and adding thereon a splendid material substance. This divine edict is written at the beginning of the reading textbooks of the elementary schools. Therefore, there is no need to elaborate much further about this divine edict. Indeed, we Japanese and Koreans have been nurtured in such a spiritual atmosphere since ancient times.

However, history and tradition also have great power. There are many people here who are from the Korean peninsula, but Koreans, whether they are in mainland Japan, Manchuria, or Northern China, are not good people. They are quick to tell lies, lack a sense of responsibility, lack endurance, and are not ashamed of taking things that belong to others.

However, as to what has brought about such a situation, I believe that it is mainly due to the political system of the Yi Dynasty over the past 500 years. From the end of the Goryeo Dynasty, the 500 years of politics of the Yi Dynasty probably contributed to the deterioration of the pure and honorable state of the people.

The reason why a nation known for its noble Hwarang Corps of Silla, who were not inferior to the chivalrous people of Europe or the Bushidō warrior class of mainland Japan, began to tell lies and steal is because the general public was oppressed and exploited by the special class during the 500-year rule of the Yi Dynasty. Consequently, the public was forced to struggle to live one day at a time, finding any way to make ends meet, and even lies became a means to an end.

In China, there is a similar philosophy, which is eloquently illustrated by the phrase, "Méi fǎzi (没法子) [cannot help it]". The Slavic Russians use the term "nichevo (ничего) [nothing]" which also expresses the same tendency. If there are any defects in the Korean people that should be criticized, I am convinced that they are the result of the politics of the Yi Dynasty over the past 500 years, and that the true essence of the Korean people is honorable, rather than what I just described.

Since the beginning of the Meiji era, people in mainland Japan have been worshiping the West, forgetting the true essence of the fine Japanese people, thinking that anything Western is good, that good products are imported, and that Japanese products are synonymous with inferior goods. University professors were also oblivious to the true essence of Japan and lectured solely based on the thoughts of Westerners written in horizontal text. When students saw that their professors were well versed in Western studies, they would gladly attend their lectures in adoration and admiration. Over the past 60 to 70 years, there have been quite a number of Westerners even in mainland Japan who have disguised themselves as Japanese people.

In their colonial policies, the United States and Britain have exploited the colonized masses for their own enjoyment. Some Western-minded Japanese have thought of our governance of Korea as a similar to those colonial policies of the United States and Britain.

However, as I have said before, Japanese-Korean unification is the reductive coalescence of the same ethnic peoples who must necessarily and inevitably become one body, different in kind from the colonies of the United States and Britain.

Viewing things in this way, the Japanese people who have licked the dregs of Western thought will also be enlightened, and both the Japanese and the Koreans must surely recognize their own true essence, so that Japan as a whole can truly become pure and uncluttered, a nation of one hundred million people united with one mind. [The insert photo shows a small mirror excavated in Nangnang-gun].

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1944-02-19

(Transcription)

京城日報　1944年2月19日

国体本義に徹せる必勝不敗

小磯総督　講話速記　【三】

鏡に映る我を是正

意義深遠なる神勅

先程、神籬磐境の神勅の外に、もう二つの神勅があると申しましたが、第二番の神勅は鏡と稲穂の神勅であります。これを簡単に申しますれば、『天照大神、手に宝鏡を持ちたまいて天忍穂耳尊に授けて視きて曰く、吾が児、此の宝鏡を視まさむこと、当に吾を視るが如くすべし。與に床を同じくし、殿を共にして以て斎鏡と為すべし』又勅して曰く、『高天原に御す斎庭の穂を以て亦吾が児に御せまつるべし』

これが鏡と稲穂の神勅であります。其の初めの方は、お前にここにある鏡をやる。これを私即ち天照大神と思って之と同床共殿、即ち寝ても醒めても一緒におれ、詰まり天照大神と常に一緒におって大神を斎い奉れということであります。

神様と一緒におるのですから、総て言うこと、為すこと、考えること悉く神の境地に於いてなされねばならないということです。それは軈て明鏡、神の如き精神ということを言い現わされたものであり、後の穂即ち物質と対照しての精神であります。

殊に神の代わりとして鏡をお渡しになったという所に非常に深遠な意義があると拝察致します。皆さんに対し国民学校の子供に話をするようなことを申しましては済みませんが、鏡の前に立って御覧なさい。こっちの心から顔色まで総てあけすけに鏡に映って行きます。若し自分に心配でもあると心配そうな色がありありと鏡に映って行きます。はめておくべき釦が外れておりますと、その通り鏡に映ります。

而も鏡は『小磯、きさま、その服装は何だ。釦が外れておるではないか』とは言いません。言いませんが、鏡に映った小磯自らは、この釦というものは、はめて置くべきものであると、自分で反省をして釦をはめます。鏡は何とも言いません。

けれども鏡に向った我々は自ら反省して直すべき所を直して行きます。そういうような風に神の代わりに鏡をお授けになったことは、何と真に深遠ではありますまいか。鏡は今申しました通り何とも言いませぬ。即ち決して言い訳け致しませぬ。

近頃、世の中は戦時風景が濃厚になって来たものですから、旧体制であってはならない。個人主義、自由主義、資本主義経済であってはならぬ。宜しく全体主義、統制思想、計画経済でなければならないとやかましく言われておりますが、神は少しも好き嫌いは致しませぬ。

自由経済でも統制経済でも個人主義でも全体主義でも何でも総て之を包容します。善悪正邪、美醜曲直、一切を挙げて包容し、包容した挙句がどうなるかと申しますと、先刻小磯が鏡に映った時のことを申しました通り、包容せられたものをして自ら反省して悪い所を切り捨てて行かせます。時に応じ環境に処し、いい所だけが残って行きます。そういうように導くのが鏡であり、神であります。素戔嗚尊並びに天照大神の思召しというものは正にここにあるのです。

詰まらない批判などばかりに日を暮らすということはやらない。一切を包容して悪い所を切り落とさせ、いい所をとって行くというような点から見ると、現在の社会組織なども大分改めていい所もあり、お互いに考えておる根性の中でも大分是正して行かねばならぬ部分が沢山あると考えられるのであります。先日、学徒志願の問題に関連し来訪した学徒にも此の話を致しましたが、矢張り若き学徒は純真であります。

私は元より鏡の器ではないのですが、受け売りながら誠心をこめ、神様か鏡になったような気持ちで話しましたが、純真なる学生は能く傾聴もして呉れ又能く納得もしてくれました。この鏡の訓えというものは、実に偉大な訓えだと思うのであります。

この偉大なる精神文化の教訓である勅の次に来る『高天原に御す斎庭の穂を以て、亦吾が児に御せまつるべし』という勅は物質の重要性を御示しになったのでありまして、精神だけではまだ十分ではない。この物質、斎庭の穂即ち清浄無垢なる物質を以て立派な神の如き精神に悠久なる生命を与えて行かねばならぬという勅であります。

マルキシズムは物質万能唯物史観に立脚し、精神思索元より絶無とは申しませぬが、物質論から出発した派生的精神論に過ぎませぬ。而かもマルキシズムの如きは近代の所産なるに拘わらず、斎鏡斎庭の原理は無慮数万年前天照大神、素戔嗚尊の御世に、既に創造確立せられ、世々我々の祖先を教え導かれていたのであります。

最後は天壌無窮の神勅でありますが、先に申しました神籬磐境の神勅に依って君民君国不二一体の境地に立脚し、斎鏡斎穂の神勅に依り精神を基調とし、これに立派な物質を加えて邁進する時に初めて天壌と倶に皇運は無窮であるという結論が、天壌無窮の神勅でありまして国民学校等の読本の冒頭にも書いてありますから、本神勅に就いては多く申し上ぐる必要はありますまい。兎も角も我々内鮮人は古くから此様な精神的雰囲気の間に育成されて来た筈なのであります。

ところが歴史と伝統というものも却々偉大な力があります。ここには半島出身の方も多く居られますが、内地といわず、満州といわず、華北といわず、どうも朝鮮人という者は困る。直ぐ嘘をつく、責任感がない、持久力がない、動もすれば他人の物を取って恥じないということを申します。

併し素戔嗚尊から今迄三大神勅を奉じて来た筈の存在が、そういうことになっているというのは何が左様にしたかというと、私の信ずるところでは主として、李朝五百年の政治から然らしめたのであると思います。高麗の末期から李朝五百年の政治に依って純真な立派な存在が悪化したのでしょう。

新羅時代に於いては花郎道という欧羅巴に於ける騎士道、内地に於ける武士道に優っても譲らないという高潔剛健にして立派な存在が、なぜ嘘を言ったり、掻払いをやるようになったかというと、李朝五百年の統治に於いて一般大衆は特殊階級から圧迫、搾取の対象とされたがため、大衆は唯唯今日唯今を、一時を糊塗する為に努力せざるを得なくなり、嘘も方便ということになって来たのであります。

支那にも同じような思想があって、『没法子』という言葉が之を雄弁に物語って居ります。スラブロシア人が『ニチェオウ』という言葉を遣いますが、これも同じ傾向を表現して居ります。此の如く朝鮮同胞に若し批議すべき欠陥ありとせば、これは畢竟李朝五百年の政治が生んだものでありまして、本質は決して左様でなく立派なものであると確信するのであります。

内地人はどうかといえば、明治初年からなんでも西洋崇拝で本当の立派な日本人の本質を忘れ、西洋というとなんでも良いと思い、良い品物を舶来品、和製とは下等品の代名詞であるという風に考えられ、大学の諸先生も日本の本質を閑却して専ら西洋人の書いた横文字思想を基として教授し、之を習う学生も、あの先生は西洋学に通じていると見れば、喜んで之に憧憬し感服して聴講するという風に、この六、七十年間を経過して来たため、時とすれば日本人の皮を被っている西洋人が内地にも少なからず見られたものです。

又米国、英国が植民地政策をやる時にどういう主義を取ったかというと、彼等自らの享楽の為に植民地の一般大衆を搾取の対象としたのでありますが、西洋かぶれの日本人中朝鮮統治の方針を米英の植民地政策流に考えた向もあったでしょう。

然るに内鮮合体は前に申し述べた通り同一民族の還元合体てありまして、英米辺の植民地と其選を異にして、必然凛然一体になって行かなければならぬのであります。

斯く観じ来れば西洋思想の糟粕を甞めて来た内地人も亦翻然と悟りを拓き、此くして内地人も朝鮮人もともに自己の本質を確実に認識せねばならず、これに依って日本全体が真に純一無雑、一億一心ということを完成し得るのであります。【カットの写真は楽浪出土小鏡】

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。

Propaganda articles say Koreans men are cowards because of 'literary effeminacy' and too much filial piety toward Korean parents who 'just play around and live off their children's income' after age 50, and resolves to 'reshape' Korean Confucianism by 'beating it' into a Japanese form (1943)

This is my translation and transcription of two news articles from Keijo Nippo, a propaganda newspaper and mouthpiece of the government of Japan-colonized Korea. These have never been republished or translated before, to the best of my knowledge.

Notes:

The Federation refers to the Korean Federation of National Power (国民総力朝鮮連盟, 국민총력조선연맹), the single ruling party of Japan-colonized Korea.

Annexation refers to the annexation of Korea into Imperial Japan in 1910.

Literary effeminacy is the translation for the word bunjaku (文弱) and refers to the excessive emphasis on book learning.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) November 8, 1943

Talking about the students who went off to war (2)

Understanding the family comes first

Young Koreans are strong in both body and mind

Federation General Secretary Hada: Some of the schoolteachers are present, but if there were some who hesitated, what kind of mindset did they have? Please tell us what you noticed.

Mr. Jeong: Mr. Watanabe from Hyehwa Specialized School, your thoughts?

Mr. Watanabe: I have talked about this spirit with my students since the implementation of the conscription system. They may think that they do not have to volunteer just because it is a voluntary system, but that is not the case. I have told them that they must be ready to accept the call at any time, and my students are agreeing with me on this point. So I think that if you leave it with me, my students will voluntarily become conscripted. The young men are pure. Mr. Natsuyama was here for a leadership conference of the Federation, when he said that both family and society must be mobilized, and I agreed wholeheartedly with his words. Indeed, even if the students are mentally prepared to go out to war, their families may stand in their way.

Speaking from my own experience, I am engaged in a job placement campaign for young Koreans, and I feel this from beginning to end. If I told my students to go to Manchuria, their parents would oppose it even if the students were willing to go. If I told my students to go to China, their parents would say something like, 'Your father is too old', tending to be too focused on the family. In this respect, there is a difference from families in mainland Japan.

There was talk about the Korean students returning to Korea from mainland Japan, but I think that they returned to Korea to consult with their families. I hope that the Federation and the newspapers will make efforts to educate families and society.

I may be stating it too bluntly, but it is obvious that the war will be won. After victory, the people of Japan will be able to walk proudly throughout the world as citizens of a victorious nation. We can walk proudly as the leading and superior people throughout East Asia with the honor of war.

But what would happen if you did not participate? What would you have done? If this happens, Koreans will forever fall from the position of leaders as an inferior people. They must do it because it is the best opportunity for the future improvement of the Korean people.

In the past, when the idea of white superiority was popular, East Asian peoples were regarded as inferior. Therefore, the government of the time took great pains to put them on an equal footing with the whites. However, it was difficult for them to recognize the East Asians. However, after defeating the Russians in the Russo-Japanese War, the colored race was recognized as a great nation. There is nothing like war to demonstrate the power of a people. If you do not participate in this war, your future will be dark, and after all, this is for the sake of Korea.

I have been educating Korean children for many years, and they are very smart, and their grades are astonishingly good. No matter where they go to school, Koreans get good grades and have good physical fitness. Some people may say they are lacking in character, lacking in energy, or irresponsible, but they do very well in martial arts and in training.

I have been promoting martial arts for two years, and we are now ranked second among all Korean specialized schools. If you encourage them, they will grow. In terms of physical strength and academic ability, they are the same as the people of mainland Japan. If they take that strength and join the military and become a junior enlisted noncommissioned or commissioned officer, their strength will be recognized because there is no discrimination in the military. There has never been such a good opportunity. Indeed, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So I told them to go straight ahead. ['transcription paused'] Then I talked to them about how much their participation represented a social movement for the Korean people. I hope that we will make efforts to educate families as part of this social movement.

President Kanegawa: Just as you said, I also have to say, at the same time, that the most urgent task is to rebuild the worldview of the Korean people. Since the Koreans do not have a national worldview or a social worldview, I have heard that they hold the sentiment that, since Prime Minister Tojo said that he would allow the independence of Burma and the Philippines as soon as possible if they cooperate from the bottom of their hearts in the Greater East Asia War, shouldn't he allow the same for the Korean people? 

Their other sentiment is that this is a war for Japan, and that they have nothing to do with it. This is because they have not yet developed a worldview. It is only natural that we should use the power of newspapers to educate and guide them, but I believe that it is most desirable for school authorities to use their efforts to nurture young people in a normal manner.

Parents always put family problems first, so when I tried to get them to work for the police which, as Mr. Watanabe has said, are the most disciplined in Northern and Central China, Manchuria, and in Korea, they would say that their children are weak and so they should be sent to work for the Ministry of the Interior or the Ministry of Industry instead of the police.

In fact, when I was a bureaucrat, I wanted to reform these bad cultural attitudes. If I ordered the people in Seoul to work in the provinces, they would complain that they would be separated from their families. I did not approve of such personal excuses, but things did not go the way I wanted. In the end, they were able to get away by various means, but such young men never rose up in the ranks. There were lots of cases like this one in my personal experience.

From this point of view, I hope that those who have been given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as Japanese people to live under this decisive time of war, and who are qualified to serve, will fully realize that such an opportunity will never come again. No one should be able to sit still to miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is really sad that we are still talking about this. We at the Federation must make every effort to rebuild this old way of thinking. If their fundamental worldview is not corrected, even the best and the brightest will be corrupted. I hope that the school authorities will make efforts to eliminate these bad cultural attitudes in these students as soon as possible.

Mr. Watanabe: Korean parents ask too much of their children, and these parents are really cowardly. They are enforcing too much filial piety. This is not only a problem in schools, but also in society as a whole. Parents should not think of their children taking care of them. They must fix this tendency to think that they are elderly people when they reach the age of 50, after which they will just play around and live off their children's income.

Mr. Jeong: School Principal Kim of Poseung Specialized School, what are your thoughts on this point?

Mr. Kim: As the General Secretary of the Korean Federation has just mentioned, what is the reason why young Korean men cannot become brave despite the fact that the way to martyrdom has been opened for them? I think the main reason is the weakness of literary effeminacy. This may enrage the Korean people, but this is a fact. For 300 years, the Koreans have never participated in a war. Even in peacetime, we Koreans have learned to seek shelter from a young age.

No one can deny this. I have heard so much about Jirisan in Korea or Mount Kongō in Japan being good shelters, so much so that I have developed calluses in my ears. This is second nature to Koreans. As a Korean, I am truly ashamed to talk about this, but I acknowledge this as a fact. The people of mainland Japan may be outraged that the Koreans are so indifferent when they are fighting for the survival of their nation, but the fact is that this is the cause of the problem.

They also have a fear that they will die if they join the military, which is completely cowardly. Not all those who go to war necessarily return home dead. It cannot be guaranteed that they will not die at all, but with bad luck, one-twentieth to one-tenth of them will die. After all, as a result of their long-standing literary effeminacy, it is difficult for them to harden their resolve ['transcription paused'].

In accordance with the Governor General's instructions, I greatly emphasized that the young Korean men should go willingly, precisely because they are not forced to do so. However, there are many who hesitate to do so, and some go back to the countryside to consult with their parents there. If it is true that Koreans are indifferent to the war at this time, holding the sentiment that this is not a war for Korea, or that it is someone else's war which has nothing to do with the Koreans, then it is understandable that the people of mainland Japan may feel offended, but I think that is the main cause of the problem. Korean people, please don't get mad at me. It's a fact that the Koreans have this characteristic.

It may sound like I'm only mentioning faults, but Koreans are no less smart or strong than the people of mainland Japan. However, they lack the spirit of bravery. In this respect, they are inferior to the people of mainland Japan. When their moment arrives, their second nature gets in the way, and that is where the problem actually arises.

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) November 10, 1943

Talking about the students who went off to war (3)

Destroy your view of life and death!

Wake up, all influential Koreans!

Keijo Nippo Reporter: It is said that the main reason for this problem is that the Korean people suffer from literary effeminacy and lack the martial spirit. Myeongnyun Specialized School is said to be emphasizing Confucianism in its education, but in recent days, how are students being guided regarding this problem? Mr. Shirakami, your thoughts?

Mr. Shirakami: In a sense, there are strong indications that the Confucianism of the past was a sort of decorative form of Confucianism tailored for a special class of people. It seems to me that this kind of Confucianism was a way of responding to science and enjoying poetry. I am now in the process of reshaping this form of Confucianism by beating it into a Japanese form of Confucianism, just like the Confucianism practiced in mainland Japan, as I believe this will be a meaningful way for their future.

The school has been in existence for only a year and a half, and this is in accordance with my own personal philosophy. The way of life of the school is to advance Confucianism in accordance with the Imperial Way. Confucianism is beautiful in its qualities, and I believe that it would be deeply meaningful for the various peoples of the Greater East Asian region to rework this form of Confucianism into a Japanese form by re-tailoring old clothes of high quality into a common doctrine for the peoples of today's nations. 

In response to your question, I would like to add my own personal view that the mistakes we made in the past with respect to educational methods may be one of the weak points in the thinking of today's students. I believe that the subjectivism and liberalism of Western education may be one of the reasons why today's students are encouraged to make free decisions in matters of their own volition. In addition, while Confucianism has a strong influence on life and death issues in family life structures and life practices, it is Daoist thought that truly penetrates into the depths of the views on life and death. From one perspective, the shaman is a very powerful force. Roadside divinations can have the authority to make decisions on important events in life, and the idea of longevity and immortality is also very strong. This is a trend that will eventually lead to an emphasis on life and a de-emphasis on death in matters of life and death.

In addition, the ability of the culture to change is generally tied to the influence of continental culture. Korean culture, including its way of life, will not change overnight. It is difficult to change the Koreans' outlook on life or the world, or change the appearance of the cultural layers of the Korean peninsula in a single morning without encountering emergencies of historical proportions. The same is also true in their material life.

In family life, too, there is a family-centered, genealogy-centered morality, and also the idea of inheritance by a legitimate son and respect for boys. Boys are respected even when they are children, while girls are treated lightly. The idea that the eldest male child is treated more seriously than the youngest male child will eventually cause obstacles in decision-making when the eldest son or only child becomes qualified to serve in the military. I have been thinking about whether or not there are points of hesitation when it comes to the survival of the family line in matters of family structure, and I have been discussing various ways forward. To this day, I'm not sure about the way forward, but what do you think?

Federation Director of Training, Mr. Ōie: The fact that it is difficult for their fathers and mothers to make up their minds today is not only a problem regarding today's fathers and mothers. We have come to know that it is also a result of longstanding historical conditions that have inevitably led to this situation. Thus, I think we have to take a new approach in connection with what is going on.

Korea has not had any political training in its history. Dr. Tokuzō Fukuda once said that from an economic standpoint, Korea could not establish a full-fledged new economic system because it did not have the background to do so, as it is said that Korea did not pass through a feudal phase in its history. But the fact that Korea did not go through a feudal phase in its history was a very negative thing from a political and military standpoint. History has taught us how the Japanese Bushido (the way of the warrior) was trained by the feudal system through families, although mainland Japan no longer has a feudal system today. The political and military struggles of the various regions, domains, and feudal lords were the driving force that created the spirit of the Japanese people.

Korea had none of this. In mainland Japan, ever since the early days of the founding of Japan, even during the times when there still was no feudal system, the center of the nation has always been clearly defined. The people of Japan have always rallied around the center, and each and every one of them has submitted to the center. Every Japanese person without exception has been trained in the governance of the nation since its founding to express submission. In the process of its development, it has further refined its power through the feudal period. Even when the Japanese people were not coming into conflict with other peoples, military training has been added through the internal struggle for power within Japan.

Korea has had no such training. It had no struggles with external forces. Nor were there tense situations within Korea where two forces were at each other's throats. They were only guided by Confucianism without any agency of their own. Today, in the face of war, this has given rise to a view of life and death in which one cannot make up one's mind. If we go back to earlier times than the Yi Dynasty, the situation is a little different. There are many examples of the Silla, Baekje, and Goryeo dynasties that we can take up today and be inspired by.

Goryeo defeated the great army of Sui Dynasty, Baekje defeated the great army of Tang Dynasty, and Silla was training its young men in the Hwarang Corps. A 15- or 16-year-old child of a general went into battle, fought as fierce as a lion, and was taken prisoner. When he took off his helmet, it was revealed that he was still a boy. The enemy general even recalled that, since even the boys could fight like this, they could never win against Silla. The enemy general thought it would be a shame to behead him, and sent him home. When he returned home, his family said that he had returned home defeated and would not even let him see his dying father. This is just one example, but there were many such cases in Silla.

Mr. Watanabe: I completely agree with your opinion. In the Yi Dynasty, Confucianism was the core of family and social morality. The teachings of Confucianism are very good, and they include the principles of good moral training, family governance, political governance, and peaceful reign, but in Korea, they stopped short at good moral training and family governance, and forgot about the principles of good political governance and peaceful reign. I think this is the reason why the Korean people's mindset has become stagnant and depressed.

Mr. Natsuyama: I agree.

Mr. Watanabe: Buddhism in Japan has always been linked to the Imperial family. The idea of filial piety is to be of service to the sovereign, and this is the Japanese view of life, which is not the case in Korea. Confucianism is not necessarily a bad thing, but in Japan, when the country was not yet under the principles of good political governance and peaceful reign, it was considered a great honor to die in front of the sovereign's horse, and even the parents praised it. It is regrettable that, although individual Koreans thought about the development of their own families, they never thought about the development of Korea as a whole.

Nowadays, I think it is necessary to link Confucianism and Buddhism to the Imperial family.

Mr. Natsuyama: If we discuss the Koreans from a historical perspective, we will probably not be able to solve their problems even if we spend a year on it, so let's move on to the issue at hand.

Generally speaking, Koreans have become Japanese in a short period of time. But where will their patriotic spirit come from when they suddenly become Japanese, considering that the Koreans have had a weak patriotic spirit since the old Joseon Dynasty? They have not yet arrived at the stage where they could say, 'The Japanese empire is my country, and I must die a martyr for my nation.'

Koreans do not have the idea of a martial spirit. They are said to have literary effeminacy, but they are not even well educated. Even the sons of peasant farmers volunteer to serve as soldiers, and they do so as valiantly just like mainland Japanese soldiers. So it is not as if we should wait until they become like this. However, their weak patriotic spirit itself is something that has been carried over from the old Joseon Dynasty. There are many among the influential classes who, since annexation, have attained a certain level of patriotic spirit earlier than expected.

In short, they misunderstand Japan and do not fully grasp Japan. For example, a student at school simply dismisses the principal's words just because they came from the principal, even if they are　important.

The other is the ideology of the students, which is the result of their parents' ideology manifested through the students along with their environment. There is no such thing as a student's ideology which exists independently. Even if a student tries hard to become an Imperial person, it is not so easy to do so within the family. Nowadays, I hope that proper guidance is provided in this regard by the Federation, which is a touchstone for the manifestation of the patriotic spirit by influential Koreans.

Source 1: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-11-07

Source 2: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-11-08

Source 3: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-11-10

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年11月8日

出陣学徒を語る②

家庭の理解が第一

体・智共劣らぬ半島若人

波田総長：学校の先生方もお出でだが、躊躇逡巡する者があったとしたらば、一体それはどういう心理からだろうか。お気付きの点をお聞かせ願いたい。

鄭局長：恵化専門の渡辺先生一つ。

渡辺氏：私は徴兵制度実施以来生徒に対して、この精神を話した。そして志願だから志願しなくてもいいというようなことはない。お前達は何時でもお召に預からなければならないと話しておるが、生徒は私の申す趣旨には共鳴しておる。だから私共に任して頂けば生徒は自由になると思う。青年は純真である。先達聯盟の会議の時に此処にお出での夏山さんが社会や家庭を動かさなければならぬと言われたことに満腔の賛成を致したが、確かに生徒が覚悟を固めて征こうとしても、その障害となるものは家庭である。

その点私の体験を申すと、私は半島青年の就職運動をやっておるが、その時始終感ずる。お前満州に行けというと自分は行くと考えても親が反対する。又支那に行けというと、お父さんが年取っておるというように家庭にこだわり過ぎる風がある。この点内地の家庭とは違いがある。

それから半島学生が内地から帰ったことに付いてお話があったが、これは家庭に相談に来たのではないかと思う。聯盟、新聞社のほうで社会、家庭の啓蒙運動に御尽力あらむことを希望する。

もう一つは露骨に言いすぎるかも知れぬが、戦争は勝つに決まっておる。勝った後は我が日本国民は戦勝国の国民として世界の至る處に大手を振るって威張って歩ける。我々は戦争の光栄を担って東洋各地における指導民族として優秀民族として威張って歩ける。

然るにお前達が参加しなかったらどうなるか。お前等は何をやったか。斯うなると朝鮮人は永遠に劣等民族として指導者の位置から落伍して了う。朝鮮民族将来の地位向上のためにも絶好の機会であるから、やらなければならんのである。

嘗て白人優秀の観念が盛んな時に、東洋民族は劣等とされた。それ故、白人と同等の位置に挙げようと当時の為政者は非常に苦労した。併しなかなか東洋人を認めて呉れなかった。然るに日露戦争に於いてロシアを破り、これで有色人種も偉いと認められた。戦争位民族の力を発揮するものはない。どうしてもこれに参加しなければ、お前達の前途は暗黒だといったのであって、畢竟これは朝鮮の為になるのである。

私は多年朝鮮の子弟を教育しておるが、頭は非常によく、成績も驚く程よい。半島人は何処の学校に行っても成績もよく、体力もよいのである。動もすれば半島人を人格がない或いは気力に乏しいとか無責任であるとか言うが、武道をやらしても教練をやらしてもなかなかよくやる。

私、二年間武道を奨励しておるが、只今では全鮮の専門学校中二番になっておる。奨励すればどしどし伸びて行く。体力学力に於いても全く内地人と同じである。その力を持って軍隊に這い入り下士なり将校なりになれば、軍では差別がないから、お前達の力は認められる。こんないい機会はない。所謂、千載一遇の機会であるぞ。さあ征けと云ったのである。（速記中止）どの位この参加が朝鮮民族の社会運動ではないかと話したのである。斯ういうことから社会運動の一つとして家庭啓蒙に御尽力あらんことを希望する。

金川社長：私同時も申すことだが、先生のおっしゃった如く、半島民衆の世界観を作り直すことが最大急務である。国家観、社会観が出来てないものだから、東条総理が大東亜戦争に精神的に衷心より協力するならば、ビルマの独立或いはフィリピンの独立も速やかにやらせると言われたが、それじゃ朝鮮民族もそれに加わり許して呉れてもよいじゃないかといったような気持ちのあったことも聞いておる。

もう一つは、これは日本の為の戦争であって、我々には関係があるものかといったような気持ちのあることも聞いておる。これ等は固より世界観が出来ていないからである。これは新聞の力を以て大いに啓蒙し、指導することも当然だが、これは偏えに学校当局において平素青年人材を育成することに意を用いることが最も望ましいと思っておる。

父兄達が今の家庭問題を常に第一に取り上げるものだから、渡辺先生のおっしゃる如く折角北支中支、満州或いは鮮内でも規律のやかましい警察に就職させてやろうとすると、家の子供は弱いから警察でなしに内務部か産業部に就職させて下さいと言う。

実は私役人をしておった頃、この弊風は改革しようと思った。京城の人を地方勤務に命じよ、とすると家庭が離れるから困ると言う。それで私はそういう私事は認めなかったが、併しなかなか思うように参らなかった。結局は色々な方法手段で逃げられたのだが、それに禍されてそういう青年は出世しておらぬ。これは私の体験にも相当ある。

この観点から今日のこの千載一遇の機会に日本国民としてこの決戦下に生を享けたもので、出掛けなければならない適格者は、二度とこんな機会は永遠に来ないことを充分悟って貰いたい。全くこの千載一遇の機会を逸することは、これは本当に誰彼なくじっとしておられない。これを未だにとや角言っておることは本当に私共淋しい思いがする。我々としても、聯盟に於いても、このような古い思想は今後大いに建て直すように努力せんければならぬと思う。この根本たる世界観が直らなければ、折角の俊才も腐らねばならぬ。学校当局も学生を通じてこの悪い風習は早くなくするように努力が願いたい。

渡辺氏：朝鮮の親は子供に依頼し過ぎており、本当に親が意気地がない。所謂孝行を強い過ぎておる。これは強ち学校だけの問題でなく、社会総てにやらなければならぬ。子供の世話になることを親は考えてはいけない。五十歳にもなると老人になった気で、遊んで子供の給料で食おうとするこの風を直さなければ駄目だ。

鄭局長：その点について普成専門の金校長如何ですか。

金氏：今聯盟事務総長からお話があったが、半島青年に殉国の途が開かれたにも拘わらず、勇敢にはなれない原因は何処にあるか。その最大原因は文弱の弊だと思う。半島の人々は或いは憤慨されるかも知れませんが、事実がそうである。三百年来朝鮮人は戦争に参加した経験がない。平時に於いてすら私達幼い時分には避難所を求めたのが朝鮮人である。

これは誰も否認出来ない。やれ智異山がよいとか、金剛山がよいとか耳に胼胝が出来る程聞いておる。これが第二の天性である。この話は朝鮮人として洵に恥ずかしい次第であるが、事実は事実として認める。国家存亡を賭して戦っている時分に、朝鮮人が冷淡視しているではないかと内地人側は憤慨されようが、事実はそこに原因しておる。

又兵隊に行けば死ぬものと思い、そういう恐怖心をもっており、全く意気地ない話である。戦争に出た者が必ずしも全部死んで帰るものでない。全然死なないとは保障出来ないが、運が悪くってその中の十分の一乃至二十分の一が死ぬ。結局永年の文弱の結果で、その意志を固めることが難しいらしい（速記中止）

先程の総督の訓示だが、強制されていないからこそ、進んで出て行くべきでないかと私は大いに強調した。併し早速意を決し兼ね躊躇する者が多く、父母が田舎にあるものは相談に帰らせておる。この時機に朝鮮人が冷淡視して朝鮮のための戦争でないとか、或いは他人がやることで朝鮮人の我等は知らんというのが本当ならば、内地人から感情を害されても御尤もな話だが、最大原因はそこにあるのじゃないか。朝鮮の方々は怒らないで下さい。実際朝鮮人にはそういう点がある。

欠点ばかり言うようだが、朝鮮人は頭に於いて体力に於いて決して内地人に劣らん。けれども唯武勇の精神に欠けておる。この点、内地人に劣っておる。いざ斯ういう時分になれば、その第二の天性が邪魔になって実は困っておる次第である。

京城日報　1943年11月10日

出陣学徒を語る③

死生観を滅却せよ

目覚めよ全半島有力者階級

本社側：朝鮮の人が文弱に流れ尚武の精神に欠けておる点が主なる原因をなしておると言われておるが、明倫専門では儒学に重をおいて教育されておるそうであるが、最近この問題について如何に学生を御指導になっておりますか。白神さん一つ。

白神氏：或る意味に於いて過去の儒学は特殊階級の一つの粉飾的儒学であった一面も可なり強いのでないか。科学に応ずるための儒学、詩文を楽しむ上の儒学であったように思う。これを内地の儒学の如く日本的な儒学に叩き変えることが私のほうの将来の意義ある方途と考え今日進みかけておる。

設立後一年半の学校であり、私個人の考えもそうであり、学校の生き方も皇国の途に則っての儒学に進むということで進んでおる。儒学は質に於いて美しい性質を有っておるので、これを現代の国家人に質のよき古衣を仕立て直して日本的なものにして行くことは大東亜諸民族に共通する教学でもあり、意義深きものになりはしないかという考えを有っておる。

ご質問に対し私の私見を付け加えると、過去の教育に我々はその道にありながら誤った点が今日の生徒の思想の一弱点になっておらんかと思う。西洋の主智主義、自由主義の教育をして来たことが、今日の志願の事柄に対し、動もすると個人の自由意思決定を促す一つの流れにもなったのでないか。又生死問題を採り上げると、儒教の家庭内に於ける生活形式、生活行事にも力強さを及ぼしておるが、真に死生観などの深味に入り込んでおるのは寧ろ道教思想ではないか。一面から言えば巫子というものが可なり力強きものを有っておる。路頭の易が生活の重要行事の場合に決定権を有っておったり、不老長寿の思想など可なり強く這い入っておる。これはやがて死生問題に対する生を重んじ、死を軽んずることが流れて来る。

又文化の変遷力は一般に大陸国の影響であろうと思うが。生活形式にも及び一朝一夕に変わらんのが半島文化の流れでないか。更に歴史的に非常時に際会しないのに一朝にして蹶起して文化層の姿を替える、或いは人生観、世界観を転換することは難しい。これは物質生活に於いても同様である。

又家庭生活に於いても家中心、系族中心の道徳、やがては嫡子相続、男子尊重の思想がはいっておる。子供でありながら男子は尊重され、女子は軽く取り扱われる。男子でも長男は重く扱われる思想が、やがて今日適格者の中に長男とか一人子になった時分には意思決定の上に障害を及ぼす。家庭組織における家の存続に迷いの点がありはしないかということなども考えて夫々その途を説き聞かせ、今日迄参っておるが如何なものだろうか。

大家氏：今日こちらのお父さん、お母さんの肚が決まり難いということは今日のお父さん、お母さんだけの問題ではなく、永い間の歴史的条件が必然的にそうしてしまったのでないかと、はっきり我々は知って、そこに新たな手を今度のことに結び付けて打って行かねばならぬと思う。

朝鮮は歴史上から見て政治的訓練が施されて来なかった。曾て福田徳三博士は経済的立場から朝鮮は本格的な経済上の新体制を作る訳にいかぬ、それは素地がないからである、というのは朝鮮が封建制度を経過しなかったと言われておるが、朝鮮が封建制度を経過しなかったことは政治上将又軍事的立場から見て非常な消極的事実であったと思う。内地は現在、封建制でもないが日本がもつ武士道は、封建制度が家庭を通じて如何に訓練されたかは我々歴史に依って教えられて来ておる。諸地方、諸国、諸大名に分かれ、政治的軍事的に鎬を削ったことは日本人の気魄を生み出す推進力となった。

朝鮮はそれをもたない。内地でも封建制のない時は即ち肇国以来は中心をはっきりして来た。中心の下に全国民が常に結集されて国民一人一人がまつらうて行ったのであるが、まつらう姿が政治なりとの観点に於いて日本国民一人残らずこの政治の中に肇国以来訓練されて来ておった。その発展過程に於いて封建時代を経ることによって更に力を練り、他の民族との衝突がなくても国内的に鎬を削ることにより軍事的訓練が加えられておる。

朝鮮にはそれがない。外とも事を構えない。又内に於いて鎬を削り合う緊迫した場面がない。唯儒教的なもので自分の主体性がなく導かれた。それが今日戦争に直面して肚を決め得ない死生観が生れた。これが李朝以前に遡れば少し違う。新羅、百済、高麗等今日取って以て我々が刺戟を受けるものが沢山ある。

高麗は隋の大軍を破り、百済は唐の大軍を破って、新羅は青少年を花郎団にて鍛えておる。将軍の十五、六歳の子供が出陣して獅子奮迅として働き捕虜になった。兜を取って見ると少年である。敵の将軍はこの少年にしてこの位の働きをするのだから到底新羅には勝てんと述懐した程である。ここで打首にするのは惜しいといって一応家に帰した。家に帰ると敗けて帰ったじゃないかと言ってお父さんの死目にも会わさない。これは一例だが、そんなことは新羅に沢山あった。

渡辺氏：今の御意見全く同感である。李朝時代は儒教を中心として、それに依り家庭道徳なり社会道徳を作った。儒教の教えも洵に結構で修身斉家治国平天下とあるが、朝鮮では修身斉家で止まって了って治国平天下は忘れられた。これが今日の朝鮮民心を萎縮沈滞させた原因であると思う。

夏山氏：同感だ。

渡辺氏：日本の仏教にしろ、何時も皇室に結び付いておる。孝行の考は結局大君のお役に立つことで、これが日本人の人生観である。それが朝鮮にはない。儒教が必ずしも悪いのではないが、治国平天下迄行かなかった日本では君主の馬前で討死するのを無上の光栄とし、親もそれを褒めた。惜しいことに、自分の家門の発展は考えたが、朝鮮全体を考えなかった。

今般は儒教、仏教を皇室に結び付ける必要があると思う。

夏山氏：朝鮮人を歴史的に論議すれば、恐らく一年掛かっても解決しないから差当っての問題へ行こう。

大体朝鮮人が暫くの間で日本人になった。而して韓国時代から愛国心の薄弱なりし者が、急に日本人になったからといって何処から愛国心が生れましょう。日本帝国は俺の国であり、国家の為に殉死しなければならん。そこ迄は行っておらない。

朝鮮人には尚武の思想がない。文弱だといわれたが、大して教養もない。水吞百姓の息子ですら志願兵となって内地の壮丁に劣らぬ程勇敢にやっておる。それじゃ斯の如くなる迄待つべきかと言えば決してそうではない。しかし愛国心そのものが薄弱であったのは韓国時代から継続されたものであり、案外併合以来愛国心が早く或る線迄到達したものと見ておる所がこれは有力者階級に多い。

要するに日本を誤解しており、日本を完全に把握しておらない。それで学校辺りで勉強しておる学生が、校長先生がえらいことを言っても、あれは校長の言うことだと簡単に片付ける。

もう一つは学生の思想というか、学生の思想はその父兄の思想が学生を通じて或る環境と一緒にそれが現れたもので、学生の思想と言って独立したものはない。学生は皇国臣民になり切ろうとしても家庭でそういかない。いまや朝鮮人の有力者の愛国心の発露の試金石である、聯盟でもこれはよく導いてもらいたい（完）