Colonial regime forced Korean schools to drop English from the main curriculum to further wartime Imperial Japanese ‘character-building’ education (April 1943)

In April 1943, during the throes of the Pacific War, a notable article was published in Keijo Nippo, the leading national newspaper of Korea under Japanese rule. Keijo Nippo was not just any publication; it served as a propaganda tool for the Imperial Japanese colonial regime, which had a firm grip over Korea from 1905 to 1945. This historical piece offers a fascinating glimpse into how educational institutions were manipulated by the Imperial Japanese colonial regime, reflecting the broader political and ideological battles of World War II.

At the heart of this article is Baewha Girls' High School in Seoul. Founded by American missionaries, Baewha had been shaping the minds of young Korean girls for about half a century by 1943. However, the onset of the Pacific War, where Imperial Japan found itself in a desperate struggle against the United States and Britain, marked a significant shift in the school's approach to education.

The article highlights the actions of the Imperial Japanese principal, who took over after expelling the Americans from the school. One of his significant moves was to alter the curriculum by removing English as a main subject of study. This decision is emblematic of the broader efforts by the Imperial Japanese colonial regime to erase Western influences and assert ideological control.

Interestingly, the removal of English was not absolute. The language continued to be taught to junior students, justified on the grounds that English was necessary for understanding scientific symbols. This nuanced approach to the English language reveals the complexities and contradictions often inherent in such political and ideological shifts.

This historical account from Baewha Girls' High School serves as a poignant reminder of how totalitarian regimes can politicize language itself, using education as a tool to enforce ideological purity. It's a phenomenon that, unfortunately, resonates with similar instances in various parts of the world even today. This article not only sheds light on a specific event in history but also invites reflection on the ongoing impact of political ideologies on education and language.

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) April 6, 1943

Replacing English with Horticulture

Baewha Girls' High School Transforms Under New Leadership

Focus on Moral and Character-Building Education During Wartime

For over 50 years, Baewha Girls' High School had been steeped in enemy American ideologies. However, since the outbreak of war against Britain and America, Baewha has responded to the glorious war achievements of the Imperial Army, and is now sweeping away this educational contamination to accelerate its own Imperialization. Under the leadership of Principal Makiyama and following the directives of the authorities, the school has decided to cut back on English, which had been a central subject in the Korean educational sector, and reallocate that time to activities more suitable for women's moral and character-building education during wartime, such as horticulture and physical exercises, adapting to the practical needs of the times. The school, managed consistently by Americans from its founding until Principal Makiyama took charge, had deeply ingrained adversities from enemy American thought. The transition from Anglo-American ideologies to Imperial education is now underway. Principal Makiyama states:

"Now that we have expelled the Anglo-American influence from Greater East Asia, we must simultaneously discard the harmful ideologies that have infiltrated our lives over many years. My goal is to thoroughly promote true Imperial education, which will be useful for our students whenever they graduate, and to nurture healthy Korean women. While we have eliminated English from our main curriculum, we intend to continue teaching English to junior students as before, for them to learn symbols used in subjects like physics and chemistry."

[Transcription]

京城日報 1943年4月6日

英語に代って園芸

敵米人創立の培花高女転身

戦時下情操教育へ

対米英開戦以来、皇軍の赫々たる大戦果に相呼応して五十余年間敵米思想に浸潤した教育の汚染を一掃して皇民化に拍車をかけている培花高女では、牧山校長の音頭で当局の指示に従い、半島教育界の中心科目でもあった英語の一部を切り捨てて、その時間を戦時下の婦人の情操教育に相応しい園芸や遊戯等の実戦即応的時間に充てることになり、同校は創立以来現在の牧山校長が就任するまで終始一貫米人の手に経営されたもので、敵米の思想から受けた弊害は余りにも根強いものがあった。米英思想から皇民教育へと新発足している。牧山校長は語る。

大東亜から敵米英の勢力を追放した今日多年間、我々の生活に浸潤した悪思想も同時に放擲せねばなりません。何時卒業してもお役に立つような真の皇民教育を徹底的に普及して健全な半島女性を育て上げようと思います。英語は正科から切り捨てましたが、今後は物理や化学等の符号を覚えさせるため、下級生にだけは従前通り英語を教えるつもりです。

See also: Baewha students mend military uniforms for Imperial Army (March 1943 article)

Source: https://archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-04-06/page/n3/mode/1up

Model Korean mother left baby and bedridden husband behind at home to work as a clerk for Imperial Japanese Army, praised by boss for happily working overtime, early morning to late at night for 1/3 the usual pay without complaining, even when so exhausted she couldn't see straight (Feb. 1944)

Original caption: Mrs. Ahn reviewing the de-registration records.

This article features Mrs. Ahn, a Seoul native, who in the midst of war, leaves behind her baby and bedridden husband to work as a clerk for the Imperial Japanese Army, presumably handling paperwork for newly enlisted soldiers. Notably, her 7-year-old daughter is tasked with caring for her 2-year-old son, a decision that seems quite extreme by today's standards.

Initially, I surmised that Mrs. Ahn was married to a Japanese man with the surname Hirahara, as they were wed ten years prior to 1944, in 1934. This was before the Sōshi Kaimei, the period when Koreans adopted Japanese-style names en masse. However, I now harbor doubts about this assumption. The reason for my skepticism lies in the name of their son, Huichang, which is so distinctively Korean. This raises the possibility that the newspaper may have 'retroactively' claimed that the family went by the Hirahara name in 1934, even though they might not have adopted that name yet at that time.

Mrs. Ahn's portrayal in the article brings to mind the iconic Rosie the Riveter from the U.S. World War II era. However, unlike Rosie, who symbolized the American women working in manufacturing and production during the war, Mrs. Ahn is depicted as a clerk. Yet, both characters represent women stepping into roles traditionally held by men due to the demands of a global conflict. Mrs. Ahn is shown working longer, harder, and more efficiently than her colleagues, while accepting only a third of the standard pay. By contemporary standards, this portrayal seems to endorse a very toxic work culture, one that valorizes excessive work hours, underpayment, and overwhelming workloads, all in the name of national duty and conservation during the war. It makes me wonder just how much of an impact Imperial Japan's legacy might have had in shaping the work cultures of modern Japanese and Korean societies.

Such representations of 'model workers' were not uncommon in propaganda campaigns globally, but Imperial Japan's approach, particularly its praise for workers who eagerly accept lower wages on top of longer working hours, might be quite unique. Have you ever encountered any other piece of propaganda, anywhere in the world, where the model worker is praised for accepting lower wages?

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) February 5, 1944

Taking Over for Her Sick Husband, Mrs. Ahn Fights Three Times as Hard in Public Service

Working Women [Part 6]

Mrs. Ahn was at home where the warmth of the ondol barely kept the chill at bay. After putting her ten-month-old baby to sleep and attending to her bedridden husband, she boldly declared, 'To defeat the British and American beasts, I must devote myself to public service with all my might!' She cast aside her traditional role and, holding a pen in her hand at the Yongsan District Office, she impressively completed 120 copies of family register transcripts per day, astonishing her male colleagues with her patriotic fervor as a Korean woman.

Mrs. Ahn Gi-jeong (안기정, 安基貞), a 28-year-old resident of Jongno-gu, Doryeom-dong, was born in Seoul, the heart of the Korean Peninsula. She honed her virtues of a good wife and wise mother at the prestigious Gyeonggi Girls High School. Ten years ago, she married into the Hirahara family, building an enviable and harmonious household. Unexpectedly, a few years ago, her husband, the pillar of their family, fell ill. However, with determination and grit, she tirelessly cared for him through the nights without sleep, bravely battling through the ordeal of nursing him to health. Through her tireless care, he is on the path to recovery, just as the massive cannons of the annihilation campaign against the Anglo-Saxons are tearing through heaven and earth like thunderclouds booming on a clear day. In this era, men born in the Empire resoundingly march through the military gates to the beat of their military boots, while women, in place of men, sweat profusely on the production frontlines. She, too, is a woman of the Empire.

Her patriotic sincerity blazes like a flame, which led her to put an end to her indoor, anbang life. 'If my husband cannot serve, I will work twice as hard in his place,' she declared, looking resolute in her navy blue office uniform. Last summer, amid the rainy season, she took up a position in the Yongsan District Office's Family Register and Military Affairs Section. Comforting her two-year-old son, Huichang (희창, 煕昶), who clung to her and refused to leave her breast, she entrusted him to the care of her seven-year-old daughter, Aehui (애희, 愛姫). Starting work at her desk in the district office early in the morning, she immerses herself in her intense job at the office, staying well past 5 PM when most of the office employees leave work. Due to the current state of affairs, the Family Register and Military Affairs Section is so busy that they would even welcome the help of a cat's paw, making it not uncommon for her special duties to continue late into the night.

A glance at her attendance book shows it filled with red marks, half of which are overlaid with a purple stamp indicating 'special duty'. Her physical frame may be slender, but her spirit is robust; she has not missed a single day, akin to the diligence of an ox. Although it is not rare for employees to be diligent, she stands out for processing a large volume of 120 transcripts a day with lightning speed. Moreover, it is astonishing that, unlike the clock’s hands that may err, her writing is completely free of mistakes.

Mr. Tokumaru, the chief of the Family Register and Military Affairs Section, his cheeks flushed with emotion, said, 'If we were to pay a copywriter five sen per page for the amount of work Mrs. Ahn does in a month, it would cost 180 yen in monthly wages. However, Mrs. Ahn's salary is about a third of that. It’s not about the financial bottom line, but it can be considered a way of saving the expenses of the nation in wartime. Mrs. Ahn herself never dreams of criticizing the compensation for her skills. She minimizes her own living expenses and silently spreads fireworks at the tip of her pen. She is truly a treasure of our district office and an example of selfless public service'.

Mrs. Ahn, who passionately speaks of her patriotism for the Korean Peninsula, humbly says, 'When I return home after special duty, sometimes I am so tired that the telephone poles seem to double when I look at them. However, when I think of the brave soldiers of the Imperial Army, who, despite gunfire and heavy rain, fight with the lightness of goose feathers and wield demon-slaying swords in order to accomplish the grand undertaking of this unprecedented era, my fatigue seems insignificant. I fervently wish that more Korean women will take up the important task of supporting the holy war effort, and courageously spread sparks of struggle on the battleline of the workplace.' [Photo = Mrs. Ahn reviewing the de-registration records]

Industrial Association Discussion: At Yongsan Station, a regular discussion meeting was held in the instruction room at 2 PM on February 5th, inviting 170 members of the Seoul Iron and Steel Industrial Association to ensure full preparation for increased production.

[Transcription]

京城日報 1944年2月5日

病床の夫に代りで奉公

人の三倍も闘い抜く安さん

はたらく女性【６】

肌に粟の生ずる温突に、産声をあげて十ヶ月の幼児と病床の夫をねかし『米鬼英畜を撃つには、公務に粉骨砕身すべきだ』と颯爽と旧套をぬぎすて龍山区役所でペンを握り一日戸籍抄本百二十枚を書きのけ、有髯の男子を唖然たらしめる愛国半島女性がいる。

鐘路区都染町安基貞さん（二八）は半島の心臓部京城に生れ秀才の集る京畿高女で良妻賢母の婦徳を磨き、十年前に平原氏に嫁ぎ、よそ目もうらやましい和やかな家庭を築いて来たが意外にも数年前、大黒柱である主人が病み出した。歯を食いしばって夜も眠らず看病に敢闘した甲斐あって、日に日に見違えるほど恢復路を辿りつつある際、晴天にとどろいた群雲の如くアングロサクソン撃滅の巨砲は天地をつんざき、皇国に生をうけた男子は軍靴の響き高らかに軍門をくぐり、女性は男に代って生産戦線に熱汗を流す時代となった。彼女も皇国女性である。

愛国の至誠は焰と燃えあがり、遂に内房生活を清算したのである。『主人が御奉公出来ねば、私がその代り二倍も働こう』と紺の事務服姿も凛々しく龍山区役所戸籍兵務課に職を奉じたのは梅雨のふりしきる昨夏のことであった。乳房を離れまいと泣きつく煕昶君（二つ）をなだめては七つになる姉、愛姫ちゃんにおんぶさせて家をあとにし、早朝から区役所の机にかじりつき、血のにじむ激務に没頭するのだ。夕刻五時には一般職員は退庁するものの、時局柄戸籍兵務課は猫の手も借りたいほど忙しいので深夜まで特勤のつづく日も稀ではない。

出勤簿をのぞいて見れば赤印で埋まり、その赤印の半数は『特勤』と紫印が重ねて押されている。線は細いが精神力は旺盛なのか、一日も欠勤はないという牛のように勤勉な職員は決して珍しくないが、一日に抄本を百二十枚の多量を電光石火のように処理するのは花形安さんだけという。而も時計の針には、くるいがあっても安さんの字には誤字が皆無というから、なお驚く。

徳丸戸籍兵務課長は感激に両頬を紅潮させる乍ら語る。『安さんが一ヶ月働く仕事の量を一枚書くのに五銭をはらって雇う写字生に頼むと百八十円の月給をはらうことになるが、安さんの俸給はその三分の一位で、ソロバン勘定ではないが、決戦下国費の節約ともいえます。当の安さんは自分の技術に対する報酬の批判は夢にもせず自己の生活は最小限に切り下げ黙々とペン先に花火を散らす彼女こそ我が区役所の宝であり、滅私奉公の亀鑑でしょう』

愛国半島のため万丈の気焰を吐く安さんは謙遜して語る。『特勤して帰宅の際は疲れたせいか、電信柱が二つに見える時もありますが、しかし曠世の鴻業を完遂せんがために硝煙強雨のなか身を鴻毛の軽きにおき、降魔の利剣をふるう皇軍勇士を考えれば何ともありません。半島女性も一日も早く一人でも多く、聖業翼賛の重責を双肩に担い、勇躍職場戦線に敢闘の火花を散らすよう熱願しております』【写真＝除籍簿を調べる安さん】

工業組員懇談：龍山署では五日昼二時訓示室に京城鉄工工業組合百七十名を招き、定例懇談会を開催。増産陣の万全を期することになった。

Source: https://archive.org/details/kjnp-1944-02-05/page/n3/mode/1up

How Korean numbers (하나,둘,셋…) are related to Japanese numbers (hito-, futa-, mit-…), as explained by 1938 Japanese linguistics article from colonial regime

I ran into this interesting linguistics article in the June 1938 issue of "Chōsen" (Korea), published as an official propaganda magazine of the Imperial Japanese colonial regime which controlled Korea from 1905 until 1945. A linguist named Nishimura attempts to explain how the native Korean numerals (hana, dul, set) are related to the native Japanese numerals (hito-, futa-, mit-). I am not a modern linguist, so I cannot vouch for the accuracy or quality of this paper. Nonetheless, since the information contained in this paper do not appear anywhere else on the Internet, I thought it would be appropriate to post it here for modern readers to analyze and critique. 

Nishimura often refers to numerals from the Middle Korean language, so the Korean numerals that he mentions in this paper may not necessarily be the modern ones that are used. For example, he gives the Korean number three as 서 (seo) , when the modern Korean number three is actually 셋 (set). To read up on historical Koreanic numerals from ancient times through present day, I recommend reviewing this Koreanic numerals table from Wikipedia. 

The author had a colonialist agenda of justifying the 'Japanese-Korean Unification' policy of suppressing Korean national identity, so this paper should be read in that context, understanding that scholars affiliated with the colonial regime had every incentive to produce research that supported the policies of the regime. There is a possibility that the arguments contained in this paper may have well been used by regime officials to teach Japanese to Koreans during colonial rule.

[Translation]

Japanese-Korean Numerals Common Origins Theory

By Nishimura Shintarō

The comparative study of numerals in both Japanese and Korean languages has traditionally faced difficulties and ended in failure. Consequently, many domestic and foreign scholars have pessimistically declared that Japanese and Korean numerals do not share the same origin. This widespread denial of their common origin is a significant regret in this field.

Many of those who propose theories argue for a closer relationship between Korean numerals and those of various ethnic groups in Central Asia, thereby ignoring the common origin of Japanese and Korean numerals. However, I, without regard to the paucity of evidence, assert their common origins as follows. Whether it is true or not, before I definitively conclude, I first offer this to the deniers and also express my profound respect to my mentor, Dr. Kanazawa Shōzaburō, who has resolutely and independently proposed the theory of the common origin of the fundamental concepts of numerals in both languages for some years.

When the fundamental numerals, which are essential for language comparison, align and correspond between Japanese and Korean, we can gain an unmatched driving force in all aspects of Japanese-Korean Unification. Contrary to the theories of the deniers, who argue that such correspondence is impossible and fundamentally overturns the common origin of the two languages, replacing it with one of the Central Asian language families, the negative impact of such a stance is immeasurable, and it is something that genuinely alarms me.

We should not resolve the truth politically, but when the results of truth align with politics, we must respect it as the natural order. Although the roots of both languages may have originated from the Tianshan mountains and moved eastward, cultivating numerous language families, if the numerals in Japanese, Ryukyuan, and Korean are entirely identical, discarding them to merely discuss the southern or northern routes of the Tianshan would be an inversion of cause and effect.

I believe that we must first establish the complete correspondence of numerals in both languages and then use this as a basis for comparing with other languages like Jurchen, Mongolian, etc.

[Number 1] In Japanese, words like 端 (hana), 初 (hana), 端 (hata), 初 (hatsu), 果 (hate) signify the idea of an extremity or endpoint, and are used in various forms such as 放す (hanasu - to release), 離る (hanaru - to separate), 果つ (hatsu - to end), 削る (hatsuru - to pare), 始じむ (hajimu - to begin). 端 (hata), 果 (hate) correspond to the Korean word 귿 (end). The sounds 'n', 't', and 's' are interrelated, hence Japanese words like 端 (hana), 初 (hana), 梯 (hashi - bridge, ladder), 果つ (hatsu - to end), 削る (hatsuru - to pare) correspond to 귿 in Korean.

The number one is pronounced in Japanese as ヒ (hi), ヒト (hito), ヒトツ (hitotsu), etc. ヒト (hito) can be a variation of ヒタ (hita - pure, straight, large). Derived words like ヒトシ (hitoshi - equal), ヒタスラ (hitasura - merely) are based on ヒト (hito).

In Korean, the number one is 하나 (hana), 한 (han), but in the ancient language, it was 하단 (hadan), and there is also another word 올 (ol), which does not denote an ordinal number but simply means 'alone', 'solely'. This also has many corresponding words in Japanese.

The t sound of 하단 (hadan) changes to an 'n' sound, becoming 하나 (hana). This change is similar to how Japanese 端 (hata) becomes 端 (hana). However, it is not necessary to directly compare these changes.

In the "Miscellaneous Considerations about the Idu Script" by literary scholar Dr. Kanazawa, it is stated that the number one was read as "Katana" according to the Nichūreki Encyclopedia. The Goryeo (Korean) language word 하단 (hadan) shows phonetic alignment with "Katana".

The reason why "Katana" and 하단 (hadan) align is the same reason 하단 (hadan) aligns with 귿 (end).

In Japanese, a slight vowel change in ハタ (hata - end), ハナ (hana - end) results in ヒト (hito - one). The connection between ヒト (one) and all words in this category such as ハタ (end) need not be elaborated further here.

ヒト (one) aligns in both phonetics and semantics with 하단 (hadan) and 하나 (hana) via 귿 (keut).

[Number 2] The number two is 두 in Korean, and フ (fu), フタ (futa), フタツ (futatsu), etc., in Japanese. There are several derived words from 두, such as:

(A) 뚜에 (lid): Without a bottom, there cannot be a lid (フタ - futa). 뚜에 covers the top of the bottom. It inherently contains the meaning of 두.

(B) 뒤 (behind): There is no behind without a front. If you dissect 뒤, it reduces back to 두. 뒤 is a derivative of 두.

(C) There are many others, but they are omitted here.

Now, if you remove the 'フ' (fu) from フタ (lid) and remove the 'ア' (a) from アト (behind), they become 'タ' (ta) and 'ト' (to), naturally aligning in meaning and sound with the Korean 뚜에 and 뒤. The hard sound in 뚜에 is a symbol of omitting one sound, and the 'ア' in アト (behind) is an article, used in the same way as in アツカウ (to handle), アコガル (to scorch), etc.

In Japanese, the number two is called フタ (futa), and in Korean, it is 두. In Japanese, a lid is called フタ, meaning two, and in Korean, a lid is called 뚜에, meaning 두 (two).

The Japanese フタ (two) directly corresponds in sound and meaning with the Korean 두 (two).

There are derivative words of フタ (two) in Japanese, like upper abbreviated 'タ' (ta) and lower abbreviated 'フ' (fu), and similarly, there are numerous derivatives of 두 in Korean, both upper and lower abbreviated. The proof that all these correspond exactly, such as 'アタカモ' (just like, atakamo) being exactly the same in sound as 똑 (just like, ttok), is innumerable, but this will be left for another day.

[Number 3] The number three is 서 (seo) in Korean and ミ (mi) in Japanese.

In the "Samguk Sagi" (Three Kingdoms History), Geography, Volume 4, there is a mention of "Samhyeon County," which was once called "Milpahe." This shows that in ancient Korean, the number three was referred to as 밀 (mil), but as it is now a dead language, this will not be discussed further.

The word for water caltrop is 말 (mal) in Korean, and its meaning is similar to the concept of a grain with edges (稜 - kuri) in Japanese.

Soba (buckwheat) is a grain with three edges (三稜 - mikuri). The 'バ' (ba) in Soba (ソバ) corresponds to 말 in Korean. This is because buckwheat (모밀), wheat (밀), barley (보리), and water caltrop (말) all belong to the same linguistic block. Therefore, the 'バ' in ソバ can be regarded as 말. The 'ソ' (so) in Soba (ソバ) is indisputably associated with the meaning of three. Supporting evidence can be found in the word ソヤ (soya - a type of arrow), where 'ヤ' (ya - arrow) is limited to three feathers, indicating that this 'ソ' (so) also means three. Therefore, it is necessary to conclude that the ancient Japanese reading of the numeral three was 'ソ' (so). Ultimately, 'ソ' (so) and 서 (seo) coincide, and the numerals for three in both languages completely match.

If it is to be proven that this originated from the Jurchen language, that discussion shall be reserved for another time.

[Number 4] The number four is 너 (neo), 너히 (neohi), etc., in Korean, and ヨ (yo) in Japanese.

The term 柶 (ladle) in Korean is 늇 (nyut), which refers to the concept of four trees all looking up towards the sky, hence called 늇 (four directions upwards). There are instances where 늇 is used to represent six trees in divination, and the divination using eight trees is known as the well-known Bagua.

The divination method of laying a single tree in a supine crossed position is practiced by various ethnic groups across the Asian continent, and whether this method exists in mainland Japan is a subject of interesting ethnological research.

It is speculated that the divination method with four trees, 늇, evolved into 너, 네, etc., and then lost its 'n' sound to become 'ヨ' (yo) in Japanese. However, there remains some room for debate regarding this transformation.

[Number 5] The number five is 닷 (dat) in Korean and イツ (itsu) in Japanese. The abbreviated form of イツ (itsu) is 'イ' (i), but this is definitely not the correct pronunciation for five. The 'イ' (i) in イツ is an article, commonly referred to as an introductory or exclamation word. The word with 'イ' (i) removed, leaving 'ツ' (tsu), corresponds to 닷 (dat) in Korean.

[Number 6] The number six is 엿 (yeot) in Korean, which has almost no relation to ム (mu) in Japanese. Initially, it was referred to as 엿, but later it seems that an 'm' sound was inserted, as in ムベ (mube - to declare) and ムマ (muma - horse) in Japanese. However, regrettably, this explanation is not fully established.

[Number 7] The number seven is 닐곱 (nilgop) in Korean and ナナ (nana) in Japanese.

In the "Samguk Sagi" (Three Kingdoms History), Geography, Volume 4, there are references to a "Seven-layered Castle" called 난은별 (Naneunbyeol) in one instance and a "Layered Castle" in another. Also, in the "Yeoji Seungram" (Survey of the Geography of Korea), Gyeonggi Section, there is a mention of the name of a district, Jikseong, referred to as "Seven-layered Castle," "Layered Castle," and 내별 (Naebyeol). 

Naneunbyeol corresponds to 난은 (nan-eun) and ナナ (nana), and Nae in Naebyeol corresponds to 내 (nae) and ナ (na). From the Hanja (Chinese characters) translation of these names as "Seven-layered Castle," it is clear that the ancient Korean word for seven was '나' (na), corresponding to ナナ (nana).

The ancient words 나 (na), 내 (nae) evolved into 니 (ni), and 니롭 (nilrop - cattle and horses at the age of seven) eventually came to be called 닐곱 (nilgop). This change is as evident as seeing fire, and ultimately, ナナ (nana) corresponds to 닐곱 (nilgop).

[Number 8] The number eight is ヤ (ya) in Japanese and 여듧 (yeodeol) in Korean. ヤ (ya) and 여 (yeo) correspond to each other, but the meaning of 듧 (deol) is difficult to determine immediately. 닐곱 (nilgop - seven), 여듧 (yeodeol - eight), 아홉 (ahop - nine) - the '곱' (gop) part in these words seems to be a supplementary word attached to the base word in the upper part.

[Number 9] The number nine is ココノツ (kokonotsu) in Japanese, which is often abbreviated to ココ (koko), コ (ko), etc. In Korean, it is 아홉 (ahop). 아홉 has a 'g' or 'k' sound that corresponds to コ (ko) in Japanese, and 홉 (hop) also corresponds to the 'k' sound of コ (ko). Therefore, 아홉 can be equated to ココプ (kokopu) in terms of pronunciation.

[Number 10] The number ten is 열 (yeol) in Korean and トヲ (towo) in Japanese. Ten is recognized as the largest number in the decimal system, leading to the creation of various derived words. 여러 (yeoreo), although not an ordinal numeral, corresponds to ヨロヅ (yorozu - ten thousand) and ヨロ (yoro - a lot, crowd) in Japanese, both signifying 'a large number,' a fact already well known to the world.

In the "Samguk Sagi" (Three Kingdoms History), Goksan County Records, there is a mention of "Ten Valleys Castle," called Deokdonhol (덕돈홀) in one instance. Deok corresponds to ten, and ton corresponds to valley. This shows that the ancient Korean word for ten was 덕 (deok), which corresponds phonetically with トヲ (towo) in Japanese.

The old Japanese word ツヅ (tsuzu - ten) is also a derivative of トヲ (towo), and 덕 (deok) or 다물 (damul - cattle and horses at the age of ten) correspond with each other in terms of the 't' sound. ソ (so) might be a variation of ト (to - ten).

[Other Numbers] The meanings of 스믈 (seumul - twenty), 마흔 (maheun - forty), 쉰 (swin - fifty) are unclear.

One hundred is 온 (on) in Korean, but it is unclear whether it is an ordinal numeral. The corresponding word for 온 in Japanese is 'ホ' (ho), and 'ホ' and 온 align phonetically. モモ (momo - hundred) requires separate study.

즈믄 (jeumeun) is the old word for one thousand, corresponding to 'チ' (chi) in Japanese.

There is no Korean word for ten thousand; the Japanese ヨロヅ (yorozu - ten thousand) corresponds to 여러 (yeoreo - a crowd), as already mentioned.

In the following, the theory proposed by a certain scholar during the Meiji era regarding the doubling of vowels in numerals to indicate an increase in quantity, is rendered obsolete by the presentation of corresponding numerals in both languages.

It is not only that the fundamental concepts of numerals in both languages are almost identical, but also that the words related to numerals correspond to each other in both languages.

The word カタ (kata - piece, part) has traditionally been considered to originate from one side (一方 - hitokata) of 方 (kata - direction, side). However, since 方 signifies one half of an entity, it is clear that the direction, position-related 方 was derived from 片 (kata - piece, part), reversing the primary subject. カタ (kata) corresponds in both sound and meaning to 가닭 (gadak - branch, division) and has its equivalent in Central Asian languages. 片 (kata) means half, implying a division, and signifies 'one side.' For instance, one shoe of a pair of geta illustrates this, where 片々 (katagata) means each half. Numerals become plural and signify 'a large number' due to frequent usage. 가닭가닭 (gadakgadak) means scattered, disorganized, and this usage aligns in both languages.

マタ (mata - also, again) means two and corresponds to 또 (tto - also, again) in Korean. The hard sound is a symbol of omitting one sound, which appears as 'm' in Japanese.

マタ (mata) becomes マタシ (matashi - all). 가닭 (gadak) has derivatives like 갓 (gat - just, exactly) and 한갓 (hangat - single-mindedly), and there are adjectives like 갓라 (gatra), meaning 'both are equal.' コドシ (kodoshi - like) and 갓라 are obviously synonymous. ヨス (yosu - to add) derives from the meaning of gathering and comes to mean to add. This also corresponds to 여러 (yeoreo - crowd), and words like twisting also relate to 'number.'

ヘス (hesu - to reduce) and ヘル (heru - to decrease) are related to numbers, corresponding to 빼다 (ppaeda - to extract) in Korean. If that is not surprising, then what is?

Above is only the essence of the ordinal numerals in both languages. Even from this, it is clear that the fundamental numerals in both languages are completely equivalent. This forms the basis for the verbs and adjectives in both languages to align and correspond with each other, which is why we re-emphasize the common origins of both languages here.

[Transcription]

国語朝鮮語数詞同一論

西村真太郎

両語数詞の対当は従来難渋に逢着し失敗に終り、内外の諸学者は概ね両語数詞同源ならずと悲観説を発表し、従って両語の同源を根柢から否認する人が多いのは、斯道の為に一大痛恨事である。

説を為す学者の多くは、朝鮮語数詞と中央亜細亜地方の諸民族の数詞との接近対当を主張し、以って国語朝鮮語の数詞の同源を無視するのであるが、吾人は乏しきを顧みず凡そ左の通り其の同一を主張する次第である。当れりや否や、之を吾人が断定する前に、先ず否認論者に一応之を提供し、且つ独り毅然として年来両語数詞の根本観念の同源を創説せられたる恩師金澤庄三郎博士に、深甚なる敬意を奉る。

言語対当の根本たる数詞が国語と朝鮮語と符節を合して相等しい場合に、吾人は内鮮一体の万般の事象に対し強烈無比の推進力を獲得し得たりと云うべく、否認者流の説くが如く、対当不能不可であり、延いては両語の同源を根本から覆えし、之を中央亜細亜語族の一方に置き換えんとするが如きことがあっては、其の悪影響は蓋し測り知る能わざるものがあり、自ら戦慄を禁じ得ないものがある。

真理を政治的に解決するのではなく、真理の結果が政治に合致する場合に、吾人は之を天道として尊崇する。両語の根源が天山に発し、東進して数語族を培養したであろうが、国語琉球語朝鮮語の数詞は全く同一なる場合、其を棄てて徒らに天山南路北路を云々するは、本末を正さんとして却って本末を裏返した事となる。

吾人は両語数詞の完全一致を立証し、次にそれを携げて女真、蒙古等の諸語との対比に向うべきであると信ずる。

（壱）国語端（ハナ）、初（ハナ）、端（ハタ）、初（ハツ）、果（ハテ）は尖端の意で、放す（はなす）、離る（はなる）、果つ（はつ）、削る（はつる）、始じむ（はじむ）等と活用する。端（ハタ）、果（ハテ）は朝鮮語귿（端）と対当である。ｎ音とｔ音とｓ音とは夫々相通であるから端（ハナ）、初（ハナ）、㟨（ハシ）、果つ（はつ）、削る（はつる）等、此のブロック内の語は귿と対当となる。

一はヒ、ヒト、ヒトツ等唱える。ヒトはヒタ（純、直、大）と変音する。ヒトシ（等）ヒタスラ（只管）等はヒトの派生語である。

さて、朝鮮語一は하나、한等であるが、古語は하단（河屯）で、別に올と云うのがあるが之は順序数詞ではなく、単に「単独」の意を有つ語で、之も数多の対当語を国語内に有って居る。

하단（河屯）のｔ音はｎ音に変わると하나となる。此の変化は国語端（ハタ）が端（ハナ）と変化したのと、さも似寄って居る。然し之を直ちに対比せしめないでもよい。

金澤文学博士著『吏読雑考』中に二中暦に一を「カタナ」と訓ずとある。高麗語カタナは하단とは音韻の一致を見る。

カタナと하단とが一致するのと同一の理由で、하단と귿とが一致する。

国語ハタ（端）ハナ（端）の母音を少し変更すると「ヒト」となる。ヒト（一）の意とハタ（端）等の一切のブロック内の語との脉絡関係は、今更茲で述べる必要がない。

ヒト（一）は귿（端）を介して하단（河屯）하나（一）と音韻、語義両ら一致する。

（弐）二は朝鮮語두で国語はフ、フタ、フタツ等である。두の派生語に左の諸語がある。

（A)뚜에（蓋）

底がなければフタ（蓋）が出来ない。뚜에は底の上を蓋う。之に두の意が自ら含んで居る。

（B)뒤（後）

前のない後はない。뒤を解剖すると두に還元する。뒤は두の派生語である。

（C）其の他多数にあるが省略する。

さてフタ（蓋）アト（後）の「フ」「ア」を省くと「タ」「ト」となり朝鮮語뚜에、뒤に自然に意義と音声とが合致する。뚜에の硬音は一音省略の符号であり、アト（後）の「ア」は冠語で、其の用例はアツカウ（扱）アコガル（焦）等の「ア」と同じい。

国語二をフタと云い、朝鮮語二を두と云い、国語蓋を二（フタ）の意でフタと云い、朝鮮語蓋を두の意で뚜에と云う。

国語フタ（二）は直接朝鮮語두（二）と声音、語義が全く相等しい。

フタ（二）の上略「タ」下略「フ」等の派生語もあり、두の上略下略の派生語も数多あるが、それが悉く相等しく「アタカモ」は똑（恰も）と声音其の儘相等しい等の立証は実に無数であるが他日に譲る。

（参）三は朝鮮語서で国語はミである。

三国史記地理、四、三峴県、一云密波兮。とあり、朝鮮古語に三を밀と称えた事は明瞭であるが、今日は死語となって居るから挙論しない。

菱は말（字会）で、語義は稜（くり）のある穀粒の意である。

ソバ（蕎麦）は三稜（みくり）の穀粒である。バは말に対当する。それは모밀（蕎麦）밀（小麦）보리（麥）말（菱）等が皆同一ブロック内の語である事から、ソバのバは말としてよい。ソは三の義である事は争う余地もない。其の傍証はソヤ（征矢）でヤ（矢）の三羽なるに限りてソヤ（征矢）と云うから此の「ソ」も三の意である。故に国語三の古訓は「ソ」であると断定しなければならぬ。遂に「ソ」と서は一致し、三の両語数詞も完全に符節を合する。若しそれ之が女真語から端を発して居る等と証明するのは次回に述ぶべき事に属する。

（肆）四は朝鮮語너、너히等で、国語はヨである。

柶は늇で四木が皆仰天すると늇（四向上）と称える。此の늇を六木として占う場合もあり、八木として卜するのを所謂八卦と称する。

片木を仰臥交叉せしめる占法は、亜細亜大陸の何れの民族もが行ったもので、内地に此の法があるかないかも民族学上面白い考証があると思う。

四木の占法늇が너、네等に変化し、之がｎ音を失って「ヨ」となったと想像するが、果してどうか、之には多少の余地が残る。

（伍）五は朝鮮語닷で国語イツである。イツの下略は「イ」であるが、之が五の正音では決してない。イツのイは冠語で普通所謂発語等と称し、ツに冠した語で之を省いた「ツ」は닷に対当する。

（陸）六は엿でムと殆ど関係がない。初め엿と称えて居ったが、後ムベ（宣）ムマ（馬）等の如くｍを挿入したとも思えるが、遺憾ながら説を成さない。

（漆）七は朝鮮語닐곱で、国語はナナである。

三国史記地理四に七重城、一日難隠別、一日重城。とあり又、輿地勝覧京畿篇に積城郡郡名、七重城、重城、乃別とある。

難隠は난은、ナナに対当し、乃も내でナに対当し之等を漢訳して七を重ねる意で七重城と訳したのを見ると、七の朝鮮古語は「나」であった事が判明し、茲にナナと対当となる。

나、내の古語が니と変化し、니롭（牛馬七歳）となり、遂に닐곱と称えるに至った事は、火を見るよりも明らかに認められる處であり、結局ナナは닐곱と対当となる。

（捌）八は国語ヤで、朝鮮語여듧である。ヤと여とは対当であるが、듧が如何なる意味かは今俄かに判断し難い。닐곱、여듧、아홉の「곱」の類は上部の基本語に付随した補足語であろう。

（玖）ココノツ（九）はココ、コ等と下略する。朝鮮語は아홉である。아홉はｇ又はｋ音でコに通じ、홉もｋ音コに通じ、아홉とはココプと訓むに等しい。

（拾）十は朝鮮語열で国語トヲである。

十を十進法中の最大数と認め、여러なる派生語を生じ、此の여러（衆）は順序数詞ではないが、ヨロヅ（万）ヨロ（丁）に対当し、共に「多数」の語義を有って居る事は、已に世人の熟知して居る處である。

さて三国史記谷山郡誌に、十谷城県、一云徳頓忽。とある。徳は十に対し、頓は谷に対する。茲に朝鮮語十の古語が덕であった事が判明し、トヲと덕とは声音学上の一致を見る。

国語古語ツヅ（十）も「トヲ」の派生語であり、덕又は다물（牛馬十歳）と、ｔ音が互に相応じて居る。

ソ（十）はト（十）の変音であろう。

스믈（二十）마흔（四十）쉰（五十）は如何にしても語義が不明である。

百は온であるが、果して順序数詞かどうか不明である。온の対当語は「ホ」で「ホ」と「온」とは声音学上一致する。モモは別に研究せねばならぬ。

즈믄は千の古語で「チ」と対当である。

万の朝鮮語はなく、国語ヨロヅ（万）は여러（衆）と対当である事は已に述べた。

次に明治年代に某学者に依って発表せられた数詞の母音の倍加で、増数するとの説は、両語数詞の対当の発表に依って、反古に帰する。

両語数詞の根本観念が略一致して居るのみならず、数詞に関連する諸語が互に相等しい事も推知し得られる處である。

カタ（片）は従来一方（ひとかた）の方（かた）から生まれた語とされて居るが、方（かた）は個体の半分を意味する語であるから片（かた）から漢字「方」を充当すべき方角、位置に就いての方（かた）が生れたもので明白に主格が顛倒して居る。カタ（片）は가닭（分派）と声音語義両ら相等しく、가닭は中央亜細亜語にも其の対当がある。片（かた）は半分で「分派」の意であり、「一方」を意味する。下駄片足の如きでが之で、片々は半分宛である。数詞は重用に依って「多数」を意味し、複数となる。가닭가닭はバラバラ、チリヂリの意で、其の重用法は互いに一致して居る。

マタ（又）は二を意味し、朝鮮語또（又）と対当である。硬音はX音で国語ｍとなって顕われたものである。

マタ（又）はマタシ（全）となる。가닭（分派）も、갓（丁度）한갓（一途に）等の派生語があり、갓라の形容詞があり、「二者相等し」の意となる。コドシ（如）と갓라とは言う迄もなく相同じい。ヨス（加）も寄る集る意から派生して加える意となって居る。之も여러（衆）と対当であり、撚る等も之と相関連して「数」に関係のある語と言えよう。

ヘス（減）ヘル（減）も数に関係があり、之が朝鮮語では빼다（抜き取る）と対当となって居る。意外と叫ばずして何と呼べばよいのであろうか。

以上両語順序数詞のエッセンス丈を書いたのであるが、之を以ってしても、言語学上両語対照の根本たる数詞が全く相等しい事が判り、それが根本となって続いて両語の動詞、形容詞が符節を合して相等しくなるのであるから、茲に吾人は両語の同一を更めて強調する次第である。

Source: https://archive.org/details/chosen-v36-1938/page/n894/mode/1up

Colonial regime made impassioned case for Japanese-Korean Unification in ranting mythological and historical narrative invoking the story of Yeonorang and Seonyeo, Shinto god Susanoo who settled in Silla, Prince Go Yak’gwang and Goguryeo refugees who settled in Musashi, Japan in 717 (April 1944)

A supporter sent me a copy of an extremely interesting wartime propaganda book published in April 1944 by the Imperial Japanese colonial regime which ruled Korea at the time. The 80-page book entitled '新しき朝鮮' (The New Korea) was in remarkably good condition and clearly legible for something that was published 80 years ago. It appears to have been published by the Information Department of the Office of Governor-General Koiso, who was arguably one of the most religiously fanatical of all the Governor-Generals who ever ruled Korea during the Imperial Japanese colonial period. As such, it is a very rare and important snapshot of the official propaganda that was imposed upon the Korean people as of April 1944, during a period of Imperial Japanese colonial rule when the intensity of Japanese-Korean Unification propaganda and State Shinto religious propaganda reached their peak.

 'The New Korea' reads like a desperate appeal to the Korean people to rally them to the colonial regime's side, touting the accomplishments of the colonial regime since Annexation in 1910, including agriculture, industrial development, infrastructure, transportation, communications, military development, education, literacy, natural preservation, etc. Many of the arguments presented in this book about these accomplishments sound remarkably similar to modern Japanese far-right historical revisionist arguments defending Imperial Japanese colonial rule over Korea, which suggests that, perhaps, the propaganda published by the colonial regime in Korea was also used to indoctrinate people in mainland Japan.

However, the part of the book that diverges significantly from the modern Japanese far-right narratives is the Japanese-Korean Unification propaganda, which modern Japanese far-right activists generally feel embarrassed about and prefer to avoid as much as possible. The promotional book starts off with the following preface which rants a Japanese-Korean Unificationist historical narrative touting the historical links between Japan and Korea from ancient mythological times through the medieval period, highlighting the various times throughout history when Japan absorbed Korean migrants who eventually became naturalized Japanese people. It essentially politicizes Japanese-Korean history to justify the colonization of Korea by Imperial Japan. Thus, this preface, which was otherwise meant to be a morale booster for the Korean people in the midst of a desperate war, might have actually been highly offensive and demoralizing to Korean readers at the time. For example, I would guess that the passage which celebrates the disappearance of the Arirang, a beloved Korean folk song, would not have been well received by the Korean readership.

In his February 1944 speech, Koiso actually argued that the Korean people were descended from the Shinto god Susanoo, but that line appears to have been quietly walked back in this April 1944 book. Nevertheless, Susanoo is still mentioned in this book to demonstrate the close connection between Korea and Japan. The historical narratives contained in the 1943 articles about Buyeo (April 19/20 articles, April 21 article) also appear to have made their way into this book in condensed form.

[Translation]

Chapter One: Introduction

The Robust Frontline

"Can a country so sad be made, with its continuous mountains of red clay and bald hills?"

As once lamented by a certain poet, the impression and sad reality of Korea, up to twenty years ago or even just a decade ago, was of reddish clay bald mountains and women in white clothes doing laundry. However, how has it changed? In the few decades that followed, not only did the bald mountains turn green, but the rapid transformation of world history and the leap forward in the construction of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere under the Imperial Japanese guidance, leading the billion people of Asia, has completely changed Korea. Korea has risen up as a part of this grand holy work, being nurtured as a logistic base for our continental operations, altering not only its robust appearance but even the very nature of the Korean Peninsula.

Instead of the women in white clothes who once made laundry their day's work, there are now sincere women of the "Village Labor Service Corps" under its flag, unwaveringly pulling weeds in the fields and cleaning Shinto shrines. In place of the sorrowful melody of "Arirang" flowing through the streets at dusk, brave military songs now march through the cities, accompanied by the firm footsteps of the youth corps. The once desolate hills on the outskirts have been cultivated into factories spewing black smoke from their chimneys. The remaining red clay mountains with their layers are now the battlegrounds for important underground resource development, tirelessly striving day and night for the annihilation of Britain and America. Students and youths, who once lost sight of their hopes in a blurred vision and recklessly sought the opium of misguided thoughts, have now had their souls cleansed by the fierce waves of the holy war. For the first time, they find infinite hope in offering their blood for loyalty only as Japanese people, enjoying the pride of being a leading core nation among the billion people of East Asia. Holding onto the excitement of the day when conscription was announced, they continue to diligently train day and night, preparing for the day they are called, to achieve the honorable position promised to them in the future through their efforts and the fulfillment of their noble duties.

What would the poet who once called Korea a "sad country" now write, facing the fierce spirit and robust reality of this fighting Korea?

Korea is advancing. Its sole goal is "Together with the endless development of Imperial Japan."

Korea is advancing. Let us momentarily lend our ears to the powerful, majestic, and tidal-like advancing footsteps of the 26 million compatriots.

The Relationship between Japan and Korea

Without even needing to spread out a map, it is evident that Korea is a continental peninsula extending from the Japanese mainland across the Genkai Sea to the Asian continent and Manchuria. However, when examining the histories of both sides, it becomes clear how inseparably connected Korea and the Japanese mainland have been since the divine era three thousand years ago. From the Korean perspective, the true history of Korea arguably begins with its relationship with the Japanese mainland, rather than the adjacent Asian continent. Korea has grown under Japan's constant protection and has finally returned to the bosom of its nurturing parent.

The legend is well-known… The tale of Susanoo-no-Mikoto in the "Nihon Shoki" is famous. Susanoo, banished from Takamagahara, descended to the land of Silla with his son, Isotakeru, and lived in Soshimori. Later, he crafted a boat from clay and crossed the Eastern Sea to reach the land of Izumo (Regarding the location of Soshimori, there are two theories based on the pronunciation in Korean: one places it at Mount Udu in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, and the other at Seorabeol, i.e., Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province, which was once the capital of Silla). Shinra Myōjin of Ōtsu, revered by Shinra Saburō who is known as the ancestor of the Kai Genji warrior class in our country, is said to have worshipped Manjushri, who is said to have been Susanoo himself.

Furthermore, the land dragging legend, as found in Japan's oldest geographical record, the "Izumo Fudoki," is well known. It is also widely known that in the era following Emperor Suinin, a prince of Silla named Amenohiboko, yearning for the holy land of Japan, abdicated his throne to his younger brother, came to Japan, and settled in the province of Tajima. Similarly, Korea has many legends like this. One interesting story deeply related to the Japanese land dragging legend goes as follows:

This event occurred in the fourth year of the reign of King Adalla, the eighth ruler of Silla. On the eastern coast lived a couple named Yeonorang and Seonyeo. One day, Yeonorang went to the sea to collect seaweed and happened to climb onto a rock. This rock, with him on it, drifted all the way to Japan. The people of Japan, upon seeing him, declared, "He is no ordinary man," and made him their king. Seonyeo, after waiting in vain for her husband's return, went to the shore and found his straw sandals left on the rock. The same rock then carried her to Japan, where she became the queen alongside Yeonorang.

However, after their departure, Silla lost the light of the sun and the moon and was plunged into darkness. It was said that the spirits of the sun and the moon, which had resided in the country, had departed for Japan. Consequently, the king of Silla urgently sent envoys to Japan to bring them back. But the couple refused to return, saying, "Our coming here is a decree of the heavens." Instead, they sent back a piece of silk fabric woven by Seonyeo, instructing that it be used to worship the heavens. When the envoys returned to Silla and conducted the celestial worship as instructed, the lost sunlight and moonlight returned as before. The place where this worship was performed was named Yeongilhyeon (영일현, 迎日縣).

Original caption: "Majestic View of the East Coast (Near Haegumgang in Gangwon Province)"

History Speaks…

Beyond legends, the deep interactions between Japan and Korea, as clearly narrated by historical facts, have always been evident. Throughout the Three Kingdoms period, the Unified Silla period, the Goryeo era, and up to modern times in Korea, it is apparent that the two have always had an inseparable relationship, akin to lips and teeth. This was not merely a diplomatic relationship bound by friendship or goodwill. Korea, constantly threatened by invasions from northern tribes on the continent, grew under the protection of Japanese power. Moreover, Japan's ideal of founding a nation encompassing all under heaven, with Korea solidly established as a forward base for continental operations, can be described as a relationship of shared destiny and blood ties.

For Japan, the Korean Peninsula has always been a bridge to the Asian continent. This is a geographical absolute, unchanged in the past and present. Now, as the grand project of building the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere steadily progresses, the Korean Peninsula's critical role as a logistic base is more apparent. It was natural for it to have played a role as the sole route of influx during the era of absorbing continental culture. Moreover, the direct and significant influence of Korea on Japanese customs, thoughts, industries, arts, and other aspects of life is an undeniable fact, evident without needing extensive evidence. Japan assimilated and digested these cultures on the basis of its consistent traditions, creating a unique and magnificent culture of its own.

Meanwhile, this led to a continuous influx of cultural figures from the Asian continent and people yearning for the beautiful peace and divine nation of Japan, resulting in their naturalization. Among them, the largest number of naturalized citizens were Koreans, which seems only natural given the geographical relationship. Especially after the collapse of Baekje and Goguryeo, which had integral ties with Japan, many of their people who refused to submit to Tang China or Silla sought asylum in Japan. According to our records, initially, the naturalized people from Silla, Goguryeo, and Baekje were settled in the eastern regions. In the third year of the reign of Empress Genshō (717 c.e.), 1,799 people from Goguryeo scattered across the Kanto and Chubu regions were relocated to Musashino (in Iruma District, Saitama Prefecture), and the Koma District was established. The leader of these people from Goguryeo, Go Yak'gwang, was granted the surname "Ō (王)" by Emperor Monmu and was subsequently enshrined as the Fifth Shirahige Myōshin. The Koma Shrine still exists in that area, and its current chief priest is the fifty-seventh descendant of Go Yak'gwang.

Original Caption: "During the fall of Baekje, it is said that two thousand court ladies, sharing the fate of the dynasty, threw themselves into the water like falling flowers at the Buyeo self-warming platform and Naghwaam Rock by the Baekmagang River."

 Original Caption: "Buddhist Statue from the Baekje Era (Identical to the Baekje Kannon statue in Nara's Horyuji Temple)

Original Caption: "Koma Shrine (Located in Iruma District, Saitama Prefecture)"

Furthermore, there are over 300 place names in mainland Japan named after these naturalized residents, and a considerable number of shrines are believed to enshrine Koreans. In the early Heian period, in the sixth year of Emperor Saga's reign (815 c.e.), the newly compiled "Shinsen Shojiroku" was created by Imperial command. It compiled the genealogies of 1,177 distinguished families in both capitals and the five provinces of Kinai. At that time, genealogies were broadly classified into three categories: Imperial descent (descendants of emperors), divine descent (descendants of deities from the age of the gods, excluding Imperial family members), and foreign descent (naturalized people). Among these 1,177 families, the fact that 326 were of foreign descent illustrates how naturalized citizens were favored in our country. This shows that there have been many descendants of naturalized Koreans among the well-known figures of our country, from ancient times to the present.

[Transcription]

第一章 序説

逞しき前線

禿山の赤土山の山つづき悲しき国をつくれるものかな

曾て某歌人が嘆いた如く、赭土色の禿山と洗濯する白衣婦人、これが二十年前或は十数年前までの朝鮮の印象であり悲しい現実でもあった。それがどうであろうか、其の後僅か十数年の時の流れが単に禿山を緑と化したばかりでなく、急激に転換する世界歴史の飛躍は、御稜威の下アジア十億の民を率いて起つ皇国日本の大東亜共栄圏建設という大いなる聖業の進展と共に、その一環として起ち上がった朝鮮を我が大陸経営の兵站基地として育て上げ、今やその逞しい姿だけでなく半島朝鮮の性格そのものまでも一変してしまったのである。

そこには洗濯を一日の仕事とした白衣婦人の代りに「部落勤労奉仕隊」旗の下に田の草取りや神祠の清掃にわき目もふらぬ婦人達の真摯な姿があり、また黄昏の街を流れるアリランの哀調に代って勇壮な軍歌が、青年隊の大地をしっかと踏みしめる靴音と共に市街を行進してゆく。郊外の荒廃した丘陵は切り拓かれて工場の煙突が黒々と煙を吐き、所々に残る赤土山の断層は、日夜ひたすら米英撃滅を目ざして敢闘する重要地下資源開発の生産戦場なのだ。曾ては自らの希望を混濁せる視野の中に見失い、誤れる思想の阿片を自棄的に求めた学生層と青少年達は、いま烈しい聖戦の荒浪に魂を洗われ、はじめて日本人として殉忠の血を捧げることによってのみ東亜十億の指導的中核民族たるの誇りを享受し得るという無限の希望を見出し、将来に約束されたその栄誉ある地位を自らの努力と貴い義務の遂行によって獲得すべく、徴兵制実施に爆発させたあの日の感激を其の儘しっかと抱いて、召される日に備えて日夜たゆみなき錬成に精進を続けている。

曾て「悲しき国」と詠んだ歌人は、今この戦う朝鮮の烈しい気魄と逞しい現実を直視して果してなんと詠むであろうか。

朝鮮は前進する。その目標はただ一つ「皇国日本の無窮の発展と共に」

朝鮮は前進する。堂々とそして力強い二千六百万同胞の潮のような前進の跫音に、我々はしばし耳をすまそうではないか。

内鮮の関係

改めて地図を拡げてみるまでもなく、朝鮮は日本本土と玄海灘を距てて満州大陸に続く大陸半島である。然しその両方の歴史を繙いてみるときに三千年前の神代から現在に至るまで朝鮮と日本内地とが如何に一体不離の関係に結ばれてきたか。それを朝鮮側からみるときは、真の朝鮮史は寧ろ陸続きの大陸より海を距てた日本内地との関係にはじまり、絶えざる日本の庇護の下に成長して今日遂に育ての親の懐にかえった、ということが出来るのである。

伝説にきく．．．日本書紀に見える素戔嗚尊の説話は余りに有名である。高天原を追われになった素戔嗚尊がその子五十猛神と共に新羅の国に下り、曾尸茂梨に居られたが、後更に埴土を以て舟を作り東の海を渡って出雲の国に赴かれたというのである。（曾尸茂梨の地については、現在朝鮮語の発音から江原道春川の牛頭山という説と、蘇那伐、即ち昔時新羅の都であった慶尚北道慶州という説と二つある）我が国武門の名家甲斐源氏の祖として知られる新羅三郎が尊崇した大津の新羅明神は、この素戔嗚尊の本身文珠大士を祀ったものといわれる。

また日本で最も古い地理書である出雲風土記に見える国引の伝説や、垂仁天皇の後世新羅王子天日槍が、聖天子の国日本にあこがれて王位を弟に譲って来朝し、但馬の国に住んだという話は既に広く知られているが、一方朝鮮にもこれに似た伝説は可なり多い。その一つに、日本側の国引説と深い関係ある次のような興味ある話が伝えられている。

新羅の第八代阿達羅王の四年のことである。東海の浜に延烏郎、細烏女という夫婦が住んでいた。延烏郎はある日海に藻をとりに行った時ちょっと巌の上に乗ったところがその巌が彼を乗せた儘日本に行ってしまった。日本の人達は彼をみて「これは尋常な人ではない」と言ってその土地の王様にしてしまった。細烏女はいくら待っても夫が帰って来ないので海辺に行って見ると巌の上に夫の草鞋が脱いであった。その巌は亦彼女を日本に居る延烏郎の許に運び、細烏女はそこで王妃になった。ところがこの二人が去ると新羅は日や月の光がなくなり真っ暗になってしまった。その時「この国にあった日や月の精が日本に去ってしまったからだ」と言う者があったので、新羅の王は早速使を日本にやって二人を帰らせようとした。然し二人は「自分がここに来たのは天の命である」と言って遂に帰らず、細烏女の織った絹の布を渡して、これで天を祭るように言った。そこで使は新羅に帰ってこの旨を王に復命して言われた通りに天を祭ると、失われた日や月はまたもとの如く光り明るくなった。その祭った所を迎日県と名付けた。

歴史は語る．．．伝説以後に於ける日本と朝鮮の深い交渉は史実が判然りと物語る通り、三国時代、新羅一統時代、高麗時代を経て近世朝鮮に至るまで、その間幾多波瀾消長こそあれいつの時代を通じてみても常に両者は唇歯の関係にあったことは明らかである。それは単なる友好とか親善とかいう外交的関係に結ばれたものではなく、絶えず大陸からの北方民族の侵略に脅かされる朝鮮が、日本勢力の庇護によって生長し、また八紘を掩うて宇と為す日本肇国の理想が、その大陸経営の前進基地として朝鮮に確固たる根拠を置いたところの所謂同生共死の関係に結ばれた血縁であるといえる。

日本にとって朝鮮半島は大陸へのかけ橋である。これは昔も今も変わらない地理的絶対条件である。大東亜共栄圏建設の大事業が着々と進展する現在、その兵站基地たる重大使命を果たしつつある半島が、曾つて大陸文化の吸収時代にその唯一の流入ルートとしての役割を有したことはむしろ当然であろう。そして日本の風俗、思想、産業、芸術その他生活様式の一切に亙って朝鮮が直接的に大きな影響をもたらしたことは、幾多の考証を持ち出すまでもなく動かすことの出来ぬ事実である、日本は一貫する伝統の上にこれらの文化を摂取咀嚼し日本化することによって一つの偉大な日本固有の文化をつくり上げ、それを身につけたのであった。

一方これは大陸の文化人と、美しい平和と神の国日本に憧れる人々の続々たる来朝となり、その帰化をもたらした。その中でも朝鮮人の帰化者が最も多数を占めたことは、地理的関係からむしろ当然であろう。特に日本と一体的関係にあった百済や高句麗の滅亡後、唐や新羅に服することを潔としないその遺民が日本に亡命する者が多かった。我が国の記録によると新羅、高句麗、百済の帰化人を最初東国地方におかれたが、元正天皇の霊亀三年（1377年）には関東、中部地方に散在する高句麗人千七百九十九人を武蔵野（埼玉県入間郡）に移して高麗郡を建てさせたとある。この高麗人の統率者であった人が、文武天皇から「王」という姓を賜わり、従五位下白髭明神として祀られる王若光で、その地には今も高麗神社があり、現在同神社の神主は王若光より五十七代の後裔に当る。

この他内地各地には、これら帰化人の住んだことに因んで名付けられた地名が三百を超え、朝鮮人を祀ったと考えられる神社も相当にある。

また平安朝時代の初め、嵯峨天皇の弘仁六年（1475年）に勅命によって出来た新撰姓氏録は、左右両京及び畿内五ヶ国に籍を有する名家千百七十七氏が系図を作り、それを整理したものである。当時は系図を大別して、皇別（天皇より分かれたもの）、神別（神代の神々の後裔の内皇族を除いたもの）、諸蕃（帰化人）の三つとしていたが、その千百七十七氏の中、諸蕃が三百二十六氏を数えられることによっても如何に我が国に於いて帰化人が優遇されたかが判り、昔から現代に亙って我が国知名人に多数の帰化朝鮮人の後裔があるのである。

Captions：

雄大な東海岸の風景（江原道海金剛附近）

百済滅亡の際、王朝と運命を倶にした宮女二千が落花の如く水中に投じたという扶余の自温台落花巌と白馬江の流れ

百済時代の仏像（奈良法隆寺の百済観音像と全く同じ）

高麗神社（埼玉県入間郡所在）

Source: 朝鮮総督府情報課編纂 [Chōsen Sōtokufu Jōhōka Hensan (Compilation by the Information Department of the Governor-General's Office of Korea)]. 新しき朝鮮 [Atarashiki Chōsen (The New Korea)]. 京城府中区太平通二ノ四三: 日本出版配給株式会社, 昭和十九年四月二十五日 [Keijōfu Nakaku Taiheidori 2-43: Nihon Shuppan Haikyū Kabushiki Kaisha, April 25, 1944].

Link: https://archive.org/details/atarashiki-chosen-1944

Imperial Japanese news staff departing Korea wrote last words celebrating the ‘Young Korea’ as a ‘joyous uprising’, praising Kimchi, saying goodbyes to Korean collaborator writers, baring ‘a heart full of desolation’, mourning a daughter’s death, criticizing war leaders… (Nov. 1, 1945)

This is the second part of a two-part series. The first part is posted here.

The following is content from a Seoul newspaper published on November 1, 1945, two and a half months after Japan's surrender in World War II and the liberation of Korea. Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo), the colonial era newspaper that had served as the main propaganda newspaper for the whole of colonial Korea from 1909 to 1945, was still publishing in Japanese as the national newspaper of Korea. The ethnic Japanese staff managed against all odds to retain control over the newspaper during those two and a half months, until they were finally forced to relinquish control to the Korean employees. These Koreans independence activists took over and subsequently continued the publication of this newspaper in Japanese with an avowed Korean nationalist editorial stance from November 2nd until December 11th, 1945.

The very last page of Japanese-controlled Keijo Nippo, Nov. 1, 1945 issue

However, before the ethnic Japanese staff was forced to leave, they were allowed to publish one last issue, dated November 1st, 1945, with the very last page dedicated to farewell messages that they wrote to the Korean people as a memento, in which they eloquently express their sad and conflicted thoughts and feelings. Unfortunately, I found this last page in poor condition with big ink blots, gashes, and faded text, so it was very difficult to read them. Nonetheless, due to the compelling content of these long forgotten messages, I decided it was worth spending some time deciphering them as much as I could. There were seven different essays on this page with six different authors. Due to their sheer length, I shared two of the essays in the first part of this series, and I am sharing the five remaining essays in this post as I unlock this long forgotten time capsule.

There is a lot to unpack in these five essays, but since an in-depth analysis of this cross-section of the post-war Japanese psyche would probably require a dissertation, I will mostly let the words of the authors speak for themselves with some Wikipedia links added for convenience. But I think it will be fair to say that the thoughts and feelings of these Imperial Japanese news editors are extremely complex and defy any simple characterization. So, I'll just comment on a few notable things about these essays.

One of the essays bids farewell to the Korean writers of the Korean Literary Association, a puppet of the colonial regime. The Korean Literary Association was founded in 1939 to nurture Korean writers to serve the colonial regime. The association encompassed both ethnic Korean writers who wrote in Korean and Japanese and ethnic Japanese writers who were residents of Korea and wrote in Japanese, and the works of both groups were considered to be ‘Korean literature’, regardless of how different their cultures and perspectives may have been. In this way, Korean literature of this era became heavily politicized to serve the political interests of Imperial Japan. The association published a literary periodical that was published in both Japanese and Korean, but by May 1942, the Korean language edition was discontinued in the name of ‘Imperialization’ and ‘Japanese-Korean unification’. In an earlier post, I covered the propaganda writings of three of these Korean writers: Yu Jin-oh (유진오/兪鎮午, 1906~1987), Choi Jae-seo (최재서/崔載瑞, 1908~1964), and Lee Seok-hoon (이석훈/李石薫, 1907~?). 

In the postwar era, the three members’ lives took very different courses. Yu Jin-oh became one the early drafters of the South Korean Constitution, worked as a legal scholar and as a prominent conservative politician in South Korea for many years until his death in 1987. Choi Jae-seo continued his academic activities teaching English literature at South Korean universities until his death in 1964. Lee Seok-hoon was arrested by the North Korean People’s Army at the outbreak of the Korean War in July 1950, and his whereabouts are unknown to this day.

Another thing I noticed was the author of one of the essays: Katō Manji, who was born in 1890 and died in 1980. He describes himself as being the chief of the organization department of Keijo Nippo from 1942 to 1945. Doing a quick online search, I learned that, according to a 2008 Asahi Shimbun article, in at least 1941 and 1942, he was also working at the organization department of Asahi Shimbun newspaper in mainland Japan. His surviving family members provided some personal artefacts to Asahi Shimbun, which apparently included reams of directives from the military censors telling him what he was not allowed to publish. For example, one of the rules was "Don't use the word 'white people' (白人)". This suggests that the chief of the organization department was in charge of making sure that the military censor's directives were being followed by the newspaper staff.

This post is a continuation of my ongoing exploration of the old newspaper archives from 1945 Korea that I checked out and photographed at the National Library of Korea in September 2023.

[Translation]

Ten Years of Living in Seoul: Recalling Some of My Memories

By Terada Ei

When I look back at my ten years of life in Korea, various memories naturally come flooding back. Especially for me, it is inevitable that I will feel deeply moved, since I spent one-third of my newspaper career here.

At Keijo Nippo, I spent the longest time in the Arts and Culture Department. Because of this, I became quite close to many Korean cultural figures, which I consider an unexpected but valuable gain. Although I was known as a bit of a sharp-tongued person, I do not recall making any enemies, which is my most significant impression from my life in Korea. It is regrettable that I cannot bid farewell in person to each of these individuals, but even if I don't address each of them by name, I believe that in their hearts, there lies a friendship that will recall me from time to time.

My memories of the time when the so-called Korean Literary Association was formed are particularly profound. In the words that we used back then, Japanese and Korean literati came together as one to move forward. However, among my comrades of that time, some foresaw the inevitability of air raids in Korea and promptly evacuated to mainland Japan, while others quickly disappeared to Tokyo as soon as the situation worsened. When you consider that those were our leaders at that time, and that they were Japanese people, it goes to show that a person's true worth is revealed in times of crisis. I vividly remember traveling to 24 cities throughout Korea to give lectures as part of the so-called New System Movement during the Literary Association days. After the Literary Association became the Literary Patriotic Society, I became somewhat estranged from the scene due to the situation within the newspaper office at the time and the aftermath of an illness.

It is with reluctance that I speak of personal matters, but I lost my only daughter in Seoul. She had always been frail since birth, but she had never gotten sick even once since coming to Korea. After graduating from girls' school, she had become healthy enough to volunteer to assist with the Imperial Navy's work. However, she fell ill with a mild case of bronchitis, but after four days in bed, she passed away unexpectedly in the early hours of December 29. The doctor who saw her then was both the first and last doctor that she saw since coming to Seoul. She was twenty-three when she passed away.

What I gained from my time in Korea are the cherished memories of the many friends that I made, and the only thing that I lost was my hope in life, which I lost with the passing of my daughter.

My wife and I will soon leave Seoul, carrying two backpacks and an urn of ashes. It is difficult to deny that our hearts are filled with a mix of joy and sorrow, a tumult of various emotions.

Farewell, Korea. Farewell, Seoul, and farewell, my friends. Please accept this as my last goodbye in print. (October 31, 1945)

The Creation of a New Culture

By Nakaho Sei

I recall the day I first met General Arnold of the military government. The scene at the military government office, with its Western-style white chalk building, the Oriental-style building in the backyard with its predominantly red colors reminiscent of Beijing's Forbidden City, the American soldiers in khaki uniforms, and the crowd of Koreans in white traditional attire at the gate, formed a unique and unforgettable image in my eyes. From behind this scene, I could see the faint white smoke of burned documents rising into the sky. It felt like a symbol of the culture of tomorrow's Korea.

Looking back, it occurs to me that, whether it be Confucianism, religion, or Oriental music, many elements that added brilliance to Japanese culture from ancient to medieval times came from the Asian continent. However, it was Korea that played the crucial role of being a "bridge" connecting the Asian continent and Japan. Indeed, it may be said that, rather than being a bridge, Korea cultivated many of the ideas born in China and India before passing them on to Japan.

Buddhism is an excellent example of this. Confucianism, especially Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, was greatly developed in Korea by great philosophers like Yi Hwang. The remarkable flourishing of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism in Japan during the Tokugawa era owed much to Korean Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. If it is permissible to say that Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism was an ideological driving force of the Meiji Restoration, then the distant roots of the Meiji Restoration would have to be sought in Korea.

The world, especially in its entirety, has been ravaged by war and will be preoccupied with reconstruction efforts without much time for reflection. In East Asia, Korea suffered the least damage from bombings. From this perspective, Korea is now in a position to be a major nursery and source for the rebuilding of Greater East Asian culture… Korea is blessed with the opportunity to leave a significant mark on the cultural history of East Asia as a creator of culture.

From a geopolitical standpoint, there are various views about the Korean peninsula. However, looking at the map, Korea lies between China and Russia on the Asian continent, facing Japan and the United States across the sea. Korea should combine and refine the cultures of these neighboring countries to construct a new culture, an endeavor that must achieve significant results. Moreover, by nurturing Korea's inherent culture, such as that of the Baekje and Silla kingdoms, we can look forward to the growth of an even better new culture. (October 31)

Through the Newspaper Pages

By Katō Manji

The desperate struggles of the defeated nations, beginning with the establishment of the Badoglio government in Italy and the subsequent occupation by British and American forces, and then spreading to France and the smaller Balkan countries, were tragic to the extreme. These stories, transmitted via foreign telegram, were reported in Japanese newspapers, though only in a limited fashion. Japanese wartime leaders also used these real-life examples to teach the lesson that we must "win at all costs."

However, since August 15, Japan, as a "defeated nation," a label it has borne for the first time since its founding, has faced an increasingly severe and cold reality day by day.

As the chief of the organization department (editor) of Keijo Nippo, I have been in Korea for about three years, starting around the time when the reports of the Guadalcanal campaign began. Since then, amidst the continuously deteriorating circumstances up to this day, I have devoted my modest efforts to newspaper production and publishing. Looking back on this, there are countless things I want to write and say, but my pen is heavy, and progress is slow.

Now, Korea is moving away from Japanese rule and gathering collective wisdom for the construction of a new nation. It is truly a moment of joyous uprising. I can't help but celebrate for the young Korea. In contrast, we are gasping under the bitter dregs of defeat, returning to a chaotic and tumultuous Japan, sinking into the depths of agony. But let us not forget about "rebuilding Japan" and the task of rising from the depths, overcoming a thousand difficulties.

Due to my job, I never stepped out of the editorial office, let alone had the chance to do any inspections within Korea or make many influential Korean acquaintances. However, I am satisfied and take joy in saying goodbye, having known about 400,000 readers through the newspaper pages for about three years.

Light Sprouts

By Ōta Kōichi

The coldness of the desk, resonating with the warmth of the Indian summer outside the window, strikes my heart, reminding me that this is my last page as a reporter for Keijo Nippo.

Looking back, these days have been tumultuous, like being tossed in fierce waves. Even while attending press conferences at the military government office and witnessing the fresh stirrings of a new Korea being born, I was aware of the thinness of my own shadow. It was a lonely realization, but this was my last remaining duty and my greatest joy. Yet, today marks the end of my qualification to sit in that seat.

This April, I experienced two disastrous firestorms in Tokyo. Seeing sprouts emerging from the desolate burnt earth, I found myself shedding tears. Now, I must return to that scorched land, with a heart full of desolation and wandering thoughts, where the autumn wind now blows.

My current state of mind is like that desolate scorched earth. I am seeking sprouting light. I am certain that new sprouts of light are vigorously emerging in a new Japan. I must seek them out and nurture them to pave the way that we should follow.

Let's go home. Farewell, beautiful city of Seoul. May there be light sprouts in your soil too.

My Words

By Ōnuma Chiyo

If my friend waiting in a thatched hut in Shinano asks me what I learned from Korea, I would spontaneously reply, "I learned the taste of kimchi."

My time in Korea was spent in a short period suffering from catarrh, waiting to return to work and being overwhelmed by daily life. I had no leisure to explore the local historical sites, since I spent that time convalescing while reading the meager literature available.

Therefore, my life in this land felt empty, but one unforgettable thing that remained with me was the taste of kimchi. As I gradually became accustomed to its complex and varied flavors, it paralleled how I slowly assimilated into life in Korea. During that time, I became indifferent to the copious yellow dust and the pungent smell of garlic. The scent of the clay soil conveyed a sense of romance. The intense taste of kimchi served as a pleasant sedative to the intense emotions within me, leaving a lasting imprint on me due to its strength.

Though my time here was just over a year, I encountered an unfathomable rush of history. In my heart, which seeks to step into the world of contemplation, this significant event also provided a lesson that could be considered great in some sense.

In the remainder of my life, my heart will probably cherish the taste of kimchi with nostalgia, and hold an unbearable longing for the life I lived in this land for just over a year.

[Transcription]

京城日報 1945年11月1日

京城生活十年

＝思い出の幾つかを拾う＝

寺田 瑛

朝鮮生活十年を顧みると、さまざまの思い出が湧き出るのも無理はない。殊に、私としては私の新聞人生活の三分の一を費やした地である。感慨なからんとしてなき能わざる所以である。

京城日報では学芸部に一番永くいた。そんな関係で、朝鮮の文化人とも相当近づきになり、これは寧ろ意外な収穫であったといい得る。一面に毒舌家だといわれながらも、私は敵を持ったという思い出を一つも持たない。朝鮮生活に於ける私の最も大きい感銘である。今しみじみと離別の言葉をそれ等個々の人たちに捧げ得ないのは残念であるが、特にその名を挙げないにしても、それ等友人自身の胸の中には、私というものを時に応じて回想してくれる友情があるであろう。

いわゆる朝鮮文人協会というものが結成されて、当時の言葉でいえば内鮮、今の表現なら日鮮の文人が打って一丸となって進むことになった頃の思い出は特に深い。だがあの頃の同志の中に、朝鮮にも空襲必至と見抜いて逸早く内地へ引き揚げて行った人もあるし、今度の事態になるや否や、一目散に東京へ姿を消した人もあり、それが当時のリーダー格の人たちであり、また日本人であったことを思うと、やはりイザという時にこそ、その人の真価はわかるということを教えられる。文人協会時代の思い出の中でもいわゆる新体制運動をひっさげて全鮮二十四都市を分担して講演に出たことが印象に蘇える。文人協会が文人報国会になってからは、私は当時の社内事情と病後とのためについ疎遠になってしまった。

個人のことについて述べるのは憚られるが、私がひとり娘を喪ったのも京城である。生来虚弱の子でありながら、朝鮮へ来てからは一度も病気をしたことがなく、女学校卒業後は、逆に自分から進んで海軍の方の仕事を手伝う程の健康になっていたのに、かりそめの気管支炎に臥床四日、十二月二十九日の未明に呆気なく死んでしまった。しかもその時医者に診てもらったのが、彼女が京城へ来て医者にかかった最初であり、最後でもあったのだ。享年二十三であった。

私が朝鮮へ来て得たものは、数多い友人をめぐる懐かしい思い出であり、私が京城へ来て失ったものは、ただこの娘の死をめぐる人生への希望である。

私たち夫妻は、二つのリュックサックと一つの遺骨箱を携えて、不日京城を去るのであるが、互いの胸には喜悲を織りまぜた、さまざまの感情のみが去来すること否み難い。

さらば、朝鮮よ。京城よ。そして友よ。これが私の活字として残す最後の別れであることを受けられたい。（2605-10-31)

新文化の創造

中保 生

はじめてアーノルド軍政長官に会った日である。軍政庁のあの白亜の洋風建築と其の裏庭の丁度北京の紫金城を想わせるような赤い色彩の多い東洋風建築と、褐色の軍服を着ている米国の軍人と、庁舎の門前に群れている白衣の朝鮮服姿とが渾然一つに綜合されて僕の瞳に曾てない不思議な映像を描くのであった。而もそうした映像の陰からは焼いた書類の灰白い煙が漸く大空へ立ち昇っているのである。僕はふと明日の朝鮮文化の象徴を見たような心地がした。

回顧すれば、儒学にせよ、教学にせよ、或は東洋音楽にせよ、凡そ古代中世にわたる日本文化に絢爛たる光彩を添えたものの多くは大陸から渡ったのである。然し、常に其の大陸と日本とをつなぐ『橋』たる使命を果たしたのが、実に朝鮮であった。いな、『橋』というより、支那や印度に産声を挙げたものをここで培養して日本へ手渡したと解すべきものが少なくない。

仏教なぞはまさしく其の最もよい例であった。儒教にしても特に朱子学の如きは李退渓等の大哲学者によってここに大成されたのである。日本の朱子学が徳川時代あのようにすばらしい興隆を見るに至ったのも朝鮮の朱子学に負うところ頗る大なるものがあった。大義名分を説く朱子学が若しも明治維新の思想的原動力であったということにして許されるならば、おそらく明治維新の遠い淵源を朝鮮に求めなくてはならにであろう。

世界は、此の全域上は、その戦火に禍され、今後も復興工作のため十分思索の余裕をもたないが、東亜に於いて爆弾の被害の最も少なかったのが即ち朝鮮である。そうした点からいえば、朝鮮こそ、今や大東亜文化再建の一大苗床たり一大淵藪となるべき環境にあるといわなくてはならい。[illegible]自ら大成者として、東亜の文化史上に偉なる実跡を印すべき機運に恵まれたのである。

地政学的に半島を観ると、そこには幾多の見解もある。然しながら、地図を按ずれば、大陸に於いて支那とロシアとに接し海を隔てては日本と米国とに相対しつつあり、之等隣国の文化を綜合し、揚棄してここに新文化を建設せんとする企図だけでも相当の成果を収めなくてはならない。況んや、百済文化、新羅文化等は兎角あれ朝鮮本然の文化を増育することによって、更によき新文化の成長を待望することが出来るであろう。（10-31)

紙面を通じて

加藤万治

敗戦国民の惨憺なる奮闘の姿は、イタリアにバトリオ政権ができてから米英軍の進駐に始まり、更にフランス、バルカンの諸小国に拡がり、当時、外電により伝えられた悲惨極まる諸諸相は、日本新聞も細々と掲載したのである。日本の戦導者もこれ等の実相を引例して『断じて勝たねばならぬ』事を訓えた。

然るに、八月十五日以降、日本国には肇国以来始めて喫した『戦敗国』という烙印は、余りにも冷厳であり、日一日とその深刻度は加重して来たのである。

私は、京日の整理部長（編輯）として来鮮約三年、ガダルカナル戦の奏報が発表されだした頃からである。以来今日までの悪化一途の諸情勢下にあって、新聞製作や、出版の事に微力を尽くして来た。その一つについて顧みる時、書きたい事、言いたい事は山ほどもあるが、ペン重くして進まない。

いま朝鮮は日本の統治を離れ、新国家建設のため幾多の衆智が凝集されている。洵に歓喜湧起である。若き朝鮮のため慶祝堪えない。逆に我等は、敗戦の苦汁に喘ぎ、混沌極まる祖国日本へ引き揚げてゆくのだ。自ら苦悶のどん底へ落ち込んでゆくのである。だが忘れない、『再建日本』の事を。百千難を克服して深淵から立ち直る事を。

私は職場の関係で編集局から一歩も出なかった。まして鮮内視察の機もなく、知己を得た鮮人有力者も少なかった。然し四十万読者と紙面を通じて約三年相識の間柄であった事を、満足とし喜びとしてお別れをする。

光芽

太田耕一

これが京城日報の記者として与えられた最後の紙面であるという、窓外の秋は、今日は小春のあたたかさを見せているのに響いている机の冷えが、何かしみとおるほどに胸にこたえてくる。

顧みれば、はげしい波の中にもまれるような月日であった。軍政庁の会議室で新聞発表を受けている時にも、そこに新しい朝鮮が生まれつつあるみずみずしい胎動の中に居ながら、私は置かれている自分の影のうすさに気づいていた。それは、いかにも淋しい事であったが、最後に残っているたったひとつの私の仕事であり、何にもましてそれは私のよろこびであったのに、今日を限りに、私はもうその席に列する資格から離された。

私はこの四月、東京で二度の災火を受けていた。焦土の荒涼の中に萌え出るものの芽を見出して、おさなく私は涙を落していたのだが、再び私は秋風が今は流れているであろうその焦土に、落莫たる流離の思いとともに帰らねばならぬ。

今の私の心境は焦土の荒涼に似ている。私は萌えいずる光芽をもとめている。新しい光芽はきっと新しい日本にはっはっと萌えているにちがいない。それを求めて、またそれを培って、われわれの進むべき道を拓かねばならぬ。

帰去来―。

さようなら、京城の美しい街よ。その街の土にも光芽あれ。

私の言葉

大沼千代

信濃の草庵に待つ友から『朝鮮から何をまなんで来たか』と訊かれたら、私は無雑作に『キムチの味を覚えて来た』と答えるであろう。

短日月の潟留でそして仕事を待ち、生活、追われいた私には地方の古蹟を尋ねる余暇もなく、とぼしい文献の上でわずかにそれを癒やしいたといって好い。

それ故に寥々たる私の此の地での生活ではあったが、ただ一つキムチの味だけには忘れがたないものを残された。複雑多岐なその味に私が少しづつ馴染んで行ったことは、同時にこの朝鮮での生活に、私が次第に溶け込んで行ったのと同じ観を持つのである。そのような頃、私は夥しい黄塵や、大蒜の悪臭にいつか不感性になっていた。そうして埴土の香りは浪漫をつたえた。キムチの持つ強烈な味は、私のうちなる劇しいものに、快い鎮静剤の役割をも果たした。そしてその強烈さの故に私のうちに完全に烙印をのこしたのである。

一年余の歳月ではあったが、あり得ぬ歴史の怱忙にも遭遇した。観照の世界に踏み入ろうとしている私の心では、またこの一大事も或る意味では偉大といって好い程の訓戒を与えたのであった。

そこばくの私の余生において、おそらく私の心は、キムチの味になつかしさを抱き、一年余の此の地の生活に堪えがたい郷愁を持つのであろう。