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。

'Jeon' became 'Takamatsu' and 'Park' became 'Masaki': 1940 profiles of Korean families in Seoul adopting Japanese names to purportedly honor their Korean roots, be accepted by Japanese neighbors, to better interact with the public, to instill a 'spirit befitting Imperial subjects' in their children

This 1940 article profiles two Korean families in Seoul who adopted Japanese names: the Jeon family, which became the Takamatsu family, and the Park family, which became the Masaki family. The father of the Jeon family worked at the Oriental Development Company, which was a national enterprise of Imperial Japan spearheading the colonial exploitation of Korea, and was at one point the largest landlord of Korea. A different Korean employee of the same company was featured in another Model Korean family profile article in 1942. The father of the Park family was a Seoul police officer at the Seodaemun precinct. We can surmise that they adopted Japanese names to curry favor with their employers, who were part of the colonial ruling class which controlled Korea. The fathers are conspicuously absent from the featured family photos for some reason, perhaps as a security precaution since they were hated figures by much of the Korean population.

For this translation, I added Chinese characters throughout the text so that it is possible to appreciate how these families took Chinese characters from their old Korean names and incorporated them into their new Japanese names.

Kimiko Takamatsu (高松喜美子), formerly Shin Sook-hui (신숙희, 申淑嬉), with her children.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) February 11, 1940

'A last name that is associated with the Goryeo Dynasty'

She is thrilled to be an Imperial Woman

Interview with Kimiko Takamatsu, the wife of Mr. Keiichi Takamatsu, an employee at the Oriental Development Company of Korea)

Listening to joyous stories about adopting Japanese names

My family is very happy to be able to adopt the family name of Takamatsu on this auspicious occasion. My husband's old Korean last name, Jeon, is said to have been derived from the family name of the former King of Goryeo. For our new family name, we decided to take the Chinese character "高" from Goryeo (高麗) and the Chinese character "松" from Songdo (松都), the old name for present-day Kaesong and the former capital of the Goryeo Dynasty, to create our new family name, Takamatsu (高松).

I believe that it is essential for the education of our children to adopt a family name in the Japanese style in order to nurture a spirit befitting Imperial subjects. We are also hurrying to complete the family registration procedures, lest we miss this opportunity and become hated by our descendants for a long time to come.

We are more than happy when we think that our children will be overjoyed at adopting Japanese names, and that from today onward, our neighbors will be able to accept us as fellow Japanese people without feeling ashamed of us.

On this joyous day, we firmly vow to become true Imperial subjects while filled with joy at adopting Japanese names. My husband's old name was Jeon Gyu-hye (전규혜, 全圭恵), and his new name is Keiichi Takamatsu (高松恵一).

Our family was renamed as follows: Shin Sook-hui (신숙희, 申淑嬉) became Kimiko Takamatsu (高松喜美子), Jeon Hye-seok (전혜석, 全恵錫) became Keiko Takamatsu (高松恵子), Jeon Soon-seok (전순석, 全純錫) became Junko Takamatsu (高松純子), Jeon Yeong-ok (전영옥, 全英玉) became Tamako Takamatsu (高松玉子), Jeon Dae-seok (전대석, 全大錫) became Daiichi Takamatsu (高松大一), and Jeon Yeong-ja (전영자, 全英子) became Eiko Takamatsu (高松英子).

[Photo (bottom) = Kimiko Takamatsu and her children]

Yoshiko Masaki (正木吉子), formerly Lee Myeong-gil (이명길, 李明吉), and her daughter Junko

Last name 'Park' was changed to 'Masaki'

Memorable Shinto Wedding Ceremony

Interview with Yoshiko Masaki, the wife of Mr. Hideo Masaki, a police officer at Seodaemun Police Station, Seoul

On this auspicious occasion of the 2,600th anniversary of the founding of the Imperial Japanese nation, we are honored to adopt the family name of Masaki. What can I compare our family's joy with, now that we have been able to fully become Imperial subjects, both physically and mentally?

Three years ago, we were married in front of the Chōsen Shrine, and we were completely moved by the solemnity and grandeur of the wedding ceremony. My husband has called me Yoshiko since that day. I am not sure if the people of Korea would be able to understand our gratitude for the Shinto wedding. When the civil ordinance for the adoption of new Japanese family names was issued, my husband and I had to think for a long time about what kind of name we should choose for our new family name.

My husband said that, since he has to deal with the general public due to his profession, it was very important for him to create a family name in the Japanese style. At last, at this opportune moment, we decided to break off from the Park family and adopt the family name of 'Masaki'. The family name 'Masaki' (正木) is an interpretation of the Chinese character '朴' for Park, and it has no deep meaning. Apparently there is an old Korean custom for couples to remain faithful to their own respective family names even after marriage, but it seems like a rather strange custom to me.

From today onward, as a wife with the family name of Masaki, I would like to live a stronger and purer life as a woman on the home front in these extraordinary times. My husband's name is Hideo Masaki (正木英雄), formerly Park Yeong-do (박영도, 朴英道). My name is Yoshiko Masaki (正木吉子), formerly Lee Myeong-gil (이명길, 李明吉), and our daughter is named Junko.

[Photo (above): Yoshiko Masaki and Junko]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1940-02-11

(Transcription)

京城日報　1940年2月11日

『高麗に因む姓』

皇国女性としての感激

東拓朝鮮支社、高松恵一氏夫人、高松喜美子さん談

創氏の喜びを聴く

お目出度い今日の佳節から高松という姓を名乗らせていただきまして、一家はただ感激あるのみでございます。主人の旧姓全というのは元高麗王の姓であった王というのから分れたと申しています。この度の創姓も私たちは、このゆかりの高麗から高をとり、そして高麗の都であった松都（今の開城）の松を選び、新姓を高松にすることに決めました。

姓を内地風にするということは子供達の教育上、皇国臣民としての精神を養う上にどうしても必要であると思います。また今のこの好機を逸して末々までも子孫にうらまれるようなことがあってはと、早速戸籍上の手続きも急いでいます。

創氏によって何よりも子供達が喜んでくれ、おとなり近所にも今日からは肩身の狭い思いをせず、同じ日本人としてつきあっていただけることを思えば、私達はこの上もなく幸福でございます。

今日の佳き日に創氏の喜びと共にまことの皇国臣民にならなくてはと、私たちは固くお誓い致すのでございます。主人の旧姓名は全圭恵、新名は高松恵一。一家は次の如く改めました。

申淑嬉（高松喜美子）、全恵錫(高松恵子）、全純錫（高松純子）、全英玉（高松玉子）、全大錫（高松大一）、全英子（高松英子）。

【写真（下）＝高松喜美子さんと子供さん達】

朴を『正木』に

思い出の神前結婚

京城西大門署、正木英雄夫人、正木吉子さん談

皇紀二千六百年紀元の佳節にあう光栄とともにきょうの佳き日から一家挙って正木という姓を名乗り、心身共に皇国臣民となりきることの出来ました私達一家にとっての喜びは何に譬えましょうか。

三年前に私たちは朝鮮神宮の大前で神前結婚を致しましたが、そのときの厳粛さ、荘厳さに私達はすっかり打たれたのでございました。主人はその日から私を吉子と呼んでいます。神前結婚の有難さは或るは朝鮮の方達にこの気持ちに察してもらえないかもわかりません。今度の創氏民事令が発布されました時、主人も私もどんな姓名を選んで創氏したらよいか長い間考えさせられました。

主人は職業柄一般民衆に接して行かなければならぬので、内地風の創氏は是非必要だと申していました。いよいよこの好機に私達は分家して『正木』という姓に名乗りました。正木というのは朴という字の解釈であって、別に深い意味はございません。結婚をしましても、お互いの姓を守り通すという朝鮮の古い習慣にもいわれがあるのでございましょうが、私には何か水臭いような気持ちが致します。

今日からは正木姓の妻として非常時下の銃後の婦人として、より強く清く生きてゆきたいと存じます。主人の姓名は正木英雄（旧姓朴英道）、私は正木吉子（旧姓李明吉）、娘は純子です。

【写真（上）＝正木吉子さんと純子さん】

Seoul police busted some British and American residents in early 1942 for trying to buy the book 'Korea of the Japanese' by H.B. Drake, and a deported American was discovered to have sold 'Banzai!' by Parabellum to a Jongno bookstore, allegedly uncovering an 'American conspiracy' to poison Korea

This is an article from December 1942, and it particularly stands out for its especially anti-American and anti-British messaging. It is part of a series of articles written to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Pacific War against the United States, which began with the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th local time (December 8th Japan time) in 1941. Setting aside the hateful content, this article actually provides some interesting look into two English books which the colonial authorities considered so threatening, they explicitly warned the entire country about them through this article. Fortunately for us, these two books are available to download for free online, so I've provided the links to the relevant pages at Gutenberg Library and Internet Archive below.

Banzai by Parabellum and Korea of the Japanese by H.B. Drake

The first story is about an American who was deported from Korea in the wake of the outbreak of the Pacific War, but before leaving, they sold off a bunch of books to a bookseller in Jongno, Seoul, including 'Banzai!' by Parabellum.

The second story is about multiple British and American people who were caught by police committing the 'crime' of trying to buy 'Korea of the Japanese' by H. B. Drake at a bookstore in Jongno, Seoul.

I highly recommend reading 'Korea of the Japanese', which provides an interesting glimpse into 1930 Korea from the perspective of a British writer. Be warned, however, that the author comes across as a condescending, entitled English prick ("I became an ardent champion of imperialism, of strong and ruthless Government, of the white man's burden." - book p. 142, PDF p. 193). I struggled to understand why the colonial authorities hated this book, since the author makes many statements which are actually supportive of Imperial Japan's rule over Korea ("Left to themselves the Koreans would rot … No nation, however insignificant, however mean its contribution to mankind, can be allowed to fall into neglect and decay. And this is the essential justification of the Japanese rule in Korea." - book p. 148, PDF p. 199). I'm speculating that, perhaps, it's because the Japanese Emperor was not mentioned reverentially enough when describing the Emperor's portrait (book p. 25, PDF p. 52), perhaps because it has some mild criticisms of colonial Korea's educational system (book p. 136, PDF p. 187) or perhaps because it criticized Eastern thought as backward ("Principles which are commonplaces in the West, but not in the East ... that without order there can be no liberty; that liberty is not the birth of a moment, but of the labour of generations. Commonplaces, I repeat; yet to the Korean mind paradoxes and contradictions."  - book p. 145, PDF p. 196).

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) December 4, 1942

They extended the evil clutches of their conspiracy until the day they left the Korean peninsula

Japanophobic books were found in the city

Shut out the United States and Britain!

One year since [the start of the Pacific War on December 8th]

Culture Edition

The entirety of the so-called culture that the American and British residents of the Korean peninsula were consciously inflicting on Korea was a conspiracy and a trick. Even the everyday language that they used contained a liquid juice that poisoned their victims, as if they were sprinkling a numbing magical fluid from a 35 millimeter film reel. Without American films, there would have been no film industry on the Korean peninsula. British-American culture is a monster of mental aggression, as demonstrated by the fact that those who failed to thoroughly read American and British writings were excluded from the ranks of the intellectuals. War was declared on December 8th when the U.S. and Britain were 'BANG!', hit on the head with a fiery iron hammer, and from that moment on, a truly heroic, constructive song began to be played on the Korean peninsula.

But speaking of an earlier time, on the day the Americans and the British made their departure, they were not leaving their hands idle. All the way up until the day they left, they did not forget to keep planting the roots of their conspiracy into the young Koreans who had soaked in their culture for decades until it had seeped into the marrow of their bones. Here is an example…

On the [redacted] day of the [redacted] month, Mr. Masaki, head teacher of the National School attached to Seoul First Normal School, found a dangerous, explosive book among the many books sold off by the deported Americans at a bookstore in Jongno. It was an English book on which the word "Banzai" was literally printed in Japanese, but its content was a series of provocatively written fanciful stories about a war between Japan and the United States. The author's name was written on the front cover as "Parabellum", and below it was an explanatory note: "This book was written mainly based on German publications from 1909," which was a little eyebrow-raising.

Immediately after the Russo-Japanese War, an American military journalist, frightened by the real strength of the emerging Japanese power and motivated to overthrow Japan as soon as possible, plotted to provoke a war between Japan and the U.S. and isolate Japan by telling the whole world, including all the Asian peoples excluding the Japanese, that "Japan must be feared", which was a Yellow Peril idea. This shows the traces of a conspiracy. It also contains a careful plot to separate Japan from Germany. The book was published by Stanley Paul & Co. of London, England in an attempt to undermine the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of the time. Furthermore, the preface of the book states, "This preface is not intended to provoke the peoples of the two countries. It is nothing more than a preparation for the hope of peace." But from the first page of the main text, the author refers to Japan as a "cursed yellow monkey," a vile insult that could not have been expressed by an Englishman of the time, so the author reveals himself to be an American.

It is an undeniable fact that the entire text of the book was written by an American who regarded Japan as a virtual enemy. It is also clear that the author's name, "Parabellum," is a pseudonym for "parable". Furthermore, what cannot be overlooked is the fact that the publisher of the book was Stanley Paul, a well-known publisher of Christian Bibles, and the book was probably distributed around the world by missionaries along with the Bible, which is a shocking fact. The book starts with the Japanese military occupation of the Philippines, then the Japanese people living in the U.S. all take up arms to start an uprising. The description of what happens until the invasion of the West Coast is written in all-out vulgar and abusive language against Japan. The shape of the font on the last line is changed to incite, "The yellow danger grows ever greater." Interestingly, the author also warns that "Japan will surely take us off guard by attacking us during the holidays," so what does the author think of our Navy's successful surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in the early stages of the Greater East Asia War?

But how many billions of people around the world have misjudged Japan as a result of this book? What will be the result of this terrible poisonous book sold by the American to the bookshop in Jongno as he was leaving the Korean peninsula? They did these things with this goal in mind from the very beginning. Fortunately, the book was purchased by Head Teacher Masaki and was kept deep inside his library since that day, which was a fortunate thing for the Korean peninsula.

This was not the only conspiracy plotted by the deported Americans and British. There is a second story relating to a detestable cultural conspiracy. On the [redacted] day of the [redacted] month, a few days before deportation, the enemy Americans and the British abused the free lifestyle that was allowed even for them by Japan's generous arrangement, and they almost purchased a certain book in Jongno. Their goal was not achieved due to the fact that the scene of the crime was discovered through an astute inspection by the police. That book that they wanted was the Chrysanthemum Edition of "Korea of the Japanese," a 225-page book published by William Clowes and Sons in London in 1930 and written by an Englishman named H. B. Drake. At the time, while the author was on his way to China and Manchuria for a tour, he visited his fellow countryman who lived in Korea. During his stay, he visited all of Korea, observing the situation in various parts of the country. It seems that he wrote the book immediately after he returned home, and he describes the footsteps of his meticulous research into modern Korean culture, customs, topography, mountains, humanity, geography, and so forth.

In addition, the 24 photographs, including the cover photograph, were painstakingly taken to provide evidence of the author's travels around the country, and the author's spying activities were clearly evident even in the clear explanations on the back of this published book.

We do not know when this book infiltrated Seoul, but we cannot help but be horrified by the past infatuation with the U.S. and Britain that was quite prevalent among the people living on the Korean peninsula, when we imagine what was going on inside the minds of some of our enemies who wanted to purchase this book. It was not long before the Americans and British, who had poisoned the Korean peninsula with their voiceless conspiracies, subsequently disappeared from this corner of East Asia, and Righteous Japan passed judgment on a culture that only those conspirators could feel proud of. [Photo: English-language books "Korea of the Japanese," which the enemy Americans and British people tried to carry away in a last ditch effort, and "Banzai," which they left behind to promote their "invincible" conspiracy.]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-12-04

 

(Transcription)

京城日報　1942年12月4日

半島を去る日迄伸ばす謀略の魔手

街頭に”恐日病”の書籍

米英締め出し

あれから一年

文化篇

半島在住の米英人が、意識的に朝鮮になした彼等の文化と称するもの全部が陰謀であり、術策であった。用いる日常の言葉さえ相手を毒する液汁が含まれていたのだ。僅か三十五ミリの一齣から痺れるような魔液を振り注いで、アメリカ映画なくば半島の映画興行界は成り立たなかった。米英の著述を耽読せねばインテリの仲間外れになる、等々米英文化は精神侵略の魔手であったのだ。その米英の脳天に”ガンー”と鉄火の槌を喰わせたのが十二月八日の宣戦その一撃の瞬間から半島の天地に真に雄々しい建設譜が奏でられ出したのだ。

話は少し前にもどるが、『米英人去る』の日、彼等は手を束ねてはいなかった。自分達が幾十年、自分達の文化を骨の髄まで滲み通らせて来た半島青年に、去るが去る日まで謀略の根を植えて行くことを忘れなかった。その事例の一つ．．．

〇月〇日、京城師範学校第一附属国民学校正木教頭が鐘路街の一書房で退去米人が売り払って行った多くの書籍の中から危険な爆弾書を発見した。それは『バンザイ』と日本語をそのまま用いた英書であったが、内容は空想による日米戦記が刺戟を含んで書き連ねてあった。この著述者はただ表紙にパラベリュームと筆名を載せ、その下には『一九〇九年ドイツの公表によるものを中心として著述した』と断り書まで添えてあるが、これがちょっと眉つば物。

日露戦争の直後、米人軍事記者あたりが、新興日本の実力に怯えて早くも日本打倒の底意をまずこの日米戦線で刺戟、併せて『日本恐るべし』と黄色人種の禍を説いて世界殊に日本を除く全アジア民族に誣いて日本を孤立させようと企んだ。謀略の跡を示している。そこにはまた日独離間の周到な企図、また発行所を英国ロンドンのスタンレイ・パウロ商会とし、当時の日英同盟に水を注ごうとした魂胆。しかも序文には『この叙述は両国民を刺戟する意図をもってしたものではない。ただ平和を希うための準備にほかならない』と断りながら本文の第一頁から日本を指して『呪うべき黄色い猿め』と当時の英国人型では表現し得なかった下劣な侮言を用い、自ら筆者が米人であることを暴露している。

全文全く日本を仮想敵国とした米人の著書であることは紛れもない事実だ。また著者名のパラベリュームがパラブル（比喩）を訛った仮の筆名であることも判然としている。さらに見逃せないことは、その発行者がキリスト聖書発行所として著名なパウロ商会で、聖書と共に宣教師らの手で世界に頒布されたであろうことを思い、慄然たるを得ない。かくてこの内容は日本軍の比島占領から始まって米国内居住の日本人が一斉に武器を得て蜂起し、西海岸を冒すまでの経過を徹頭徹尾日本への俗悪罵言をもって書かれ、最後の一行には特に活字の形を変えて『黄色い危険が益々大きくなって行く』と煽動している。また興味あることには『日本は必ず休日に油断を突いてやってくる』と警告してあるが、大東亜戦の緒戦にわが海軍の真珠湾大奇襲の成功を筆者はどうみているであろうか。

だがこの書によって今日まで世界の幾十億が日本を誤って見たことか。半島を退去するに及んで一米人が鐘路の書房に売り払った恐るべき毒書の結果がどうなるか。彼らは最初から意識してなされたものである。幸い正木教頭の手によって買い上げられ、その日から氏の書庫深くに蔵されたことは半島のために欣ばしい。

さらに退去米英人の謀略はこれだけではなかった。憎むべき文化謀略はさらに第二話を生んだ。〇〇月〇日、これも退去の数日前、敵米英人とはいえ日本の寛大な取計いによる生活上の自由を濫用して彼らは鐘路街で一冊の書籍を購入しかかった。それが鋭敏な査察による官憲の現場発見によってあえなく目的は達せられなかったが、彼らの望んだ書物とは一九三〇年ロンドンにおけるウィリアム・クロー・エンド・ソン書房発行になる『日本の朝鮮』二百二十五頁物の菊版で著者はエチ・ビー・ドレークという英人。当時満支を視察の途次朝鮮に住む同国人を尋ねて滞在中、全鮮をめぐって各地の事情を視聴。帰国後直ちに筆を執ったものらしく、かなり近代朝鮮の文化、風俗、地形、山岳、人情、地理などを克明に調査した足跡を記述の中に語っていた。

さらに口絵その他二十四枚の写真は実に丹念に著者が鮮内を行脚した証拠を止め、明かにスパイ的行動に出たことは、この発行された書籍の裏に秘された明確な綴りの一つ一つにも窺われていた。

この書がいつから京城に潜入したかは判然とせぬが、とまれこの書を買い上げようとした一敵性人の考えが奈辺にあったかを想像するとき、半島に住む者の間に相当混混していた過去の米英心酔に対し慄然たるを得ないのである。声なき謀略に半島を毒した彼等米英人が今こそ東洋の一角から姿を潜め、その用いた彼等のみの誇る文化に道義日本の審判が下されたのはそれより間もなくであった。【写真＝敵米英人が最後の足掻きを見せて持ち去ろうとした『日本の朝鮮』および”不敵”謀略宣伝のため置き去らんとした『バンザイ』の両英文著書】

Despite Pastor Underwood's heroic refusal to worship the Emperor, Korean churches were eventually forced to worship at Shinto Shrines and announce "we shall forsake the evil thoughts from our past dependence on the West, and strive for purification… towards a Japanese-style Christianity"

These articles are from December 1942, and they particularly stand out for their especially anti-Christian and anti-American messaging. They are part of a series of articles written to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Pacific War against the United States, which began with the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th local time (December 8th Japan time) in 1941. Setting aside the hateful content, these articles actually provide some interesting, detailed insight into the religious landscape of Korea, which apparently had a vibrant, diverse Christian scene centered on Pyongyang and northern Korea. But here, we look at it from the perspective of the colonizer. We painfully see how Western missionaries initially resisted attempts by colonial authorities to force Korean churches to worship the Emperor at Shinto Shrines and support Imperial Japan's war effort, but those Westerners were ultimately imprisoned or deported, and the Korean churches were eventually forced into submission to the colonial regime. Like the rest of the Korean population, Korean Christians were also compelled to perform the Kyūjō Yōhai ritual (宮城遥拝) of bowing to the Emperor every morning, worship at Shinto shrines, donate church bells to the Imperial Japanese military, 'comfort' Imperial Japanese soldiers by visiting them on the front lines, and make humiliating public pro-Imperialist statements. Those who resisted met the fate of brave Christians like Chu Ki-chol, who was tortured and killed by colonial authorities in 1944.

These articles are also unusual in how many religious organizations and notable Western missionaries that they mention, so I've added various links accordingly to relevant online resources.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) December 1, 1942

The supranational Christian religion: 670,000 Christians in all of Korea

The Christians once refused to worship at the Shinto shrines

Shut out the United States and Britain!

One year since [the start of the Pacific War on December 8th]

Religion Edition (Part 1)

Schools of love, gentle but holy churches, warm medical hands. In the case of the United States and Britain, all of these were tools of their conspiracy. They used all kinds of secret techniques to extract souls from the Korean peninsula. They tried to make people's lives captive to infatuation with the United States and Britain by attracting them to the movies, and they tried to transform their thoughts into anti-East Asian ones by publishing books. In short, everything they did was a wilesome technique with fangs of cunning hidden deep inside, and they invaded like beasts by playing their magic tricks. How have their relentless efforts over the past several decades infiltrated the Korean peninsula? It is terrifying to imagine.

The Korean peninsula was about to be drained of its soul. The blow that saved it was the declaration of war on that glorious morning of December 8th. Now Japan has risen up. We are waging a thorough extermination campaign against the United States and Britain, who are insatiable in their scheming, and not letting any of their remnants remain in any corner of the land and skies over the Greater East Asia region. In retrospect, I wonder how much of the British-American coloration, condition, or the stains on the soul that had seeped into the Korean peninsula have been wiped away in that one year. I am happy to look back on it now.

Everyone must be horrified when they remember the bewitching missionary power of the Hito-no-michi Movement. There is an old saying, "The drowning man will catch at a straw." When people cannot move beyond thinking "I want to be healed! I want money! I want my business to prosper!" and are then offered even a modicum of reasonable faith, it is probably human nature for them to immediately jump at the chance. Since this human nature is pursued with a message of "bringing humanity, peace, and wealth," we must first look at the rate of proselytization in isolation. Once their eyes are blinded, they are unable to see even the evil clutches of ideological intrigue that are lurking behind all this. Whether this is the case or not, the rate of Christian missionary activity on our Korean peninsula is truly frighteningly high.

Although the words "religion" and "Christianity" are simply used, if we take a glance at the various denominations, it is surprisingly revealed that there are 39 different types of Christianity, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Anglican Church, the Presbyterian Church of Korea, the Korean Methodist Church, the Union of Korean Methodist Churches, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Oriental Missionary Society, the Universalist Church, etc. (as of the end of 1930). It is said that there are about 330,000 Christians in mainland Japan and about 670,000 Christians in Korea. Of these, the three main Christian denominations with the largest numbers of followers are the Presbyterian Church of Korea, the Korean Methodist Church, and the Roman Catholic Church.

The Presbyterian Church is divided into four groups: the Northern Presbyterian Church of the United States, the Southern Presbyterian Church of the United States, the Presbyterian Church of Canada, and the Presbyterian Church of Australia, which account for about 63% of all Christians in Korea. The next largest group is the Roman Catholic Church with 127,751 members, followed by the Korean Methodist Church with 45,844 members, in this order.

In November 1935, the American missionary McCune, principal of Pyongyang Soongsil Junior High School, refused to worship at the Pyongyang Shinto Shrine, saying, "I cannot participate in events that go against our religious doctrines." The "Shinto shrine non-attendance issue" suddenly grabbed the world's attention. It was a school run by the Northern Presbyterian Church of the United States. From then until February 1938, there were 18 Christian schools that adopted the resolution of not worshiping at the Shinto shrines. Not only did they refuse to worship at the Shinto shrines, but they also refused to fly the national flag or perform the 7 am Kyūjō Yōhai ritual (宮城遥拝) of bowing to the Emperor, and they barred any non-believers from entering church grounds. It was essentially no different from having a piece of America right inside Korea.

When the late Governor-General Saitō made an inspection tour of Jeongju in Northern Pyongan Province, he found that all the stores were closed, so it was no wonder that he was suspicious. It is said that it was a day of rest for Christians that day. Even the farmers had abandoned their fields and were quietly praying to God on Sunday, their day of rest. Christianity is truly a supranational entity, essentially the embodiment of the United States and Britain. Why was American and British Christianity so attractive?

The missionary activities of the Presbyterian Church began 60 years ago. The first principal of present-day Yonhee College (연희전문학교/延禧專門學校) was an American, Mr. Underwood. In 1916 at the Pyongyang Theological Seminary, he lectured on Eschatology, which is said to form the basis of the church's doctrine, and he said, "The Earth will soon be in the grip of a great upheaval, injustice will be defeated, and a peaceful world for Christians will emerge. Only then will you be able to fully accept wealth and love."

At the time of the First World War and the Manchurian Incident, American and British priests were already preaching with a gloating smile. Presbyterian Christianity gradually developed, first in the Hwanghae Province and then in Northern Pyongan Province. There, the weakness of human nature took on an attractive form. Since the Yi Dynasty, the people of the Hwanghae and Northern Pyongan Provinces had not been able to easily enter government service, and their paths to success and prosperity had been blocked by fate. It is not surprising that feelings of rebellion and suspicion were deeply rooted in the hearts of the people of the region.

Because they were promised love, wealth, and peace, all of which could be obtained by praying to Jesus Christ, they became Christians. The methods and means of Christian missionary work have been carried out by skillfully exploiting the same weakness of the human heart. Looking at this in retrospect, it can be said that the ideological schemes of the United States and Britain have steadily succeeded by first borrowing the appearance of a holy religion. This is why 99% of the religious believers of the Korean peninsula are people who make the sign of the cross.

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-12-01

 

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) December 2, 1942

Daring to cut off relations with the United States and Britain

The all-out march to complete the conquest

The movement to donate the 'bells of peace'

Shut out the United States and Britain!

One year since [the start of the Pacific War on December 8th]

Religion Edition (Part 2)

It was July 7, 1937. The Imperial cry for justice that broke the skies over northern China simultaneously triggered a great awakening on the Japanese home front. The momentum to live up to the true mission of the ancestral land was rising in all quarters. Even on the Korean peninsula, which is just a stone's throw away from Genkai, Kyūshū, the waves of history surged forward without restraint. On October 1938, the 27th session of the Presbyterian Church of Korea was held in Pyongyang, and they suddenly passed a resolution to worship at Shinto shrines. Later that year, a Christian delegation for comforting the Imperial Army, led by believer Fumio Matsubuchi, was dispatched to the front lines in Beijing, Tianjin, and Taiyuan. The following year in 1939, the 28th General Conference actively demonstrated its cooperation toward promoting hard work and diligence, and at the same time, passed epoch-making resolutions such as cutting off relations with Western missions and placing seminaries under the management of the General Conference. Next, in September 1940, the 29th General Conference made an explosive declaration towards the establishment of a Japanese-style Christianity. They made a resolution which included amendments to the Presbyterian Church Constitution and the confiscation of all foreign-owned institutions.

On November 10 of the same year, the Presbyterian Church issued an outline of reforms based on the following guiding principles: "Based on the true principles of National Identity, we shall adapt ourselves to national policies, forsake the evil thoughts from our past dependence on the West, and strive for purification and reformation towards a Japanese-style Christianity. We shall devote ourselves to selfless devotion in our respective fields of work and strive to build a New East Asian Order through concerted effort and faith." Indeed, the hand of fire which will destroy Western liberalism has arisen from within the Christian community.

On December 6 of the same year, the Union of Korean Presbyterian Churches was formed. The then Superintendent General Ohno and other government and private officials attended the meeting. Eight hundred faith representatives nodded their heads deeply in the sacred space of the Chōsen Shrine and pledged their devotion as Imperial people. Taking advantage of the momentum, a convention was held for three days starting on the same day to commemorate the 2,600th anniversary of the birth of Japan's first emperor. The Spirit of the Imperial Way was uplifted, and the National Structure Clarification Movement was deployed. On April 29, 1941, on the occasion of the Emperor's birthday, 200 female evangelist representatives and 1,500 ordinary female believers held an Imperial birthday dedication ceremony in the presence of then Governor-General Minami. Following the ceremony, internal reforms were made by the Christians, one after another, including lectures on current affairs that were held over a three-day period. In August, when diplomatic relations between the United States and Japan were in danger of coming to a head, the Second Declaration of Reform was issued as follows.

"The provocative attitude of the United States, Britain, and other hostile nations toward Imperial Japan is becoming more and more blatant, and they are becoming more and more frantic to obstruct the establishment of the East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere, which is the unshakable national policy of Imperial Japan. My dear friends of the Faith, we pledge to you that we will always be mindful of this grave situation, and that we will make an all-out national effort, both materially and spiritually, to serve the cause of the Sacred Will of God through our selfless devotion to the nation."

Along with this clear declaration, the Union listed as practical matters the upliftment of spiritual life, reforms in daily life, the practice of service in accordance with the times, and reforms in church governance. Then they declared a definitive break with the Christian culture which they had blindly believed to be the best. On December 8, the Imperial Edict of War against the United States and Britain was issued. The more than 600,000 Christians on the Korean peninsula also rose up with the pride of the Imperial people in their hearts and minds. The Pyongyang Jang Dae Hyun Church (장대현교회/章臺峴敎會) started a church bell donation campaign on the occasion of Christmas in the same year. They donated the church bells, whose knell was said to symbolize peace and freedom, as weapons to be used against the United States and Britain.

The Presbyterian movement spread to all of Korea, and by the end of April 1942, the number of bells donated by 18 denominations totaled 2,200 bells weighing a total of 34,668 kan (130,005 kg). However, these acts of sincerity are still continuing. In addition, at the end of last year, they donated one military aircraft each to the Imperial Army and Navy, in March of this year they donated 70 pieces of heavy machinery, and in November they donated three cars for use by patients.

In addition, lectures on the current situation and Japanese language courses have been held in various locations. At the 31st General Conference held in Pyongyang from October 15 of this year, all the services, proceedings, and sermons were conducted in the Japanese language. This fact tells us more than anything about the subsequent trends of these Christians. I am sure that hymns will be sung in Japanese in the near future.

I may have spoken too much about the Presbyterian movement, but the Roman Catholic Church and the Methodist Church are following in similar footsteps. Even after the outbreak of the Greater East Asia War, the priests of the Roman Catholic Church did not accept the order to return to their home countries, and they are still on the Korean peninsula. The Diocese of Daegu welcomed Dr. Hayasaka, a doctor of theology, as its bishop in October of this year. Gwangju in Jeollanam-do will soon welcome a mainland Japanese bishop as well. This momentum will gradually take place in the various other denominations as well. Their weekly publication, the "Christian Newspaper," is published by the Korean Book Publishing Company, and the printing and publication of hymns, Bibles, and other materials is gradually following this momentum. [Photo: The dedication ceremony by a meeting of elders of the Presbyterian Church]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-12-02

 

(Transcription)

京城日報　1942年12月1日

全鮮に六十七万、超国家的の基督教

嘗ては神社参拝拒否

米英締め出し

あれから一年

宗教篇（上）【１】

愛の学校、優しくも聖なる教会、温かい医療の手。それらの悉くが米英の場合、謀略の手段だったのだ。彼等は半島からその魂を抜くために凡ゆる秘術を尽くした。映画に引きつけてはその生活を米英心酔の虜とし、出版物をもっては思想を反東亜的に変質しようとした。挙げ来れば、一切が狡智の牙を奥底に秘めた当意即妙な技術であり、その阿漕的魔術を弄しては妖獣のような侵略をとって来たのだ。過去幾十年、彼等がなし来った執拗な所為は如何にこの半島に浸潤したか。思えば慄然たるものがある。

魂を抜き去られようとした半島。それを救った一撃こそは十二月八日あの輝かしき朝の宣戦なのだ。今や日本は起ち上っている。謀略飽くなき米英に対し大東亜の天地、どの片隅にも残存許さじと徹底的放逐を喰わせている。翻ってあれ程半島に滲みこんでいた米英的色素、容態、いや魂のしみ、それらが如何に”その一年”に拭い去られて行ったか。今嬉しくも回顧してみよう。

『ひとのみち教』の妖しげな布教力を思い出せば誰しもが慄然となるに違いない。溺れる者は藁をも掴む、という譬えもあるほどだ。病気が癒りたい、金が欲しい、商売繁昌するように、などの考えから一歩も出できらない人間だもの其處に多少でも筋道のたった信仰を与えたならば、一も二もなく飛びついて来るのは蓋し人情だろう。その”人情”に『人類と平和と富とを齎すもの』と吹き込んでかかれば、先ず布教率は単点とみなければならぬ。よしんばその裏に思想謀略の魔手が潜んでいるようとも一度眩んだ眼には映りっこない。それかあらぬか、わが半島におけるキリスト教の布教率は正に恐ろしいばかりの高率を示しているのだ。

簡単に宗教だ、キリスト教だと一口にいうが、その教派を一瞥するならば、キリスト教の部として天主公会堂、露国聖教会、英国聖公会、朝鮮耶蘇教長老会、朝鮮監理教団、同聯合会、第七日安息日耶蘇再臨教、東洋宣教会、ユニバーサリスト教など三十九種類（昭和十五年末調）からあるというから驚くではないか。キリスト教徒は内地で約三十三万、朝鮮では約六十七万人といわれている。そのうちでも最も多数の信徒を持っているのは何といっても朝鮮耶蘇教長老会、朝鮮監理教団、天主教の三派である。

長老会は米国北長老派、同南長老派、加奈陀長老派、濠洲長老派の四派に分かれ、全キリスト教徒の約六十三パーセントを占めている。次いで天主教の十二万七千七百五十一人、監理教団の四万五千八百四十四人といった順序である。

昭和十年十一月、平壌崇実中学校長米人宣教師マッキュームは”教義に悖る行事には参加出来ない”といって平壌神社参拝を拒否したことから、”神社不参拝問題”は俄然世の視聴をひいた。米国北長老派の経営学校であった。これより十三年二月迄の間に神社不参拝の態度を決議したキリスト教系学校は十八校に及んだ。神社不参拝は愚か国旗を絶対に掲揚せず宮城遥拝を行わず、教会内には異教徒を一歩も入れないなどまるっきりアメリカが朝鮮内に在るのと変らなかった。

故斎藤総督が平北定州を巡視したところ、軒並に閉店休業していた。不審に思ったのも道理。その日はクリスチャンの休息日であったという珍事が伝えられている。日曜日を安息日とするのはまだしも百姓さんさえ田畑を見放して静かに神を祈っている始末であった。キリスト教は正に超国家的存在であり、米英そのものであったわけだ。米英系のキリスト教は何故かくも魅力があったのか。

長老派教会の伝道は今から六十年前に始められた。現延禧専門学校の初代校長米人アンダーウッドその人によるものである。大正五年、同教会の教義の根本をなすといわれる『末世学』が平壌神学校で講義された。『地球上にやがて大動乱が訪れる。そして不正は敗れ、キリスト教徒の平和境が現出する。その時こそ汝等は富と愛とを充分受け入れられるであろう』というのである。

第一次欧州大戦、満州事変当時、既に米英人神父はほくそ笑みながら説教していたのである。長老派系のキリスト教はまず黄海道、平南北道を根拠地として次第に発展していった。そこには人情の弱さが恰好な形であったのだ。李朝時代から黄海、平南北の人々は容易に官途につけず従って立身栄達の道が運命的塞がれていた。反発、猜疑の情が同地方の人心深く根ざしていたのは当然である。

愛と富と平和と、キリストを祈ればその凡てが得られるというのだから、我も人もキリスト教徒になっていったのだ。キリスト教布教の方法手段は同様の人心の弱さを巧みに利用して行われて来たのである。之を裏からみれば米英の思想謀略はまず聖なる宗教の姿を借りて着々成功して来たものといえよう。かくて宗教を信ずる半島の九割九分は胸に十字を切る人々となったのである。

 

京城日報　1942年12月2日

敢然、米英と絶縁

征戦完遂の総進軍

”平和の鐘”も献納運動

米英締め出し

あれから一年

宗教篇（下）【２】

昭和十二年七月七日。北支の空を破った帝国の正義の叫びは同時に日本銃後へ一大覚醒を促した。祖国の真使命に生さんとする機運は各方面に勃然と起った。玄海を一つ隔てた半島にも歴史の巨濤は遠慮なく押し寄せたのである。昭和十三年十月、平壌に開かれた朝鮮耶蘇教長老会第二十七回議会は俄然、神社参拝を決議した。そして同年暮れ、信徒松淵文雄氏を団長とするキリスト教徒の皇軍慰問団は北京、天津、太原の各第一線に総出されたのである。翌十四年第二十八回総会では精勤への協力を積極的に示し、同時に欧米宣教団との絶縁、神学校を総会の経営下に置くなどの画期的決議を行った。次いで十五年九月第二十九回総会は日本的キリスト教の確立へ向かって爆弾的宣言がなされた。即ち長老会憲法の改正、外国人経営各機関の接収などを決議し、同年十一月十日、

『国体の本義に基き国策に順応し、過去の欧米依存の邪念を禁絶して日本的キリスト教への純化更生に努むると共に教徒は各各その職域に於いて滅私奉公の誠を捧げ、協信戮力東亜新秩序の建設に邁進せんことを期す』との指導原理以下の項目に亘る革新要綱を発表。茲に欧米自由主義撃滅の火の手は実にキリスト教徒の内部から上がったのである。

同年十二月六日、朝鮮耶蘇教長老会聯盟を結成。時の大野総監以下官民が列席。信徒代表八百が朝鮮神宮の神域に深く頷いて皇民としての奉公を誓ったのである。その余勢を駆って同日から三日間紀元二千六百年記念信徒大会を開催。皇道精神の昂揚、国体明徴運動を展開。十六年四月二十九日天長の佳節に際しては婦人伝道師代表二百名と一般婦人信徒一千五百名が時の南総督臨席の下に天長節奉賀式を挙行。引き続き三日間に亘り時局講演会を開催する等キリスト教徒の内部革新は次々に行われていった。斯くて日米国交が一触即発の危気を孕む八月第二回革新宣言がなされた。

『米英など敵性国家の帝国に対する挑戦的態度は益々露骨となり、帝国不動の国是たる東亜共栄圏確立の妨害に狂奔しつつあり、親愛なるわが教友は須らくこの重大なる時局を洞察し、物心両面に亘る国民的総力を挙げて挺身報国以て聖旨に副い奉らんことを誓う』

この明確なる宣言と共に実践事項として精神生活の昂揚、日常生活の革新、時局奉仕の実践、教制革新などを挙げ、彼等が最高と盲信して来たクリスチャン文化への断然決別を宣したのである。十二月八日、米英に対する宣戦の大詔は下った。半島六十余万のクリスチャンもまた等しく皇民の誇りを強く身内に蔵して起ち上った。平壌章台峴教会は同年のクリスマスを期して献鐘運動を開始した。あの平和と自由とを象徴して鳴るといわれた鐘を米英を撃つべき武器に、と献じたのである。

長老派のこの快挙は全鮮に拡がり、十七年四月末までに供出された鐘は十八教派二千二百箇三万四千六十八貫に上がった。然もこの赤誠は未だに続けられているのだ。このほか昨年末には陸海軍へ軍用機を各一機宛、本年三月には重機七十基を、同じく十一月には患者用自動車三台を献納したのである。

このほか各地で時局講演会を、また国語講習会を開催して来た。本年十月十五日から平壌に開かれた第三十一回総会は礼拝、議事説教の凡てが全部国語で行われた。この事実こそ彼等キリスト教徒のその後の動向を語って余りあるではないか。やがては讃美歌も国語で唄われるに違いない。

長老派の動向を語り過ぎたかもしれないが、天主教、監理教団もまた同様の足取りを力強く辿っているのだ。天主教の各神父は大東亜戦開戦後も帰国命令を肯んせず、いまなお半島に留まっている。大邱教区は本年十月神学博士早坂氏を司教に迎えた。全南光州でも近く内地人司教を迎える筈だし、この機運は漸次各教派を通じて行われるだろう。彼等の機関紙週間『キリスト教新聞』も朝鮮書籍出版会社で発行されているし、讃美歌、聖書などの印刷発行も次第にそうした機運を辿ろうとしているのだ。【写真＝長老会の献納式】