Discovery of 1910s Sangju Eupseong Postcard ... Sangju City "Plays Important Role in Eupseong Restoration"

10 Photo Postcards Depicting Training Scenes of Japanese Defense Troops Stationed in Sangju and Images of Eupseong Buildings

Scene of Sangju Market in the 1910s.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] Sangju City in Gyeongbuk announced on the 8th that it has acquired 10 photo postcards depicting the Japanese garrison troops stationed at Sangju Eupseong (尙州邑城) in the 1910s.

These photos capture the training scenes of the Japanese garrison stationed in Sangju, key buildings of the Eupseong, and the market at that time. The Sangju Museum explained that these materials have high historical value as they provide a glimpse into the situation in the Sangju area during the Japanese colonial period.

All the photo postcards measure 14.1 cm in width and 9.1 cm in height. Below each photo on the front side, the photo title and publisher are indicated. The publisher is the same for all 10 photos, with '星島寫眞館發行' (Seongdo Photo Studio Publishing) written on the lower left side.

Except for two photos (the inspection by the Commander of the Chosun Garrison Army and the scene of the Sangju market day), all photos bear the inscription 朝鮮慶尙北道尙州守備隊 (Chosun Gyeongsangbuk-do Sangju Garrison - dispatched from the Toyohashi 18th Infantry Regiment). Next to it, the title of each photo is indicated.

The photos consist of 2 showing the Japanese garrison troops marching, 3 showing shooting training, 3 showing cooking and leisure activities, 1 showing the inspection by the Commander of the Chosun Garrison Army, and 1 showing the market scene on Sangju market day.

The scene of Japanese defense force members collecting shell casings after test firing blank rounds following outdoor training exercises.

Kim Jin-hyung, curator of the Sangju Museum, said, "Unlike the photos mainly of the four main gates and key buildings of Sangju Eupseong acquired in 2015, the newly acquired postcards depict buildings inside Sangju Eupseong and the activities of the stationed Japanese garrison troops." He added, "The estimated period of photography is between February 1912 and January 1915."

Yoon Ho-pil, director of the Sangju Museum, said, "Important photos related to Sangju Eupseong continue to be acquired," and added, "The photos secured this time are materials that show a facet of our region’s dark history during the Japanese colonial period."

Kang Young-seok, mayor of Sangju City, expressed a strong will for the restoration project of Sangju Eupseong, saying, "Based on the photos of the four main gates of Sangju Eupseong acquired in 2015 and these new photos, it will become the best example of correctly restoring an Eupseong nationwide."

Meanwhile, these photos have been available on the Sangju Museum website since January 2021. The content and significance of the photos are scheduled to be introduced in the academic journal <尙州文化> Issue 30, published by the Sangju Cultural Center’s Sangju Local Culture Research Institute at the end of this year.

The scene of Japanese defense force members departing from Sangju city center for training.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.