[How About This Book] Unable to Pronounce Certain Words Means "Joseonjing" and Death... The Starting Point of Collective Hatred, the Gwandong Earthquake

Kanto Earthquake Seen Through Literary Works
Overlapping Hardships and Anti-Korean Sentiment
Vigilante-Led 6,000 Casualties
Military and Police Authorities Also Accomplices in Stirring Public Sentiment

"Say 'Jugo-en Goju-sen (Fifteen yen fifty sen)!'"

On September 5, 1923, aboard a train stopped at Tabata Station located north of Tokyo, soldiers armed with rifles and bayonets were conducting searches. Their objective was to find Koreans. Koreans who pronounced ‘Jugo-en Goju-sen (Fifteen yen fifty sen)’ as ‘Chuuko-en Kochu-sen’ were pulled off the train. Those who could not recite the imperial oath of loyalty, the ‘Ky?iku Chokugo (Imperial Rescript on Education),’ faced the same fate. Most were taken by vigilante groups (Jikeidan) and drowned in streams to death. Among the victims were not only targeted socialists but also Japanese mistaken for Koreans due to inaccurate pronunciation and killed.

The above content is from the long poem ‘15 En 50 Sen’ published in April 1948 by Japanese poet Tsuboi Shigeji (1898?1975). On September 1, 1923, at 11:58 a.m., a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the Kanto region of Japan, causing 190,000 casualties near Tokyo. The number of displaced persons reached 3.4 million, with 40,000 missing.

The author of this book examines the situation during the Kanto earthquake based on literary works. Immediately after the earthquake, rumors such as "Koreans are setting fires" and "Groups are armed and attacking" spread at the disaster sites, leading to massacres of Koreans. Although there is no official tally from the Japanese government, the Korean Provisional Government’s newspaper ‘Dongnip Sinmun (The Independent)’ estimated 6,661 victims as of December 5, 1923.

Even though society was plunged into extreme chaos due to the massive disaster, how could such civilian massacres occur? The author points to the anti-Korean sentiment in Japan at the time as the cause. Japanese media reported the March 1st Movement, which occurred four years before the earthquake, as a riot, spreading racism that regarded Koreans as enemies throughout Japanese society. Additionally, many Korean farmers who lost their farmland due to the 1919 land survey project migrated to Japan and worked in low-wage jobs, accumulating resentment.

The massacres were led by vigilante groups (Jikeidan). These groups were a kind of local militia established after the ‘Rice Riot’ of 1918, which involved attacks on rice shops due to dissatisfaction with rice price hikes caused by collusion. Supported by local landlords and police, there were about 3,600 such groups in Tokyo alone at the time. Retired soldiers, who mostly worked low-wage labor jobs, reportedly regarded Koreans as a nuisance.

While there is no disagreement that military and police authorities tolerated the massacres, opinions differ on whether they led them. Most consider it a ‘spontaneous riot caused by rumors,’ but the author points to the military and police who posted provocative posters as the source of the rumors. The posters read: "There are rioters committing arson and looting; citizens should cooperate with authorities to suppress them."

There is also testimony that soldiers actively searched for Koreans. The author cites Professor Kang Deoksang’s book ‘Memories of the Massacre: The Kanto Earthquake’ and shares testimony from Etchuya Riichi, who served as a cavalryman in the 15th Regiment in Narashino, Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo during the earthquake. "Every train was packed, and people swarmed like flies even on the coal piled on the locomotive, but all Koreans mixed in were pulled out. They fell one after another under blades and bayonets. (Omitted) Starting with a ‘blood feast,’ from that evening until midnight, the full-scale hunting of Koreans began."

Analyzing the situation depicted in literary works, the author gradually shifts focus to the present day, broadening the perspective. He highlights the far-right forces denying the existence of the approximately 6,000 Korean victims and notes that the current Tokyo governor and others refuse to issue memorial statements citing the need for accurate understanding. At the same time, he sheds light on Japanese individuals pursuing the truth. A representative figure is human rights lawyer Fuse Tatsuji (1880?1953). He defended Park Yeol, who attempted to assassinate the emperor in 1926, and hid endangered Koreans in his home during the earthquake. Later, he formed the ‘Free Lawyers’ Group’ and publicly questioned Japanese authorities, releasing a report titled ‘The Truth of the White Terror of the Kanto Earthquake’ that estimated 6,000 Korean victims. He also sent apologies as a Japanese person for the Korean massacre to the ‘Dong-A Ilbo’ and ‘Chosun Ilbo.’ The ‘Free Lawyers’ Group’ continues to oppose revisions to Japan’s Peace Constitution Article 9 and textbook distortions.

Regarding Ryunosuke Akutagawa, the winner of Japan’s prestigious Akutagawa Prize, the author presents a different interpretation from existing views. While Akutagawa’s writings were interpreted as trusting rumors and being part of the vigilante groups, the author argues they were actually ‘satire.’ In his essay ‘Daishin Zakki (Miscellaneous Notes on the Great Earthquake),’ Akutagawa says to his friend Kikuchi, who dismisses the rumors as false, "As a good citizen and a brave member of the vigilante group, I pity Kikuchi." The author explains, "If you read only this, Akutagawa seems like a very bad vigilante, but reading the entire essay reveals how much he mocks and satirizes the censored society," portraying the ‘good citizen’ as someone forced by the state to pretend to believe in a ‘mad society.’"

Professor Omura Masuo, who passed away on January 1 this year, was also a figure who worked to promote accurate history during his lifetime. Since 2000, he visited the ‘House of Sharing,’ where ‘Japanese military comfort women’ grandmothers stayed, with Waseda University students every first week of September, striving to raise awareness of the history Japan ignores. The author, who accompanied him at the time, testifies that Omura Masuo said to the shocked and speechless students:

"Don’t say you apologize to Korea lightly. Don’t apologize with your tongue like a politician. If you have time, study Korea. Studying Korea is the attitude of apology."

Testimonies Over a Century | Written by Kim Eunggyo | Chaek Ilneun Goyangi | 280 pages | 17,000 KRW

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