イガ島、まの島、マノ島に共通するものは?

韓国の地図にあらわれる于山島
イガ島とマノ島(まの島)は、鬱陵島の約2.2ｋｍ先にある隣接島の竹嶼を指す、日本の古名です。韓国人は現在この島を"竹島（ジュクド）"と呼んでいますが、以下の地図がはっきりと示すように、李氏朝鮮時代(1392-1910)には"于山島"として知られていました。

地図 1-6: 朝鮮時代の鬱陵島地図

韓国人はこの鬱陵島の隣接島の名称を于山島(ウサンド)から竹島(ジュクド)に変えることにしたのでしょうか?おそらく、日本式の名称に影響を受けたのか、もしくは単に"竹島"と呼ぶ方がより島の様子を正確に表わすと思ったのでしょうか?

鬱陵島の竹嶼における韓国人と日本人
1692年の日本の古文書（岡島正義「竹島考」や大谷九右衛門「竹嶋渡海由来記抜書控」）によると、日本の漁師（鳥取藩の村川家）は鬱陵島の隣接島である"いか島"に上陸しています。そこで、明らかにその島で漁をしていた韓国人（当時は朝鮮人）が採取して置いたと思われる鮑を沢山見つけました。右に示す1724年の日本の地図には、イガ嶋が描かれており、場所からして鬱陵島の隣接島である竹嶼であることは間違いがありません。この島は当時、韓国人によって于山島と呼ばれていました。この1692年の古文書は日本と朝鮮の両国の漁民が、竹嶼を訪れており、漁の基地として利用していた可能性が高いことを証明しています。右の地図では、当時日本人は鬱陵島を竹島と呼んでいたことも分かります。いかにしてこの問題がややこしくなり始めたのかお分かりでしょうか?この当時日本人は鬱陵島を"竹島"とよび、朝鮮人はその小さな隣接島を同じく"竹島"と呼んでいました。さらに、現在日本人はLiancourt Rocks を"竹島"とよび、韓国人は"独島"と呼んでいるのです。

地図 7: 「竹島松島之図」」（1724)　（享保九年、鳥取藩が幕命により大谷、村川両家及び両島で漁労に従事していた水主について調進した地図。「竹嶋考」に所収されている。）

于山島と竹
1690年代に起こった日朝間の鬱陵島に関する領土問題（いわゆる竹島一件）において、朝鮮側は自国の漁師も鬱陵島を"竹島"と呼んでいる、と主張していますが、それを裏付ける韓国側の地図は一枚もありません。その主張が正しいかどうかはともかく、1800年代まで、朝鮮人は鬱陵島の隣接島である竹嶼を指すのに、"于山島"と"竹島"と言う名称をどちらも使っていました。では何故、当時の朝鮮の人々は"竹島"と言う名称で、鬱陵島の隣接島を指していたのでしょうか。1711年、朝鮮の朝廷から検察使として派遣された朴昌錫は、鬱陵島の地図（「鬱陵島圖形」）を描きました。右にその切抜きを提示します。鬱陵島の東岸沖に"海長竹田 所謂于山島（海長竹の林、いわゆる于山島）"と記入された小さな島が見えます。海長竹（海藏竹とも標記される)は、この韓国の情報によると、6－7メートルにも成長する竹であるとの事です。学名は、Arundinaria simonii　で、日本では川竹、もしくは女竹と呼ばれるようです。この海長竹は、1694年の鬱陵島の検察記の中でも言及されています。次に挙げるのは、検察使の張漢相によるものです。 地図 8: 「鬱陵島圖形」（1711)

東方五里許有一小島不甚高大海長竹叢生於一面（東側五里ほどに一つの小さな島があるが、高大ではなく海長竹が一面に叢生している。）

検察使の張漢相は、ほぼ確実に鬱陵島2.2ｋｍ東沖にある隣接島の竹嶼を指していたと思われます。"海長竹が一面に叢生している"と言う記述は、1711年の地図と全く一致するのです。
上の地図では于山島が鬱陵島の隣接島の竹嶼であり、その島には竹が生えている事を示しています。Liancourt Rocksには竹が生えるための土が無く、この事からも韓国人の主張するよう"于山島がLiancourt Rocks/独島"、と言う主張は事実ではありえません。しかも、何故韓国人は于山島と言う名称を竹嶼（竹島）に変えたのか、という問いの答えにはなっていません。

日本の地図と竹
右の地図は、明治政府が鬱陵島と竹島/Liancourt Rocks について調査した経緯をまとめた1877年の公文録に含まれる地図です。この地図では、鬱陵島（竹島）とLiancourt Rocks（松島）が描かれ、さらに、鬱陵島のすぐそばにマノ島と記された小さな島も描かれています。場所からして、これは鬱陵島の隣接島の竹嶼であることはほぼ確実です。マノ島の"マノ"は、おそらくマノ竹、と呼ばれた一種の竹の名前から来ていると考えられます。マノ竹は、日本の古文書の中にも現れます。それが正ければ、日本人は基本的にずっと鬱陵島の隣接島を"竹島"と呼んでいたことになります。 地図9: 磯竹島略圖(1877)
右に掲げた1696年の日本の地図には、鬱陵島、Liancourt Rocks(竹島／独島)、隠岐諸島を描いています。また、"まの嶋"と書かれた小さな島も鬱陵島の横に描かれています。先に申し上げた通り、日本人は当時、ある竹の種類を"まの竹"とよんでいたことが分かっています。"マノ"と"まの"は、単なる表記の違いだと考えられます。 地図10: 竹島松島之図(1696)

韓国人は于山島を見失い始めた
1800年代になっても朝鮮の地図では鬱陵島の隣接島を于山島として描いていました。しかし、竹島と言う名称が鬱陵島の検察報告に表れるようになります。つまり、鬱陵島に密航していた朝鮮人達が、于山島の代わりに竹島と言う名称を使っていた事を示しています。地図には変わらずに鬱陵島の横に描かれているのに、朝鮮の人々は于山島の存在について1882年まで見失ってしまったようです。下の文は高宗と鬱陵島の検察使であった李奎遠の間で交わされた会話の記録です。

王曰く「検察使よ、前へ出よ」。李奎遠は前に進みました。
王曰く「近頃、鬱陵島に他の国の者が絶えず往来して島を占有する、という被害がでている。松竹島と于山島は鬱陵島の傍にあるはずだが、互いの距離はその産物についての詳細が分かっていない。君は特別にこの検察使に選ばれたわけであるから、しっかりと仕事をせよ。民を住まわせる村を作るかもしれないから、詳細な地図と記録をとるように。」
李奎遠曰く「于山島は鬱陵島のことです。つまり于山とは、彼の国の昔の首都の名前です。松竹島は島から30里ほど沖の小さな島です。産物は、檀香と簡竹です。」
王曰く「芋山島(于山島）あるいは松竹島と呼ばれるものは、輿地勝覽に記述がある。それはまた、松島、竹島とも呼ばれ、于山島と3つあわせて鬱陵島と呼ばれる島を成している。全てについてその事情を検察せよ。そもそも三陟と越松の土候が鬱陵島の調査を行っていたが、皆いい加減で島の外周しか検察していない。こうしたことが外国人による弊害を招いたのだ。」
李奎遠曰く「深く分け入って検察を行います。その島は鬱陵島の東にあり、時に松島とも竹島とも呼ばれています。しかし、そこにあるのは、松竹島で、松島と竹島と言う別々の島があるわけではありません。」
王曰く「それは前任の検察使から聞いたのか？」
李奎遠曰く「いいえ前任者とはまだ話をしておりません。しかし、これが前任者の話の要旨であると聞き及んでいます。」

李奎遠は鬱陵島の検察から帰還し、その東沖に二つの小さな島があることを報告しました。一つは竹島（現在の竹嶼）、もう一つは島項（現在の観音島）です。これらの島はどちらも、右に挙げた李の描いた鬱陵島の地図の一部で確認出来ます。李は晴れた日に鬱陵島の一番高い峯に上って探したけれど、于山島という名の島は見えなかった、と証言しています。于山島の住民は李に、于山島という鬱陵島の隣接島の話は聞いたことがあるが、どこにあるか知らない、と答えています。李は、于山島は鬱陵島の別名に過ぎない、と結論付けます。 地図11: 鬱陵島外圖(1882)
李の報告書があるにも関わらず、右の地図にあるように、韓国の地図では于山島を鬱陵島の隣接島として描き続けます。この地図は地理の教科書である「大韓地誌」の中にあり、大韓帝国の教育省が作成しました。地図12: 大韓全図(1899)

さらに、1899年の韓国の新聞、皇城新聞は鬱陵島を次のように記述しています。

蔚珍の東方沖の海中に、鬱陵と言う名の島がある。その島には6つの隣接した小さな島嶼があり、それらのうち于山島竹島（于山島／竹島）がもっとも主要な島である。大韓地誌には、鬱陵島は昔の于山国ことで面積は100里ある、と載っている。３つの峰がそびえている。

この記事は、于山島／竹島が同じ島であるかのように記述されていますが、それについては明らかでありません。それにも関わらず、大韓帝国の勅令41号が翌年発布されましたが、鬱陵島、竹島（竹嶼）そして石島だけが郡を構成することと明記されたのです。于山島は言及されず、石島が一体どの島を指すのか、明確では有りませんが、鬱陵島第2の隣接島である観音島であるか、もしくは単なる周囲の岩や岩礁の総称として使われたものと思われます。鬱陵島の隣接島という石島について、それを描いたり言及したりした韓国側の地図や文書が何も無い以上、単なる総称として使われた可能性の方が高いと考えられます。

消えた于山島
1903年までに、于山島は消え、謎の島となってしまったようです。なぜなら、次の1913年の毎日申報の記事が示しているように、鬱陵島の住民でさえ于山島がどこにあるのか分からなかったようだからです。

鬱島郡西面在住の金元俊さんが、鬱島（=鬱陵島）東北40-50里の位置にある無人島の于山島へ移住するために移住民を募集して、その島を探すことにしました。しかし、彼によると鬱陵島の島民が、10数年前にその于山島を共同で探索しようとしたものの、発見できなかったということです。また、その島は海図に記されておらず、何度か探索船を出したものの発見できず、中止したそうです。　每日申報 　1913.6.22

この記事からわかるように、1903年における鬱陵島の住民でさえ、于山島を見失ってしまっていたようです。しかし、鬱陵島の北東40－50里にある、と言う噂はあったようです。ただ、1913年には、鬱陵島の韓国人がLiancourt Rocks(竹島／独島)を知っていたのは確実です。にもかかわらず、彼等は依然として于山島を捜していた訳です。ということは、彼等がLiancourt Rocks(竹島／独島)は于山島だとは考えていなかったことになります。彼等が于山島を発見できなかった理由はもちろん、それが単なる竹嶼（竹島）の忘れ去られた古名に過ぎないからなのです。

李承晩の領土横取りと于山島の再浮上
1945年日本が敗戦を迎えた時、韓国の大統領李承晩は日本の領土を奪う絶好の機会と見ました。彼は古代から日本固有の領土だった対馬の領有を主張しようとしただけにとどまらず、あるはずの無い謎の島までその領有権を主張しようとしました。アメリカが、彼の対馬と謎の島（波浪島）に対する主張を受け入れないことが明らかになった時、李は1905年から公式に日本の領土に編入され、しかも数百年前から地図に描かれてきた、竹島（Liancourt Rocks）に目を付け焦点を絞りました。しかし、李には問題がありました。韓国にはその領有権を主張する為の古い地図や文書が存在しなかったのです。そこで韓国は、古地図や古文書にある于山島が実はLiancourt Rocks である、という主張を始めました。しかし、事実はこれらの地図は于山島を鬱陵島の隣接島として描いており、Liancourt Rocksではないのです。韓国政府は、アメリカが日本との苦しい戦争を戦ったばかりで日本の主張を受け入れるはずが無いと思ったのか、アメリカ人が調査したり、何の疑問もはさまずに彼らの主張を受け入れると思ったのでしょう。しかしながら実際は、アメリカ人は疑問をはさんで調査をし、そしてこのLiancourt Rocksが日本に所属すると決定したのです。事実、次に挙げる米国国務次官ディーン・ラスクから駐米韓国大使に宛てた手紙（ラスク書簡）で、彼はこのように伝えたのです。

独島、又は竹島ないしリアンクール岩として知られる島に関し、この通常無人島である岩島は、我々の情報によれば朝鮮の一部として取り扱われたことが決してなく、1905年頃から日本の島根県隠岐支庁の管轄下にある。この島は、かつて朝鮮によって領土主張がなされたとは思われない。

図1: ラスク書簡(1951年8月10日)

1952年のサンフランシスコ平和条約が竹島を彼等に与えない事を悟り、韓国政府は、竹島を不法に占拠する事を決め、未だに不法占拠したままです。
韓国政府は1952年のサンフランシスコ平和条約を読み間違えたのでしょうか?私はそうではないと思います。1954年に、ジェームズ・ヴァン・フリートが大統領特命大使として韓国を訪れます。その報告書、"ヴァン・フリート極東使節団による報告書(ヴァン・フリート特命報告書)"は次のように記述しています。

アメリカと日本が平和協定草案を作る際、韓国が独島領有権を主張したが、アメリカは独島の統治権は日本にあると結論を下した。これによりこの平和条約では、日本が所有権を放棄する島々の中にその島は含まれないなかった。

鬱陵島の隣接島である竹嶼の古名である于山島が、今では韓国によるLiancourt Rocks(竹島／独島)のばかばかしい主張を裏付ける物として利用されています。いつになったら韓国の歴史学者は、勇気を出して立ち上がり、真実を語ってくれるのでしょうか。

What do イガ島, まの島 and マノ島, have in common?

Korean Maps and Usando

Ika-shima (イガ島) and Mano-shima (まの島 or マノ島) were old Japanese names for Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo (竹島), which is about 2.2 kilometers off of Ulleungdo's east shore. Though Koreans now call the small island "Jukdo," which means "Bamboo Island," during the Joseon Dynasty (1392 - 1910) it was generally known as Usando (于山島), as the following old Korean maps of Ulleungdo clearly show:

Why did Koreans decided to change the name of Ulleungdo's neighboring island from "Usando" to "Jukdo"? Maybe the Japanese names for the small island influenced the Koreans in some way or maybe Koreans just felt that "Bamboo Island" ("Jukdo" in Korean and "Takeshima" in Takeshima) was more descriptive?

Koreans and Japanese on Ulleungdo's Jukdo

In a 1692 document, HERE, Japanese fishermen reported that they landed at a neighboring island of Ulleungdo called "Ika-shima" (イガ島 or いか島), where they found a large catch of abalone that had apparently been left there by Koreans who were fishing in the area at the time. The 1724 Japanese map to the right shows that Ika-shima (イガ島), based on its location, was Ulleungdo's neighoring island of Jukdo, which was called Usando by Koreans at the time. The 1692 document is evidence that both Japanese and Koreans were visiting Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo and may have been using it as a base for their fishing operations. The 1724 map to the right also shows that the Japanese at the time were referring to Ulleungdo as "Takeshima" (竹島), which is pronounced as "Jukdo" in Korean.

Notice how things are starting to get confusing. In the past, Japanese used "Bamboo Island" (Takeshima) to refer to Ulleungdo, and today Koreans are using "Bamboo Island" to refer to Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo. Adding to the confusion, today Japanese use "Bamboo Island" (Takeshima) to refer to Liancourt Rocks, which Koreans call Dokdo.

Usando and Bamboo

In the Japanese/Korean territorial dispute over Ulleungdo in the 1690s, the Korean side claimed that Korean fishermen also used the word "Jukdo" (竹島) to refer to Ulleungdo, though there are no Korean maps to support that claim. Whether the claim was true or not, by the 1800s, Koreans were using both Usando and Jukdo to refer to Ulleungdo's neighboring island. Again, why did Koreans start using "Jukdo" to refer to Ulleungdo's neighboring island?

In 1711, Korean inspector Bak Chang-seok (朴昌錫) drew a map of Ulleungdo that can be seen HERE. The map to the right is a cutout of that 1711 map and shows a small island off the east shore of Ulleungdo labeled with the Chinese characters 海長竹田 所謂于山島, which means "field(s) of haejang bamboo, the so-called Usando."

Haejang bamboo (written as either 海長竹 or 海藏竹) is a kind of bamboo that can grow up to 6 or 7 meters tall, according to THIS KOREAN SOURCE. The scientific name for the bamboo is Arundinaria simonii, which, according to THIS SOURCE, is also called kawa-take or medake in Japan. Haejang bamboo was also mentioned in 1694 Ulleungdo inspection report. The following is what Korean inspector Jang Han-sang (張漢相) wrote:

東方五里許有一小島不甚高大海長竹叢生於一面

"There is a small island about five ri (two kilometers) to the east (of Ulleungdo) that is not very high and not very big and has thickly growing haejang bamboo on one side.”

Inspector Jang was almost certainly referring to Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo, which is about 2.2 kilometers off Ulleungdo's east shore. Notice that he mentioned that haejang bamboo was growing thickly on the island, which agrees with what was written on the 1711 Korean map above.

The above maps show that Usando was Ulleungdo's present-day neighboring island of Jukdo and that bamboo grew there. Usando could not have been Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo), as Koreans claim, since Liancourt Rocks does not have the soil needed to grow bamboo. Nevertheless, the question still remains, "Why did Koreans change the name of Ulleungdo's neighboring island from Usando to Jukdo?

Japanese Maps and Bamboo

The Japanese map to the right was included in an 1877 collection of documents that Japanese authorities were using to investigate the histories of Ulleungdo and Liancourt Rocks. The map shows Ulleungdo (竹島 - Takeshima) and Liancourt Rocks (松島 - Matsushima), but it also shows a small island next to Ulleungdo labeled as マノ島 (Mano-shima). Based on the location of the small island, it was almost certainly Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo. The "mano" (マノ) in Mano-shima was probably referring to a kind of Japanese bamboo that was called "mano-take (マノ竹), which was mentioned in an old Japanese document HERE. If true, this means that Japanese were essentially calling Ulleungdo's neighboring island "Bamboo Island."

The map to the right is a 1696 Japanese map that shows Ulleungdo, Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo/Takeshima), and Japan's Oki Island. It also shows a small island next to Ulleungdo labelled as "まの島" (Mano-shima). Based on the location of the island, it was almost certainly Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo. As mentioned above, the Japanese used to use the name "mano" to refer to a kind of bamboo. The まの spelling here was most likely just an alternate spelling of マノ, which was mentioned above and is also pronounced as "mano."

Koreans Start to Lose Track of Usando

In the 1800s, Korean maps were still showing Ulleungdo's neighboring island to be Usando, but the name Jukdo was showing up in Ulleungdo inspection reports, which suggests that Korean squatters on Ulleungdo were using the name Jukdo instead of Usando for the neighboring island. By 1882, Koreans seem to have lost track of Usando, even though Korean maps were still showing it to be a neighboring island of Ulleungdo. The following is an 1882 conversation between King Kojong and Ulleungdo inspector Lee Gyu-won:

The king called Lee Gyu-won forward to give his pre-departure greeting.

The king said, “It is said that these days there is the evil practice of foreigners freely coming and going to Ulleungdo and doing as they please. Also, Songjukdo (松竹島 – 송죽도) and Usando (于山島 – 우산도) are next to Ulleungdo, but there are still no details on the distance between them and what products they have. You were chosen especially for this trip, so pay particular attention to your inspection. Also, we have plans to establish a settlement there, so be sure to prepare a detailed map with your report.”

Lee Gyu-won replied, Usando is just Ulleungdo. Usan was the name of the ancient country’s capital. Songjukdo is a small island about thirty ri offshore (相距爲三數十里). The products there are rosewood trees and pipestem bamboo.”

The king said, “It is called either Usando or Songjukdo (敎曰 或稱芋山島 或稱松竹島), which are both written in the Yeojiseungram (輿地勝覽 – 여지승람). It is also called Songdo (松島 – 송도) and Jukdo (竹島 – 죽도). Together with Usando, there are three islands that make up what is called Ulleungdo. Inspect the situation on all of them. Originally, the Samcheok commander (三陟營將 – 삼척 영장) and the Wolsong commander (越松萬戶 – 월송 만호) took turns searching Ulleungdo, but they were all careless, inspecting only the exterior of the island. This has led to these evil practices.

Lee Gyu-won said, “I will go deep inside and conduct my inspection. Some say that Songdo and Jukdo are east of Ulleungdo, but there is only Songjukdo, no separate Songdo and Jukdo.”

The king asked, “Did you possibly hear that from previous inspectors?”

Lee Gyu-won said, “I have not yet talked with previous inspectors, but that is the gist of what I have heard.”

When Lee Gyu-won returned from his survey of Ulleungdo, he reported finding two small islands off the east shore of Ulleungdo. One was called Jukdo, which was present-day Jukdo, and the other was called Dohang (島項), which was present-day Gwaneumdo. The two islands can be seen on the map to the right, which is a cutout of Lee's 1882 map of Ulleungdo. Lee said that he could not find any island named Usando, though he climbed to the highest peak on the island on a clear day and looked for one. Ulleungdo residents told Lee that they had heard Ulleungdo had a neighboring island called Usando, but they did not know where it was. Lee concluded that Usando was just another name for Ulleungdo.

In spite of Lee's report, Korean maps continued to show Usando as Ulleungdo's neighboring island, as the Korean map to the right clearly does. The map comes from an 1899 Korean geography textbook and was made by what was considered to be Korea's Ministry of Education at the time. Moreover, an 1899 article from the Korean newspaper, "Hwangseong Shinmun," described Ulleungdo as follows:

In the sea east of Uljin is an island named Ulleung. Of its six, small neighboring islands, Usando/Jukdo (于山島竹島) are/is the most prominent (崔著者). The Daehanjiji says that Ulleungdo is the old Country of Usan. It has an area of 100 ri. Three peaks stand out (律兀).

The above article seems to be saying that Usando/Jukdo were the same island, but it is not completely clear. Nevertheless, when Imperial Edit 41 made Ulleungdo a county the following year (1900), only the islands of Ulleungdo, Jukdo, and Seokdo (石島) were mentioned as making up the county. Usando was not mentioned, which suggests that Korean authorities decided to use the name Jukdo instead of Usando. It is unclear to which island Seokdo was referring, but it seems likely that it was referring to either Ulleungdo's second largest neighboring island, Gwaneumdo (觀音島), or was used as a catchall word for all the remaining rocky islets around Ulleungdo. Since there are no old Korean maps or other documents that show or mention Seokdo as a neighboring island of Ulleungdo, it seems more likely that it was used as a catchall word.

Usando Disappears

By 1903, Usando seemed to have become a lost, mystery island since not even Ulleungdo residents seemed to know where it was, as the following 1913 Maeil Shinbo article suggests:

鬱島郡 西面居 金元俊은 鬱島 東北方 4, 50里에 位置하는 于山嶋(無人島)에 移住코자 移住民을 募集하고 探索키로 決定하였으나 10數年前 同地 韓國人이 聯合 探索하였어도 發見치 못하고 海圖에도 없으며 現時 航海路가 頻繁한데도 이를 現認하였다는 일이 없다하여 中止하다.

每日申報 1913.6.22

Kim Won-jun, a resident of Seo-myeon (西面) in Uldo County (鬱島郡), wanted to gather people to migrate to Usando (an uninhabited island), which was supposedly forty to fifty ri northeast of Uldo [Ulleungdo], and decided to search for the island. However, he said that Koreans on the island [Ulleungdo] had tried conducting a joint search for the island [Usando] ten or more years earlier, but were unable to find it. He also said that the island was uncharted, and that even after several trips in search of it, he could notfind it, so he gave up.

Maeil Sinbo, June 22, 1913

As the above article suggests, even Ulleungdo residents in 1903 had lost track of Usando, though there was a rumor that it was forty to fifty ri northeast of Ulleungdo. By 1913, Koreans on Ulleungdo almost certainly knew of Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo), yet they were still searching for Usando, which tells us that they did not believe Usando to be Liancourt Rocks. Of course, the reason they could not find Usando it that it was just an old, forgotten name for Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo, the "Bamboo Island."

Rhee Syngman's Land Grab and the Reappearance of Usando

When the Japanese were defeated in 1945, Korean President Rhee Syngman saw an opportunity to grab some free Japanese land. He did not only try to claim Tsushima, which had been Japanese territory for untold centuries, he even tried to lay claim to an island that did not exist. When it became apparent that the Americans were not going to accept his claims for Tsushima and a non-existent island, Rhee decided to focus his attention on the Japanese island of Takeshima (Liancourt Rocks), which was officially incorporated into Japanese territory in 1905 and had appeared on Japanese maps for hundreds of years before that. However, Rhee had a problem. Korea had no maps or documents to support a claim on Liancourt Rocks. Therefore, Korea started claiming that the Usando on old Korean maps and in old Korean documents was actually Liancourt Rocks, in spite of the fact that the maps showed Usando to be a neighboring island of Ulleungdo, not Liancourt Rocks.

The Koreans must have assumed that the Americans would just accept their claim without asking any questions or doing any research, given that the US had just fought a bitter war with Japan and would supposedly have no reason to support Japanese claims. However, the Americans did ask questions and did do research, and they decided that Liancourt Rocks belonged to Japan. In fact, here is what US Secretary of State Dean Rusk told the Korean ambassor to the US.

As regards the island of Dokdo, otherwise known as Takeshima or Liancourt Rocks, this normally uninhabited rock formation was according to our information never treated as part of Korea and, since about 1905, has been under the jurisdiction of the Oki Islands Branch Office of Shimane Prefecture of Japan. The island does not appear to ever before to have been claimed by Korea.

Realizing that the 1952 Peace Treaty would not give them Takeshima, Koreans decided to take it by illegally occupying the islets, which they continue to do.

Did Koreans just misinterpret the 1952 Peace Treaty? I do not think so.

In 1954, James Van Fleet visited South Korea as a special mission ambassador for the US. In his mission report, "Report of Van Fleet Mission to the Far East," was written the following:

"When the Treaty of Peace with Japan was being drafted, the Republic of Korea asserted its claims to Dokto but the United States concluded that they remained under Japanese sovereignty and the Island was not included among the Islands that Japan released from its ownership under the Peace Treaty."

Usando, the old name for Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo, is now being used to support a ridiculous Korean territorial claim on Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo/Takeshima). I wonder how long it will take before Korean historians finally get the courage to stand up and tell the truth?

1693-1696 The Takeshima incident: the 1st dispute between Japan and Korea

1693 – 1696 The Takeshima incident: the negotiation about Takeshima (Ulleungdo)

After the deportation of the two Koreans including Ahn Yong-bok, the both countries negotiated about the possession of Takeshima (Ulleungdo).

So, the lord of Tsushima, warned Chosun government not to permit their fishermen to trespass onto Takeshima any more in September 1693.

To follow is a letter from Chosun’s official to the lord of Tsushima which was sent in December 1693:

From Chosun’s礼曹参判権皆

To the lord of Tsushima

(greetings at the beginning were not translated.)

Our country strictly inhibited to go to the sea and restrain the
fishermen of the east coast from making a voyage on the ocean. (They can’t go
easily to) even 蔚陵島 (Ulleungdo) which is our border because it’s too
far and they are not permitted to go there voluntarily, let alone outer place
than the island. But now these fishing boats went to Takeshima in your
territory. And you sent them back to us from the far place. We thank your
friendship. Fishermen have the nature of going far crossing border to catch fish
if there was no wind and could drift with the current. We will punish them
severely. These criminals committed a sin. We will strictly control the coast,
instructing each of them. Thank you very much for your kindness. We hope you
will be alright.

Yours sincerely.

This letter is a kind of trick because it says that Ulleungdo and Takeshima are different islands so that Chosun governs Ulleungdo while Japan governs Takeshima. This wouldn’t be a problem for a while because Chosun was doing the “empty island” policy in those days, but it was a deceptive resolution.

(Note: Ahn Yong-bok was to be punished at this moment as a criminal, although he escaped from it later.)

Tada Yozaemon, the messenger from Tsushima, was dissatisfied with the letter. He stayed in Busan for 4 months and kept negotiating with Chosun but didn’t reach an agreement.

To follow is from a document made by Tsushima officials after this. (From the book “竹島紀事” 1726)

Concerning Takeshima, it is no doubt that it
has been ruled by Inaba (of Japan) since the
years of Tokugawa Ieyasu (the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate). That country (Chosun) has left the island alone and kept indifferent about it for many years and it is almost right to say that it is in our country. So we can’t overlook
the deceptive letter using two names for one island. Soon we sent a reply to ask
to erase the word of 蔚陵島 (Ulleungdo), and to send the rewritten letter
back to us. (some sentences abbreviated)

We would dispatch a messenger to Chosun as the
communication between Japan and Chosun is important.

Then, Tada Yozaemon went to Busan again in May of the 7^th year of Genroku (1694) and claimed them to delete the word. But there was a political change in the Chosun’s government. The three major posts, 領義政, 左義政 and 右義政 were changed from 権大運, 睦来善 and 閔黯respectively to南九万, 朴世采 and 尹趾完. With this political change, hard-liners were on the rise. A new official wrote a new letter on 12^th September and refuted the Takeshima-Japan’s territory theory.

From Chosun’s official (朝鮮国礼曹参判李番)

To the lord of Tsushima

(greetings at the beginning were not translated)

There is an island belonging to 江原道 蔚珍県in our country. Its name is 蔚陵 and is located in the east sea of this area. Wind
and waves are very rough and there is no service to go there. So the island is
uninhibited all through the year. But officials are occasionally visiting there
for inspection. The peaks of this island are thickly wooded and they can be
clearly seen from the homeland. The mountains and rivers are meandering, and the land is narrow.

There are ruins of human residence. Productions from the soil
are rich. It’s written in the book 輿地勝覧 of our country. They have passed the information
successively about the island and the remains are evident. Now this time our
country’s fishermen went there and met your countrymen who crossed the border.
They caught two people who resisted and transported them to Edo. Fortunately, the feudal lord (Shogun?) of your
country recognized the situation and helped them. This friendship of neighbors
looks enormous. We moved very much. However, the place where our people engaged
in fishing was 蔚陵島 (Ulleungdo), it was also called as 竹島 (Takeshima, Jukdo) as it produces lots of bamboo.
There are two names in one island, and this was not only written in our
country’s books but also people in your country know all about this. But in your
letter, you wrote that you make Takeshima your country’s region and you want our
country to inhibit our fish boats from going there. You didn’t say that your
countrymen invaded over our border and you worry about our people to go there.
Isn’t this out of the right way of life? We hope you will forward our intention
to the Shogun and let him know that your country’s fishermen come and go to 蔚陵島 without permission. ・・・(the greetings in the end were
abbreviated.)

September 1694

(Note: The Chosun government brought the book 輿地勝覽 to prove that Ulleungdo was their territory. But 300 years later, the South Korean government brought the same book again to prove that Liancourt rocks were their territory. The same sentence was once used to prove that Ulleungdo was their territory and it was used again to prove that another island (Liancourt rocks) were their territory. This is unreasonable.)

In response to this letter, Tada Yozaemon cross-examined Chosun government giving four items:

#1: Your (Chosun) government says that you keep sending officials
for inspecting Ulleungdo on the regular basis. But our fishermen from Tottori or
Izumo have never met the Chosun officials in 81 years. Why?

#2: Your (Chosun) government says that “Your (Japanese) countrymen
invaded over our border”. Some of the Japanese fishermen who set off for
Ulleungdo have drifted ashore to Chosun three times in the past, and you sent
them back with letters. You all knew that these fishermen were engaging in
fishing at that island. If you truly thought that these fishermen invaded your
territory, why didn’t you write about it in these three letters? You have never
ever claimed of “invading over our border” in these letters.
Why?

#3: As to Ulleungdo and Takeshima, the recent letter does not only
say that there are two names to one island but it also says that our countrymen
all knew this. You mentioned that it was written in the books and you say that
our countrymen all knew this. Then, why did the first letter say that there are
two names to two islands, stating “Your country’s Takeshima and our Ulleungdo”?
If you didn’t know that Ulleungdo was Takeshima at first and wrote about two
names to two islands, why does the recent letter say that it was written in the
books and all of our people know that there are two names to one
island?

#4: There are three letters concerning Iso-takeshima (Ulleungdo)
that were sent from Chosun to Tsushima in the past. When Tsushima tried to confirm the belonging of the island 82 years ago, a letter from the東莱府 said that “This island is so-called Ulleungdo of ours. Although it is uninhibited, we won’t let others invade or occupy it”. The second letter also mentioned the same. But when Japanese fishermen who headed for Ulleungdo drifted ashore to your country 78 years ago, you sent them back with the letter written by a Chosun official, saying “Seven Japanese were caught by the local officials. When asked, they said that they went to Ulleungdo for fishing but high wind made them drift ashore. We send them back with the Japanese ship to your island (Tsushima)”. You
wrote that you wouldn’t let others invade it 82 years ago and you permitted them
after hearing that they engaged in fishing at the island 78 years ago, but this
is inconsistent. We can’t keep from cross-examining you about this.

There was a reply from Chosun government on 12^th June 1695:

It says about the first topic, “The inspection was written in the book 輿地勝覧 and a Japanese called Sobe-e said to the Chosun official 朴再興 ‘After reading輿地勝覧, Ulleungdo belongs to your country’”. It also says, “In these days, officials has not been there and inhibited fishermen from going far because of danger of voyaging”.

As to the 2^nd topic, it says that they were so in hurry to send them back that they didn’t have time to ask about details. And as for the 3^rd and 4^th topics, it says that the former official who wrote the first letter didn’t know about history.

Tada Yozaemon refuted again;

He pointed out that to argue relying on the old book which was written 200 years ago is not right. He also stated that the island has belonged to Japan for 80 years, it was not 200 years ago, and that Japanese people keep fishing at Ulleungdo every year but they haven’t seen Chosun officials at all. He also referred to a Chosun book that mentioned about Japanese occupation of Iso-takeshima (Ulleungdo). He insisted that it was just the same as Chosun gave the island to others (Japan) if they knew that other country’s people occupied the island and permitted them to do so, and if they knew that other country’s fishermen engaged in fishing at the island and permitted them to do so.

And in the end, the negotiations broke down. Tada Yozaemon returned to Tsushima in June 1695. During the negotiations, the former lord of Tsushima, So Yoshitsugu, died of illness in September 1694 and So Yoshimichi succeeded to the lord in October 1695. After the breakdown of the negotiations, there were arguments in the shogunate but after all, they decided to give up the island and forbade the Japanese fishermen to go to Takeshima (Ulleungdo) in January 1696.

[Note: The Shogunate banned to go to Takeshima (Ulleungdo) but not to Matsushima (Liancourt rocks). The latter had not ever been disputed between the two countries.]

The 1692 and 1693 incidents: Ahn Yong-bok's first visit to Japan

The following is a translation of an April 6 1692 Japanese document from the Oya family archives. It is a transcription of an oral report given by Japanese fishermen of their trip to Ulleungdo, where they found Koreans fishing in the waters around the island. By 1692, the Japanese had been fishing the waters around Ulleungdo for decades and believed Ulleungdo to be Japanese territory.

A transcription of our humble oral report:

1. We set sail from here on February 11 in the 5th year of Genroku
(1692) and arrived at Oki Island's Fuku-ura on the last day of the month. We set
sail from Oki county on March 24 and landed at Ulleungdo's Ika-shima [Jukdo] at about 8 O’clock in the morning on the 26. Looking around we noticed that someone had apparently caught a big catch of abalones, which we thought was
strange.

On the morning of the 27^th we went to Hamada-ura (of Ulleungdo) and saw two foreign (Korean) ships there. One of them was a “sue-bune” (fixed boat) and another one was a “uki-fune” (floating boat). We saw 30 foreigners (Koreans) there. Two of them were left and the others rode the uki-fune and went in the offing 8 to 9–ken apart from another boat and headed for so-called Osaka-ura. The two were left in the ship. One of the two was an interpreter and they came to our ship so we permitted them to ride on our ship. When we asked who they were, they answered that they came from Chosun’s “Kawaten” village. We told them, “This island was bestowed to us by the Shogun and we come here every year”. And we asked them why they came to this island. They said that there is another island at the north and that they used to go there every three years to catch abalones by the order of their king. They departed their homeland on 21^st
February in 11 ships but suffered great damage because of a storm and 53 people
in five ships were drifted ashore to this island on 23^rd February.
When they saw the situation of the island, they found that there were lots
of abalones so they decided to stay there to catch them. We told them,
“Then, you should go out of this island as soon as possible” but they said that
they need time to repair their ships because those were damaged. When we ordered to moor our ship and made a landing and told them that we’d like to examine the instruments we had left there, they said the eight boats and other instruments were gone. We asked the interpreter the reason why they were gone, he explained that they used the boats from inlets to inlets. We ordered before to moor our ship but the foreigners were in great numbers and we were only 21, so we could do nothing.

We departed Takeshima at about 4 pm (Nanatsu) on 27^th
March. But we thought we would need the evidence, so we took before we left some skewered abalones, one knitted-hood and one “Kauji” that they had made
beforehand. We arrived at Hamada-ura of Sekishu on the 1^st day of
April and Kumotsu-ura of Unshu on 4^th. Then we got to Yonago at
around 4 O’clock (Nanatsu) of the 5^th.

Heibei, the chief of the ship owned by Murakawa Ichibei.

Kurobei, the same as above.

From this document, one can understand that Koreans in those days thought that Ulleungdo didn’t belong to Korea because they made a clumsy excuse that they didn’t intend to get to Ulleungdo and they said that they would leave the island as long as they repaired their ships. It is not clear whether there was Ahn Yong-bok in the Koreans. If he was there, it seems quite inconsistent to the description in the Korean document (粛宗実録) that he bravely dismissed Japanese in 1696, claiming that the island belonged to Chosun.

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To follow is a document concerning the 1693 incident from Oya family’s archives:

What Oya Kyuemon’s boatmen orally reported about bringing back with
Koreans from Takeshima to Hakushu in the 6^th year of Genroku (1693).

We departed Yonago of Hakushu on 15^th February and
arrived at Kumotsu of Unshu in the morning of the 17^th. We left
Kumotsu on 2^nd March and arrived at Hashimura of Tozen district of
Oki island on the same day. After staying there until 9^th March, we
then went to Fuku-ura of Togo district on the 10^th.

We departed Fuku-ura on 16^th of April and arrived at
Tosen-ga-saki of Takeshima at “Yatsu” (about 2 O’Clock) on the
17^th.　When we landed and looked around, we saw lots of
“menoha” (seaweed?) were dried in the sun and we thought it was strange. We
looked around and noticed that there were Korean straw sandals. Although there was something that had been weighing on our mind, we left it to be as dusk fell.
On the next day, 18^th, seven of us including 5 sailors rode on a ship
and went to Nishi-no-ura (west inlet) but there weren’t Koreans. So we went to
Kita-ura (north inlet), there were a Korean ship moored and a hut beside it.
There was a Korean in the hut. When we saw the inside of the hut, there were
lots of abalones and seaweed. So we asked the Korean about them but he couldn’t understand us because there was not an interpreter. Then we went to the place
called “Oh –tengu” (big long-nosed goblin) with him without hearing from him
about them, there were ten Koreans hunting and one of them was an interpreter.
So we dropped off the Korean we met at Kita-ura and picked up the interpreter
and one more Korean on our boat and when we asked them, the interpreter said,
“We came to this island to hunt (or fish) on 3^rd March”. When asked
how many ships they brought, he answered that they came with 3 ships and they were 42 people. Takeshima’s coast was so rough that we returned to the mother
ship. We brought the Koreans back.

There were Koreans on this island last year, so we had warned and
scolded them not to come to this island to hunt (or fish) but the Koreans came
back again to hunt (or fish). In these circumstances, we won’t be able to keep
hunting (or fishing) on this island.　We are very sorry to trouble you but we are very glad if you would pass judgment on this issue, as we brought the two Koreans with us.

We departed Takeshima on 18^th April and arrived at Fuku-ura of Oki island on 20^th.

As we were summoned and ordered at the magistrate’s office of Oki
county to submit a statement of the Koreans, we said that it would be good to
hear from them directly. They said that it is reasonable and the Koreans were
summoned and heard. And the village headmen also met with the Koreans and send a report of their statement to the office. They also wanted our opinion about the statement but we couldn’t say anything.

Then, one barrel of sake was presented to the Koreans by the
magistrate’s office.

On the 23^rd the same month, we departed Fuku-ura and
arrived at Tozen. On the 26^th we left Tozen and got to Nagahama of
Unshu at noon on the same day. We reached Yonago on the 27^th.

27^th April

Kurobei, Chief of the ship,

Heibei, the same as above

Ahn Yong-bok and another Korean were detained at Oya Kyuemon’s house, while the local government heard about the Koreans from the chief retainer Arao Syuri and ask the Shogunate the instructions.

On the 26^th May, an express-messenger came from Edo, who brought an order to transport the Koreans under guard to Nagasaki.

They left Yonago on 29^th May and arrived at Chofu (鳥府) on 1^st June. They set off on 7^th June, with the guards Yamada Hyoemon and Hirai Jin-emon and arrived at Nagasaki on 30^th June. The Koreans were handed over to the magistrate’s office of Nagasaki. Then, they were delivered to the messenger from Tsushima, Ichinomiya Kansukezaemon. On 14^th August. They arrived at Tsushima on 3^rd September.

The lord of Tsushima, So, went to Busan with the envoy including the messenger Tada Yozaemon. In Busan, they handed over the two Koreans to the Chosun government and gave notice to inhibit Korean fishermen from invading Takeshima.

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In Addition:

●Another Korean who was arrested at Ulleungdo, Park Otton (朴於屯), later told to the Korean officer that it needed 3 days and 4 nights from Ulleungdo to Houki (Yonago) and there was no other island between them.

(According to Japanese record, they departed Ulleungdo on 18th April and arrived at Fuku-ura of Oki island on 20th and then went to Yonago on 27th. So it took 9 days but they arrived at Tozen of Oki island on 23rd before they went to mainland on 26th. So if Park misunderstood the second harbor of Oki island, Tozen, as mainland, it was not inconsistent to his story - it took 5 nights from Ulleungdo to Tozen of Oki island. )

●But Ahn Yong-bok told to the officers, "After one night, I saw an island in the sea after taking a supper. It was far bigger than Ulleungdo".(from the Korean document "邊例集要")

●He also mentioned about this island during the investigation by the officials of Tsushima; "There is a big island at northeast of 参候島 (Sanko-jima, Ulleungdo). I have seen this island twice during my stay at the place (Ulleungdo). Someone who knows the island said that it is called as Usando. But until today I haven't been there at all. They say that it will take almost one day to get there."

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So there is an inconsistency here. Park didn't see any island between Ulleungdo and Yonago (or Oki island) and Ahn also confessed in Tsushima that he hadn't been to Usando although he had seen it twice from Ulleungdo. But Ahn said during the investigation in Chosun that he saw an island far bigger than Ulleungdo during the voyage to Japan. Ahn may have told a lie to a Korean officer or he may have seen Oki island and thought it was Usando, but anyway, his story seems to be unreliable.

한국 신문과 기타 기사

2008

• 7월 29일 - 본의 울릉도 침략을 배격한 남구만(南九萬·1629∼1711)