1696 - Ahn's so-called Matsushima/Usando was Jukdo, afterall.

-In May 2005, Mr.Murakami Sukekurou (66), the 48th master of an old family of Oki, Shimane revealed their old documents which was lying undiscovered for almost 300 years. 「One-volume Memorandum concerning the Korean boat that came alongside the pier in the 9th year of Genroku (1696)」(「元禄九丙子年朝鮮舟着岸一巻之覚書」) is the title written on the cover, and it consists of 16 pages. It was a record of the inquiry of Ahn Young Bok(安龍福), a Korean who came by Oki on the way to Tottori. - ( extract from the article by San-in Chuo Shinpo )

When the “San-in Chuo Sinpo” reported that Gerry found the evidence that Usando was not Takeshima/Liancourt Rocks/Dokdo, but Jukdo on the 22nd Feb, 2007, Dokdo Museum head admitted “It’s just Jukdo” . However, he continued , "In our country, Dokdo has been called “Usando” (于山島, 1432) - “Sambongdo” (三峰島, 1476) - “Jasando” (子山島, 1696) - “Seokdo” (石島, Korean Imperial Edict 41), and Dokdo (獨島, 1904)."

Korean claim Ahn Yong-bok who smuggled himself into Japan landed on Jasando (子山島) in 1696 and made Japanese recognize "Japanese Matsushima" as "Usando", or Matsushima is in Korea's 江原道 in this document. Korean automatically replace "Usando" with "Dokdo" every time they saw the word "Usando" in old documents, but all the documents and maps after 1696 available suggest Usando was most likely, Jukdo, not Takeshima/Dokdo.

This document does record Ahn's words "On the way to Gangwon Province, there are Takshima(Ulleungdo) and Matsuhima.(江原道 此道ノ中ニ 竹嶋松嶋 有之 竹島松嶋有)" However, it is just a record of the investigation and naturally, there is no trace Japanese had approved his appeal at all. In fact, Japanese sent him away to Choson directly, not through Tsushima, which was in charge of diplomacy with Choson at the time. Moreover, the more we read Ahn's testimony, the less his word become credible. What is Usando which Ahn referred afterall? Where it is?

The incident of the Ahn's travel which was recorded in this document and a incident of famous testimony in the annals of King Sukjong actually describes the same event, but the latter was recorded in Choson 4 month later. By analyzing those two documents, we could know one very important fact. - Jasando cannot be Takeshima/Dokdo. -

"One-volume Memorandum concerning the Korean boat that came alongside the pier in the 9th year of Genroku (1696)" (元禄九丙子年朝鮮舟着岸一巻之覚書 translation (part))
"They left Takeshima on 15th May, reached Matsushima on the same day. (五月十五日竹嶋出船同日松嶋江着)"

"The Annals of King Sukjong, vol.30 " (肅宗実録 30卷, 22年 戊寅 translation)
"At last on the next morning(15th May) in dawn, (we) pulled a boat and went into Jasando. (遂以翌曉, 拕舟入子山島)"

In the Japanese document, Ahn said he left Takeshima (Ulleundo) and reached to Jasando (Matsushima) on the same day(15th May). He didn't clearly say when he left, or when he arrived, not to speak of how many hours it took. The only thing we could tell for sure is he moved from Ulleundo to Jasando within a same day. But, in second Korean document, he actually testified that he pulled the boat on Jasando at the dawn of the same day. The point is, Ulleundo was surrounded by dangerous rocky shore, so it is not reasonable to depart on the boat before dawn in the dark. So Ahn should have left Ulleundo very early morning and soon reached to Jasando while dawn.

As we have seen, by analyzing two documents, we could definitely tell that it took less than few hours for Ahn to move from Ulleundo to Jasando, at dawn on 15th of May. Namely, the only possible island for this description is Jukdo(Korean name 竹島, Japanese name 竹嶼) which locates on approx. 2.2 km east shore of Ulleundo. Besides, Ahn said he "pulled the boat into Usando(拕舟入子山島)". There is no shore around Takeshima/Dokdo we can pull the boat. Chinese letter "拕" means "pull or drag the boat" with some kind of rope. Using "拕" verifies Ahn didn't go to today's Takeshima/Dokdo at all.

Ahn's testimony was full of inconsistency, thus Japanese researchers tend to ignore his statement. For example, he said the distance between Choson and Ulleundo 30-ri (120 km) and Ulleundo to Matsushima 50-ri (200 km). It makes Jasando near Oki island. The distance between Ulleundo and Takeshima/Liancourt Rocks/Dokdo is 92km.

竹嶋と朝鮮之間三十里竹嶋と松嶋之間五十里在之由申候

Importantly, the second documents were a testimony for the Choson officials of the border guard when he was subject to the life sentence for the serious offence of stowaway and subject to perjury. Naturally, his testimony was full of exaggeration, misrepresentation and untruth, which don’t match to the Japanese record. In fact, Choson government denied him in her official reply to Japanese government as "As for a vitreous and stupid person(= Ahn), even if he is telling a lie, it is an unknown thing of the Chosun government. ( 肅宗 31卷, 23年( 1697 丁丑 / 청 강희(康熙) 36年) 2月 14日 乙未 3번째기사 "至於漂風愚民, 設有所作爲") " before.

However, it is also true that Ahn actually traveled from Ulleundo to Oki in 1696. Ahn’s recognition of date may be accurate, since the arrival date was confirmed and consistent with Japanese documents. Then we compared the information of dates from testimony in two documents above to have found Ahn's Matsushima/Jasando was definitely Jukdo, not Takeshima/Liancourt Rocks/Dokdo.

In fact, this is easily confirmed by other documents and maps as well. Usando which used to be depicted on the west side of Ulleundo in same size started to be replaced to the exact location of today's Jukdo with almost identical shape after Choson officials started to investigate Ulleundo followed by Ahn's stowaway to Japan. Addition to that, there are some documents which record Choson people actually called Ulleundo (plus Jukdo) as Matsushima, as a whole. Following are those examples.

1793 「Ilseong-rok（日省録） 」
臣按本曹謄錄蔚陵外島其名松島卽古于山國也
The attendant said that according to the Yejo record, "Songdo" was another name for Ulleungdo and its surrounding islands," which was the old kingdom of Usan.

1882 「the Annals of King Kojong vol.30(高宗実録 19年4月 初 7日(壬戌)條 )」
敎曰 或稱芋山島 或稱松竹島 皆輿地勝覽所載也. 而又稱松島竹島與芋山島爲三島統稱鬱陵島矣.
The king said, “It is called either Usando or Songjukdo (松竹島), which are both written in the Yeojiseungram (輿地勝覽). It is also called Songdo
(松島) and Jukdo (竹島). Together with Usando, there are three islands that make up what is called Ulleungdo. Inspect the situation on all of them. (Lies, Half-truths, & Dokdo Video, Part 8)

Because of Ahn's inconsistancy, it is considered to be almost impossible to tell if he really went to the so-called Matsushima/Jasando which perfectly coincide with location, distance and description (size). But if we analyze his travel itinerary from 15-18 th of May in both documents recorded by Japanese and Choson officials in 1696, we can conclude that Jukdo is the only possible island for Ahn's Matsushima/Jasando. It is considered that Ahn was confused with other islands like legendary Usando which he thought locates in North of Ulleundo and the inhabitable "huge island" which he saw in 1693 and is bigger than Ulleundo (= Oki). Actually, he was in need of appealing his triumphant of making Japanese admit his territorial claim of the huge inhabitable island, which is not true, so that he could dodge the life sentence.

Besides, Ahn, who was a private slave(私奴) misrepresented himself as "tax general of Choson(朝鬱両島監税将 臣 安同知騎) " to deceive the Japanese government (Shogunate). Moreover, Japanese didn't take Ahn seriously and expeled him from Tottori directly, not via Tsushima so that it won't become a diplomatic problem. No matter what he did or did not in Japan, it should not be subject to sovereignty dispuite in the first place.

In conclusion, Ahn’s "Jasando" and so-called "Japanese's Matsushima" which appears in Choson documents later is nothing but just a neiboughring island of Ulleundo, Jukdo.