竹島問題の歴史

7.1.09

1903 Japanese Textbook of Geography

This textbook is titled as "改定 外国新地理 附図" (Revised: New Geography of Foreign Countries - Supplement Maps) and was published by Sanseido (三省堂) which is one of the largest publishing companies in Japan. It was published in April, the 36th year of Meiji (1903) as you can see in the last page of the textbook (please see the second photo).


This book of maps seems to have been used as a texbook of high school because there was a handwriting of a name of a Japanese boy Kitahara who scribbled "Third year class B of Obama Middle School" (小浜中等学校) in a blank page. Middle Schools (旧制中等学校) in those days are equivalent to High Schools today. ..................




The year 1903 seems to be a very critical year because Korean Empire had just promulgated the Edict #41 three years ago and was two years before the incorporation of Takeshima (Liancourt Rocks).

Then, please look at the map of Korea in the book. It shows 欝陵島(松島) "Ulleungdo (Matsushima)" in the Sea of Japan but Liancourt Rocks were not included in the map. It is clear that Japan thought (and the world thought too) that Korea's easten limit was Ulleungdo, because many maps and books of geography clearly mentioned so.


So it is natural that Kimotsuki, a director of Hydrography Department of Navy, advised Nakai Yozaburo in 1904 that Liancourt Rocks didn't belong to Korea.

A Pro-Korean blog made by Steve Barber mentioned "........ the grounds for incorporation were clearly made known. Kimotsuki' s claim that Takeshima/Tokdo was owned by no one at all in 1904 was totally different from the past position taken by the Navy's Hydrographic Department, as stated already."
http://www.dokdo-takeshima.com/dokdo-nakai.html

He wants to mislead and impress people that Japanese Navy had a malicious mind to invade Korea already in early 1900's and that Japanese Navy pretended Liancourt Rocks were ownerless islands although they were Korean islands, but his comments above are untrue.

6 comments:

  1. A happy new year everybody!

    I've been to Seoul as a holiday (I enjoyed chige, kimchee and 高級宮廷料理!) When I got home I was surprised that many postings were made in a short period. Thanks to everybody, especially to Kaneganese.

    I think this posting of textbook is a proof that Japan didn't think that Liancourt Rocks belonged to Korea, and further more a proof that Kimotsuki didn't coax Nakai in order to "invade" Korean islands. Kimotsuki only mentioned the common sense of the world that the rocks were not Korean islands.

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  2. Nice observation.
    I think this map is referenced from Dr,Koto's Map on 1903 who are woring in Geographic department.

    http://www.geocities.jp/tanaka_kunitaka/takeshima/koto-bunjiro/

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  3. GTOMR,

    Thanks for your comment!!

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  4. By the way, anyone doesn't know what is this map?
    I picked it up somewhere but Im not sure where it was...It seems some current or hPa or some weather condition map which describes 鬱陵島 and maybe 竹島

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  5. Hi pacifist !!

    Happy New Year to you, too and welcome back. It looks like you've enjoyed the holiday a lot. I've stayed Onsen retreat for a short period, that's all. No 宮廷料理.

    And I'm glad you got the book finally. And it is interesting as you have expected. Since pro-Koreans are looking for the mistakes of old Japanese maps, we need to collect those proper ones. Good job.

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  6. I've never seen this one before, GTOMR. It looks like an interesting chart, though.

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