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The Conflict of Japanese researchers and Emergence of new researchers around 『Joseonsa』(朝鮮史, compiled by Joseonsa P’yŏnsuhoe) compilation

  • The Review of Korean History
  • 2014, (116), pp.143-194
  • Publisher : The Historical Society Of Korea
  • Research Area : Humanities > History

Jeong, Sang woo 1

1서울대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

In general, Compilation of 『Joseonsa(朝鮮史)』 is evaluated as the center of colonial histories. Around the Compilation of 『Joseonsa』, Japanese researchers had conflict in order to gain the initiative of the project. In addition, the project was due to the prolonged, new researchers had been appointed in 1930’s. This paper is to view the conflict in the Joseonsa P’yŏnsuhoe and function of P’yŏnsuhoe focusing on personnel issues. Compilation of 『Joseonsa』 was a project that replace the “the compilation of Joseon-Peninsula-history(朝鮮半島史 編纂事業)” that were made previously. Kuroita Katsumi(黑板勝美) and Naitō Konan(內藤湖南), which organized Compilation of 『Joseonsa』 were to eliminate as much as possible the stakeholders of researches carried out in the past of the Japanese Government-General, tried to monopolize the project. For this purpose, Kuroita and Naitō wanted to appoint a new person who had no relationship with Joseon. This led to the appointment of Suematsu Yasukazu(末松保和) and Nakamura Hidetaka(中村榮孝), starting with participation of Inaba Iwakichi(稻葉岩吉) in the project. They led the project by seizing the main location for the Compilation of 『Joseonsa』, while full-time to the Joseonsa P’yŏnsuhoe. By this, historians who had been involved in the researches carried out in the past of the Japanese Government-General went away from the P’yŏnsuhoe. In this process, Imanishi Ryu(今西龍) who was deeply related in the past researches submitted his resignation to the P’yŏnsuhoe and came into conflict with Kuroita․Inaba. Meanwhile, as the Compilation of 『Joseonsa』 wag prolonged, participation of new researchers who were unrelated to the past researches further increased. Researchers, newly participated in the Compilation of 『Joseonsa』, majored in history at the Imperial University in Keijo or Tokyo. After all, 『Joseonsa』 was completed in March 1938, lending a hand of young researchers who was just fresh out of University wearing a baptism of so-called “modern history”. However, in the 1930s, which began to be published 『Joseonsa』, the study of Joseon history in academia was being gone. Joseon history courses had disappeared in Tokyo and Kyoto University, collegians who majored in Joseon history was reduced noticeable in Keijo University. In this way when the interest in Joseon history fell down in academia, elite researchers who majored in history at the Imperial University joined the P’yŏnsuhoe. They were able to easily access to historical materials for studying Joseon history, and had to arrange it for the Compilation of 『Joseonsa』. The Compilation of 『Joseonsa』 was an opportunity of studying Joseon history to them, and they presented the results of the study, mainly on 『Chŏguhakchong(靑丘學叢)』. In other words, the P’yŏnsuhoe that didn’t pursue the research institutions brought together the elite-historians at that time and induced them to study Joseon history in the process of the Compilation of 『Joseonsa』. In this sense, the P’yŏnsuhoe was the largest group of studying Joseon history at that time. In 1930’s Joseon history researches could be continued by compilers of 『Joseonsa』 who were gathered in the P’yŏnsuhoe. In other words, the P’yŏnsuhoe without advocating research institutions showed off the “fairness” of the project that collection and compilation of historical materials, but played a role to reproduce researchers of Joseon history, served as a center institutions of colonial history.

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