Brokers of Empire: Japanese Settler Colonialism in Korea, 1876–1945

512 Pages·2011·4.844 MB·English

by  Jun Uchida

Brokers of Empire
Japanese Settler Colonialism in Korea,
1876–1945

Harvard East Asian Monographs 337

Brokers of Empire
Japanese Settler Colonialism in Korea,
1876–1945
Jun Uchida

Published by the Harvard University Asia Center
and distributed by Harvard University Press
Cambridge (Massachusetts) and London, 2011
© 2011 by The President and Fellows of Harvard College

Printed in the United States of America

The Harvard University Asia Center publishes a monograph series and, in coordination with the
Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, the Korea Institute, the Reischauer Institute of Japanese
Studies, and other faculties and institutes, administers research projects designed to further schol-
arly understanding of China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and other Asian countries The Center also
sponsors projects addressing multidisciplinary and regional issues in Asia

Publication of this book was partially underwritten by the Academy of Korean Studies Institution-
al Grant at the Korea Institute, Harvard University

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Uchida, Jun
Brokers of empire : Japanese settler colonialism in Korea, 1876–1945 / Jun Uchida
p cm -- (Harvard East Asian monographs ; 337)
Includes bibliographical references and index
ISBN 978-0-674-06253-5 (hardcover : alk paper)
ISBN 978-0-674-49202-8 (pbk : alk paper)
1 Korea--History--Japanese occupation, 1910–1945 2 Korea--History—1864–1910 3
Korea--Colonization--History 4 Japanese--Colonization--History 5 Japanese--Korea--History
6 Colonists--Korea--History 7 Japan--Colonies--Administration I Harvard University Asia
Center II Title
DS91654U32 2011
9519'03--dc23
2011019693

Index by the author

Printed on acid-free paper

First paperback edition 2014

Cover illustration: (top) Detail from “Japanese Empire—Political,” Times Survey Atlas of the World,
ed John Bartholomew and Edinburgh Geographical Institute (London: The Times, 1922), plate 65
© 2005 David Rumsey Historical Map Collection, wwwdavidrumseycom (bottom) “Kyoryū
mindan teppai tōji no giin” (Japanese leaders of the Seoul Residents’ Association at the time of its
abolition) Ōmura Tomonojō, Keijō kaikoroku (Keijō: Chōsen Kenkyūkai, 1922)

Last figure below indicates year of this printing
21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14
To my mother,
Keiko Uchida

Acknowledgments
This book is a product of a long intellectual journey that began as a
dissertation project, coursed through the shifting currents of scholar-
ship on empire, and has left me with still more questions to explore. In
the course of this decade-long endeavor, I have accumulated enormous
debts to my teachers, colleagues, and friends who have given me sup-
port, criticism, and inspiration that are etched on the following pages.
Andrew Gordon guided my project through the dissertation phase
as the most generous reader as well as the most perceptive critic. His
keen analytical mind penetrated my writing at various stages of its evo-
lution and nurtured my overall sensibilities as a historian. For his un-
flagging support and mentorship, I am forever in his debt. During my
two-year fieldwork in Japan and Korea, I was blessed to have another
mentor, Kimura Kenji, a pioneering scholar of Japanese settlers in
Korea. Kimura sensei took me under his wing and shared with me his
wisdom and expert knowledge of the sources and archives that were
all indispensable to my research. In the course of writing, I received
further support and inspiration from scholars who have opened new
lines of inquiry into the history of colonial Korea. Peter Duus, whose
study of the Japanese activities in pre-annexation Korea serves as a
guidepost for this book, read and commented on my entire dissertation
draft despite its volume. Carter Eckert, though his seminars and his
work on colonial capitalism, taught me the complexities of Korean his-
tory and the importance of engaging with Korea in order to understand
the rise of modern Japan.
viii Acknowledgments
During my fieldwork in Japan and Korea, I had the opportunity to
immerse myself in a diverse network of professional historians, in-
dependent researchers, and graduate students who shared their ideas and
in-depth knowledge of local archives with me. I owe special thanks to
Yoshizawa Kayoko for her friendship and introduction to her scholarly
circles. My research and analysis of primary sources benefited greatly
from the guidance and criticism of Hashiya Hiroshi, Higuchi Yūichi, Ita-
gaki Ryūta, Kamiya Niji, Hyung-gu Lynn, Sin Chang-gon, Sŏn Chae-wŏn,
Takasaki Sōji, Yi Hyeong-nang, and Yoshida Mitsuo. For enlightening
me with their own work and knowledge, I must also thank Mark Caprio,
Kasuya Ken’ichi, Ōhama Ikuko, Ōkubo Yuri, and Ken Robinson.
My archival “dig” was supported by a more extensive list of individu-
als and institutions. In Japan, I would especially like to thank Kawa
Kaoru, Tsuji Hironori, and the staff of the Yūhō Archive at Gakushūin
University for introducing me to rare and unpublished sources on
settlers and transcriptions of recorded interviews of former colonial
bureaucrats. I am equally grateful to Pak Chae-il and Kōno Yasunori
of the Cultural Center Arirang, another archival gem, for letting me stay
in the stacks for extended hours. I thank the Institute for Social Science
at the University of Tokyo for hosting me as a visiting researcher and
allowing me access to the university’s various libraries. I was also glad
to use the National Diet Library, Yokohama National University Library,
and Waseda University’s Central Library.
In Korea, I owe special gratitude to Hŏ Yŏng-nang and the staff of
the Kuksa P’yŏnch’an Wiwŏnhoe for introducing me to its enormous
digital archive and allowing me to use uncataloged materials especially
police reports. In exploring the colonial documents housed at Korea
Central National Library, Seoul National University, and Korea Univer-
sity in Seoul, I obtained generous help and guidance from Anzako Yuka,
Chŏng Chae-ch’ŏl, Chŏng Chae-jŏng, and Pak Sŭng-jun. The kind staff
of the Naksŏngdae Archive and the Seoul City Research Institute at
Seoul City University provided service and assistance beyond the call
of duty. And I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to Ms. Yi Suk-cha
for her tremendous hospitality in hosting my research stay in Seoul.
In the United States, the staff at Harvard-Yenching Library, Stanford
University’s East Asian Library (especially Kyung-mi Chung and Naomi
Kotake), and C. V. Starr East Asian Library at the University of Cali-
Acknowledgments ix
fornia, Berkeley (especially Hisayuki Ishimatsu) made themselves avail-
able to help me even at short notice. I also thank Christine Cho and
Tsūdō Ayumi for helping me complete my bibliography, and David
Fedman for reading over the proofs.
I owe a particular debt of gratitude to the many individuals who
agreed to meet with me for interviews and respond to my questionnaires.
I would like to thank members of the Chūō Nikkan Kyōkai especially
Fujimoto Hideo, Aoki Etsuko, and Kudō Masumi, all of whom sadly
passed away before this project saw completion. Nakao Minoru, who
over many years headed the umbrella organization of settler school
alumni associations, helped me circulate my questionnaires and put
me in touch with a variety of settler repatriates’ organizations. For fa-
cilitating my interviews in Korea, I am grateful to Yi Po-hye and Sasaki
Kuniyuki who invited me to attend the school reunion of his alma mater,
Seoul Industrial School. I would like to thank his former Korean class-
mates for taking the time to meet with me and sharing their colonial
experiences anonymously.
In the course of transforming my dissertation into a book, I produced
multiple iterations of the manuscript that were read by still more in-
dividuals who offered me invaluable comments and criticisms. I would
like to thank Miranda Brown, Caroline Elkins, Julian Go, Thomas R. H.
Havens, and Louise Young for reading some revised chapters of my
dissertation. Lieba Faier and Theodore Jun Yoo, as well as my current
and former JFRoG comrades (David Como, Zephyr Frank, Sean Han-
retta, Yumi Moon, Tom Mullaney, Caroline Winterer) kindly read and
helped me rewrite the introduction. And I am deeply grateful to Carol
Gluck, Yoshihisa Tak Matsusaka, Andre Schmid, and Eiko Maruko
Siniawer for reading and commenting on all or parts of my book manu-
script just as it began to take shape.
In the final stage of my serial revision, many colleagues and friends
at Stanford came to my aid to ensure the book’s timely completion.
The entire cohort of historians of East Asia—Mark Lewis, Yumi Moon,
Tom Mullaney, Gi-Wook Shin, Matt Sommer, and Kären Wigen—read
and critiqued the final version of my manuscript by organizing a work-
shop for me. Kären Wigen, who has guided me with grace and intellec-
tual generosity since my arrival, went out of her way to comment on my
writing at the sentence level. Richard Roberts also read my manuscript
x Acknowledgments
in its entirety and provided me with critical feedback that helped me
clarify and deepen my comparative observations on colonial Africa.
And Allyson Hobbs frequently let me brainstorm with her about key
passages in the text. My gratitude to these colleagues and friends is
beyond words.
This book also builds on valuable insights and feedback I gained from
conversations with the following people: my fellow dissertation writers
Marjan Boogert, Michael Burtscher, Matthew Fraleigh, Chong Bum
Kim, Yōichi Nakano, Izumi Nakayama, Jin Kyu Robertson, Hiraku
Shimoda, and Karen Thornber; my fellow post-docs, Jessie Abel, Jona-
than Abel, Chelsea Foxwell, Todd Henry, Ayu Majima, Trent Maxey,
and Se-Mi Oh; and scholars I met at conferences and workshops, espe-
cially Alexis Dudden, Henry Em, and Erik Esselstrom. Moreover, I fre-
quently bounced my ideas off Cemil Aydin, Kyu Hyun Kim, Hyung Gu
Lynn, and Yōsuke Nirei, each of whom has provided me with a model
of transnational scholarship to which I aspire. And to Sue Jean Cho
and Joe Wicentowski, my sincere thanks for giving me moral as well as
intellectual support when I needed it the most.
I am extremely grateful to William Hammell of the Harvard Univer-
sity Asia Center for his care, expertise, and patience with which he
guided me through the entire process of publication. I must also thank
two anonymous reviewers, one of whom, in a 30-page report, pain-
stakingly combed through my long-winded manuscript to point out what
did and did not belong in this book. I have done my best to incorporate
their most pointed criticisms, which helped me to trim the manuscript
and bring it back to my original focus and question.
Although I relied heavily on the help of many individuals as noted
above, I take the sole responsibility for all flaws and shortcomings in
this book. If one of them may still be its length or level of detail, it
reflects my on-going struggle to contribute to the divergent scholarly
worlds of Japan, Korea, and North America.
The research and writing of this book were generously funded by the
Social Science Research Council, the Korea Institute and the Reischauer
Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University, the Matsushita
Foundation, the Northeast Asia Council of the Association for Asian
Studies, the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, and
the Center for East Asian Studies at Stanford University. In particular,