Category: Imperial Way

Moment of Silence

Koreans in Seoul streetcar observing mandatory daily Moment of Silence at noon in 1943 to honor Imperial soldiers; caption reads “they offer infinite gratitude for the blood-soaked toil of the generals who are fighting valiantly to destroy the U.S. and Britain on the pathetically brutal front lines”

2022-12-06

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This photo captures a scene inside a Seoul streetcar in 1943 as the passengers respond to the sound of sirens

Daily Life

Onerous regulations prescribing long lists of permissible and forbidden types of clothing were imposed on Koreans in 1943 to promote a ‘minimalist lifestyle’ of ‘Japanese beauty and simplicity’ in the name of wartime resource conservation

2022-11-11

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In September 1943, almost two years into waging war against the United States and Britain, facing extreme shortages in everything

Moment of Silence

Everyone in Korea was required to immediately stop exactly at 7 am for the Kyūjō Yōhai prayer vowing loyalty to the Emperor and at noon for the moment of silence honoring Imperial soldiers, even cars and trains had to immediately stop in the middle of traffic at the same time for prayers (Aug. 1943)

2022-10-29

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In Japan-colonized Korea, everyone was required to perform the daily 7 am and 12 noon prayers. These 7 am and

School

A back-to-school article telling Korean parents what their children would expect on their first day at Imperial Japanese elementary school: Shinto prayers to the Emperor, a free piece of bread for lunch, students were encouraged to earn their own money to buy some school supplies (April 1944, Seoul)

2022-10-25

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Imagine you are parent in 1944 Seoul and it is April, the beginning of the new school year. You are

Japanese Language

Young Korean teachers teach children the ‘will to fight and destroy the U.S. and Britain’ and the Imperial Way of Labor where ‘every stalk of grass and every tree’ is connected to the Japanese nation and everything in the villages is ‘all solely dedicated to the Emperor’ (Sosa, 1943)

2022-10-10

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This is a ‘feel-good, heartwarming’ story of a novice teacher who gradually gets used to teaching her fourth grade students

Uncategorized

Young Korean men were ‘beaten into shape’ at militaristic farmers’ dōjō (Imperial Japanese training indoctrination camp) to cultivate the next generation of rural Korean leaders who would spread the Imperial Way of farming throughout the Korean countryside (Daejeon, 1943)

2022-07-18

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This is my translation and transcription of a news article from Keijo Nippo, a propaganda newspaper and mouthpiece of the

Imperial Way

Propaganda editorials about Shinto shrines built in every township in Korea so Koreans don’t feel so ‘lonely and empty in their hearts’ and Korea can become a ‘paradise truly in accordance with the Imperial Way’ where every Korean is required to perform the Jingu Taima exorcism ceremony at home

2022-06-20

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This is my translation and transcription of two news editorials from Keijo Nippo, a propaganda newspaper and mouthpiece of the

Imperial Way

Propaganda articles say Koreans men are cowards because of ‘literary effeminacy’ and too much filial piety toward Korean parents who ‘just play around and live off their children’s income’ after age 50, and resolves to ‘reshape’ Korean Confucianism by ‘beating it’ into a Japanese form (1943)

2022-06-09

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This is my translation and transcription of two news articles from Keijo Nippo, a propaganda newspaper and mouthpiece of the

School

Converted Korean ‘ideological criminals’ (a.k.a. independence activists) at ‘Yamato Cram School’ tearfully apologize for fighting against Imperial Japan and are spellbound as Governor Koiso explains in propaganda speech that the greatest significance of life is hidden in Japanese mythology (1943)

2022-05-31

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This is my translation and transcription of a news article from Keijo Nippo, a propaganda newspaper and mouthpiece of the

Imperial Way

Imperial Japanese penal officials brag about brainwashing Korean ‘ideological criminals’ (a.k.a. independence activists) in ‘Yamato cram schools’ and converting them into enthusiastic collaborators willing to die shouting ‘Banzai to the Emperor!’ (Seoul 1943)

2022-05-23

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These are very interesting articles describing Korean ‘ideological criminals’, many of whom had upper class Yangban backgrounds, and how they