There are not so much studies dealing with Japanese history education in a colony. Joseon because there was no history curriculum in 1910s. But it is possible to examine the contents of history education in 1910s becaue history education was performed...
There are not so much studies dealing with Japanese history education in a colony. Joseon because there was no history curriculum in 1910s. But it is possible to examine the contents of history education in 1910s becaue history education was performed through a Korean language schoolbook.
The 1st and 2nd-grade school children in a primary school were taught for 26 school hours per week, and the 3rd and 4th-grade school children were taught for 27 school hours including 10 hour language lesson. According to the principle of textbook compilation, the outline of Japanese historical geography should be added to a Korean reading book.
Book four of the Korean reading book described Susanoono Mikoto’s visit to Joseon, the story of King Seoktalhae who was produced from an egg and ancient Japan’s influence on Korea writing Hataebi’s dispatch to Baekje as a Japanese delegate. In book five writing Japanese Emperor Ojin, it was described that Korea at that time was divided into 4 kingdoms, that is, Goguryeo, Baekje, Shilla and Geumgwangaya, and lots of Korean people immigrated to Japan. And it was described that Japanese Emperor Geumsang considered the people of Korea and Taiwan as his children. In book six, regarding the part of the Sino-Japanese War, it was described that Japandispatched a Japanese army to Korea to prevent the despotism of China in Korea considering Korea as its subject state, and the Russo-Japanese War broke out to prevent the tyranny of Russia and for the peace of the East. As the Japanese Emperors’ genealogy and the summarized pedigree of ancient Japan were attached in the appendix of book eight, the Korean language reading book showed the appearance of a history textbook. Synthetically, the Korean language reading book in 1910s resembled the “Historical Geography” composed of 2 books (1938) adopted as a textbook for the 4 year elementary school afterward.
Thus, though the Korean language reading book in 1910s was not suitable for systematic history education, it was sufficient to attain the aim of education to make the people learn the reason of the dignity of Japanese national polity and understand historic mission of the nation with the Emperor as the central figure.