The purpose of this study is to examine the interaction between the Sibunkai, a controlled Confucian group in modern Japan and the Confucianists in Colonial Joseon. The results are as follows.
The Japanese Government-General of Korea had earlier plann...
The purpose of this study is to examine the interaction between the Sibunkai, a controlled Confucian group in modern Japan and the Confucianists in Colonial Joseon. The results are as follows.
The Japanese Government-General of Korea had earlier planned the worship of the Yushima Seido and a visit to the Sibunnkai of the Joseon Confucianists by the Confucianists for the purpose of Harmony between Japan and Korea(內鮮融和). After visiting the Sibunnkai and worshipping at Yushima Seido, the Joseon Confucianists they were required to listen to a lecture by a member of the Sibunnkai. After the March 1 Movement, the Japanese Government-General of Korea invited members of the Sibunkai to Joseon. After attending Munmyo-seokjeon(文廟釋奠), they gave a lecture at the conference hosted by the Gyeonghakwon(經學院). The lectures were about Japan's domination of colonial Korea and the direction of governance, emphasizing Japanese Confucianism based on Japanese nationalism. Its contents were irecorded on the Journal of Gyeonghakwon and were widely distributed and read by Confucianists across the country. On the other hand, the Sibun also contained articles of the Joseon Confucianists, and the appearance of the Joseon Confucianists reflected in the the Sibun was only an image of colonization and an object of edification.
As the Yushima Seido, which was destroyed in the Kanto Great Earthquake, was rebuilt, the Sibunkai organized the Competition of Confucius to commemorate the reconstruction of the Seidol and the Ceremony of Confucius in 1935. The Competition of Confucius was an important opportunity to inspire militarism through the theorization and propagation of the Imperial Confucianism. Joseon's personnel also participated in the judo competition, which was a major member of the Gyeonghakwon, a member of the Sibunkai, and a descendant of Confucius. They were a representative of the Joseon Confucian Association(朝鮮儒敎會), a Confucian group organized in 1932. There were also participants from people who deviated from the traditional Confucian category, such as commercial workers, culinary workers, and Japanese study experiences. Their appearance also suggests that the characteristics of colonial Joseon Confucianism have changed significantly since the 1930s from before.