明治 일본의 조선 지식

Japanese’ knowledge about Chosun in Meiji era

朝鮮聞見錄 was written in 1875, i.e., the year of the Kanghwa Island Incident, by Sadahakubo(佐田白茅), a former official at the Foreign Ministry, on the basis of the materials and knowledge he collected and accumulated in December of 1869 during his stay in Susima Island and Chosun. This book was the first Chosun-inspection account compiled in Japan at a time when few materials and books giving information about the then circumstances of Chosun were existent with an exception of Susima Island. 朝鮮聞見錄 was a byproduct of the dispatch of the Sada(佐田) research team to Chosun. The research was conducted in Susima Island and Busan with methods of inspection and interviews. It is notable that the work was written about the situations of Chosun in a more objective viewpoint than his other works. 朝鮮聞見錄 can be said to have performed a pioneering role of introducing knowledge and information about Korea to Japan and the Japanese people in the early Meiji Era, a period when relationship between the two countries was delicate due to the problem of reestablishing diplomatic relationship. Though the statements and observations made in 朝鮮聞見錄 about various aspects of Chosun should be further checked and compared with records made on the part of Chosun, it is certain that they are very valuable. I, accordingly, think that this book will be utilized as a valuable material in the future investigation of Chosun’s history in the fields of economics and society as well as of politics and diplomacy and will help us to enlarge our understanding of how peoples of the two countries perceive one another in this period.