뉴스레터

Pre-Modern Japan's Perception of Territory, the 63th publication of the Northeast Asian History Foundation's research series, was designed to offer a historical explanation of the 'change of Japan's perception of territory' with focus on pre-modern (ancient, medieval, recent) times.Today, Japan finds itself in territorial disputes with its East Asian neighbors like Korea and China. This book explores pre-modern Japan's perception of territory to track back the origin of Japan's territorial conflicts. After all, throughout the history of mankind, peoples have established the concepts of territory and border to define their place of living, and pre-modern Japan was no exception in taking interest in territory and border. This book consisted of a total of four papers.

Japan's Perception of Territorial Boundaries Before It Became the Ancient Statute State

"Ancient Japan's Perception of Territorial Boundaries Inferred from the Yamato Regime's Territorial Expansion" (by Hong Sung-hwa, HK Professor of Korea University Center for Japanese Studies) is a study on ancient Japan's perception of territorial boundaries before it became the Statute(Statutory) State. This paper chose not to use the modern concept of borders (territorial boundaries) because it may not apply as it was to the ancient Japan that wasn't the Ritsuryou State yet. Instead, it was focused on the perception of territorial boundaries as manifested in the ancient Japanese Archipelago through the spheres of influence among the powers. The starting point of understanding ancient Japan's perception of territorial boundaries in literature is Mu(武)'s letter (上表文) found in Songseo (宋書), a book on Chinese history. We can see that this letter reflects Wa's intention of expanding its influence to the East and the West.

Nihon Shoki (The Chronicles of Japan), compiled based on Japan's post-statute imperialist view of history, is advancing the time of the formation of ancient royal authority by the Yamato regime, and it states that the Yamato regime occupied the Japanese Archipelago at an early time. However. a re-analysis of epigraphic materials such as the broadsword inscriptions (大刀銘文) of the Eta Hunayama (江田 船山) barrow, the iron sword (鐵劍銘文) inscriptions of the Inariyma (稻荷山) barrow, and the accounts of Nihon Shoki reveals that the regions stretching from Kyushu to Kanto weren't perceived and established as regions to control over at least until the 6th century. The same conclusion can be drawn from an analysis of barrows and archaeological relics such as swords with a dragon and phoenix motif in ring pommel (龍鳳紋環頭大刀). In other words, the archaeological materials found in Yamato and the whole Seto Inland Sea region around it show marked differences with the Sanin (山陰) region and other regions facing East Sea. In particular, Shimane Prefecture, known as Izumo (出雲) in ancient times, functioned as the territorial boundary with the Korean peninsula as well as with the Yamato regime.

Japan's Perception of Territorial Boundaries After the Establishment of the Ancient Statutory System

"East Asia and the Statutory State of Japan's Perception of Territorial Boundaries" (by HK Professor Song Wan-beom of Korea University Center for Japanese Studies) is a study concerning the periods subsequent to the establishment of the ancient Ritsuryou system. In research on the ancient Japanese 'perception of territorial boundaries,' relevant cases are examined from the perspectives of archaeology and history, naturally exposing us to the overall 'boundary culture' of Japan's 'territorial boundaries.' For example, the cases of Moin (毛人) and Byunwon (辺遠) were used to examine the existence of foreign lands completely distinct form Sinicization established within the control system of the ancient state. For example, the Four Devas faith was originally to prevent surrender by Silla's plan, but it became considered faith to prevent plague from 807 onwards, and then to prevent plague by the wrath of Mount. Aso (阿蘇) in the case of Shioin (四王院) within the Ono (小野) Castle in 869. This change implies the altered awareness that the Four Devas faith would be necessary for regions facing abstract foreign enemies breaking into the center of the country from the outside and spreading plague, instead of real, military foreign enemies. Behind this change of the Four Devas faith was so-called the 'Oudooumin (王土王民)' ideology by which ancient Japan acknowledged the object of its rule and recognized the justification of its rule again. After all, we can understand that the altered nature of the Four Devas faith caused the ruling class of Japan to consider the royal domain to be territory as a closed space, and that the 9th-century change of the faith of protecting the 'cleanness (淨)' of national domain from foreign lands full of 'dirtiness (穢)' influenced the Ritsuryou State's altered perception of frontiers.

Research on Medieval and Modern Japan's Perception of Territory

The chosen topic for research on medieval Japan's perception of territory was "Medieval Japan's Perception of Territory in View of Old Maps at Home and Abroad" (by Kim Bo-han, Professor of Dankook University). According to the concepts of 'cleanness' and 'dirtiness' that defined territorial boundaries under the ancient Ritsuryou system, by the medieval period, there was the Western State at the center of 'cleanness,' there were the Eastern State and many states of Southern Kyushu as its neighbors, there were Tsuhima, Ikiwa, and a number of islands scattered around them on the borderline, and there were Ryukyu (琉球) and Goryeo (Joseon) in the foreign lands of 'dirtiness.' But immediately after Mongolia's invasion of Japan, medieval Japan's conceptual perception of territorial boundaries developed a dichotomous tendency, placing the Western State, the Eastern State, and Kyushu in the region of 'cleanness,' and Mongle (Goryeo) in the region of 'dirtiness.' Medieval Japan's such dichotomous perception of territorial boundaries is well reflected in the medieval maps of Japan.

Finally, the chosen research topic for modern periods was "A Study on the Change of Pre-Modern Japan's 'Three-Island Territorial View'" (by Shin Dong-kyu, Professor of Dong-A University). Assuming that pre-modern Japan's perception of territory was restricted to what we call the Three-Island Territorial View which perceived Japan's territory as Kyushu, Shikoku (四國), Honshu (本州), and their annexed islands, the author used the old maps to study the change of the Three-Island Territorial View over periods of time. Inodo (伊能圖) is the map made by the shogunate government in the 19th century, featuring the whole of Ezochi, a part of Karahuto (Sakhalin), and Kunasirito (國後島) at the top. The map itself illustrates utter destruction of the Three-Island Territorial View, and it is the first map of Japan where the Four-Island Territorial View appeared. However, Inodo was a map for the shogunate's use only, not allowed to be made available to the public. Actually popular among the people until the end of the Edo period were maps by private makers based on the Three-Island Territorial View and used for decorative purposes. The Government-Compiled Survey Map of Japan (官板實測日本地圖, 1867), the last map of the Edo shogunate, was added with the whole of Karahuto, as well as Kunasirito shown in Inodo, and Etorohuto (澤捉島)․Habomai Islands (齒舞群島)․Shikotanto (色丹島), areas currently under territorial dispute with Russia. And it was the first survey map to include Ryukyu. The Government-Compiled Survey Map of Japan, along with Inodo, heralded the collapse of the Three-Island Territorial View, and it was like a prelude to Japan's territorial expansion and disputes to come. With the downfall of the Edo shogunate and the establishment of the Meiji government, the premodern Three-Island Territorial View turned into the Four-Island Territorial View. In other words, the Four-Island Territorial View, centered on the four major islands of Kyushu, Shikoko, Honshu, and Hokkaido, was developed, which placed Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu at the center, Hokkaido and the Kuril Islands at the top, and the Ryukyu Islands at the bottom. In this respect, one can suppose that Japan's contemporary territorial disputes originated from the transition to the 'Four-Island Territorial View' that their territory consisted of Kyushu, Sikoku, Honshu, and Hokkaido plus annexed islands (including the Kuril Islands and the Ryukyu Islands).

This book is an attempt at a systematic analysis of the perception of territory reflected in old maps from medieval and modern times. a comprehensive history of which hasn't been studied before. Therefore, I think that it will have large benefits in terms of the use of fundamental historical records related to Japan's perception of territory. In addition, I expect this book to lay an important foundation of information to identify the origin of the controversies over territory around the Japanese Archipelago that arose in East Asia during the modern and contemporary times.