"Chosen minreki": Confrontation between Traditional and Modern Knowledge

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K16337
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Sociology/History of science and technology
• Research Institution: Hiroshima Shudo University (2018); Tokyo University of Science (2016-2017)
• Principal Investigator: Miyagawa Takuya 広島修道大学, 人間環境学部, 助教 (00772782)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 朝鮮民暦 / 改暦 / 民衆時間 / 帝国日本

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research project investigated the calendrical reformation from the end of 19th century to the colonial period in Korea, focusing on "Chosen minreki," the colonial calendar edited by the Government General of Korea. I argued the reformation of lunar calendar into solar calendar in colonial Korea had the following meanings: first, the fierce intervention to Korean calendrical system by Japan started in 1909, a year before 'the official' colonization by Japan; second, the coercive reformation of calendar meant the intervention in Korean traditional astronomy and their conventional lifestyle; finally, despite imperial Japan's strong reform, daily life of most of ordinary Korean did not easily change due to the vitality of traditional life based on the long survived calendrical system.

Free Research Field

科学史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

植民地朝鮮における強制的な改暦事業の研究を通じて、本研究は、帝国日本による植民地への文化的介入は必ずしも政治的支配と時期が同一でないこと、二つ目に、暦書に対する介入を通じて朝鮮総督府は植民地の人々の伝統的宇宙観や長い時間をかけて積み上げられてきた人々の日常生活、社会的慣習・習慣への直接的な介入を試みたこと、そうして生活改変の強制にもかかわらず、人々の暮らしは簡単には変わらなかったことを示した。これらを通じて、植民地空間における支配者と被支配者の相克は、支配者側が強力な権力を背景としつつも、単純な図式では説明できない状況であったことを示すことができた。