Dokdo and the Early 20th Century Japanese Territorial Perceptions

The historical facts of the Dokdo - Takeshima Island dispute

The following images are various Japanese documents related to both Korea's Ulleungdo Island and her nieghbor island Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo) The purpose is to determine the territorial perceptions of those Japanese who "resided" on Ulleungdo as well as those who fished around Dokdo Island. How did Japanese percieve these islands? Did they consider Dokdo Japanese land? From a political standpoint, we know Japan as a nation did not consider Dokdo part of Japan this can be seen on numerous historical national maps of Japan found here. map1 map2 map3 map4 . We also know the highest authority in Japan concluded that Ulleungdo and other islands were not part of Shimane in this document (link) This page deals less with the politcal views of Japan but rather those Japanese who had an intimate knowledge of the region. Through the following documents we can ascertain if the activities of these Japanese nationals are a valid basis for Japan's historical claim to Dokdo.

An Overview of the East Sea (Sea of Japan)

A basic study of the geography of the region shows us what exactly the Japanese fishermen had to contend with in order to harvest the abundant marine resources Korea's Ulleungdo Island and Dokdo had to offer. First, the distance to Dokdo Island made it impractical, if not impossible to fish directly to and from the Japanese mainland to the islets. Fishing from the nearest Japanese land would mean a journey of over 300kms return. The early 20th Century was still the era of steamships and sailboats and historical records show the fishing vessels of these Japanese were quite modest. The 20th Century documents that follow, record the problems Japanese fishermen had with fresh water on Dokdo. This hampered Japanese access to the island and limited the duration they could stay. These factors would play a role in determining whether or not Japanese nationals who voyaged to the region considered Dokdo part of Japan or as appended to Ulleungdo Island.

The 1901 Japanese Black Dragon Fishing Guide

In 1901 the Shimane Prefecture based fishing organization The Black Dragon Society printed the book ùÛú­÷×åÛò¦öÜ or Chosun (Korean) Ocean Fishing Manual. The Black Dragons were an ultranationalist organization whose views were considered extremely right-wing during Japan's expansionist era. This publication was printed in early March of 1901.

The above images are the cover of the Black Dragon Fishing guide. The date written is March 6th 34th year of Meiji (1901)

Both the 1901 and 1903 editions of the Black Dragon Fishing guide list Yankodo (Dokdo) in the same manner. On page 90 the chapter descibing Gangwan Province, Korea begins. Later on page 93, in the same chapter, there is a passage describing Dokdo. The most relevant information highlighted for the readers states "Koreans and Japanese fishermen call this island Yangkodo..." This fishing guide was published in March of 1901 for the upcoming fishing season. Thus the data regarding Dokdo was gathered from the previous year (1900). This small passage confirms Korean cognizance of Dokdo at least five years before the Japanese annexed the so-called "ownerless island." Also, it can be confirmed Koreans on Ulleungdo were aware of Dokdo at the time Ordinance 41 incorporating the islets was declared in October of 1900. (See Link)

The 1901 Edition of The Japanese Black Dragon Guide lists Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo) under Korea's Gangwan Province. It also confirms Korean cognizance of Dokdo at least five years before the Japanese annexed the island.

The 1903 Japanese Black Dragon Fishing Guide

The images above are pages from a Japanese right-wing group called the Black Dragons. On the second page above, Dokdo is listed under Gangwon Province (Korea) and bracketed under Ulleungdo Island. In addition the manual is titled  The Black Dragon's Chosun Fishing Guide.

Translation of the 1903 Japanese Black Dragon Fishing Guide.

The second page above is the Black Dragon Chosun Fishing Guide's index (click image). Highlighted in red by the author is the subtitle for Korea's Gangwan Province and bracketed below is "Yangkodo" or Liancourt Rocks. This shows that those Japanese fishermen who frequented the region regarded Dokdo as both part of Korea (Gangwan Province) and as an appended island of Ulleungdo. Surely, if the Japanese fishermen of the day regarded Liancourt Rocks as part of Japan, the island would not be in a Korean fishing manual listed under the jurisdiction of Gangwan Province and bracketed under Korea's Ulleungdo Island. The relevent text is as follows: "...About 30-ri south-east of Ulleungdo, and almost the same distance north-west from Japan¡¯s Oki county, there is an uninhabited island. One can see it from the highest point of ߣÜç (mountain) in Ulleungdo when the weather is fine. Korean and Japanese fishermen call it ¡°Yanko¡±, its length is about 10-cho. Its coast is full of bends and twists, thus, it¡¯s easy for fishing boats to be in anchor and to escape winds and waves. However, it is very difficult to get firewood and drinking water, one can dig the ground for several shaku (1.0 ? 1.5meters) from the surface but hard to get water. There is an abundance of sea lions that live on the island and the area around the island has many abalone, sea cucumber and agar. A few years ago. a ship with diving equipment from Yamaguchi prefecture went fishing but they couldn't engage in this business and went home as they were obstructed by many sea lions while they were diving and because due to a shortage of drinking water. It's concluded that the obstruction may have been because of period of giving birth, since it was just May or June. There are good locations for wickerwork shark trapping around there, longline fishing boats from Oita prefecture went shark fishing there in May or June since several years before. We asked a fisherman who returned from the points last spring and he said that although he couldn¡¯t say they got enough catch because he had been there for only two or three times but he also added that they got a certain catch every year. He then said that from his professional point of view after viewing the state of the wickerwork fish trap and how sharks and fish were living, it was likely that the area would be a good fishing ground in the future. This island is worth looking into for business..." The above document is confirmation of a few facts. First Japanese Takeshima lobbyists have often doubted Korean assertions that Dokdo was visible from Ulleungdo. However, the 1903 Black Dragon's Chosun Fishing Manual is documented historical proof that Dokdo is in fact visible from Ulleungdo's peaks. Korean cognizance of Dokdo is also confirmed by the Black Dragon's Chosun fishing manual. It is clearly stated Korean and Japanese fishermen call this island Yangko (dialect of Liancourt). This Japanese document is confirmation of Korea's awareness of Dokdo about three years before the Japanese military annexed the island in 1905. Dokdo Island's lack of drinking water is also mentioned here. This would severly hamper the ability of Japanese to stay on Liancourt Rocks for any extended period of time or to venture there from distant territories such as mainland Japan itself.

The 1904 Japanese Guide to Business in Korea

In 1904 this guide was published for the purpose of informing Japanese nationals the nature of doing business in Korea. Within this publication was a section about business (fishing etc.) in Kangwan Province. This book treats Dokdo Island (Liancourt-Yankodo) is much the same way as the Japanese Black Dragon Fishing manual in how it lists Ulleungdo and Dokdo. On the center page above can be seen the heading for Kangwan Province (Ë°ê«Ô³) with Ulleungdo (ê¦×ÕÓö) as the next chapter. The following page continues from there and the next chapter gives a brief description of "Yangkodo-«ä«ó«³Óö" (Dokdo) The following chapter describes Jukpyeon on Korea's mainland in Kangwando. In other words this manual again lists Dokdo more as Korean territory. The page itself decribing Dokdo  is titled "Korean Business Guide" Below is a translation of the relevent text: Yankodo (Liancourt Rocks/Dokdo) Yankodo is in the center between Ulleungdo and Japan's Oki Island at a distance of about 30ri.  Even if mooring is available offshore, it's difficult to find firewood and drinking water. Abalone, sea cucumber, agar-agar can be harvested offshore. Even though many sharks inhabit the waters, many can't be caught because of the sealions in the area.

A 1902 Japanese Status Report Regarding the Situtation On Ulleungdo Island

Section 2 - Situation of Korean Residents on the Island There are no Koreans on this island who lived there since ancient times. Twenty-one years ago four people immigrated from Gangwon Province (Ë°ê«Ô³): Bae Gye-ju (ÛÑÌùñ²)¡¢Kim Dae-mok (ÑÑÓÞÙÊ)¡¢Byeon Gyeong-un (ܦÌ×éö)¡¢and Jeon Sa-il (ï£ÞÍìí). They reclaimed land between the mountains, made farming land, and worked as farmers. The following year Hwang Jong-hae (?ñ¤ú­)¡¢Choi Do-su (õËÓöáú)¡¢Jeon Sa-un (ï£ÞÍê£)¡¢Kim Hwa-cho (ÑÑü£õ¡)¡¢Hong Bong-yo (ûóÜåèë)¡¢and Lee Son-pal (×ÝáÝø¢) came from the Gangneung region of Gangwon Province (Ë°ê«Ô³Ë°×Õò¢Û°), and Jang Kyeon-i (íåÌ×ì¥) came from somewhere in the Cholla Province (îïÔþÔ³). All together seven people came to the island. Every year since then, many people immigrated from four provinces: Gangwon (Ë°ê«), Gyeongsang (ÌÔ?), Hamgyeong (ùàÌð), and Cholla (îïÔþ). Their homes were scattered, and they cultivated the land in earnest, engaging wholly in farming. There are only a few who engaged in fishing. The soil in the southeast portion of the island is black and better than the soil on the Joseon mainland. However, the northwest portion of the island is barren land and farming is not productive.

Locations of Koreans and Japanese on Ulleungdo 1902

The publication above is a valuable source of information because it also tells us the locations of Korean residents and those Japanese who visited Ulleungdo Island. Below are listed the number of Korean and Japanese households in each village as well as a Japanese historical map of Ulleungdo showing the relevant areas. Click all maps for a larger image.

Dodong (Ô³Ô×) - 27 Korean; 36 Japanese Bokdong (ÜÑÔ×) - 10 Korean; 2 Japanese Jungryeong (ñéÖº) - 30 Korean; 2 Japanese Tonggumi (÷×ÏÏÚ­) - 20 Korean; 5 Japanese Gul-am (ÏßäÜ) - 7 Korean Sanmak-gok (ߣحÍÛ) - 26 Korean Hyangmokdong (úÅÙÊÔ×) - 17 Korean Sinchon (ãæõ½) - 35 Korean; 1 Japanese Chusan (õÞߣ) - 7 Korean; 1 Japanese Cheonnyeon-po (ô¶Ò´øÝ) - 6 Korean Cheonbudong (ô¸Ý¤Ô×) - 16 Korean Jongseokdong (ïÍà´Ô×) - 20 Korean Naesujeon (Ò¬áúï£) - 11 Korean; 2 Japanese Sagongnam (ÞãÍïÑõ) - 2 Korean Sadong (ÞÞÔ×) - 40 Korean; 2 Japanese Sinri (ãæ×ì) - 7 Korean Ganryeong (ÊàÖº) - 10 Korean Namyangdong (ÑõåÕÔ×) - 57 Korean; 9 Japanese Sucheung (â©öµ) - 1 Korean; 1 Japanese Daehadong (ÓæùÇÔ×) - 34 Korean; 6 Japanese Hyeon-po (úÜøÝ) - 50 Korean Gwangam (ÎÃäÛ) - 10 Korean Naridong (ÑÜ×ìÔ×) - 30 Korean Changdong (óãÔ×) - 6 Korean; 2 Japanese Jukam (ñÓäÛ) - 11 Korean; 5 Japanese Wadalli (èÂÓ¹×ì) - 2 Korean Jeodong (îÈÔ×) - 62 Korean; 5 Japanese

This Japanese historcial map of Ulleungdo is labelled to show the number of Korean households in each village on the island. (click map to view)

The map to the right illustrates the difference between Korean and Japanese "residents" of Ulleungdo Island at the turn of the 20th Century. This chart shows the location of the Japanese Naval watchtowers installed on Ulleungdo. At the bottom of this map there is a key explaining the locations of Korean and Japanese villiages. The Japanese villages are described as "ìíÜâìÑÝ»ÑæËÜ׺" and the Korean settlements are described as "ùÛìÑÝ»Ñæ". Translated this means Japanese settlements on foreign land and Korean settlements. This clearly demonstrates the Japanese presence on Ulleungdo was seen as transient or temporary. With the activities of Japanese on Liancourt conducted almost exclusively through this illegal squatting on Ulleungdo, it's unlikely they considered Liancourt Rocks as part of Japan.

This Japanese map describes the Japanese "residents" on Ulleungdo as temporary  or staying on foreign land.

Section 7 - The Fishing Situation The fishing season on the island is usually from March to September, and the marine products are only abalone, blowfish. agar weed, laver, and a few kinds of wakame seaweed. Most fishermen come from Amakusa of Kumamoto (ê¨Üâ«Îô¸õ®), Oki in Shimane (ÓöÐÆ«Î?Ð÷) and Shima region in Mie (ß²ñì«Îò¤Ø¤ò¢Û°). There are absolutely no Korean fishermen on the island, but many do come each year from Samdo (ß²Óö) in Cholla Province (îïÔþÔ³) to collect the brown seaweed (wakame) which grows thickly on the seashore. [Samdo (ß²Óö) was present-day Keomundo (ËÝÙþÓö).] Also, about fifty nautical ri due east from the island, there are three small islands called "Ryanko-do" (Liancourt Rocks), which Japanese residents call Matsushima. There is abalone on the island, so some fishermen go there. However, drinking water on the island is scarce, so it is impossible to fish there for long periods. They come back to this island (Ulleungdo) after four or five days there. The above section regarding fishing on Ulleungdo confirms some facts.  Japanese Takeshima lobbyists have long asserted those Koreans who resided on Ulleungdo were farmers and lacked the nautical skills to have sailed to Dokdo. However, as stated above, many Koreans on Ulleungdo sailed annually to Ulleungdo from as far away as Geomundo in Cholla Province. This is a distance of about 550kms which is quite incredible. As far back as Leegyuwon's 1882 survey and diary of Ulleungdo it was also recorded Koreans came to Ulleungdo by boat from Geomunddo, Chodo, and Nagan of Jolla Province. Leegyuwon among others recorded these Koreans as carpenters and building boats on Ulleungdo from the abundance of timber.

The map above shows how far some Koreans sailed from Jolla Province every year to Ulleungdo. These activites were recorded at least decades before the Japanese annexed Dokdo Islands.

The other portion of section seven gives us a brief insight of Japanese activities on Yankodo (Liancourt Rocks)  Japanese fishing on Liancourt was done from Ulleungdo not due to preference but rather out of necessity. Dokdo's lack of fresh water limited the duration these fishermen could stay. These fishermen it seems could not have fished on Liancourt directly from Japan. Travelling from Oki Islands would more than doubled their travel time, left them exposed to the elements and expended their fresh water. As mentioned, fishing on Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo) from the Japanese mainland was impractical, if not impossible. Pages 9~10 The last two pages of this guide reinforce the data from the map above. Pages nine and ten record the home prefectures of these Japanese on Ulleungdo. It can be read here, most of these illegal squatters living on Ulleungdo were from Shimane Prefecture. Even in the eyes of the Japanese themselves they were not true residents of Ulleungdo. In the 1883, Japanese trespassers had to be forcibly removed by the Japanese government and a travel ban to Ulleungdo declared. However, by the turn of the century they had overwhelmed the Koreans to the point where Japanese police had to be permanently stationed on Ulleungdo to control the problem.  Again we see Japanese activities on Liancourt Rocks were conducted via the civilian invasion of Ulleungdo.

The Logbooks of the Japanese Warship Niitaka September 25th, 1904

"The following is an account of Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo Island) from an actual observer while on Matsushima (Ulleungdo Island). Liancourt Rocks, Koreans call these rocks Dokdo while Japanese fishermen call then Riangko in short. As described in the attached paper, it consists of two rocks. The West islet is about 400 feet in height, and too precipitous to climb...." Page 5 "The East Islet, however, is relatively low with weeds , and the top of it is flat. It is suitable to have two or three buildings built on it. A small quantity of salt water runs out at the East mouth of the East islet. Ground water flows out in all directions from 5.4 meters below the surface at South of the East islet marked "B". (see attached map on page 7 above) It is quite a large amount and never dries up year round. There is clear water (fresh water) at the West end of the West islet marked "C" (see attached map page 7 above) as well. The scattered rocks around the islet are flat, and the large ones are so wide that they could have dozens of tattami (Japanese floor mats) on top. They stand above the surface all of the time. There are also a number of sea lions here. Boats can connect the two islets, and a small boat can be pulled up onto the shore. There are always strong winds blowing, and when strong winds are blowing fishermen usually return to Matsushima (Ulleungdo Island). It is said that they made a voyage from Matsushima (Ulleungdo Island), climb up the island and built a hut with sea lion hunters by using a Japanese boat with a capacity of 60~70 stones. They stay there ten days on each trip..." Page 6 "and they caught many fish. There are some times when the number of people exceeded forty or fifty. He says that he has made several voyages across to the island within this year due to lack of water..." Here again it is recorded Ulleungdo Island was the base from which fishing and sea lion hunting was undertaken. Also it is said lack of fresh water restricted the length of time fishermen and seal hunters could stay on Liancourt Rocks.

Dokdo and Early 20th Century Japanese Territorial Perceptions A Conclusion Based on Related Documents

The above documents are not cited as a basis for Korea to lay claim to Dokdo. These papers are intended as a common sense, practical attempt to paint a picture of the territorial perceptions of the Japanese who were intimately involved on both Ulleungdo and Dokdo immediately before the Japanese military annexed the island. Who better than the (illegal) Japanese residents of Ulleungdo knew the national boundaries of Japan? The Japanese residents of Ulleungdo were illegal squatters and they were aware that their situation on the island was tenuous at best. They were usually transient residents who seasonally fished Ulleungdo's waters and then returned to their home prefectures in the fall. Under Chosun~Japanese fishing regulation agreements of the day, Japanese fishermen had to pay taxes on marine resources they harvested however they did not. This is not an attempt to vilify these Japanese but rather to shed light on their situation in the region. That is, would squatters who were knowingly illegally logging, fishing and residing on Ulleungdo consider Dokdo as part of Japan? This contrasts sharply with the nature of Koreans who permanently settled on Ulleungdo legally year-round and were involved in agriculture and fishing. As shown above, Japanese fishing and sealing activity on Liancourt Rocks was conducted via Ulleungdo not Japan. This was due to a few factors, such as Dokdo's long distance from Japan, lack of fresh water and the harsh marine environment of the East Sea (Sea of Japan). At more than 300 kms return, a voyage from the nearest landfall to these barren rocks was hazardous for Japanese fishermen who used light fishing craft. Liancourt Rocks stands in the middle of the East Sea. The waters surrounding Liancourt are often very heavy seas with 150 days of precipitation annually. Eight-five percent of the time this region is either cloudy, rainy, snowy. Dokdo, being essentially a collection of barren rocks could offer no shelter from this harsh environment. Dokdo's lack of fresh water is mentioned in almost every record giving a detailed description of the situation on Liancourt. The best historical record of the availability of potable water on Liancourt Rocks is again from the Japanese warship Tsushima's November 1904 survey. "..There are several other places where water runs down along the mountainsides from the top, but the quantity is not much and the water routes are contaminated with sealion excrement. The test result for chemicals came out as below, and it verifies that the water is anything but drinkable...To be brief, the main island is barren, bare rocks exposed to the violent ocean winds, but no area of good size is to be found to give shelter. No fuels for cooking, no drinking water, no food." Because of the aforementioned facts, Japanese fishing and seal hunting around Dokdo had to be done almost exclusively from the most proximate land mass, Korea's Ulleungdo Island. Therefore, it's not surprising those who knew the situation on Ulleungdo and Liancourt Rocks the best, regarded Dokdo as part of Gangwando Province or as appended to Ulleungdo even months before the Japanese annexed the island.

Translations in part from: http://dokdo.naezip.net/ http://www.dokdo-or-takeshima.blogspot.com/ http://blog.naver.com/cms1530/