I did a seminar last year on the controversy between Korea and Japan that is basically a fight for a little island in the sea between the nations. The island is called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese. I was asked to translate for the speaker, and I also had to translate his small leaflet on the topic. Here is an excerpt:
Ⅰ. Introduction/Foreword
It has been recorded throughout ancient history that Dokdo is definitely Korean territory. Let us see the ancient Korean and Japanese maps that the Japanese choose to ignore that prove this fact.
Dokdo became a territory of Korea before the year 1500, when the Silla king Ji-Jeung ordered Lee Sa-bu to unite Silla with Oolung-do. If we follow the history laid out in the history of the Three Kingdoms, it is declared: "The King of Silla Ji-Jeung in the summer of the 6th month declared that Oo San-Gook must pay tribute each year. Oo San-Gook is perfectly east of Myung-Joo, and is an island called Oo Leung-do. The island has a size of 100 li, and because of the rough ground, the inhabitants did not pay tribute. King Ji-Jeung sent Lee-Chan Lee Sa-bu to Ha Seul-la to bring the city into submission with tricks. Lee Sa-bu made many wood lions and sailed to the shore of Ha Seul-la, where he shouted "If you do not submit, I will release these beasts who will trample you." The scared inhabitants soon submitted.
In Koryo geography, it is said that "Because Oo San-do and Moo Reung-do are both close, they can see each other when there is no wind and the weather is clear."
In the geography in the records of King Sejong's works, it is said "Oo San and Moo Reung are both directly east of the city Jung-dong. Because the two islands are close to each other, they can see each other when the weather is clear.
Looking at the history and geography of the Three Kingdoms and Koryo and the geography in the records of King Sejong's works, it can be seen that Dokdo was incorporated into Korean territory as part of Oo San-Gook.
The fact that Oo Leung-do and Oo San-do, collectively called Oo San-Gook, are part of Korea is illustrated in ancient Korean maps and in official Japanese maps of that time. It is also stated in Eastern maps that Dokdo is part of Korean terriory. This will be illustrated through the many ancient maps.
Ⅱ.Ancient Korean Maps Prove Dokdo is a Korean Dominium
1) The Dokdo of the 8dojido (map of the 8 districts) and Dong Ram-do
The fact that Oo San-Gook is part of Korea appeared first in the records of King Taejong.
In the 16th year of the King Taejong, the governor of Gangwondo, a houjou champan, reported that "Moo Reung has seven turns of tides a week, and has a small island next to it." A man familiar with the location, Kim In-woo, an anmoosah, was sent to Moo Reung to bring the inhabitants of the island. In the 17th year of the King Taejong, the name of Oo San-do was first mentioned by Kim In-woo. From this point on, Dokdo was also called Oo San-do. In the 7th year of the King Sejong, Kim In-woo once again sent to Oo San and Moo Reung to bring more people back to Korea. Since then, Oo Leung-do and Oo San-do have not had any inhabitants.
After the beginning of the Josun empire, the Jiriji recorded geopolitical fluctuations inside Korea. The islands were recorded inside the book as Korean territory. In the 14th year of the King Sejong, the geography book, the map of the 8 districts, also known as 8dojido or 8dojiriji, was created. It was slightly altered in the second year of King Danjong, and was added into the geographical records of King Sejong. Most of the information found in the geographical records of King Sejong comes from the map of the 8 districts. One change was the inclusion of an are in the north called "4 goon 6 jin". Another thing that changed was that information about the county and city of Hamgyungdo was added into the map of the 8 districts. In the 1st year of King Munjong, the general Kim Jong-suh edited and finished a history book of Koryo and the finished a geography book. In the 2nd year of King Danjong, the history book Kim Jong-suh had written was distributed all throughout Korea. In the 9th year of King Sungjong, Yang Sung-ji edited the map of the 8 districts. Yang Sung-ji's book was the foundation for the Dongguk Yeoji Seungram. In the 31st year of the King Joongjong, a new edition of the Dongguk Yeoji Seungram was published. The editing workshops for similar geography books were neither individual nor independent. The geographical maps progressed closely with the state of the Josun empire. The following three books have very similar descriptions of Oo San-do.
It is stated that Oo San and Moo Reung are both perfectly east, at the center of the sea. Because they are not far away from each other, they can see each other when the weather is clear. During the time of Silla, Oo San-Gook was also known as Oo Leung-do, and has a size of 100 li. (The records of King Sejong)
Oo Leung-do is perfectly east of Ool Jin-Hyun and is exactly at the center of the sea. In the time of Silla, it was called Oo San-Gook. It was also called Moo Reung and Oo Leung. Its size is 100 li. It was brought under Korean control in the 12th year of King Ji Jeung. Because these two islands are so close, they can see each other when the weather is clear. (Geography of Koryo)
Oo San-do is also known as Oo Leung-do, Moo Reung, and Oo Leung. The two islands are in the center of the ocean. There are three mountain peaks, of which the southern is shortest. On a clear day, one can see the trees on the mountain and the sand on the seashore, and with a favorable wind, can travel between each in two days. Some consider the two to be one island with an area of 100 li.
Oo San-do and Oo Leung-do, located in the center of the ocean, have a combined are of 100 li. Because the two islands aren't far apart, they can see each other, and because of their similarity they are considered as one island. They differ in only one aspect. (Dongguk Yeoji Seungram)
The Josun 8 district map and the Dong Ram-do map used the above as the basis of geography and the templates for the maps.
(1) Map of the 8 districts
The oldest district shown on one of the oldest Korean maps is Pyungahndo Kangdonghyun, indicated as Paehyun, or a district with no inhabitants. In the 17th year of King Sejong, Kangdonghyun had no inhabitants. In the 12th year of King Sungjong, it recovered. It is probable that this map was produced sometime within the 46-year period between the 17th year of King Sejong and the 12th year of Sungjong. This map shows Oo San-do as on the west of Oo Leung-do, with Oo Leung-do written as Moo Reung-do. The two islands are depicted closer to Korea than they really are. This map had a possible influence on Western Explorer Dan Bil's "Josunwanggukdo."
(2)Dongramdo
Dongramdo is the foreword to the work Dongguk Yeoji Seungram and mentions Paldochongdo and Paldojoohyundo. Because the word "Dongramdo" is engraved on the printing press, the foreword is entitled "Dongramdo." Dongramdo is the oldest woodcut map. This map has less quality than the map Josundo in the work Yeokdejaewanghonilkanglido, also known as Honilkanglido.
In the beginning of the Josun empire, the map was produced several times by Jung Chuk and Yang Sung-ji. They made the Donggukji, a very high-quality map. Why, however, was the Dongramdo not of comparable quality? We can find out from records made by Yang Sung-ji in the 13th year of King Sungjong. He stated that traditionally, maps held a country's secrets. Maps would not be able to be aquired by the public. They were kept in the Chunchugwan Sago and were guarded. Because the Dongramdo was published for the public, it intentionally was of low quality and contained only basic information. When comparing the Josundo and Josunbangyeokdo with the Dongramdo, it was found that the former were superior in quality. Although it seemed the the products from the beginning of the Josun empire were superior, the Dongramdo, made later on, was intentionally of bad quality to hide national secrets.
However, Oo San-do is to the west of Oo Leung-do and the distance between the islands is different from the distance established in the map of the 8 districts, except that the distance is actually more accurate. The sizes of the islands were depicted as having similar sizes. Oo San-do is placed to the west of Oo Leung-do probably because Oo San-do was mentioned first in the Sejong records. This is because there was not enough geographical information.
2) Dokdo of "Dongyeobigo"
The name of Dongyeobigo follows the Dongguk Yeoji Seungram. The name borrowed Dongguk's Dong and Yeoji Sungram's Yeo. "Bigo" comes from the name of a reference map. Dongyeobigo is a reference for the Dongguk Yeoji Seungram.
The Dongyeobigo consists 32 maps divided into 60 pages put into one book. This book's pages have width 33-68 cm and height 37-42 cm. The sizes of the maps is not constant. The size differences can be attested to the variety of maps ranging from district maps to city maps. The first map, is a historical map. The next is a special map of counties and cities. Another is one of states and counties.
This book was probably made before the following dates. The map Kyunghegoong was written as Kyungduckgoong, and the map Soeemun was written as Soduckmoon, which are older names for the same thing. The book did not mark Bukhansa, which was made in 1711. The also did not mark Baekdoosan Jungaebie. It is thought that Dongyeobigo was made before these dates. Secondly, there are 49 Kangwhado Dondae. The Dondae were started in the 4th year of the King Sejong and finished in the 8th year of the King Sejong, 1682. Therefore, the book must have been made after 1682 as it records all of these. Thirdly, the Kyungsando Yeongyanghyun is recorded, except the Sunheungbu are not recorded. The Yeongyanghyun was set up in the 7th year of the King Sookjong, and the Sunheungbu was rebuilt in the 8th year of the King Sookjong. The aforementioned structures demonstrate that this book was made in the 8th year of the King Sookjong, in the year 1682.
Oo San-do is drawn to the west of Oo Leung-do. It is written both as Moo Reung-do and as Oo San-do.
Dongyeobigo has another key point, which is that it recognizes the island in the ocean next to the city of Moo-an as Dokdo. Three southern districts declared that the rocky island known as Oo San-do was also called Dokdo.
3)The Dokdo of Ahn Yong-bok's Maps
The Oo Leung-do and Dokdo problem between Korea and Japan first arose as a diplomatic problem when Ahn Yong-bok, a fisherman, was taken by the Japanese in the 19th year of the King Sookjong. In Japan, he strongly asserted that Dokdo and Oo Leung-do were Korean. The Tokugawa shogun conversed with Ahn Yong-bok and understood that Dokdo and Oo Leung-do were not Japanese, and told the taesu, or the mayoral equivalent, of Bekgi to write up a document which essentially declared that "Oo Leung-do is not Japanese territory" and graciously released Ahn Yong-bok.
On the way back to Korea, Ahn Yong-bok stopped at Nagasaki. Its taesu and the Taemado doju (equivalent of taesu) conspired to arrest Ahn Yong-bok once again. He was taken to Taemado. When he arrived, the Taemado doju confiscated from him the document which the taesu of Bekgi had written. He made another document which declared that Ahn Yong-bok had trespassed on Japan's Chook-do and sent him to Korea's Dongnae county. The Taemado doju sent one of his officials, the supervisor Kyool Jin-joong, along with Ahn Yong-bok to request a ban on fishing in Chook-do.
The ceremonial board said, "Oo Leung-do is Korean, but because it is so far away, travel there and back is regulated. Would we let somebody travel to Chook-do, which is even further away?"
Kyool Jin-joong did not like the line "Our Oo Leung-do" which was inside the reply letter sent from Korea to Japan, but his request to take that line out was rejected.
This story has drawn many comments from historians. They strongly criticize the fact that "the island called Chook-do by the Japanese is called Oo Leung-do by Koreans. The name Oo Leung comes out many times in Silla and Koryo history, and also comes up many times in Chinese history, and is the oldest name known for the island. It is called Chook-do (Bamboo Island) because of the bamboo stalks located on the island, but in reality the island just has two names. The Japanese hid the fact that the island was also called Oo Leung, and only called Chook-do in their message so that when the Koreans would declare that their fishermen could not fish at Chook-do, they would essentially be saying that the fishermen could also not fish at Oo Leung, whereupon the Japanese could claim Oo Leung for their own."
When he went to Japan for his first time, Ahn Yong-Bok had attempted to reconcile this matter. Because he failed, he went to Oo Leung-do in the 22nd year of the King Sookjong, and chased the Japanese fishermen out. He went back to the state of Bekgi, and after parleying with the Japanese, returned to Korea (Yangyang).
The Bekgi taeju promised Ahn Yong-bok that in the future, because the two islands Oo Leung-do and Dokdo belonged to Korea, that if trespassers to the islands were to be sent to Japan with a sovereign's message and a translator, they would be punished under Japanese law.
When Ahn Yong-bok spoke to the bibyunsa, he hid the fact that he carried a map of Korea with him. Recently, Ahn Yong-bok's public trial records were found at Eungido. From this, we can see that he had carried a map with him. In that map, Oo San-do is labeled as Cha San-do. This type of map was one of the 17th century's maps of Kangwondo.
4) Chang Han-sang's Suto map
After Ahn Yong-bok's first expedition to Japan, Korea and Taemado had a tedious foreign policy tebate. Taemado said that Ahn Yong-bok had trespassed Chook-do, and needed to be punished, and Korea tried to persuade that Chook-do was just another name for Oo Leung-do, and island with two names. Korea sent a sutogwan (official) to Oo Leung-do to figure out the situation.
First, Chang Han-san was that sutogwan. The sutogwan went to Oo Leung-do in the 9th month of the 20th year of the King Sookjong, and returned to Samchuk in the 10th month. He reported, "The Japanese come and go, but never stay. The land is small but had many tall trees, and the sea route is dangerous. It was hard to come and go there. To judge soil quality, I planted a few barley seeds. I can come back next year to see how good the soil is."
Chang Han-sang's research on Oo Leung-do is recorded as the "Oo Leung-do sajuk." This record closely explained the situation in Dokdo.
"Around 5 li to the east of Oo Leung-do is a small island that is packed with water-bamboo. To the west lies hilly terrain that reminds one of Daegwanlyung. About 300 li to the east lies an island about 1/3 the size of Oo Leung-do."
In the above report, the island 5 li from Oo Leung-do is Chook-do. The island 300 li from Oo Leung-do is Dokdo. That was how Chang Han-sang described Dokdo in his report.
Chang Han-sang took the results of his research and wrote them down on a map which he submitted to the bibyunsa. He marked the mountains and roads differently from how the Dongguk Yeoji Seungram depicted them, which makes some believe that he may have not visited Oo Leung-do.
Chang Han-sang depicted Oo San-do to the east of Oo Leung-do, unlike the Dong Ram-do, which depicted Oo San-do to the west of Oo Leung-do. Because of this disparity, some of those who saw this believed that Chang Han-sang had not been to Oo Leung-do. The results of Chang Han-sang's research was confirmed by future maps. However, Chang Han-sang's map has not been recovered, but we can approximate that it indeed contained this information by extrapolating from Park Suk-chang's map, which will be discussed next.
5) Park Suk-chang's "What They Call Oo San-do"
It can be said that the Ahn Yong-bok incident, which caused the Japanese to claim Oo Leung-do for themselves, happened because Korea did not have many occupants on the island. Therefore, Korea set up a system whereby they sent a official to Oo Leung-do and Dokdo once every three years. These officials included Kangwondo Wolsong's Jun Hwae-il in the 25th year of the King Sookjong and Samchuk's Lee Jun-myung in the 28th year. In the 31st year, there was an accident on the return voyage of Pyunghae's Hwang In-gun where he and 16 others drowned. The 34th year was skipped because of the accident that had happened in the previous expedition. In the 37th year, Samchuk's Park Suk-chang surveyed the land and made a map. This map was stored in the bibyunsa, and is now stored in Seoul University's Kyuchangak.
In his map, he describes Oo San-do as "What They Call Oo San-do." Japan, however, took this and said that Oo San-do is not Dokdo, but Chook-do. Is this true?
In the Choson empire, whenever the government wished to start a national project, it would make a guidebook with sections. In Oo Leung-do, when the government sent a official, it most likely gave the official a guidebook. The surveyor followed the guidelines and made a report. Currently, a guidebook has not been found, but upon perusal of the reports, it is possible there were guidelines. They include:
1. Whether or not there were any inhabitants on Oo Leung-do.
2. Whether or not there were any Japanese on Oo Leung-do.
3. Whether or not there were any indigenous products in Oo Leung-do.
4. The size of Oo Leung-do.
5. Whether or not there were any inhabitants on Oo San-do.
6. Whether or not there were any indigenout products in Oo San-do.
7. How far Oo San-do and Oo Leung-do were apart from each other.
8. Possible anchorages in Oo Leung-do.
Park Suk-chang followed guidelines and researched Oo Leung-do, and his data most likely concurred with Chang Han-sang's data. This evidence proves that there was sea-bamboo on "Possibly Oo San-do." This data was only previously present on Chang Han-sang's data and then on Park Suk Chang's map. Chang Han-sang had said that the bamboo-covered island, Chook-do, was 5 li from Oo Leung-do. Oo San-do was reportedly 300 li from Oo Leung-do. Although he could not find Oo San-do, Park Suk-chang could not ignore the guidebook. Because of this he wrote "What They Call Oo San-do" on the map. Park Suk-chang's "What They Call Oo San-do" label appeared for quite a time on many maps after his. "Possibly Oo San-do" is Oo Leung-do's neighbor Chook-do, not Dokdo.
6) The Dokdo of the Haedongjido
The Haedongjido is an 8-part compilation of goonhyun maps. The third part, or book, is a Kangwondo map. It is not a goonhyun map (county and city map), but a set of maps that emphasize the importance of Dokdo. This part diagrammed remnants of past inhabitants and marked out lots for possible human habitation. It shows the 6 islands near Oo Leung-do. Oo San-do is marked as "What They Call Oo San-do," except it is actually Dokdo.
7) The Oo San-do of the Josunjido
The Josunjido is divided into 7 parts, consisting hand-drawn, colored maps. It is relatively specific, and was stored in the bibyunsa. In the third book, Kangwondo is featured. Oo Leung-do and Oo San-do are once again emphasized; this book is also not a goonhyun map. Because the third book is made up of gridded maps, the size and distances are more accurate than before. Oo Leung-do, its bamboo grove and possible places for human habitation are marked out. Gongam is marked as being inside Oo Leung-do. This is a mistake, as it is located in the ocean. Oo San-do is located to the east of Oo Leung-do and the two islands are drawn further apart than before. Because of this separation, it is easy to see which is known today as Dokdo.
8) The Dokdo of the Chungoodo
The Chungoodo is a map created by Kim Jung-ho in the 34th year of the King Sunjo, and it depicts Korea through 29 levels. Each book is divided into two gun and gon sections. Oo Leung-do and Oo San-do are found in the 18th level. They are split up between pages 3 and 4. Upon aligning these two maps together, it can be seen that these combined maps are similar to those in the aforementioned Josunjido. There is an attached description, of which the following summarizes:
In the 11th year of the King Youngjo, the governor of Kangwondo Cho Chae-su sent a researcher to Oo Leung-do. In his information, Oo Leung-do was wide and had very nice soil quality, with signs of previous inhabitation. To the west lies Oo San-do, which also was wide. In the map, however, it is shown that Oo San-do lies to the east of Oo Leung-do, which shows a disparity. Kim Jung-ho saw that what was said in the text differed from what was actually real.
9) The Dokdo of the Daedongyeojido
Kim Jung-ho's Daedongyeojido is the masterpiece of ancient Korean maps. The Japanese argued that Dokdo was not marked on this map. However, this was so because this map was a woodcut. Kim Jung-ho did not depict Oo San-do on the map. The Daedongyeojido's predecessor was the Chungoodo, on which Oo San-do is labeled. In the text of the Chungoodo, Oo San-do is located to the west of Oo Leung-do. If Kim Jung-ho had not thought that Dokdo was Korean, he would not have had mentioned the fact that Dokdo is located to the east of Oo Leung-do, not to the west, as is mentioned in the Chungoodo text. Because he repeated this fact, Kim Jung-ho showed his belief that Oo San-do is Korean. A copy of the Daedongyeojido woodcut located in the National Assembly Library in Japan shows the location of Oo San-do filled in by hand. This copy also has the information from the Chungoodo copied directly into it, including possible lots for human habitation.
10) Lee Kyu-won's Oo Leung-do Naedo and Waedo
Lee Kyu-won was a researcher sent to Oo Leung-do in the 19th year of the King Gojong to see if a political district could be set up on the island. Before going to Oo Leung-do, Lee Kyu-won met with King Gojong, and discussed what he would be doing at Oo Leung-do. In the record, King Gojong told him many things to do, including intense research on Oo Leung-do and Song Chook-do. Lee Kyu-won replied that Oo Leung-do was Oo San-do and that Song Chook-do was an island 30 li off the coast of Oo Leung-do. Because of this, he said, the two islands are actually one. Lee Kyu-won did not know much about Dokdo, and probably did research only on Oo Leung-do. The research results he submitted upon returning did not show Oo San-do, but only Chook-do on the two maps he submitted.
Oo Leung-do Interior Oo Leung-do Exterior
11) The Oo San-do of the Daehanchundo
The Daehanchundo is a map published in the 12th month of the 3rd year of King Gwangmu by a publisher. This map was influenced by Japanese maps and showed the landscape not through multiple maps but through hachures.
It depicted Oo Leung-do and next to it Oo San-do, and strongly showed that Dokdo is Korean.
Daehanchundo Daehanchundo Part
Ⅲ. Japanese Maps Prove Dokdo is a Korean Dominion
1) The Dokdo of Japanese Maps
(1) The Josundo of the Kagoshima County Library
This 1-sheet, hand-drawn, colored map was made by Kawakami Hashiyoshi in the 17th century. This maps outlines in red the path taken by Japanese armies that invaded Korea in the Imjin Wars. This map was the map used by the leader of the Shatzuma army, Shimazu. Even though it was a Japanese map, this map showed Oo San-do to the west of Oo Leung-do, supporting the fact that Dokdo is Korean.
(2)The Josunkyungdo and the Osaka Navigation Chart
Oakira Kataoka made the Osake Navigation Chart in 1748. This map showed the sea route that connected Korea's Hanyang with Japan's Osaka. Although Korea's boundaries are unclear, Oo San-do is depicted under Oo Leung-do, which is located near Kangwondo. The two islands are located close to the coast of Korea. This demonstrated that the two islands are Korean.
Note: In no way am I proselytizing you guys. I'm just showing something that I did last year. Feel free to think whatever you want about this this topic. Heck, you might as well say Korea and Japan are stupid and that the island is actually yours.
