Interesting little tidbit in the Korean press a couple of days ago. In the lovely town of Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do (where the Marmot spent his first three years in Korea, of course), you can find the grave of Japanese anarchist-nihilist Kaneko Fumiko (1903-1926), “wife” (well, significant other) of Korean independence activist and fellow anarchist Park Yeol (1902-1974).
Kaneko, born in Yokohama, met Park while the latter was studying in Tokyo in 1922. After meeting, the couple engaged in anti-imperialist activities.
Following the Great Kanto Earthquake of Sep. 1, 1923, the couple was accused of plotting to assassinate the Japanese emperor and arrested for high treason; on March 25, 1926, they were sentenced to death, although this was commuted to life in prison. In July of that year, the Japanese authorities announced that Kaneko had hung herself in her solitary confinement cell at a prison in Utsunomiya.
After her death, Park’s older brother went to Japan and brought Kaneko’s body back to Korea, where it was interred at the Park family’s burial area in Pallyeong-ni, Mungyeong-eup. In November 2003, her body was moved to Maseong-myeon, in back of Park Yeol’s birth home.
Apparently, Japanese have been visiting the grave. On April 3, 14 writers from a group in Kaneko’s home region of Yamanashi Prefecture visited Mungyeong, praying at Kaneko’s grave and indicating their desire to provide support for the building of a Park Yeol Museum.
Mungyeong-si official Eom Won-sik said, “It’s noteworthy that there are Japanese cherishing the memory of Kaneko, who could be seen as a traitor from the perspective of Japan.”
As for Park, the activist survived his stint in the joint and was released in 1945, following Japan’s defeat in the Pacific War. He returned to Korea in 1949, but was, ahem, “kidnapped” to North Korea during the Korean War. He died there in 1974.
Pic stolen from here.
-
English Books on Korea... and More!
-
Visit My Brother's Film Review Site
9 Comments
Must have been true love indeed. It would be hard to find a couple sitting like that in Korea 15 or so years ago. Maybe being anarchists helped. Wonder if they spoke Esperanto.
Shin Chae Ho was reportedly an anarchist as well, but obviously a mixed up one since he espoused a Korean nation as well….
This guy: http://www.thrall.orcon.net.nz/22korea.html
has an interesting capsule history of anarchism in Korea. Anarchism is a fascinating ideology, one that’s equally disdained by both the left and the right, because it questions many sacred cows on either side.
I second what Oranckay said. That is a great picture.
There aren’t a whole lot of pictures like that from those days, but isn’t the prudism that existed “fifteen or so years ago” largely the product of the post-war era? Not unlike how the 1950s in the US were, outwardly at least, rather conservative compared to the 1910s? Asking, not saying.
Was he actually kidnapped by the North or did he willingly join the revolution? I always find it strange that so many who espouse anarchism seem to sympathize with communism or socialism.
Fascinating post. The subject of Japanese and Korean anarchists got brought up recently in my comment section due to an article offered by commenter Mika:
“As for the Samil uprising, I recommend you to read this article.”
To which I replied.
“Some of the Japanese socialists mentioned in that article were actually anarchists (the 1910 ‘Emperor Assassination Plot’ that is mentioned involved the execution of 10 prominent anarchists, including Kotoku Shusui); The 2.8 declaration was something I’d never learned much about, but found some articles related to it (as well as a translation of the declaration) here. [1 2 3]
This page also talks about the anarchist movement in Korea (though the book it’s based on is said to exaggerate). Many of the anarchists and socialists in Japan were anti-imperialist, so I imagine they would have been in solidarity with the Korean students there. Suffice to say, Korean students in Japan were much more likely to learn about radical ideas there than in the much more repressive climate of Korea in the 1910s. One thing I’ve always wondered about were the Gandhian aspects of the 3.1 uprising and where the Koreans learned of those ideas - whether they heard of Ghandi’s civil disobedience in South Africa, or whether it was developed independently.”
-
I still think it amusing to imagine that some of these anarchists might have had a role to play in influencing the 3.1 movement via the 2.8 declaration.
Michael -
Nice find; I do think that article (written by a woman, actually - it appeared in Bug 5 back in 2001) is the best overview to be found in English, but didn’t realize it was on the net.
Snow -
I always find it strange that so many who espouse anarchism seem to sympathize with communism or socialism.
Many of the early anarchist thinkers generally didn’t (not for nothing was Bakunin kicked out of the first international by Marx for saying such things as “A dictatorship of the proletariat will only become a dictatorship over the proletariat”) but as the systems currently opposing them were capitalism and the state, I suppose many found hope in the communists ‘overthrowing’ them. Anarchists Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman were deported from the US for demonstrating against the draft during WWI and returned to Russia, full of hope for the revolution, only to leave in disgust after two years.
Bulgasari, I’m thinking more of modern-day anarchist-wannabes or pretend anarchists (who probably don’t really know anything about anarchism), many of whom are anti-US, anti-globalization and anti-capitalist, including anything that capitalism depends on, such as the rule of law, free markets and private property. Many of these types have no problem getting in bed with communists, socialists and other assorted authoritarian-loving extremists.
There is a memorial for Fumiko at her birthplace in Japan. Pictures are here and here (Mt. Fuji is visible in the second picture).
snow, judging by your statement, it seems like you’re the one who’s lacking in the understanding of anarchism. go read up “left communism,” “anarcho-communism,” and “anarcho-syndicalism” before you go around making moronic statements and telling your right-wing lies.