著者

吉野 誠

出版者

東海大学

雑誌

東海大学紀要. 文学部 (ISSN:05636760)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.72, pp.1-18, 1999

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This parer examines the foreign policy of the Japanese ministry of foreign affairs toward Korea in 1870-1872. They did so while continuing to emphasize the humiliating situation in which they had been placed at the same time as they denied the relationship of equality with Korea under samurai rule. The fundamental idea was that Korea should submit to the Emperor as had occurred in the past since the Emperor was now, again, the ruler of Japan. The realization of the transition to imperial rule was the core of the problems with Korea during the Meiji Restoration. The letter from Tsushima to Korea which included the Chinese characters for "emperor" and "imperial decree" was an expression of this type of idea and met with rejection by Korea, which warned against such wording. The focus of the letter issue truly was in the "acceptance or refusal of the transition to the imperial court." The theory of direct transfer to the imperial court, which recognized the ancient subordination of Korea from the beginning accompanied the "dispatch of the Emperor's envoy" and the insistence upon a military attack of Korea. Seikanron was an argument for the invasion of Korea that was linked to the idea of the revival of imperial governance, and its promotion during the early years of the Meiji Restoration may be said to have been inevitable.