著者

荒武 賢一朗

出版者

関西大学

雑誌

東アジア文化交渉研究 (ISSN:18827748)

巻号頁・発行日

no.4, pp.391-399, 2011-03

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Japan in the 1860s (the Bakumatsu-Meiji Restoration transitionperiod) entered the free trade system through treaties of trade withforeign countries. Naturally, the treaties of amity were concludednot just with Western countries but also with Qing China andKorea. It is commonly claimed that predatory designs on Asia wereinherent in Japan' s treaties of amity with China and Korea. Yetthere are limited historical materials documenting the actualeconomies and trade in these three Asian countries, issues that havenot been researched to any great extent. This paper attempts toclarify as far as possible economic relations between Japan andKorea in the 1860s and 1870s based on the actual record.Key to my discussion are the documents left by Godai Tomoatsu,who contributed to the founding of the Meiji government. Godaibecame extremely interested in the Korean peninsula while still inoffi ce. After resigning, he became a signifi cant fi gure in the growthof business in Osaka. Here I will analyze historical documents onJapanese-Korean relations left by Godai Tomoatsu to discuss twomajor points. First, I will examine information exchanged betweenGodai and Mori Shigeru and other diplomats. Second, I will analyzehow the Osaka fi nancial world, of which Godai was the center,viewed the Korean peninsula when seeking to attain rapid economicgrowth in Asia.In sum, this paper clarifi es how Japanese economic circles viewedthe Korean peninsula, and examines in particular the philosophicalconstruct Godai Tomoatsu maintained through politics anddiplomacy in arbitrating with those around him.