Modern Japanese History Through Korean Eyes, Chapters 1–3

Date and Time: 7/8 21:00 Online

Participants: kdg, mori, Bench Press, Tiberius, Rayeon

Book Title: A History of Modern Japan Through Korean Eyes

Author: Hoon Park

Year of Publication: 2025

Publisher: Across

Assigned Reading: Chapters 1–3

1. Japan’s Opening and the Background to the Meiji Restoration

Japan was not in a state of complete isolation: Even before Commodore Perry’s arrival, Japan had been receiving fūsetsugaki (“reports on world affairs”) through the Netherlands (via Dejima Island), allowing it to keep track of international developments.

From “Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians” to the “Meiji Restoration”: Throughout the Edo period, the Chōshū and Satsuma domains, which had long harbored resentment toward the shogunate, advanced the slogan “Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians,” calling for the expulsion of Western powers under the banner of the emperor.

However, after suffering defeat in direct conflicts with the West (the Shimonoseki War and the Anglo-Satsuma War) and realizing the gap in military power, they abandoned the anti-foreign “expel the barbarians” position and instead shifted toward overthrowing the shogunate with “revere the emperor” as their rallying point.

2. Why the Shogunate Preserved the Emperor and the Return of Political Power to the Emperor

Why the emperor was preserved: There was a painful historical precedent in the failed rebellion of Taira no Masakado, who had proclaimed himself a new emperor, and since the existing shogunal system had already taken stable root, there was no reason to take such a risk by trying to seize the emperor’s position.

A transfer of power that minimized damage: Thanks to taisei hōkan, in which Tokugawa Yoshinobu peacefully transferred political authority to the emperor, the loss of life that might otherwise have accompanied social transformation was significantly reduced.

A quasi-palace coup: The Meiji Restoration had the character of a “palace coup,” in which lower-ranking samurai transcended status boundaries and joined forces with Kyoto aristocrats to bring down the shogunate.

3. Comparing the Response Capacity of Joseon and Japan

Institutional solidity and control of channels: Japan’s system was more robust than Joseon’s, and its so-called isolation policy was not a complete closure but closer to “channel control,” preventing each domain from independently accepting Western goods and ideas without central oversight.

Joseon’s lack of capacity and internal strife: Joseon showed the limitation of failing to recognize its own objective lack of capability. In particular, the conflict between King Gojong’s direct rule and Daewongun, along with the lack of proper education for monarchs in the late dynasty, proved to be painful strategic blunders.

4. Redefining the Independence Movement and Reassessing Syngman Rhee

A process of nation-building, not merely independence: It was suggested that Korea’s independence movement should be understood not simply as a movement to regain sovereignty, but as a process of nation-building aimed at establishing a liberal democratic republic rooted in the Enlightenment faction.

Assessment of his diplomatic line: Discussion also reevaluated former President Syngman Rhee as not merely someone who blindly followed the United States, but as a figure who actively leveraged the U.S. position and engaged in intense conflict with it in pursuit of Korea’s national interest.

5. Differences in Human Resources and Sharing Recent Updates

Differences in experience: During the modernization period, Japan possessed abundant human resources with direct or indirect experience of the wider world, whereas in Joseon even the sons of the yangban elite often had no overseas experience or understanding of foreign institutions and culture, creating a major gap.

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Original title: <한국인의 눈으로 본 근대 일본의 역사> 1~3장

Author: Ja-yu-ju-ui Ip-mun Dok-seo-to-ron-mo-im

Date: 2026-07-09

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=reading01&pn=1&idx=29259