大原社會問題硏究所와 재일 한인 독립운동 오하라사회문제연구소 소장 기록을 중심으로

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the colonial characteristics of the Korean independence movement by collecting the records related the Korean independence movement housed at the Ohara Institute for Social Research and understanding the characteristics of these records. The study also examined the measures for the future use of the records in relation to studies on the Korean independence movement. Founded in 1919, the Ohara Institute for Social Research has collected materials regarding labor issues and social issues, which provide a key clue to identify the overall status of the records on the Korean independence movement in order to systematically understand its history. At the time of the independence movement, the institute collected materials related to the movement by using the site visit method, combination survey method and bulk purchase method for the materials from the major organizations. In particular, the records on the questionnaire survey conducted on the Korean independence movement organizations clearly shows the actual status of the groups at that time. Fuse Tatsuji (布施辰治), who was a research fellow of the institute and took charge of material collecting, is an important link to the collection of the records related to the Korean independence movement. He strongly protested against Japan’s imperialism policy during the Japanese colonial rule, being in close relation with Korean students’ groups in Japan, labor organizations, and farmers’ unions in both Japan and Joseon. As the institute established a purposeful collecting strategy for the records on each of the independence movement organizations that were active at that time, their handouts, platforms and regulations related to the Korean independence movement can be preserved. Meanwhile, the researchers in charge of material collecting were closely related to the labor organizations in Japan and this enabled them to collect internal data such as handwritten minutes, members’ lists and notes. On the other hand, the collection of the records related to the Korean independence movement organizations shows its limitations as they mainly consist of handouts. These limitations should be complemented by collecting the records created by Korean residents in Japan or those owned by Tatsuji’s family members, along with the records obtained by the Independence Hall of Korea. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically investigate, collect, and utilize the records on the organizations and individuals that were active in Japan and Joseon at that time, using the records related to the Korean independence movement housed at the Ohara Institute for Social Research as clues. This will help overcome the national viewpoint toward the Korean independence movement history, to open a new horizon for studies on the national liberation movement history of Korea from the viewpoint of the twofold structure of empire and colony.