관동대지진과 ‘유언비어’

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to examine the use of “rumors” in the national narrative of the massacre of Koreans during the Great Kanto Earthquake. It is important to note that “rumor” is a term that is judged ex post facto and that from the perspective of security forces, “rumor” is a target for cracking down on, so this paper argues that it is necessary to distinguish between the period before and after the security forces perceived information about Koreans as “rumors”. Therefore, this paper analyzes the “rumor” records of Taisho Daishinkasaishi by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (1925) as the records after the security forces perceived “rumors,” ex post facto records. To reveal the intended use of “rumors” selected, revised, and manipulated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, I trace the primary sources of the “rumor” records in Taisho Daishinkasaishi and contrast them with those sources to show that “rumor” records have a political agenda. This attempt may contribute to emphasizing the importance of verifying the historical account of the Great Kanto Earthquake as portrayed by official documents and government publications.