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Kenkoku University

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Kenkoku Daigaku
The campus of Kenkoku University.
Former names
The Manchurian University
MottoChinese: "五族協和"
Japanese: "ごぞくきょうわ"
Korean: "오족협화"
Motto in English
"Five races under one union"
TypePublic research university
EstablishedMay 1938; 86 years ago (1938-05)
ChancellorIshiwara Kanji
Vice-ChancellorSakata Shoichi (1938—1942)
Kamezo Odaka (1942—1945)
Location
Hsinking
,
Manchukuo
CampusUrban
Colours     
MascotKanto Star (関東の星)

Kenkoku Daigaku or simply Kendai [ˈkɛndaɪ] wasis an educational institution which was short-lived in Hsinking (modern Changchun, Jilin province), the capital of Manchukuo, the Japanese puppet state in occupied Manchuria during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It operated from May 1938 to August 7, 1945.[1]

Etymology

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See also: Taixue

The name of this academy means "Nation Building University" or "National Foundation University" (建國的原則, 建国の理念). It originated from the period of Northern Zhou.

"建國㩉拔" (Built the Country of the Tuoba) by Governor Li Xian.

History

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The university was founded in 1938 by General Kanji Ishiwara, and was run by Professor Shoichi Sakuda of Kyoto University.[2] Its purpose was to promote "ethnic harmony" in the region, legitimising and promoting the Japanese occupation.[3] To this end, students were recruited from Japan, China proper, Mongolia, Taiwan, Manchuria, Korea and Russia.[4] As well as offering free tuition, the University also provided its students with board and lodgings, and a stipend.[5]

The university closed in 1945 when the Kwantung Army were beaten by Soviet red army.[2]

Students of Kenkoku University

A number of influential aikido practitioners trained and taught at the University, including aikido's founder Morihei Ueshiba,[6] Kenji Tomiki, Shigenobu Okumura and Noriaki Inoue.[7]

Multiple students of Kenkoku University later became prominent political figures in South Korea—including later South Korean prime minister Kang Young-hoon—, North Korea and China.[8] The first test for applicants within Joseon was held at Gyeongseong Women's Normal School in Susong-dong for three days starting on December 27. It was unusual that the physical examination was the first. He said : "If you want to work in Manchuria, you must first be physically healthy, so consider your health first" (Entrance Exam Suffering No. 1, Chosun Ilbo, December 28, 1937). Of the 670 applicants, 90 (60 Koreans and 30 Japanese) were selected. The competition rate was 7.4 to 1.

Influences

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See also: Westernization and Anti-Western sentiment

During the Cold War era, former professors and students of Kenkoku University made great contributions to the evolution of the whole East Asia region. However, at this time, because of the complicated political situation, they hardly had any official contact.

After the Cultural Revolution in China proper ended, a delegation of many Chinese alumni under the "support" (擁護) of Jiang Zemin went to Tokyo to connect with Japanese alumni. This event not only helped People's Republic of China receive huge aid from Japan to promote economic reform, but also opened a whole new chapter for Kenkoku University alumni.

In 1989, the Manchurian Studies Association or Kenkoku-Daigaku Alumni Association (建國大學同志會, Jianguo Daxue Tongzhi Hui, Kenkoku Daigaku Doshi Gai) with a core of Chinese and Japanese alumni was established. This is both a friendship organization and also a force to expand the influence of Asia's largest economies. However, from then until 2023, this organization only operates in the field of economic and sometimes cultural cooperation, not allowed to attend any political or military events.

The most important event for the Alumni Association was supporting the establishment of Changchun University. Initially, the name chosen was "construction" (建設, Jianshe, Kensetsu), but because the Chinese government considered it "politically sensitive", that idea failed.

  • Stamp of Kenkoku Shrine, 1942
    Stamp of Kenkoku Shrine, 1942
  • On August 23, 1964, Zhou Pei Yuan (middle) accompanied Mao Ze Dong (left) to meet with Sakata Shoichi (right), as the head of the Japanese delegation
    On August 23, 1964, Zhou Pei Yuan (middle) accompanied Mao Ze Dong (left) to meet with Sakata Shoichi (right), as the head of the Japanese delegation
  • 1984 Yan'an Street, Changchun City
    1984 Yan'an Street, Changchun City
  • Site of Ministry of Culture and Education Development of Manchukuo. Original building demolished. Now Primary School Attached to Northeast Normal University
    Site of Ministry of Culture and Education Development of Manchukuo. Original building demolished. Now Primary School Attached to Northeast Normal University
  • Library of Hsinking Branch of South Manchurian Railway Co
    Library of Hsinking Branch of South Manchurian Railway Co

In the decades after World War II, in general and basically, the legacies of Kenkoku University were completely forgotten due to overlapping conflicts in a turbulent Asia. There is a paradox that, although the students of this academy participated in all the important political forces of the region and even accidentally became enemies of each other, no one mentioned their "master" (祖師). This connection only began to be revived by scholars in the late 2010s, when the last generation of students was old and all political conflicts were no longer there.

November 15, 2020, TV Asahi aired a documentary titled Telementary 2020 - Vanished University - Manchuria's Phantom Dream (テレメンタリー2020「消えた大学 幻の満州の夢」).[9][10] From the reporter, whose deceased grandfather was a graduate of Kenkoku University, was trying to uncover more information about it. The film immediately won the public's sympathy, with some netizens even saying that it not only restores a heroic period of history that the Japanese have tried to bury for many years, but also restores people's confidence many individuals to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic. Even in Vietnam, a country with very little connection to what happened in Manchuria decades earlier, Kenkoku University and its legacy have become a hot topic of debate on youth forums.

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kenkoku University.

Notes and references

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  1. ^ Ebrey, Patricia Buckley (1999), The Cambridge illustrated history of China
  2. ^ a b Kevin Doak (2007). A History of Nationalism in Modern Japan: Placing the People. BRILL. p. 241. ISBN 978-90-04-15598-5.
  3. ^ David H. Price (May 19, 2008). Anthropological Intelligence: The Deployment and Neglect of American Anthropology in the Second World War. Duke University Press. pp. 69–70. ISBN 978-0-8223-8912-5.
  4. ^ Hiruma Kishida, Yuka (2019). Kenkoku University and the Experience of Pan-Asianism. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9781350057869.
  5. ^ Tatsuhiko, Yoshizawa. "The Manchurian Incident, the League of Nations and the Origins of the Pacific War. What the Geneva archives reveal". Japan Focus. Asia-Pacific Journal. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  6. ^ Stevens, John (1999). Invincible Warrior: A Pictorial Biography of Morihe Ueshiba, the Founder of Aikido. Boston, London: Shambhala. p. 63. ISBN 9781570623943.
  7. ^ Pranin, Stanley. "Interview with Shigenobu Tomura". Aiki Journal. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  8. ^ Leung, Ernest Ming-tak (August 20, 2021). "The School That Built Asia". Palladium. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  9. ^ 消えた大学 幻の満州の夢「五族協和」を理想に集ったエリートたち　【戦争証言】
  10. ^ 満州にあった「建国大学」とは…“幻の大学”に出身学生の孫が迫る

Further reading

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Bibliography

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English
  • Smith, Lloyd (January 1940). Everybody's Complete Encyclopedia. Whitman Publishing Company. Racine, Wisconsin. p. 462
  • Clauss, Errol MacGregor. "The Roosevelt Administration and Manchukuo, 1933–1941", Historian (1970), 32#4 pp 595–611.
  • Fleming, Peter, Travel's in Tartary: One's Company and News from Tartary: 1941 (Part one: Manchukuo)
  • "Sun Yat-Sen's Idea of Regionalism and His Legacy". Sun Yat-Sen, Nanyang and the 1911 Revolution. 2011. pp. 44–60. doi:10.1355/9789814345477-007. ISBN 9789814345477.
  • Wong, P., Manvi, M., & Wong, T. H. (1995). Asiacentrism and Asian American Studies? Amerasia Journal, 21(1/2), 137–147.
  • Starrs, Roy (2001) Asian Nationalism in an Age of Globalization. London: RoutledgeCurzon ISBN 1-903350-03-4.
    • Review in The Journal of Japanese Studies 34.1 (2007) 109–114 online
  • Mitter, Rana. The Manchurian Myth: Nationalism, Resistance, and Collaboration in Modern China (2000)
  • Kamal, Niraj (2002) Arise Asia: Respond to White Peril. New Delhi: Wordsmith ISBN 81-87412-08-9.
  • Starrs, Roy (2002) Nations under Siege: Globalization and Nationalism in Asia. New York: Palgrave Macmillan ISBN 0-312-29410-7.
  • Duara, Prasenjit. Sovereignty and Authenticity: Manchukuo and the East Asian Modern (2004)
  • Elliott, Mark C (2003). "The Limits of Tartary: Manchuria in Imperial and National Geographies". Journal of Asian Studies. 59 (3): 603–646. doi:10.2307/2658945. JSTOR 2658945. S2CID 162684575.
  • Yamamuro, Shin'ichi. Manchuria under Japanese Dominion (U. of Pennsylvania Press, 2006)
  • Saaler, Sven and J. Victor Koschmann, eds., Pan-Asianism in Modern Japanese History: Colonialism, Regionalism and Borders. London and New York: Routledge, 2007. ISBN 0-415-37216-X
  • Reginald Fleming Johnston. "Twilight in the Forbidden City". Soul Care Publishing, 18 March 2008. ISBN 978-0-9680459-5-4.
  • Mahbubani, K. (2008). The new Asian hemisphere: The irresistible shift of global power to the East. PublicAffairs.
  • Toshihiko Kishi. "Manchuria's Visual Media Empire (Manshukoku no Visual Media): Posters, Pictorial Post Cards, Postal Stamps", Tokyo: Yoshikawa Kobunkan, 10 June 2010. ISBN 978-4-642-08036-1
  • Saaler, Sven and C.W.A. Szpilman, eds., Pan-Asianism: A Documentary History, Rowman & Littlefield, 2011. two volumes (1850–1920, 1920–present).ISBN 978-1-4422-0596-3 (vol. 1), ISBN 978-1-4422-0599-4 (vol. 2)
  • Toshihiko Kishi, Mitsuhiro MATSUSHIGE and MATSUMURA Fuminori MATSUMURA, eds, 20 Seiki Manshu Rekishi Jiten [Encyclopedia of 20th Century Manchuria History], Tokyo: Yoshikawa Kobunkan, 2012, ISBN 978-4642014694
  • Aaron Stephen Moore, The Yalu River Era of Developing Asia: Japanese Expertise, Colonial Power, and the Construction of Sup'ung Dam, The Journal of Asian Studies, Duke University Press, February 2013.
  • Miike, Y. (2014). The Asiacentric turn in Asian communication studies: Shifting paradigms and changing perspectives. In M. K. Asante, Y. Miike, & J. Yin (Eds.), The global intercultural communication reader (2nd ed., pp. 111–133). Routledge.
  • Szpilman, Christopher W. A. (2017). "Japan and Asia". In Saaler, Sven (ed.). Routledge Handbook of Modern Japanese History. pp. 25–46. doi:10.4324/9781315746678-3. ISBN 978-1-315-74667-8.
  • Yuka Hiruma-Kishida (author) & Christopher Gerteis (series editor), Kenkoku University and the Experience of Pan-Asianism: Education in the Japanese Empire (SOAS Studies in Modern and Contemporary Japan), SOAS Studies in Modern and Contemporary Japan, Bloomsbury Academic, London, England, United Kingdom, October 3, 2019. ISBN 1350057851, ISBN 978-1350057852.
  • Khanna, P. (2019). The future is Asian: Commerce, conflict, and culture in the 21st century. Simon & Schuster.
  • Yin, J. (2022). Rethinking Eurocentric visions in feminist communication research: Asiacentric womanism as a theoretical framework. In Y. Miike & J. Yin (Eds.), The handbook of global interventions in communication theory (pp. 188–214). Routledge.
  • Miike, Y. (2022). An anatomy of Eurocentrism in communication scholarship: The role of Asiacentricity in de-Westernizing theory and research. In W. Dissanayake (Ed.), Communication theory: The Asian perspective (2nd ed., pp. 255-278). Asian Media Information and Communication Center.
Japanese
  • 志々田文明 (1993). "建国大学の教育と石原莞爾". 人間科学研究. 6 (1). 早稲田大学人間科学学術院: 109–123. hdl:2065/3873. ISSN 0916-0396.
  • 湯治万蔵 (1981). 建國大學年表 (非売品 ed.). 建国大学同窓会建大史編纂委員会. p. 570. doi:10.11501/12115666. JPNO 82029900. 昭和11年の建大創設構想に基く初動から昭和20年の閉学に至るまでの経過が日付を追って詳細に記録されている。非売品。
  • 建国大学同窓会編『歓喜嶺 遥か』（文集）1991年6月刊、B5判、（上）401頁、（下）427頁。教員、学生の執筆260編。非売品。
  • 三浦英之 (2015). 五色の虹 : 満州建国大学卒業生たちの戦後. 集英社. ISBN 9784087815979. JPNO 22683496.
  • 宮沢恵理子『建国大学と民族協和』風間書房、1997年。ISBN 4759910158
  • 三浦英之『五色の虹　満州建国大学卒業生たちの戦後』、2015年。ISBN 978-4087815979。
  • 山根幸夫『建国大学の研究―日本帝国主義の一断面』 汲古書院、2003年。ISBN 4762925489
  • 志々田文明『武道の教育力―満洲国・建国大学における武道教育―』日本図書センター、2005年。 ISBN 4820593161
  • 志々田文明 早稲田大学人間科学研究による論文 建国大学の教育と石原莞爾 (PDF)
  • 小野寺永幸『歓喜嶺遥か、北帰行－満州建国大学と旅順高校の異材』（北の杜編集工房、2004年）
  • 鈴木登志正『歓喜嶺遥か！満州建国大学植樹班物語－東西文化研究、第1号～第4号』（東西文化研究会、1999年）
Korean
  • ‘만주 건국대학’이라는 실험과 육당 최남선 (Choe Nam-seon and Kenkoku University as a Testing Ground for ‘Concord of Nationalities’ in Manchukuo), 사회와역사(구 한국사회사학회논문집), 2016, vol., no.110, pp. 309-352 (44 pages), UCI : G704-000024.2016..110.011, 발행기관 : 한국사회사학회, 연구분야 : 사회과학 > 사회학
Russian
Vietnamese
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