Sunday, March 31, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Korean old money
http://homepage3.nifty.com/~sirakawa/Coin/C025.htm
한국이 낡은 화폐
朝鮮の貨幣
１．高 麗 時 代
新羅王朝の末期、豪族の一人、王健が「高麗」王朝を建国しました。９１８年のことです。
９３６年には、新羅と後百済を滅ぼし、朝鮮半島を統一しました。 首都は開京（開城）です。
建国当初の人口は２１０万人でした。
金属活字印刷と青磁はこの国の優れた文化を示しています。
ヨーロッパに「Ｋｏｒｅａ」として紹介された国です。
● 布 貨（麻布）
朝鮮の貨幣で特色があるのは、布（素材は麻）がそのまま貨幣として機能していたことです。 しかも、１９世紀ころまでの１０００年以上も絶え間なく使用されていたのです。
米も貨幣の代わり使われることがありましたが、布の方が価値の変動が少なく、また保存に便利でした。
布には政府の決めた基準があり、縦糸５升（１升は縦糸８０本）で長さ３５尺が１反、２反で１疋（匹）でした。
この頃の奴婢の値段は、成人男子で布１００疋以下、成人女子は１２０疋と定められていました（女性の方が高い！）。 奴婢は全人口の１割くらいいたそうです。
王朝の末期の１４世紀になると、縦糸の数が少なくなり、３升布、２升布などが出現しました。 まるでガーゼのようで、本来の「布」としての機能を失い、象徴的な貨幣となりました。
● コイン鋳造の始まり
乾元重宝 背東国
鉄銭です。
6.7g 29mm
高麗開元
アンチモニー質の独特の材質です。
3.3g 25.4mm
９９６年、唐のコインを見習って、鉄銭「乾元重宝」鋳造しました。 背には「東国」の文字がありました。
さらに、９９８年、唐の「開元通宝」を鋳写しました。 現在これは、「高麗開元」と呼ばれています。
しかし、北方から契丹が侵入し、貨幣づくりどころではなくなりました。
● 銀 瓶
１１０１年、銀の貨幣「銀瓶」が発行されました。 これは結構流布したそうです。
１斤（おそらく６００ｇ）＝布１００疋でした。
しかし、１４世紀になると銀不足で、小さくなり（「小銀瓶」）、民間では「砕銀」や「標銀」と呼ばれる低品質貨が発行され、だんだん使用されなくなりました。
● 再びコイン鋳造の試み
三韓重宝
これもアンチモニー質です。
3.2g 24.5mm
１０９７年、鋳銭司を設置し、１１０２年、海東重宝、海東通宝、東国重宝、東国通宝、三韓重宝、三韓通宝の６種類の銅貨を発行しました。
しかし発行枚数は多くなく、貴族だけの使用にとどまり、市場ではあまり流通しませんでした。
高麗古墳副葬品
高麗時代の豪族の墓の副葬品です。
青銅の硯、刀、印などともに、
北宋の崇寧通宝、崇寧重宝（１１０２～０６年発行）があります。
貨幣としてではなく、宝物として扱われていたようです。
（東京国立博物館にて)
２．朝 鮮 時 代
１３９２年、高麗王朝の将軍李成桂がクーデターを起こし、「朝鮮」王朝を建国しました。 「李氏朝鮮」とも呼ばれています。 首都は漢陽（漢城、現ソウル）でした。
１７世紀には５００万、１８世紀には７００万の人口に増加しました。
建国当初にハングル文字を創製し、また高麗青磁とならぶ李朝白磁を生み出した国です。
● 布 貨（綿布）
貨幣の主役は依然として布でした。 ただし、１３６４年ころ、元より木綿の製法が伝わり、素材は木綿になりました。
● 楮 貨
１３９１年（１４０１年、１４１０年？）、楮（こうぞ）の紙で作成された貨幣が発行されました。 「楮貨（ちょか）」と呼ばれています。 宋や元の紙幣に見習った、一辺が３０～５０ｃｍの大きな紙幣だったらしいです。
当初は１張（１枚）で米２升くらいしていましたが、だんだん価値が下がり、２、３０年後には１／３升くらいにまで低下しました。
楮貨は、数十年で使用されなくなりました。
● 朝鮮通宝
朝鮮通宝
銅質はこの時代の明や日本の貨幣に似ています。
書体は明の銭を真似ています。
3.4g 23.5mm
１４２５年、「朝鮮通宝」を発行しました。
銅銭１枚＝楮貨１張＝米１升（０．９リットル）の公定価格を決めました。 しかし、銅銭１枚＝米１升というのは、当時の中国や日本の物価（米１リットル＝５～１０文）と比べると、銅銭の価値を高く設定しすぎています。 そのためか、朝鮮通宝は長く使用されませんでした。
１４２９年に来日した朝鮮通信使は、その報告書の中で、
「銭が盛んに用いられ、布や米による支払いを凌駕している。だから、千里の旅をするものであっても、ただ銭貨を帯びるだけでよく、穀物を携帯しなくてよい」 （『李朝世宗実録』巻４６）
と、日本で銭が盛んに利用されていることに驚いています。
● 常平通宝
常平通宝 折二
背の「平」は、鋳銭所の平安監営を表わしています。
6.1g 29.8mm
１６３３年、「常平通宝」が発行されました。当初は無背（背に字がない）でしたが、１６７８年には発行所を表わす文字が１字つけられました。 ただし、いずれも発行量は多くありません。
１６７９年から、当二銭が発行され、その数はこれまでとは比べ物にならないくらい大量でした。 やっとこのころから商品貨幣経済が発達し、鋳造貨幣の使用が一般化したのです。
１６７８年に政府の定めた基準では、
銀１両（37g)＝銭４００文＝白米１００升
となっていました。
常平通宝 小平
背の「戸」は、鋳銭所の戸曹を表わしています。
銅質は、清の貨幣ににた真鍮質です。
3.6g 23.0mm
１７５２年には中型のものが、さらに１７７８年には小型の当一銭が発行されました。いずれも大量でした。
１８６６年、時の権力者大院君が景福院重建のために当百銭を発行しましたが、１００文では通用せず、２年後に回収されました。
また１８８２年には、開港後の財政難を補填する目的で当五銭が発行されました。
● 開国後の貨幣
１両銀貨
開国５０２年（１８９３）の発行です。
面上部には李（すもも）の花があります。
5.2g 22.0mm
２銭５分白銅貨
光武２年（１８９８）の発行です。
１／４両になります。
4.7g 20.7mm
１８７６年、日本の圧力で日朝修好条規（江華条約）を締結し、開国しました。
１８８８（開国４９７）年、１圜＝１０００文の貨幣制度を設け、１圜銀貨、１０文銅貨などを発行しました。
５年後の、１８９２（開国５０１）年、１圜＝５両＝５０銭＝５００分の貨幣制度に改定し、１圜銀貨から１分黄銅貨までの貨幣を発行しました。その中でも、２銭５分白銅貨が、極めて多数発行されました。
ただし、地方では旧来の常平通宝（「葉銭」と呼ばれていました）が使用され、また周辺列強の貨幣がそのまま通用する地域もありました（⇒右図）。
１８９４年に朝鮮各地を旅行したイギリス婦人イザベラ・バードは、１ドル（＝１円＝０．２ポンド）が葉銭３２００枚に相当し、１００ドル運ぶのに馬１頭または男６人がかりだと閉口しています。
１９０２（光武６）年、また貨幣制度を改め、日本風の１圜＝１００銭とし、日本の大阪造幣局において、日本の１円銀貨や１銭銅貨に良く似た貨幣を発行しました。
１９０５年から、白銅貨と葉銭は新しい貨幣と交換されましたが、白銅貨には私鋳品も多く、交換レートを次のように定めました。
○葉銭 １０枚で１銭
○白銅貨 品質のいいもの：２．５銭、品質の悪いもの：１銭、品質が極端に悪いもの：没収
品質によって交換レートが変わることを事前に知った人たちが良貨を買占め、騒動を引き起こしました。
参考文献：
須川英徳、「朝鮮時代の貨幣」、青木書店「越境する貨幣」、１９９９
須川英徳、「朝鮮前期の貨幣発行とその論理」、青木書店「ものから見る日本史．銭貨」、２００１
井上秀雄、鄭早苗、「韓国・朝鮮を知るための５５章」、明石書店、１９９３
李玉著、金容権訳、「朝鮮史」、文庫クセジュ、白水社、１９８２
金仁植、「韓国貨幣価格図録」、１９９４
イザベラ・バード、時岡敬子訳、「朝鮮紀行」、講談社学術文庫、１９９８
李碩崙、「韓国貨幣金融史」、白桃書房、２０００
한국이 낡은 화폐
朝鮮の貨幣
１．高 麗 時 代
新羅王朝の末期、豪族の一人、王健が「高麗」王朝を建国しました。９１８年のことです。
９３６年には、新羅と後百済を滅ぼし、朝鮮半島を統一しました。 首都は開京（開城）です。
建国当初の人口は２１０万人でした。
金属活字印刷と青磁はこの国の優れた文化を示しています。
ヨーロッパに「Ｋｏｒｅａ」として紹介された国です。
● 布 貨（麻布）
朝鮮の貨幣で特色があるのは、布（素材は麻）がそのまま貨幣として機能していたことです。 しかも、１９世紀ころまでの１０００年以上も絶え間なく使用されていたのです。
米も貨幣の代わり使われることがありましたが、布の方が価値の変動が少なく、また保存に便利でした。
布には政府の決めた基準があり、縦糸５升（１升は縦糸８０本）で長さ３５尺が１反、２反で１疋（匹）でした。
この頃の奴婢の値段は、成人男子で布１００疋以下、成人女子は１２０疋と定められていました（女性の方が高い！）。 奴婢は全人口の１割くらいいたそうです。
王朝の末期の１４世紀になると、縦糸の数が少なくなり、３升布、２升布などが出現しました。 まるでガーゼのようで、本来の「布」としての機能を失い、象徴的な貨幣となりました。
● コイン鋳造の始まり
乾元重宝 背東国
鉄銭です。
高麗開元
アンチモニー質の独特の材質です。
3.3g 25.4mm
９９６年、唐のコインを見習って、鉄銭「乾元重宝」鋳造しました。 背には「東国」の文字がありました。
さらに、９９８年、唐の「開元通宝」を鋳写しました。 現在これは、「高麗開元」と呼ばれています。
しかし、北方から契丹が侵入し、貨幣づくりどころではなくなりました。
● 銀 瓶
１１０１年、銀の貨幣「銀瓶」が発行されました。 これは結構流布したそうです。
１斤（おそらく６００ｇ）＝布１００疋でした。
しかし、１４世紀になると銀不足で、小さくなり（「小銀瓶」）、民間では「砕銀」や「標銀」と呼ばれる低品質貨が発行され、だんだん使用されなくなりました。
● 再びコイン鋳造の試み
三韓重宝
これもアンチモニー質です。
3.2g 24.5mm
１０９７年、鋳銭司を設置し、１１０２年、海東重宝、海東通宝、東国重宝、東国通宝、三韓重宝、三韓通宝の６種類の銅貨を発行しました。
しかし発行枚数は多くなく、貴族だけの使用にとどまり、市場ではあまり流通しませんでした。
高麗古墳副葬品
高麗時代の豪族の墓の副葬品です。
青銅の硯、刀、印などともに、
北宋の崇寧通宝、崇寧重宝（１１０２～０６年発行）があります。
貨幣としてではなく、宝物として扱われていたようです。
（東京国立博物館にて)
２．朝 鮮 時 代
１３９２年、高麗王朝の将軍李成桂がクーデターを起こし、「朝鮮」王朝を建国しました。 「李氏朝鮮」とも呼ばれています。 首都は漢陽（漢城、現ソウル）でした。
１７世紀には５００万、１８世紀には７００万の人口に増加しました。
建国当初にハングル文字を創製し、また高麗青磁とならぶ李朝白磁を生み出した国です。
● 布 貨（綿布）
貨幣の主役は依然として布でした。 ただし、１３６４年ころ、元より木綿の製法が伝わり、素材は木綿になりました。
● 楮 貨
１３９１年（１４０１年、１４１０年？）、楮（こうぞ）の紙で作成された貨幣が発行されました。 「楮貨（ちょか）」と呼ばれています。 宋や元の紙幣に見習った、一辺が３０～５０ｃｍの大きな紙幣だったらしいです。
当初は１張（１枚）で米２升くらいしていましたが、だんだん価値が下がり、２、３０年後には１／３升くらいにまで低下しました。
楮貨は、数十年で使用されなくなりました。
● 朝鮮通宝
朝鮮通宝
銅質はこの時代の明や日本の貨幣に似ています。
書体は明の銭を真似ています。
3.4g 23.5mm
１４２５年、「朝鮮通宝」を発行しました。
銅銭１枚＝楮貨１張＝米１升（０．９リットル）の公定価格を決めました。 しかし、銅銭１枚＝米１升というのは、当時の中国や日本の物価（米１リットル＝５～１０文）と比べると、銅銭の価値を高く設定しすぎています。 そのためか、朝鮮通宝は長く使用されませんでした。
１４２９年に来日した朝鮮通信使は、その報告書の中で、
「銭が盛んに用いられ、布や米による支払いを凌駕している。だから、千里の旅をするものであっても、ただ銭貨を帯びるだけでよく、穀物を携帯しなくてよい」 （『李朝世宗実録』巻４６）
と、日本で銭が盛んに利用されていることに驚いています。
● 常平通宝
常平通宝 折二
背の「平」は、鋳銭所の平安監営を表わしています。
6.1g 29.8mm
１６３３年、「常平通宝」が発行されました。当初は無背（背に字がない）でしたが、１６７８年には発行所を表わす文字が１字つけられました。 ただし、いずれも発行量は多くありません。
１６７９年から、当二銭が発行され、その数はこれまでとは比べ物にならないくらい大量でした。 やっとこのころから商品貨幣経済が発達し、鋳造貨幣の使用が一般化したのです。
１６７８年に政府の定めた基準では、
銀１両（37g)＝銭４００文＝白米１００升
となっていました。
常平通宝 小平
背の「戸」は、鋳銭所の戸曹を表わしています。
銅質は、清の貨幣ににた真鍮質です。
3.6g 23.0mm
１７５２年には中型のものが、さらに１７７８年には小型の当一銭が発行されました。いずれも大量でした。
１８６６年、時の権力者大院君が景福院重建のために当百銭を発行しましたが、１００文では通用せず、２年後に回収されました。
また１８８２年には、開港後の財政難を補填する目的で当五銭が発行されました。
● 開国後の貨幣
１両銀貨
開国５０２年（１８９３）の発行です。
面上部には李（すもも）の花があります。
5.2g 22.0mm
２銭５分白銅貨
光武２年（１８９８）の発行です。
１／４両になります。
4.7g 20.7mm
１８７６年、日本の圧力で日朝修好条規（江華条約）を締結し、開国しました。
１８８８（開国４９７）年、１圜＝１０００文の貨幣制度を設け、１圜銀貨、１０文銅貨などを発行しました。
５年後の、１８９２（開国５０１）年、１圜＝５両＝５０銭＝５００分の貨幣制度に改定し、１圜銀貨から１分黄銅貨までの貨幣を発行しました。その中でも、２銭５分白銅貨が、極めて多数発行されました。
ただし、地方では旧来の常平通宝（「葉銭」と呼ばれていました）が使用され、また周辺列強の貨幣がそのまま通用する地域もありました（⇒右図）。
１８９４年に朝鮮各地を旅行したイギリス婦人イザベラ・バードは、１ドル（＝１円＝０．２ポンド）が葉銭３２００枚に相当し、１００ドル運ぶのに馬１頭または男６人がかりだと閉口しています。
１９０２（光武６）年、また貨幣制度を改め、日本風の１圜＝１００銭とし、日本の大阪造幣局において、日本の１円銀貨や１銭銅貨に良く似た貨幣を発行しました。
１９０５年から、白銅貨と葉銭は新しい貨幣と交換されましたが、白銅貨には私鋳品も多く、交換レートを次のように定めました。
○葉銭 １０枚で１銭
○白銅貨 品質のいいもの：２．５銭、品質の悪いもの：１銭、品質が極端に悪いもの：没収
品質によって交換レートが変わることを事前に知った人たちが良貨を買占め、騒動を引き起こしました。
参考文献：
須川英徳、「朝鮮時代の貨幣」、青木書店「越境する貨幣」、１９９９
須川英徳、「朝鮮前期の貨幣発行とその論理」、青木書店「ものから見る日本史．銭貨」、２００１
井上秀雄、鄭早苗、「韓国・朝鮮を知るための５５章」、明石書店、１９９３
李玉著、金容権訳、「朝鮮史」、文庫クセジュ、白水社、１９８２
金仁植、「韓国貨幣価格図録」、１９９４
イザベラ・バード、時岡敬子訳、「朝鮮紀行」、講談社学術文庫、１９９８
李碩崙、「韓国貨幣金融史」、白桃書房、２０００
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The Comfort Women: Japan's Brutal Regime of Enforced Prostitution in the Second World War George Hicks
http://www.amazon.co.jp/The-Comfort-Women-Enforced-Prostitution/dp/0393316947
The Comfort Women: Japan's Brutal Regime of Enforced Prostitution in the Second World War [Paperback]
George Hicks (Author)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Comfort-Women-Enforced-Prostitution/dp/0393316947/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
The Comfort Women: Japan's Brutal Regime of Enforced Prostitution in the Second World War [Paperback]
George Hicks (Author)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Comfort-Women-Enforced-Prostitution/dp/0393316947/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Reps. Israel and Honda Call on Japanese Government to Maintain Proper Awareness for ‘Comfort Women’
http://israel.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1148:reps-israel-and-honda-call-on-japanese-government-to-maintain-proper-awareness-for-comfort-women&catid=57:2013-press-releases
Reps. Israel and Honda Call on Japanese Government to Maintain Proper Awareness for ‘Comfort Women’
Concern over recent suggestion by new Japanese government to revise Japanese apology for forced sexual servitude during World War II
Washington, DC — Reps. Steve Israel (D–NY) and Mike Honda (D-CA) today called on the new Japanese leadership and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to maintain the proper awareness, education and apology for women who were forced into sexual servitude during World War II, also known as ‘comfort women.’ It has been suggested by the new government and Prime Minister Abe that the 1993 Kono Statement could be reversed.
Rep. Israel said, “Japan’s government must fully acknowledge, apologize for and increase awareness of its history of ‘comfort women.’ These survivors of physical, sexual and psychological violence that was sanctioned by the Japanese government deserve this apology. But beyond that Japan must prove to the rest of the world that it is willing to express sincere regret for a systematic atrocity that was committed in its country’s history in order to move forward as a democracy.”
Rep. Honda said, “While I congratulate Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his recent election and look forward to his upcoming visit to the U.S., we cannot afford the time for revisions or retractions of past statements. Indeed, nothing is more important right now than for a democratic country like Japan to formally acknowledge and unequivocally apologize for its systematic atrocity. Government is a living, breathing organism that is responsible for its past, present and future. As someone who was put into an internment camp as an infant during World War II, I know reconciliation through government actions, to admit error, are the only ones likely to be long lasting. In order to move toward a more peaceful, global world, Japan must accept responsibility and apologize. The grandmothers – those survivors of physical, sexual and psychological violence perpetuated by Japan’s Imperial Army – are still waiting for an appropriate apology.”
What it's like to be a 'comfort woman' Kim Bok-dong
http://www.dailylife.com.au/life-and-love/real-life/what-its-like-to-be-a-comfort-woman-20121207-2azh1.html
What it's like to be a 'comfort woman'
Date
December 10, 2012 - 9:10AM
38 comments
Kim Bok-dong
[Trigger warning: discussion of sexual assault]
A young Kim Bok-dong.
During WWII, up to 200,000 women and girls were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military. These women and girls were kept in 'comfort stations' in China, Taiwan, Borneo, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), Indonesia and many of the Pacific Islands.
Women were abducted, deceived or sold by extremely poor parents. The majority of women were under the age of 20 and some were girls as young as 12. These women and girls were kept for months or years on end.
South Korean Kim Bok-dong, was one of those women. Now 90 years old, she was taken from her home village and abused as a ‘comfort woman’. Here she gives a rare insight into her horrific experience and her continued fight for justice.
Kim Bok-Dong, 90, raises awareness on gender violence.
I was 14 years old when I was forcefully drafted into sexual slavery by the Japanese government. They said they would hire me as a factory worker, but instead they dragged many of us to Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Indonesia. I was with the army headquarters so I went almost everywhere with them.
ADVERTISEMENT
There are no words to describe what the soldiers did to me, from noon to 5pm on Saturdays and 8am to 8pm on Sundays. By the end of the day, I could not even sit up. After eight years of suffering, they placed me as a worker in an army hospital. Their intention was to hide any evidence of ‘comfort women’.
I did not even know when the war ended. When I came back home, I was 22. How could I tell anyone what happened to me? My parents kept telling me to get married, but I could not. So I had to tell them in the end. They did not believe it at first and then said at least it was very fortunate for me to survive all of that. It has been several decades since the end of the war but there has been no proper response from Japan. If our own government is not working on this issue, who should we talk to? This is why we are still fighting.
I got involved in the movement for ‘comfort women’ as soon as it started, so 20 years ago. One day, they were calling for reports from ‘comfort women’ survivors. So I called them. People came to find me and even a broadcasting company came to me as well. I don’t remember the exact date, but the Korean Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery came to me and I have been with them ever since. It was really difficult at first, but I could not sit back when all these people would come forward at the Wednesday Protests for us. Now, I also protest outside the embassy every Wednesday. We shout to call on the Japanese government to apologize. We have bonded over this period of time.
When I went to Vienna for the UN World Conference on Human Rights in 1993, many women around the world cried with us, for us. I really appreciate the support from other states. They speak as if they are ready to work with us right away. However, I believe they need to push Japan further if they really want to help us. And they do not seem to know that this didn’t just happen to Korean women. All those countries whose women suffered should co-operate more actively to protest against the Japanese government’s denial. All those countries probably know about the crimes and that it was wrong. They should cooperate [with each other] and urge Japan to accept recommendations and make this recent UN Universal Periodic Review Process important. I look forward to more actions than words that will help keep Japan under pressure.
Although several decades have passed, nothing has been resolved. When I hear about supporters from all around the world, I am just thankful and it gives me a hope that this fight may end really soon. I hope more and more people raise their voices for a resolution of this issue. Let’s stand strong and not give up. I also urge young women and students to join our fight for justice − your voices and your actions will be greatly appreciated.
I am now 90 and this is indeed tiring for me. But I want to receive an apology from the Japanese government myself. I am not doing this for money. I just want the Japanese government to regret their actions, take responsibility for what they did, apologise to all of us, and respect our human rights.
To all the women around the world, be strong. No war! No violence against women!
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign that started on 25 November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and ends on 10 December, Human Rights Day.
The campaign hopes to raise awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international level. This year's theme is "Let's challenge militarism and end violence against women".
Take action: Urge Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs to unequivocally apologize and provide reparations to the survivors of the military sexual slavery system.
Click here to find out more about The 16 days of Activism.
Date
December 10, 2012 - 9:10AM
38 comments
Kim Bok-dong
[Trigger warning: discussion of sexual assault]
A young Kim Bok-dong.
During WWII, up to 200,000 women and girls were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military. These women and girls were kept in 'comfort stations' in China, Taiwan, Borneo, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), Indonesia and many of the Pacific Islands.
Women were abducted, deceived or sold by extremely poor parents. The majority of women were under the age of 20 and some were girls as young as 12. These women and girls were kept for months or years on end.
South Korean Kim Bok-dong, was one of those women. Now 90 years old, she was taken from her home village and abused as a ‘comfort woman’. Here she gives a rare insight into her horrific experience and her continued fight for justice.
Kim Bok-Dong, 90, raises awareness on gender violence.
I was 14 years old when I was forcefully drafted into sexual slavery by the Japanese government. They said they would hire me as a factory worker, but instead they dragged many of us to Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Indonesia. I was with the army headquarters so I went almost everywhere with them.
ADVERTISEMENT
There are no words to describe what the soldiers did to me, from noon to 5pm on Saturdays and 8am to 8pm on Sundays. By the end of the day, I could not even sit up. After eight years of suffering, they placed me as a worker in an army hospital. Their intention was to hide any evidence of ‘comfort women’.
I did not even know when the war ended. When I came back home, I was 22. How could I tell anyone what happened to me? My parents kept telling me to get married, but I could not. So I had to tell them in the end. They did not believe it at first and then said at least it was very fortunate for me to survive all of that. It has been several decades since the end of the war but there has been no proper response from Japan. If our own government is not working on this issue, who should we talk to? This is why we are still fighting.
I got involved in the movement for ‘comfort women’ as soon as it started, so 20 years ago. One day, they were calling for reports from ‘comfort women’ survivors. So I called them. People came to find me and even a broadcasting company came to me as well. I don’t remember the exact date, but the Korean Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery came to me and I have been with them ever since. It was really difficult at first, but I could not sit back when all these people would come forward at the Wednesday Protests for us. Now, I also protest outside the embassy every Wednesday. We shout to call on the Japanese government to apologize. We have bonded over this period of time.
When I went to Vienna for the UN World Conference on Human Rights in 1993, many women around the world cried with us, for us. I really appreciate the support from other states. They speak as if they are ready to work with us right away. However, I believe they need to push Japan further if they really want to help us. And they do not seem to know that this didn’t just happen to Korean women. All those countries whose women suffered should co-operate more actively to protest against the Japanese government’s denial. All those countries probably know about the crimes and that it was wrong. They should cooperate [with each other] and urge Japan to accept recommendations and make this recent UN Universal Periodic Review Process important. I look forward to more actions than words that will help keep Japan under pressure.
Although several decades have passed, nothing has been resolved. When I hear about supporters from all around the world, I am just thankful and it gives me a hope that this fight may end really soon. I hope more and more people raise their voices for a resolution of this issue. Let’s stand strong and not give up. I also urge young women and students to join our fight for justice − your voices and your actions will be greatly appreciated.
I am now 90 and this is indeed tiring for me. But I want to receive an apology from the Japanese government myself. I am not doing this for money. I just want the Japanese government to regret their actions, take responsibility for what they did, apologise to all of us, and respect our human rights.
To all the women around the world, be strong. No war! No violence against women!
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign that started on 25 November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and ends on 10 December, Human Rights Day.
The campaign hopes to raise awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international level. This year's theme is "Let's challenge militarism and end violence against women".
Take action: Urge Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs to unequivocally apologize and provide reparations to the survivors of the military sexual slavery system.
Click here to find out more about The 16 days of Activism.
COMFORT WOMEN WANTED at Spaces Gallery Cleveland, OH
http://www.changjinlee.net/cww/index.html
COMFORT WOMEN WANTED
(a series of indoor & outdoor Installations)
at Spaces Gallery
Cleveland, OH
at The Incheon Women Artists' Biennale, Korea
Public Art installation
New York City
at 1a Space
Hong Kong, China
Blog about research trip, 2008
to Korea, Taiwan, and Japan
Blog about research trip,
2009-2012 to China, Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines
Based on research since 2007, meeting Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Indonesian, Dutch, and Filipino "comfort women" survivors and a former Japanese soldier from W.W.II., this project involves billboards, Kiosk street posters, prints, audio and multi-channel video installation.
COMFORT WOMEN WANTED brings to light the memory of 200,000 young women, referred to as "comfort women," who were systematically exploited as sex slaves in Asia during World War II, and increases awareness of sexual violence against women during wartime.
The gathering of women to serve the Imperial Japanese Army was organized on an industrial scale not seen before in modern history. This project promotes awareness of these women, some of whom are still alive today, and brings to light a history which has been largely forgotten and denied.
The title, COMFORT WOMEN WANTED, is a reference to the actual text of advertisements which appeared in newspapers during the war. When advertising failed, young women from Korea, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Netherlands were kidnapped or deceived and forced into sexual slavery. Most were teenagers, some as young as 12 years old, and were raped by as many as fifty soldiers a day at military rape camps, known as "comfort stations." Women suffered serial and gang rape, forced abortions, humiliation, and torture, sometimes resulting in mutilation, and even death. By some estimates only 30% survived the ordeal.
Whenever there's a war we hear about the suffering of soldiers, yet we hear almost nothing about the plight of women who are kidnaped and raped, or killed. Often it is the poorest and most marginalized elements of society who suffer most. Through out history women like this are too often invisible, forgotten and left with no place to turn.
The "Comfort Women System" is considered the largest case of human trafficking in the 20th century. Much in the same way that acknowledgment and awareness of the Holocaust helps to insure it will not happen again, by acknowledging this issue we can prevent another generation of enslaved "comfort women" from happening anywhere ever again.
In the 21st century, human trafficking has surpassed drug trafficking to become the second largest business in the world after arms dealing. The "comfort women" issue illustrates the victimization which women suffer in terms of gender, ethnicity, politics, and class oppression, and how women are still perceived as a disposable commodity. This project promotes empowerment of these and all women, and seeks to establish a path toward a future where oppression is no longer tolerated.
On July, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed H. Resolution 121, proposed by Mike Honda, Japanese-American Congressman, with 168 bipartisan cosponsors, calling for Japan's acknowledgment of the sexual enslavement of "Comfort Women," and acceptance of historical responsibility. Similar resolutions have passed in Canada, the Netherlands, the European Union, and Great Britain.
Ad-like Billborads, Kiosk Posters, and Prints:
The text COMFORT WOMEN WANTED is in black atop a red background. There are two black & white portraits of former "comfort women" when they were young, including a portrait of a Taiwanese "comfort woman" taken by a Japanese soldier during her enslavement. These images of the women are surrounded by gold leaf, suggesting the halo of a saint from Renaissance painting. These portraits of young "comfort women" are juxtaposed with silhouettes of aged former "comfort women" in their current homes. Of those who survived, many of the women never went back, or they were ostracized from their families and communities because of what was perceived as their "shameful past" in a conservative society cherishing women's chastity as ideal. For most of these women, the sense of home was forever destroyed. To highlight this fact the central image of the prints, rather than being a portrait, contains an empty silhouette.
Audio and Multi-Channel Video Installation:
Historian Suzanne O'Brien has written that
"the privileging of written documents works to exclude from history...the voices of the kind of people comfort women represent - the female, the impoverished, the colonized, the illiterate, and the racially and ethnically oppressed. These people have left few written records of their experiences, and therefore are denied a place in history."
In the audio installation, when people pick up a phone handset, they can hear the voices of "comfort women" survivors on one side which contrasts with the voice of a Japanese soldier on the opposite side.
In the multi-channel video installation, the Korean, Taiwanese, Indonesian, Chinese, and Dutch "comfort women" survivors, and a former Japanese soldier talk about their experiences at the military comfort stations, as well as their everyday hopes and dreams, and who they are as people. These women also sing their favorite traditional folk songs in Korean, Taiwanese, Chinese, and Dutch. This presents the women as individuals rather than as victims and highlights the experiences we all share, in order to put these monumental events in context. These are the stories and voices of the survivors.
Another projection shows three videos simultaneously, of former military comfort stations in China and Indonesia. The three comfort stations depicted in the video are "Dai Salon," the first comfort station ever in Asia; "Mei Mei Li," a large complex of buildings in Shanghai; and an Indonesian comfort station which existed in a former Dutch officer's house in Java. This video is about the history and memory of place.
Despite growing awareness of the issue of trafficking of women and of sexual slavery as a crime against humanity, this particular recent historical event has gone largely unacknowledged. COMFORT WOMEN WANTED attempts to bring to light this instance of organized violence against women, and to create a constructive dialogue for the future by acknowledging their place in history.
Special Thanks:
My deepest respect and admiration for all of the courageous "comfort women" survivors I have met.
I encountered so many amazing women including Young Soo Lee (Korea), Wan Aihua (the first Chinese "comfort woman" to come forward in China), and Jan Ruff O'Herne (the first European "comfort woman" to come forward publicly), as well as Professor Jung Oak Yun and Professor Hyo Chae Lee, who began the movement in Asia to bring to light this particular history.
In Korea, Young-Soo Lee halmuni, Ong-lyeon Park halmuni, Oak-seon Yi halmuni. Gun-ja Kim halmuni, Oak-seon Park halmuni, Soon-ok Kim halmuni, Il-Chul Kang halmuni, Soon-Duk Lee halmuni, and Chun-hee Bae halmuni. Professor Jung Oak Yun, Professor Hyo Chae Lee, Hwa Jong Lee, Professor Keum Hye Park, Professor Tae Guk Jun, Won Soon Park Social Designer, Eunju Park, Shin Kweon Ahn, and Mee Hyang Yoon
In Taiwan, Shyou Fung Ho ahma, Hsiu-mei Wu ahma, Yang Chen ahma, Man-mei Lu ahma, Yin-Chiao Su ahma, and Hwa Chen ahma. Graceia Lai, Shu-Hue Kang, Huiling Wu, Li-Fang Yang, Margaret Shiu, Ann Yao, Rita Chang, Melissa Chan, Betsy Lan, Chi-Hsi Chao and Emily Chao.
In China, Wan Aihua dayang, Professor Zhiliang Su, and Ye Chen,
In Indonesia, Emah Kastimah, Marjiyah, and Eka Hindrati.
In Australia, Jan Ruff O'Herne.
In Japan, Yasuji Kaneko, Mina Watanabe, Alison Scott, Eriko Ikeda, Murayama Ippei, Georg Kochi, Misuzu Yamamoto, Hiroko Murata and Tatsuhiko Murata.
In The Philippines, Nelia Sancho, Lola Julia Porras, and lola Fedencia David
In the USA, Congressman Mike Honda, Margaret Cogswell, Erin Donnelly, Felicity Hogan, Teri Chan, Paul Clay, Soon Hee Lee, Chang Soo Lee, Dai-Sil Kim, Ok Cha Soh, Ph. D., Annabel Park, Jokotri Taro, Amy Goldrich, Rima Yamazaki, Aiko Miyatake, Grace Qh Zhao, Phillia Kim Downs, and many others who have supported this project.
This project is made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts Grant,, the Manhattan Community Arts Fund, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Asian Cultural Council, and the Asian Women Giving Circle.
COMFORT WOMEN WANTED
(a series of indoor & outdoor Installations)
at Spaces Gallery
Cleveland, OH
at The Incheon Women Artists' Biennale, Korea
Public Art installation
New York City
at 1a Space
Hong Kong, China
Blog about research trip, 2008
to Korea, Taiwan, and Japan
Blog about research trip,
2009-2012 to China, Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines
Based on research since 2007, meeting Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Indonesian, Dutch, and Filipino "comfort women" survivors and a former Japanese soldier from W.W.II., this project involves billboards, Kiosk street posters, prints, audio and multi-channel video installation.
COMFORT WOMEN WANTED brings to light the memory of 200,000 young women, referred to as "comfort women," who were systematically exploited as sex slaves in Asia during World War II, and increases awareness of sexual violence against women during wartime.
The gathering of women to serve the Imperial Japanese Army was organized on an industrial scale not seen before in modern history. This project promotes awareness of these women, some of whom are still alive today, and brings to light a history which has been largely forgotten and denied.
The title, COMFORT WOMEN WANTED, is a reference to the actual text of advertisements which appeared in newspapers during the war. When advertising failed, young women from Korea, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Netherlands were kidnapped or deceived and forced into sexual slavery. Most were teenagers, some as young as 12 years old, and were raped by as many as fifty soldiers a day at military rape camps, known as "comfort stations." Women suffered serial and gang rape, forced abortions, humiliation, and torture, sometimes resulting in mutilation, and even death. By some estimates only 30% survived the ordeal.
Whenever there's a war we hear about the suffering of soldiers, yet we hear almost nothing about the plight of women who are kidnaped and raped, or killed. Often it is the poorest and most marginalized elements of society who suffer most. Through out history women like this are too often invisible, forgotten and left with no place to turn.
The "Comfort Women System" is considered the largest case of human trafficking in the 20th century. Much in the same way that acknowledgment and awareness of the Holocaust helps to insure it will not happen again, by acknowledging this issue we can prevent another generation of enslaved "comfort women" from happening anywhere ever again.
In the 21st century, human trafficking has surpassed drug trafficking to become the second largest business in the world after arms dealing. The "comfort women" issue illustrates the victimization which women suffer in terms of gender, ethnicity, politics, and class oppression, and how women are still perceived as a disposable commodity. This project promotes empowerment of these and all women, and seeks to establish a path toward a future where oppression is no longer tolerated.
On July, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed H. Resolution 121, proposed by Mike Honda, Japanese-American Congressman, with 168 bipartisan cosponsors, calling for Japan's acknowledgment of the sexual enslavement of "Comfort Women," and acceptance of historical responsibility. Similar resolutions have passed in Canada, the Netherlands, the European Union, and Great Britain.
Ad-like Billborads, Kiosk Posters, and Prints:
The text COMFORT WOMEN WANTED is in black atop a red background. There are two black & white portraits of former "comfort women" when they were young, including a portrait of a Taiwanese "comfort woman" taken by a Japanese soldier during her enslavement. These images of the women are surrounded by gold leaf, suggesting the halo of a saint from Renaissance painting. These portraits of young "comfort women" are juxtaposed with silhouettes of aged former "comfort women" in their current homes. Of those who survived, many of the women never went back, or they were ostracized from their families and communities because of what was perceived as their "shameful past" in a conservative society cherishing women's chastity as ideal. For most of these women, the sense of home was forever destroyed. To highlight this fact the central image of the prints, rather than being a portrait, contains an empty silhouette.
Audio and Multi-Channel Video Installation:
Historian Suzanne O'Brien has written that
"the privileging of written documents works to exclude from history...the voices of the kind of people comfort women represent - the female, the impoverished, the colonized, the illiterate, and the racially and ethnically oppressed. These people have left few written records of their experiences, and therefore are denied a place in history."
In the audio installation, when people pick up a phone handset, they can hear the voices of "comfort women" survivors on one side which contrasts with the voice of a Japanese soldier on the opposite side.
In the multi-channel video installation, the Korean, Taiwanese, Indonesian, Chinese, and Dutch "comfort women" survivors, and a former Japanese soldier talk about their experiences at the military comfort stations, as well as their everyday hopes and dreams, and who they are as people. These women also sing their favorite traditional folk songs in Korean, Taiwanese, Chinese, and Dutch. This presents the women as individuals rather than as victims and highlights the experiences we all share, in order to put these monumental events in context. These are the stories and voices of the survivors.
Another projection shows three videos simultaneously, of former military comfort stations in China and Indonesia. The three comfort stations depicted in the video are "Dai Salon," the first comfort station ever in Asia; "Mei Mei Li," a large complex of buildings in Shanghai; and an Indonesian comfort station which existed in a former Dutch officer's house in Java. This video is about the history and memory of place.
Despite growing awareness of the issue of trafficking of women and of sexual slavery as a crime against humanity, this particular recent historical event has gone largely unacknowledged. COMFORT WOMEN WANTED attempts to bring to light this instance of organized violence against women, and to create a constructive dialogue for the future by acknowledging their place in history.
Special Thanks:
My deepest respect and admiration for all of the courageous "comfort women" survivors I have met.
I encountered so many amazing women including Young Soo Lee (Korea), Wan Aihua (the first Chinese "comfort woman" to come forward in China), and Jan Ruff O'Herne (the first European "comfort woman" to come forward publicly), as well as Professor Jung Oak Yun and Professor Hyo Chae Lee, who began the movement in Asia to bring to light this particular history.
In Korea, Young-Soo Lee halmuni, Ong-lyeon Park halmuni, Oak-seon Yi halmuni. Gun-ja Kim halmuni, Oak-seon Park halmuni, Soon-ok Kim halmuni, Il-Chul Kang halmuni, Soon-Duk Lee halmuni, and Chun-hee Bae halmuni. Professor Jung Oak Yun, Professor Hyo Chae Lee, Hwa Jong Lee, Professor Keum Hye Park, Professor Tae Guk Jun, Won Soon Park Social Designer, Eunju Park, Shin Kweon Ahn, and Mee Hyang Yoon
In Taiwan, Shyou Fung Ho ahma, Hsiu-mei Wu ahma, Yang Chen ahma, Man-mei Lu ahma, Yin-Chiao Su ahma, and Hwa Chen ahma. Graceia Lai, Shu-Hue Kang, Huiling Wu, Li-Fang Yang, Margaret Shiu, Ann Yao, Rita Chang, Melissa Chan, Betsy Lan, Chi-Hsi Chao and Emily Chao.
In China, Wan Aihua dayang, Professor Zhiliang Su, and Ye Chen,
In Indonesia, Emah Kastimah, Marjiyah, and Eka Hindrati.
In Australia, Jan Ruff O'Herne.
In Japan, Yasuji Kaneko, Mina Watanabe, Alison Scott, Eriko Ikeda, Murayama Ippei, Georg Kochi, Misuzu Yamamoto, Hiroko Murata and Tatsuhiko Murata.
In The Philippines, Nelia Sancho, Lola Julia Porras, and lola Fedencia David
In the USA, Congressman Mike Honda, Margaret Cogswell, Erin Donnelly, Felicity Hogan, Teri Chan, Paul Clay, Soon Hee Lee, Chang Soo Lee, Dai-Sil Kim, Ok Cha Soh, Ph. D., Annabel Park, Jokotri Taro, Amy Goldrich, Rima Yamazaki, Aiko Miyatake, Grace Qh Zhao, Phillia Kim Downs, and many others who have supported this project.
This project is made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts Grant,, the Manhattan Community Arts Fund, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Asian Cultural Council, and the Asian Women Giving Circle.
Chang-Jin Lee: COMFORT WOMEN WANTED
http://bambooculture.com/en/news/592
Chang-Jin Lee: COMFORT WOMEN WANTED
Submitted by bess on Wed, 02/22/2012 - 12:50
Category: Art News
Tag: 李昌珍 Chang-Jin Lee 竹圍工作室 Asia 亞洲 台灣 日本 韓國 慰安婦
COMFORT WOMEN WANTED brings to light the memory of 200,000 young women, known as "comfort women," who were systematically exploited as sex slaves in Asia during World War II, and increases awareness of sexual violence against women during wartime.
Based on artist Chang Jin-Lee’s research since 2007 in Asia, (including Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, and Australia), meeting “comfort women survivors” and a former Japanese soldier from W.W.II,COMFORT WOMEN WANTED involves ad-like prints and multichannel video installation.
The gathering of women to serve the Imperial Japanese Army was organized on an industrial scale not seen before in modern history. This project promotes awareness of these women, some of whom are still alive today, and brings to light a history which has been largely forgotten and denied.
The title, COMFORT WOMEN WANTED, is a reference to the actual text of advertisements which appeared in Asia newspapers during the war. When advertising failed, young women from Korea, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Netherlands were kidnapped or deceived and forced into sexual slavery. Most were teenagers, some as young as 12 years old, and were raped by as many as fifty soldiers a day at military rape camps, known as "comfort stations." By some estimates only 30% survived the ordeal.
Whenever there's a war we hear about the suffering of soldiers, yet we hear almost nothing about the plight of women who are kidnapped and raped, or killed. Often it is the poorest and most marginalized elements of society who suffer most. Throughout history women like this are too often invisible, forgotten and left with no place to turn.
The "Comfort Women System" is considered the largest case of human trafficking in the 20th century. Much in the same way that acknowledgment and awareness of the Holocaust helps to insure it will not happen again, by acknowledging this issue we can prevent another generation of enslaved "comfort women" from happening anywhere ever again.
In the 21st century, human trafficking has surpassed drug trafficking to become the second largest business in the world after arms dealing. The "comfort women" issue illustrates the victimization which women suffer in terms of gender, ethnicity, politics, and class oppression, and how women are still perceived as a disposable commodity. This project promotes empowerment of these and all women, and seeks to establish a path toward a future where oppression is no longer tolerated.
About the Artists
Chang-Jin Lee is a Korean-born visual artist based in New York City. Her multicultural background and experiences have provoked in her an interest in investigating the diverse cultural and social/political issues in our current era.
She has exhibited extensively including at The Incheon Women Artists’ Biennale (Korea), Bo Pi Liao Contemporary (Taiwan), The Queens Museum of Art (New York), The World Financial Center Winter Garden (New York), The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council(New York), The Franconia Sculpture Park (Minnesota), The Asian American Arts Centre (New York), The Chinese American Arts Council (New York), Van Brunt Gallery (New York), Elizabeth Heskin Gallery (New York), The Peekskill Project (New York), The Bronx River Art Center (New York), and Spaces Gallery (OH).
She is a recipient of numerous awards including The New York State Council on the Arts Grant (New York), Asian Cultural Council Fellowship (New York), The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Grant (New York), The Franconia Sculpture Park Jerome Fellowship(New York), The Asian Women Giving Circle Award (New York), The New York Foundation for the Arts Fiscal Sponsorship Award (New York), The World Financial Center Sponsorship (New York) , The Puffin Foundation Grant, The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council - Creative Capital Professional Development Workshop (New York) and The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's Manhattan Community Arts Fund (New York).
Chang-Jin Lee
Chang-Jin Lee at BCS
COMFORT WOMEN WANTED from Chang-Jin Lee on Vimeo.