Soshi-kaimei
Encyclopedia
Sōshi-kaimei was a policy created by Jiro Minami
, Governor-General of Korea
under the Empire of Japan
, implemented upon Japanese subjects from Korea
(referred to below as Koreans). As defined by Ordinance No. 19, issued in 1939, sōshi, literally "creation of a , was mandatory because, under the Japanese interpretation, Korean family names were not family names but which indicate a person's father's origin, while by Ordinance No. 20, issued in 1940, kaimei, literally "changing (your) given name", was voluntary and would be charged a fee. This was effectively a reversal of an earlier government order forbidding Koreans from taking Japanese names. There are various explanations of the purpose of the ordinances.
system. With regards to the recording of details about women such as the father's surname, age, and connection to the registry holder, due to attention that needed to be given to avoiding conflict with Korean customs, the drafting of the law was not completed until April 1910, just before the annexation of Korea
. By that time, a portion of Koreans had already registered Japanese-style names and the like, which generated confusion. As a result, on the basis of memoranda such as Order No. 124, "Document regarding name changes by Koreans" issued by the Governor-General of Korea
on November 11, 1911, the use by Koreans of "names which might be mistaken for those of native Japanese" was no longer permitted, and strict controls were placed on the registration of Japanese-style names for newborn children. Additionally, Koreans who had registered Japanese-style names on there were required to revert to their original names.
, the new name-change policy was intended simply to allow change of surname (sei/seong) and given name, but because Korea had a long-established custom (recently abandoned) whereby people of the same bon-gwan
(surname and clan) were not allowed to marry each other, in order that this custom could continue, it was decided that the policy would be implemented by leaving the clan name and sei the same in the family register, while permitting a new family name (shi/ssi) to be registered. On the other hand, in Taiwan, which was also under Japanese rule
in the same period, but did not have an analogous custom, the policy was not described as "creation of a shi", but was simply .
With regards to the creation of a family name (shi), there were both and . In the half year between February 11 and August 10, 1940, those who provided notification could create a shi of their own choosing, while those who did not provide any notification would have their shi defined by the clan name (sei) of the head of the household. After the "creation of a family name", a Korean had three names which are a family name shi, a clan name sei, and a personal name mei (first name), all of which are recorded in a person's family register
along with the origin place of the clan, bon-gwan
. Since all members of a family share the same family name shi, wife's shi, and hence the first character in her legal name, would be the same as her husband's, which differed from the traditional Korean clan name sei, whereby a wife kept her original sei even after marriage (see table). Besides that, selection of a shi with a Japanese-style reading could also be approved; to go along with such a shi, it was also permissible to change one's given name to a Japanese-style name; as the change of given name was voluntary, a fee would be charged for it. Additionally, at the same time, the mukoyōshi
system, i.e. an , which up until then had been forbidden under Korean law, was also introduced. This case was also included in the sōshi-kaimei policy.
Declaration of individually-selected shi and changes of given name initially (in February 1940) were conducted on the basis of voluntary notification. However, at the April prefectural governors' meeting, because of instructions such as "Special consideration should be taken so that the shi registration of all households can be completed by the coming July 20" the administration began to seriously promote the policy, and as a result, starting from April, the number of households registering individually-selected shi began to rise sharply. As of April, only 3.9% of all households had provided notification for creation of a shi, but by August 10, that figure had risen to 80.3%. Also, statements opposing the policy of sōshi-kaimei were censored according to the internal security laws.
There are several viewpoints regarding this sudden increase. Most argue that official compulsion and harassment existed against individuals who would not create a new Japanese-style shi, but disagree whether this was the result of individual unauthorised practises by low-level officials , the policy of some regional government organisations, or an overall intention of the colonial government. Others argue that Koreans seeking to avoid discrimination by Japanese voluntarily created Japanese-style family names.
Regardless, of Koreans living in Korea, the proportion of those who changed their given name reached only 9.6%. Among Koreans living in the mainland of Japan, the proportion of those who created a new shi by individual selection reached 14.2％.
south of the 38th parallel
, enabling Koreans to restore their Korean name
s if they wished to. However, not all Koreans returned to using their original names, especially Koreans living outside of Korea. Many Zainichi Koreans chose to retain their Japanese names, either to avoid discrimination, or later, to meet the requirements for naturalization as Japanese citizens, while some Sakhalin Koreans
who had taken Japanese names were registered by Soviet authorities under those names (which appeared on their Japanese identity papers) after the Red Army
occupied Karafuto
, and up to the have been unable to revert their legal names to their original Korean one.
Jiro Minami
- Notes :...
, Governor-General of Korea
Governor-General of Korea
The post of Japanese Governor-General of Korea served as the chief administrator of the Japanese government in Korea while it was held as the Japanese colony of Chōsen from 1910 to 1945...
under the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
, implemented upon Japanese subjects from Korea
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
(referred to below as Koreans). As defined by Ordinance No. 19, issued in 1939, sōshi, literally "creation of a , was mandatory because, under the Japanese interpretation, Korean family names were not family names but which indicate a person's father's origin, while by Ordinance No. 20, issued in 1940, kaimei, literally "changing (your) given name", was voluntary and would be charged a fee. This was effectively a reversal of an earlier government order forbidding Koreans from taking Japanese names. There are various explanations of the purpose of the ordinances.
Order No. 124
In 1909, the Empire of Korea, on the basis of guidance from Japan, established a , starting the creation of a modern family registryFamily register
A family register is a registry used in many countries to track information of a genealogical or legal interest.Often, official recognition of certain events or status may only be granted when such event or status is registered in the...
system. With regards to the recording of details about women such as the father's surname, age, and connection to the registry holder, due to attention that needed to be given to avoiding conflict with Korean customs, the drafting of the law was not completed until April 1910, just before the annexation of Korea
Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty
The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910, also known as the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, was made by representatives of the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire in 1910. Negotiations were concluded on August 20, 1910...
. By that time, a portion of Koreans had already registered Japanese-style names and the like, which generated confusion. As a result, on the basis of memoranda such as Order No. 124, "Document regarding name changes by Koreans" issued by the Governor-General of Korea
Governor-General of Korea
The post of Japanese Governor-General of Korea served as the chief administrator of the Japanese government in Korea while it was held as the Japanese colony of Chōsen from 1910 to 1945...
on November 11, 1911, the use by Koreans of "names which might be mistaken for those of native Japanese" was no longer permitted, and strict controls were placed on the registration of Japanese-style names for newborn children. Additionally, Koreans who had registered Japanese-style names on there were required to revert to their original names.
Ordinances No. 19 and 20
In 1939 and 1940, a new name-change policy came into effect by means of Ordinances No. 19 and 20. Originally, as in TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, the new name-change policy was intended simply to allow change of surname (sei/seong) and given name, but because Korea had a long-established custom (recently abandoned) whereby people of the same bon-gwan
Bon-gwan
Bon-gwan is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share a same family name . Since Korea has been traditionally a Buddhist country this clan system is cognate with Gotra in Sanskrit texts and shares most features...
(surname and clan) were not allowed to marry each other, in order that this custom could continue, it was decided that the policy would be implemented by leaving the clan name and sei the same in the family register, while permitting a new family name (shi/ssi) to be registered. On the other hand, in Taiwan, which was also under Japanese rule
Taiwan under Japanese rule
Between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was a dependency of the Empire of Japan. The expansion into Taiwan was a part of Imperial Japan's general policy of southward expansion during the late 19th century....
in the same period, but did not have an analogous custom, the policy was not described as "creation of a shi", but was simply .
With regards to the creation of a family name (shi), there were both and . In the half year between February 11 and August 10, 1940, those who provided notification could create a shi of their own choosing, while those who did not provide any notification would have their shi defined by the clan name (sei) of the head of the household. After the "creation of a family name", a Korean had three names which are a family name shi, a clan name sei, and a personal name mei (first name), all of which are recorded in a person's family register
Family register
A family register is a registry used in many countries to track information of a genealogical or legal interest.Often, official recognition of certain events or status may only be granted when such event or status is registered in the...
along with the origin place of the clan, bon-gwan
Bon-gwan
Bon-gwan is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share a same family name . Since Korea has been traditionally a Buddhist country this clan system is cognate with Gotra in Sanskrit texts and shares most features...
. Since all members of a family share the same family name shi, wife's shi, and hence the first character in her legal name, would be the same as her husband's, which differed from the traditional Korean clan name sei, whereby a wife kept her original sei even after marriage (see table). Besides that, selection of a shi with a Japanese-style reading could also be approved; to go along with such a shi, it was also permissible to change one's given name to a Japanese-style name; as the change of given name was voluntary, a fee would be charged for it. Additionally, at the same time, the mukoyōshi
Mukoyōshi
A is a man who is adopted into a family as a daughter's husband, and who takes the family's surname. This is done to preserve the name and occupation of the family when there is no suitable male heir...
system, i.e. an , which up until then had been forbidden under Korean law, was also introduced. This case was also included in the sōshi-kaimei policy.
Declaration of individually-selected shi and changes of given name initially (in February 1940) were conducted on the basis of voluntary notification. However, at the April prefectural governors' meeting, because of instructions such as "Special consideration should be taken so that the shi registration of all households can be completed by the coming July 20" the administration began to seriously promote the policy, and as a result, starting from April, the number of households registering individually-selected shi began to rise sharply. As of April, only 3.9% of all households had provided notification for creation of a shi, but by August 10, that figure had risen to 80.3%. Also, statements opposing the policy of sōshi-kaimei were censored according to the internal security laws.
There are several viewpoints regarding this sudden increase. Most argue that official compulsion and harassment existed against individuals who would not create a new Japanese-style shi, but disagree whether this was the result of individual unauthorised practises by low-level officials , the policy of some regional government organisations, or an overall intention of the colonial government. Others argue that Koreans seeking to avoid discrimination by Japanese voluntarily created Japanese-style family names.
Regardless, of Koreans living in Korea, the proportion of those who changed their given name reached only 9.6%. Among Koreans living in the mainland of Japan, the proportion of those who created a new shi by individual selection reached 14.2％.
Restoration of original names
After the liberation of Korea from Japanese rule, the Name Restoration Order was issued on October 23, 1946 by the United States military administrationUnited States Army Military Government in Korea
The United States Army Military Government in Korea, also known as USAMGIK, was the official ruling body of the southern half of the Korean Peninsula from September 8, 1945 to August 15, 1948...
south of the 38th parallel
38th parallel north
The 38th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 38 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean...
, enabling Koreans to restore their Korean name
Korean name
A Korean name consists of a family name followed by a given name, as used by the Korean people in both North Korea and South Korea. In the Korean language, 'ireum' or 'seong-myeong' usually refers to the family name and given name together...
s if they wished to. However, not all Koreans returned to using their original names, especially Koreans living outside of Korea. Many Zainichi Koreans chose to retain their Japanese names, either to avoid discrimination, or later, to meet the requirements for naturalization as Japanese citizens, while some Sakhalin Koreans
Sakhalin Koreans
Sakhalin Koreans are Russian citizens and residents of Korean descent living on Sakhalin Island, who trace their roots to the immigrants from the Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces of Korea during the late 1930s and early 1940s, the latter half of the Japanese colonial era...
who had taken Japanese names were registered by Soviet authorities under those names (which appeared on their Japanese identity papers) after the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
occupied Karafuto
Karafuto Prefecture
, commonly called South Sakhalin, was the Japanese administrative division corresponding to Japanese territory on Sakhalin from 1905 to 1945. Through the Treaty of Portsmouth, the portion of Sakhalin south of 50°N became a colony of Japan in 1905...
, and up to the have been unable to revert their legal names to their original Korean one.
Those who took a Japanese-style name
- Kim Suk-wonKim Suk-wonKim Suk-won was a major general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. He was the third-highest ranking ethnic Korean in the Japanese Army behind Lt...
, a.k.a. Kaneyama Shakugen , Major General in the Imperial Japanese ArmyImperial Japanese Army-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū... - Park Chung-heePark Chung-heePark Chung-hee was a Republic of Korea Army general and the leader of South Korea from 1961 to 1979. He seized power in a military coup and ruled until his assassination in 1979. He has been credited with the industrialization of the Republic of Korea through export-led growth...
, a.k.a. Takaki Masao , Lieutenant in the KantogunKantogunThe , also known in China as the Guandong Army , was an army group of the Imperial Japanese Army in the first half of the twentieth century. It became the largest and most prestigious command in the IJA...
, later president of South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
Those who retained their Korean-style name
- Hong Sa-ikHong Sa-ik- References :...
, Lieutenant General in the Imperial Japanese ArmyImperial Japanese Army-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū... - Pak Chun-geum , member of the House of RepresentativesHouse of Representatives of JapanThe is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...
(see Japanese Wikipedia article) - Han Sang-ryong , member of the House of Peers (see Korean Wikipedia article)
- Yi Gi-yong , member of the House of Peers
Timeline of family registration procedures in Korea
| Year | Individual | Clan name; bon-gwan Bon-gwan Bon-gwan is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share a same family name . Since Korea has been traditionally a Buddhist country this clan system is cognate with Gotra in Sanskrit texts and shares most features... (本貫) and seong (姓) |
Family name; ssi (氏) | First name; mei (名) | Full name/record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prior to 1909: Recording in family register (族譜) (The family register was typically managed by the head of the clan; however, many citizens did not have a seong) | Husband | Gimhae Kim (金海金) | None | Mu-hyeon (武鉉) | Kim Mu-hyeon (金武鉉) |
| Wife | Gyeongju Yi (慶州李) | None | None | No record, as the woman's name was not recorded in the register (族譜) | |
| 1910 to 1940: Minseki law system (民籍法制定) (Some citizens who lacked a seong took on Japanese names during this time) | Husband | Gimhae Kim (金海金) | None | Mu-hyeon (武鉉) | seong and given name Kim Mu-hyeon (金武鉉) |
| Wife | Gyeongju Yi (慶州李) | None | Mu-a (撫兒) | seong and given name Yi Mu-a (李撫兒) | |
| 1940 to 1946: sōshi-kaimei (the legal name, which used to be seong and given name, because ssi and given name) | In the case of a ssi created by law | ||||
| Husband | Gimhae Kim (金海金) | Gim | Mu-hyeon (武鉉) | ssi and given name Kim Mu-hyeon (金武鉉) | |
| Wife | Gyeongju Yi (慶州李) | Gim | Mu-a (撫兒) | ssi and given name Kim Mu-a (金撫兒) | |
| In the case of a ssi created by the individual | |||||
| Husband | Gimhae Kim (金海金) | Yamato (大和) | Takehiro (武鉉) | ssi and given name Yamato Takehiro (大和武鉉) | |
| Wife | Gyeongju Yi (慶州李) | Yamato (大和) | Nadeshiko (撫子) | ssi and given name Yamato Nadeshiko (大和撫子) | |
| After 1946 Name Restoration Order | Husband | Gimhae Kim (金海金) | None | Mu-hyeon (武鉉) | seong and given name Kim Mu-hyeon (金武鉉) |
| Wife | Gyeongju Yi (慶州李) | None | Mu-a (撫兒) | seong and given name Yi Mu-a (李武鉉) | |
- The application period for creation of a ssi was limited to six months in length, while there was no time limit placed on the change of given name
- Children inherited their father's bon-gwanBon-gwanBon-gwan is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share a same family name . Since Korea has been traditionally a Buddhist country this clan system is cognate with Gotra in Sanskrit texts and shares most features...
and seong - Children of an unmarried woman inherited the woman's bon-gwanBon-gwanBon-gwan is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share a same family name . Since Korea has been traditionally a Buddhist country this clan system is cognate with Gotra in Sanskrit texts and shares most features...
and seong - Even if one married, the recorded native region and clan name could not be changed
- According to customary Korean law (now no longer followed), one can not marry with a person of the same clan name and the same clan origin related within 6 or 8 degrees