From the December 4, 1944 archives, I randomly discovered the news "milestone" describing the death of Sadakichi Hartmann, a "Japanese-German" playwright who is, apparently, actually Korean-German (seen at left in an 1899 photo). These little random incidents of randomness are often just as interesting for where they take me as are the news bits (like Japanese imperial oppression of Christians in Korea and Japan or what was happening to Korea under Japanese rule).
Died. Sadakichi Hartmann, eightyish, dramatist, artist, philosopher and mop-haired onetime "King of Greenwich Village"; in St. Petersburg, Fla. Born in Nagasaki, Japan, son of a Korean woman and a German munitions worker, he married three times, begat 15 children, named one set after jewels, another set for flowers, was the boon companion of artistic greats, from Walt Whitman to John Barrymore.
I vaguely remember hearing of this man, who was quite prominent in his day. In this brief bio, which mentions nothing of any reputed Korean background, his problems as a former Japanese citizen in a country at war with Japan are described:
World War II imposed its horrors on the old man when the FBI started inquiring into his Japanese-German background, despite the fact that he had been a citizen since 1894. After they were interviewed by FBI agents, many of the Hollywood crowd quickly dropped Hartmann and invitations to parties ceased. Only Gene Fowler continued to show interest in the old man. In numerous embittered letters, Hartmann pleaded with high government officials not to intern him, arguing that there could be nothing more American than to have written the first modern History of American Art. The harassment never completely ceased, and sheriff's deputies again and again received reports from townspeople that Hartmann made periodic climbs to the top of Mt. San Jacinto to signal Japanese planes with a lantern.World War II-era hysteria against Japanese-Americans (and more than a few ethnic Koreans considered "Japanese") never ceases to amaze me.
I just found that my father (100% Korean) was actually born in Japan. Based on the address in my family registry record, my grandfather must be a Korean coalmine worker who was recruited to the area (either by force or voluntarily) during the war.
ReplyDeleteAlthough my father was born in Japan, I filled his “State of Birth” with “Korea” in my marriage certificate (issued in Sonoma County). Like my father’s case, one’s birth place doesn’t necessarily reflect on one’s citizenship. But when Americans ask someone’s birth place, I assume that they want to know what the person’s nationality is. North America might be the only country that gives citizenship based on one’s birth place (as long as I know).
Anyway, Kushibo, it was a very interesting story. We would never know what Hartmann thought he was (I mean, his identity). But it was apparent that he suffered from his Japanese related background. What were to happen if he had claimed himself as Korean? Did he even know that his mother was actually Korean?
Interesting that he was born in 1867 to a Korean woman; I imagine (if that is true - no other sources I've seen mention this) she would have to be descended from those Koreans kidnapped during the Imjin Waeran, as there wasn't much (if any?) contact between Korean and Japan prior to the 1876 treaty. If that's true, just how 'pure' her bloodline would be after 150 years (I don't know enough about how integrated inter Japanese society (or not) the Koreans kidnapped to Japan were) might be in question, as would the degree to which she maintained her Korean identity.
ReplyDeleteMore on Hartmann's life (and on his father) can be found here. There's even a picture of his mother in the endnotes - though nothing is said of her being Korean. I had read a lot about Nagasaki's history when I visited the city years ago, but needed to brush up - this site has a wealth of information about Nagasaki's foreign community.
Darin wrote:
ReplyDeleteThis is a touchy subject indeed. But I could argue, "is he really Korean?"
For starters, I want to point out that I did not put this up here for the purpose of pointing out, "Hey! Here's a famous guy who's Korean!"
Rather, I just randomly found this when I was doing an archive search of things related to Korea and Japan, and I found this quite interesting.
It is the end of the piece that is more interesting to me, about how this nearly lifelong American citizen was suddenly suspect because of where he was born (and left as a very small child). It is even more ironic if he isn't actually of Japanese descent.
Secondarily, I do find this interesting also because (if he is in fact ethnic Korean) it underscores how tied together Korea and Japan have long been. There were only a few thousand ethnic Koreans in the United States prior to the end of the Korean War, but they often found their fate tied to how ethnic Japanese were treated in America (which was often not good).
I'm 100% Dutch blood, second generation. But am I Dutch? I may speak some, but I've never been to the Netherlands, and no longer cary Dutch citizenship.
You actually had Dutch citizenship?
By the way, I have been to the Netherlands...twice! The airport is nice.
But yeah, there is the issue of ethnic identity, which varies from person to person. I know people who are 100% Korean or Japanese by ethnicity and consider themselves to be 100% American and nothing else, whereas I know people who are 1/8 Korean or 1/8 Japanese and feel that that is an important part of who they are (though this has a family-cultural basis to it).
Has Sadakichi Hartmann （定吉ハートマン) ever been to Korea? It's possible.
I don't know. I'm not even 100% sure he actually is Korean.
What was his citizenship from birth? If he was born on dejima (the linked site mistakenly calls the island deshima), he could have German citizenship at one time as well.
Back before the post-war era, the Japanese spellings weren't always consistent. Official spellings did change at least a couple of times (someone mentioned this in the Corea-versus-Korea comments), though I don't know if it would have affected that. It's also possible that the people Romanizing it simply made a mistake.
I believe myself to be American of Dutch ancestry, with Sadakichi to be a Korean-German Japanese, who came to America.
I think that's a fair description, but I wouldn't deny the man the right to define his own self based on his own ethnic background.
He would have been born at a time long before the Japanese occupation of Chosen correct?
Yes. The Japanese started exerting considerable influence in the mid-1890s after defeating the Chinese in the First Sino-Japanese War. They had near total control of Korea's foreign affairs after the Russians were defeated in the Russo-Japanese War in 1904 and 1905, a short while after which the Protectorate Treaty was established. The outright annexation of Korea came in 1910.
I am arguably much more Dutch then he is Korean, but no one will ever make a stink about my origins in my obituary.
You yourself have mentioned your Dutch heritage a number of times, so it does mean something to you. Certainly Hartmann's Asian background became an issue for him, but more importantly to his own identity, it may have had a very profound effect on who he was growing up. If he chose to identify himself as Japanese or Korean, that's certainly his prerogative.
Why is this a touchy subject? I think it's because people want it to be.
I hope you're not inferring that I'm saying it's a touchy subject whether he's Korean or Japanese. I only found this random piece interesting for its historic value. It only adds to the interest if he's ethnically Korean and not Japanese.
From my perspective, he's clearly not Korean, but of Korean descent. Is the difference because it's Japan vs America?
I don't think you (or any of us)know enough of the man to determine whether he is (or would consider himself to be) Korean or Japanese.
Shouldn't 'rules' be universal?
So people of multi-ethnic/racial heritage should be forced to identify themselves according to rules set up by people who don't share their ethnic background?
I'm sorry, but the "Choose one" days of racial/ethnic identification are ending.
People's ethnic/racial identity is a very personal thing based on a number of factors. Some people are more culturally one or another, either because of or despite where they were born versus where their parents were born.
So the "universal rule" is that people should be able to pick for themselves based on their own experience with their own ethnic background.
Even the articles that don't mention that he is of Korean descent don't go out of the way to say he's not either. Perhaps those authors thought the same way I do, that he's Japanese of Korean and German descent, but ultimately Japanese
Well, if he's ethnic Japanese, then he's a Japanese-German, as far as many Americans at the time were concerned (since there were Italian-Americans, Irish-Americans, Chinese-Americans, etc.). If he was ethnic Korean but born in Japan, then his Japanese-ness may be secondary, not because his Korean-ness takes precedence, but because his American-ness does: he was a United States citizen.
June Cho wrote:
ReplyDeleteI just found that my father (100% Korean) was actually born in Japan. Based on the address in my family registry record, my grandfather must be a Korean coalmine worker who was recruited to the area (either by force or voluntarily) during the war.
How do you know he worked in a coalmine? About one-third (that's off the top of my head, so it might be off slightly) of the ethnic Koreans in Japan were conscripted workers. Many Koreans had gone to Japan (and Japan-controlled Manchukuo) BECAUSE educational and economic in Korea was so restricted for ethnic Koreans.
My point being, don't assume he was such a laborer just because he was in Japan.
Although my father was born in Japan, I filled his “State of Birth” with “Korea” in my marriage certificate (issued in Sonoma County).
I doubt that will make any difference later on, but you never know.
Even in the United States records were inconsistent back in those days. My dad was issued a birth certificate at birth (but omits father's race for a certain reason) and my mother, who was born at home, went through life without a birth certificate until she went to nursing school and had one retroactively made for identification purposes.
Like my father’s case, one’s birth place doesn’t necessarily reflect on one’s citizenship. But when Americans ask someone’s birth place, I assume that they want to know what the person’s nationality is.
Often, yes. But sometimes they're just curious about their background. Army brats born in Germany, Japan, or Korea, for example, have an interesting story.
North America might be the only country that gives citizenship based on one’s birth place (as long as I know).
It's the norm in most parts of the Americas, I think. Certainly the US and Canada. Peru-born Alberto Fujimori, for example, automatically had Peruvian citizenship when he was born there. I thought that the UK and other Commonwealth countries had that, too. Not sure, though.
Anyway, Kushibo, it was a very interesting story. We would never know what Hartmann thought he was (I mean, his identity). But it was apparent that he suffered from his Japanese related background.
That was the norm for people of Japanese background in those days. Guilty by association. Many died in Europe trying to prove what loyal Americans they actually were.
What were to happen if he had claimed himself as Korean? Did he even know that his mother was actually Korean?
If he really was Korean, I think he did know it. After all, this "obituary" was written at the time of his death; it's not something dug up years later.
The Korean-mother-in-Nagasaki story is just a little too complex to be something that someone accidentally wrote in. That inclines me to think there's some truth to it.
But it's also possible that he might have claimed Korean ethnicity in order to avoid being interned in the camps. However, that probably would have been mentioned somewhere. Also, claiming Korean ethnicity would likely not have kept him out of the camps.
Matt wrote:
ReplyDeleteInteresting that he was born in 1867 to a Korean woman; I imagine (if that is true - no other sources I've seen mention this) she would have to be descended from those Koreans kidnapped during the Imjin Waeran, as there wasn't much (if any?) contact between Korean and Japan prior to the 1876 treaty.
I don't think that would necessarily be the case at all. Catholics, including French and Germans, had been directly or indirectly involved with Korea for some time. The 1850s and especially the 1860s had lots of foreigners rushing out to do business as Northeast Asia was being cracked open. There was a famous massacre of French priests in February 1866, which was reported by a German priest who was in Korea. German, Russian, and British entrepreneurs were trying to get into the country. Also, the links between Korea and Japan, although unofficial, were not non-existent. With Nagasaki a center of Catholicism in the region and also a magnet for Europeans, any confluence of these things could have led to a German meeting a Korean in Korea and taking her to Japan or even meeting her in Korea.
If that's true, just how 'pure' her bloodline would be after 150 years (I don't know enough about how integrated inter Japanese society (or not) the Koreans kidnapped to Japan were) might be in question, as would the degree to which she maintained her Korean identity.
I think the Koreans abducted to Japan would have eventually (at least after a few generations) simply thought of themselves as part of the overall landscape. I don't think that's what going on here.
More on Hartmann's life (and on his father) can be found here. There's even a picture of his mother in the endnotes - though nothing is said of her being Korean.
I myself can only find this contemporary source, at the time of his death in 1944.
I had read a lot about Nagasaki's history when I visited the city years ago, but needed to brush up - this site has a wealth of information about Nagasaki's foreign community.
I have read a lot about Nagasaki but have yet to go there, even though I have been to nearby Fukuoka (relatives, not visa runs) many times. I should make a point of going sometime soon.