Japanese rice varieties in colonial Korea: from the view of Nagai Isaburô

朝鮮総督府農事試験場種芸部主任の永井威三郎には、大きな任務が課せられていた。朝鮮の風土に適した新品種の開発である。しかし、これら新品種の爆発的な普及は、結局、解放までみられることはなかった。また、永井は、最先端の育種技術と朝鮮農民の生活レベルの低さのギャップに直面し、満たされないまま帰国した。しかし、「大東亜戦争」開戦と軌を一にして、彼は啓蒙書や随筆のなかで、米英や朝鮮に対する日本技術と食文化の優越性を説きはじめる。彼のジレンマは、欧米との戦争のなかで解消されていくのである。本稿では、これまで取り上げられてこなかった永井に焦点を絞って、永井の排外主義への転換を分析し、農業技術と植民地主義の関係性について考えてみたい。Nagai Isaburô, the chief of breeding in the Agricultural Experimental Station at Suwon in colonial Korea, was in charge of the development of new rice varieties suitable to Korea\u27s climate. However, these Korean-made varieties did not take off in Korea. His survey of villages near the stations revealed the gap between the advanced agricultural technology of the stations and the low standard of a Korean peasants\u27 life. In the mid-1930s, he returned to Japan dismayed over what he had found. After the outbreak of the Daitôa War, however, he insisted that the Japanese were superior in food and culture, not only when compared to Western countries, but also to Korea. His dilemma was solved easily by the outbreak of the war. This paper will focus on Nagai\u27s discourse, and will analyze his eventual change to ethnocentrism. I will consider the relationship between agricultural technology and colonialism.論説(Article