Pathway to Japanese Literature

A Letter to Friends in Korea

To the many Korean friends, both known and unknown to me, I offered this heartfelt letter.
The Japan of emotion now commanded me to act thus.
I stepped forth and spoke to you all of this irrepressible heart.
I quietly believed these words would be accepted.
If through this letter two hearts could touch, what immeasurable joy that would bring me.
I wanted you all to break that lonely silence before me.
People are always seeking friends who speak from the heart.
I believed that among you especially, human love was being sought from the very depths of the heart.
When I thought thus, how could I possibly refrain from fulfilling this approach?
You too, upon taking this letter in hand, would surely not hesitate to respond to me.
I wanted to believe that.

I

Lately my heart had been almost entirely consumed by matters of Korea.
Why this had come to pass was something I could not explain.
Where can there ever be words sufficient to convey emotion?
When I perceived your innermost feelings and solitude, tears unknown to others would well up in my eyes.
I now found myself contemplating your fate while reflecting upon this world’s unnatural currents.
An inconceivable event had manifested before us.
My heart knew no peace.
Whenever my thoughts turned toward you all,I too came to bear your suffering.
Some nameless force seemed ever calling unto me.
I could no more disregard its summons than halt my own breath.
This force had roused from within me love for humankind itself.
Affection now compelled me urgently toward you all.
Silence became unbearable.
Why must approaching you be deemed improper?
Does not the heart yearn to commune with heart when kinship courses through our veins?
Were it within my power,I would reach out even this hand in warmth.
This,I trusted you would recognize as nature’s own imperative coursing through our world.

People are born loving others.
Hatred and conflict cannot possibly be humanity's true purpose.
Through various impure motives nations become divided and hearts grow distant.
The momentum of unnaturalness arrogantly upholds its ugly dominion.
Yet where could there exist an unnaturalness capable of enduring?
All hearts yearn to return to nature.
Were all things to return to nature, I believe love would course more abundantly between us.
Some unnatural force rends us asunder.

“You shall love one another,” the teaching says.
However, I believe that even before such teachings emerged, natural human feelings inherently sought to “love one another.”
Love is not profound because saints teach it.
It becomes profound when rooted in natural human feelings.
If people could live guided by these innate feelings, how warm this world would be.
What holds true worth in this world is neither power nor knowledge.
I have always believed it lies in a single fragment of warm human feeling.
Yet somehow, our way of living through these feelings gets trampled underfoot, while money and military force come to be seen as society’s supporting pillars.
This momentum seems almost to command, “Hate one another.”
Nations never cease preparing for battle.
But how could forces opposing humanity’s natural feelings ever bring lasting peace or happiness?
It is simply that as this unnaturalness spreads unchecked, hearts find themselves torn asunder against their deepest will.
When I reflect on Korea’s history—how through long years of alternating military force and coercion, these natural feelings were stamped down at every turn—I cannot contain my welling tears.

Korea is now suffering in lonely sorrow.
The Tomoe-patterned flag does not flutter high, and even though spring comes, Rika seems destined to keep its buds sealed forever.
Inherent culture grows more distant day by day, disappearing from its birthplace.
The traces of countless outstanding civilizations are now read only in the volumes of the past.
The heads of those who pass by hang low, suffering and resentment manifest upon their brows.
Even the voices speaking now have low tones, and the people seem to shun sunlight and gather in dark shadows.
What force has made you thus?
I cannot help but perceive how your hearts and bodies are shrouded in dark feelings.
You must surely have tears of blood.
People may be able to endure most sufferings.
However, in a place lacking both love and freedom, people simply cannot live.
It is not only you all.
How many people in this world have pursued such things, how often have they even abandoned their homelands and set out on aimless wandering journeys.
All people seek the air of freedom.
They long for the warmth of human affection.
I think of this and think of him, feeling irrepressible sympathy for you all.
Has there ever been a country with politics grounded in affection?
Military force born of love has never existed.
Conflict lacks morality; battle never possesses religion in any instance.
This fact is painful for people who know the truth.

I wish for Japan to always remain a just and warm Japan.
If there exist deeds that boast of heartless actions, then at such times Japan cannot be the Japan of religion.
Today's relations between nations have unfortunately not yet even attained the realm of morality.
Needless to say, religious love cannot possibly be sustained between them.
Various injustices and evils are at times justified in the name of the state.
The state does not always follow truth.
Rather truth adapts itself to conform to the state.
Thus does unnatural force all too often stride boldly through this world in broad daylight.
Most people do not doubt this sin.
It passes overlooked as an unavoidable occurrence in our imperfect world.
Yet if people suffer here due to such deeds, this becomes a nation's disgrace and humanity's insult.
The righteous Japan must not hesitate to reform these actions.
We constantly desire to elevate our nation unto truth.
Though these were not my own deeds, when I consider how Japan has been unjust on certain occasions, I wish as one born in Japan to apologize here for this sin to you all.
I cannot help but secretly entreat God for forgiveness of this sin.
That Japan should stand condemned as sinful before God's realm—this I cannot endure.
For Japan's honor too I desire to deepen our homeland through religion.
Though no eyewitness myself, when I hear of various cruel deeds occurring among you, my heart aches.
Facing your fate that must be borne in silence—for this I know no words.
While secretly seeking forgiveness, I whisper thus within my heart:
"If Japan be unjust, allies shall surely arise for you from among us."

The true Japan does not desire tyranny.
"At least, may the Japan of tomorrow aspire to become humanity's champion."
Will you not lend credence to such a voice?

These days, you and we drift further apart with each sunrise.
That human warmth which yearns to draw near instead curdles into separation-seeking spite—how profoundly unnatural!
Some essence of compassion must arise to restore this malice to natural affection.
I know full well the Japan of force cannot birth such unity.
Yet might not the Japan of heartfelt sentiment achieve this harmony?
Not through domineering coercion.
Only compassion's tender fragility can midwife peace into this world.
I trust that you, as fellow humans, will soften your hearts to this sincerity.
I cannot discern what path Japan intends to tread toward resolving our strife.
Yet though I stand but one man, might not this love surging within my breast take root and flourish among you?
Many Japanese still keep silent, but I know them to be people of feeling like myself.
We refuse indifference toward Korea's destiny.

How many unforgivable contradictions persisted as contradictions in this world?
I always thought: if Japanese people were in the position of Koreans—
This nation that proclaims patriotic sentiments and prides itself on loyal subjects would surely raise the banner of rebellion even higher than you all.
Our morality had long occupied a position that ought to praise such actions.
We could not help but perceive contradiction in censuring your righteous indignation toward your own country.
Truth should be universal truth, yet at times a single deed receives two names—termed “loyalty” in one instance and “rebelliousness” in another.
Were one to count them, how numerous such contradictions must have been in this world!
As they multiplied, how many countless souls must have been tormented by dark shadows!
When I contemplated you all in that circumstance and reflected upon the “dark force” that wrought this reality, my heart sustained wounds.
At times my heart grew fierce; at times it sank into desolation.
Needless to say, you all must have borne oppressive anguish that constricted your breasts.
In what were you all seeking solace now?
How did you all perceive that fate?
Not even in dreams could peaceful thoughts dwell.
I prayed that even a modicum of peace might descend upon you all.

Yet I still hold a blazing hope for humanity.
Nature will surely awaken what is right from within humanity.
I want to believe that Japan will someday become a Japan that stands upon proper human ethics.
This must be the ideal cherished by all nations, regardless of where they are.
I do not doubt that the day will come when Japan is supported by truth.
I know that the young people of Japan are now striving toward this ideal.
You must not reject even Japanese people as human beings.
According to my correct observation, among the Korean people as individuals, there are almost none who hold hatred in their hearts.
No, through art we have always reflected upon how Korea has been an outstanding nation.
Even during the time when we once fought against Russia, we were daily deepening our study of Russia’s great ideas and literature.
The division of two countries is not due to hatred between individuals.
I believe that in terms of affection, our compatriots have not forgotten our neighboring friends.
At least, the people who will shape the future of Japan will never be ignorant of reason or cold in affection.

If Japan should resort to violence, allies for you will swiftly emerge from within Japan itself.
I believe in humanity's essential nature.
I place my hope in the Japanese people as fellow human beings.
Human beings cannot find fulfillment through injustice.
They are not cold-hearted toward tragedy or solitude.
Oppression and strife do not spring from sincere hearts.
Our world now ferments with impure energies, unwillingly perpetuating its ugliness.
Yet I maintain that a life radiant with love and nourished by human warmth is what our hearts truly seek.
Even should darkness engulf this world, it cannot strip humanity of its fundamental essence.
Nature ever sustains the power of renewal.
Today nations stand divided and people turn away from one another.
But if strangers could open their hearts across borders, how profoundly would humankind bask in shared joy.
The bonds between unknown souls may hold the deepest intimacy.
This is the happiness humanity yearns for.
I believe we and you all remain eternally united in this common aspiration.

You all and we are truly flesh-and-blood brothers historically, geographically, racially, and linguistically.
I do not consider the current state to be natural.
Nor do I think this unfortunate relationship should persist indefinitely.
That which is unnatural being weeded out is the immutable law of this world.
I now earnestly hope that the day will come when the unnatural relationship between our two countries is rectified.
Korea, which is indeed a brother nation to Japan, must not be Japan’s slave.
This is more than a dishonor to Korea—it is the most profound disgrace for Japan.
I do not think that my Japan would fail to reflect on such disgrace.
No, I believe in the Japan of the future.
I do not doubt the Japan of emotion.
Young people stirred in spirit feel the duty to elevate Japan to truth.
I want you all to join me in believing this.
Through believing in the essence of humanity itself, I want you to revive hope together with me.

If the governing policy here ran counter to the path of humanity，such politics would not endure.
No force could defy divine will.
If they defied this，they would surely crumble from within as their destined fate.
In their essence by divine will，humanity had to become the champion of all things.
If this could not be done，it was an indelible disgrace as an individual or a nation.
If there existed a country here oppressed by unjust force，human justice would surely arise and become an ally to that oppressed country.
I believed that such courage in human sincerity would never disappear.
I thought those who oppressed were closer to their demise than those who were oppressed.
Against the former，human allies would rise up，but against the latter，natural punishment would surely be imposed.
“Those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword，” Jesus declared.
In this world，there was no glory of evil that could endure.

There was one matter here for which I wished to request reflection.
Just as it was an absolute sin for us to injure even slightly your skin with the sword, you all were not to initiate revolution through the path of bloodshed.
What was this act of killing one another?
You had to clearly recognize that this act defied divine will and violated human morality.
It was not only cruel but also the most unnatural act.
It would never become a wise path leading to reconciliation.
How could slaughter possibly bring about peace?
We were always to listen to natural human affection’s voice.
Was it not saying we wanted to love one another?
Why could we not live according to natural human affection?
What manner of heart would fight against nature itself?
Laozi—who had thoroughly understood nature’s depths—sharply expounded this “virtue of non-contention.”

I once again entreat you all to reflect.
If the military force born of conflict and the politics steeped in hatred are impure, then Korea too must not establish its foundation upon such forces.
I possess not an ounce of faith in military might or political machinations.
They bind no nations together.
They draw no people closer.
Since ancient times, where have nations ever loved one another through such means?
The peace wrought by politics and armies amounts merely to a peace of interests.
At best, it is peace enforced through coercion.
I earnestly desire that the relationship between Korea and my homeland never come to such an end.
You too must place no trust in your own martial strength or statecraft.
Such power chills rather than warms the hearts of people, regardless of nation.
What bestows eternal honor upon a country is neither weaponry nor governance.
Only through religion, art, and philosophy may this be achieved.
If any form of governance merits trust, it must be that which Plato and Confucius taught.
Yet our modern age trembles before the wisdom of such sages.
Still we must believe these ancient teachings hold truth undimmed.
My fervent hope is that you may anchor Korea's being within the realm of spirit.
This ideal we too must clasp unyieldingly to our hearts.

You all must have felt despair toward today’s politicians.
Yet you must not despair of humanity itself.
The heart seeking true love and peace remains warmly cradled within.
It must revive through nature’s will and shall not cease.
However cold the world grows,someday grass shall sprout from earth’s embrace.
Though blades assail,I am convinced humanity itself shall guard Korea’s destiny.
Nay,I fervently feel Korea shall become among nations most warmed by human affection.
However desolate the world turns,human affection shall never vanish from this earth.
Given your bitter history,might you declare no human anywhere remains trustworthy?
Yet from those lonely voices,I bid you call out to humanity once more.
Oh! Then shall I step forward among you.
Here shall I proclaim one exists who yearns to clasp your hands.
Yet seeing me,might you spurn me as another false Japanese?
Still,I shall not retreat till my sincerity etches upon my face what differs from Japan’s past.
I believe you truly cherish humanity.
If sincerity dwells even in me,distance between us must surely narrow.
If closeness fails,’tis no failing of yours,but my lingering lack of sincerity.
I shall purify myself and begin anew.

Japan has not yet fully awakened in the human heart.
Yet I believe a young spiritual Japan shall emerge here to ultimately subjugate this Japan of blades and force.
I do not doubt that such a day will come when heartfelt friendship flows between Korea and Japan.
At the very least, I shall devote unceasing effort toward this joy.
I do not believe evil can wholly triumph over good.
I believe in humanity's depth and truth's power.
I believe the righteous path will indubitably prove the final victor.
Nor do I doubt nature's beautiful will shall one day be fulfilled.
Neither do I doubt love surpasses blades as possessor of supreme power.
And I further believe tender human affection stands as peace's steadfast guardian.
Though turbid forces may spread rampant, I believe religion truly governs this cosmos.
I also believe art holds power to purify and beautify this world.
Conflict does not forge the mainstream.

It is human affection, hungering for love, that creates the households of this world.
I believe that in the depths of the human heart, there exists an irrepressible yearning for affection.

I wish to reiterate my heartfelt sentiments to you all.
Never judge humanity solely through the lens of present-day military force or politics.
The deep nature hidden within humanity transcends such things and truly yearns for peace and love.
Sadly, even now, Japan cannot declare itself to be a Japan of justice.
(What country could make such a bold statement?) Yet I want you to know that the people living in this country are not, by their very nature, indifferent to sorrowful or sinful matters.
Moreover, I want you to know that they have not forgotten to devote their hearts to love and the path of humanity.
Moreover, I want you to know that among us there exists clear reflection that these are unjust acts.
In our endeavor to preserve humanity’s rightful destiny, we are now striving.
Those people are truly allies against your loneliness and suffering.
This is not my conjecture alone.
I know with certainty that many of my close friends share this same sentiment.

When I contributed an essay titled “Thinking of Koreans” to the Yomiuri some years ago, how profoundly resonant were the heartfelt letters I received from countless unknown Japanese!
If the time comes when our hearts may intermingle with yours, how deeply would we sense a natural friendship arising from you all.
How inherently natural would be the sentiment of Korea loving Japan and Japan loving Korea.
I firmly believe our shared blood shall someday reawaken in our hearts this instinctive love—this kinship of flesh-bound brothers.
Would you doubt this?
Could you not believe this?
I earnestly pray you might believe this.

II

I possess almost no academic knowledge regarding Korea.
Nor am I one who possesses rich experience regarding Korean affairs.
However, though I have these hesitations, it is not that I am entirely lacking the qualification that compels me to speak here.
I have long held heartfelt reverence and intimate affection for Korean art.
I possess no other art that has opened its heart to me as profoundly as the art of your ancestors.
Moreover, I know no other instance where art attains such delicacy in expressing human affection as it does there.
I gazed upon it and how often I must have had the feeling of truly seeing you all.
It told me the story of the heart more than history did.
I can always discern your nature and views on life there.
The beauty and warmth of your hearts, or their sorrow and appeals, are always enfolded there.
When I reflect, the reason I felt an irrepressible affection for Korea and its ethnic nation was due to the impulse from that art.
The beauty of art always transcends borders.
There is always the place where heart and heart converge.
There exists humanity’s fruitful communion.
A voice that always speaks unreservedly can be heard.
Art connects two hearts.
There is the sanctuary of love.
In art, people know no conflict.
They forget themselves in mutual exchange.
There exists only the self that lives within others’ hearts.

Beauty is love.
Above all, is not Korean ethnic art precisely this art of affection?
It does beckon my heart.
How often must I have sat beside it and exchanged endless conversations.

I think there exists no art that awaits love’s arrival as Korean art does.
It was an art of the heart that yearned for human warmth and sought to live through love.
Korea’s long and excruciating history has imbued its art with unseen loneliness and sorrow.
There dwells always a beauty born of sadness.
There lies a loneliness brimming with tears.
When I gaze upon it, I cannot suppress the emotions that rise in my chest.
Where else can such sorrowful beauty be found?
It beckons people to draw near.
It awaits warm hearts with longing.

What might your past fate and ideals have been? Due to unavoidable circumstances arising from Korea's geography and relations with neighboring countries, a warm and peaceful history must have been difficult to maintain for long. How much more ephemeral must other lives have seemed to hearts through which flows the tranquil blood of the East—hearts nurtured by Buddha’s teachings? You all built temples of the heart in quiet forests and deep within remote mountains where villages are scarce—places truly befitting monastic life. Only loneliness can comfort loneliness. The Compassionate Mother Guanyin standing silent and voiceless was the form you all cherished.

The ceramics of Goryeo were vessels yearning for daily communion with human hearts—not merely in ancient times but enduring through the Joseon era when they imbued every last daily utensil with that profound essence. In all you did and undertook, in all you saw and touched, you reflected that quiet lonely heart of yours. The solitary forms of those utensils meeting your eyes daily must surely have been your heart's companions—comforting and being comforted through shared days. Those were works tender in affection.

I now vividly conjure those creations in my heart—their flowing curves drawn long and endlessly symbolizing hearts that ceaselessly appeal. How many unspeakable resentments, sorrows, and yearnings must have coursed secretly along those lines? That ethnic nation rightly entrusted their hearts' expression to lines' hidden meanings—neither form nor color but lines became their most fitting conduit for emotion. None may enter Korea’s heart without deciphering these lines' secrets.

In the line were vividly inscribed sorrowful meditations on life and a history of anguish.
Within the hidden beauty cradled in its quiet depths, Korea’s heart still resonated.
Whenever I gazed at the ceramics upon my desk, I imagined lonely tears adrift within their tranquil glaze.

Often, these works would speak to me thus:
"Life ever appears lonely and quietly solemn.
For ages has our ethnic nation endured a painful history.
Yet none perceive their anguished hearts.
Nowhere have we friends to whom we might confide our souls.
In our meager longing, we poured our affection into these vessels.
Only they remained steadfast companions that never deceived us.
O people yet unborn, we beseech you—keep these objects near.
Though voiceless, they ever yearn for human warmth.
Love them and use them to kindle our hearts; for this warmth we wrought them."
Ah, when such voices welled from the vessels' depths, how could I refrain from reaching out?

At times, that lonely form would emerge like a phantom and address me thus:
"People of other nations, why do you inflict such cruelty upon our ethnic nation?
Does our oppressed fate become your delight?"
When I heard such cries, I truly felt heart-wrenching sorrow.
"Why, why do you not bestow love upon us?" some would ask me thus.
"Is there no human affection to answer us who hunger so for it?" came a plaintive voice.
"People of Japan, closest to us in blood—
Why do you not bind us in fraternal love?
Have we not at times recalled those ancient days when we slept in the same mother’s bosom and grew up under the same legends?
Long ago, our monks carried sutras, presented Buddha statues, and laid the foundations of temples in the capital of Asuka.
The Suiko civilization, which flourished in religion and was adorned with art, was a gift from our hearts.
Those things still retain their original forms to this day.
And why must you, time and again, trample our culture beneath horses’ hooves and seek to betray this profound friendship?
Who can say that such things are Japan’s honor?"
When confronted with such direct appeals, I had no words with which to answer.

When I gazed at that vessel in its forlornness, its form always appeared as though in silent prayer.
“O God, grant that our hearts may be bound far beyond to Your celestial throne.
You alone who dwell in unknown skies will not forget to comfort us.
Only in Your bosom does our pillow of rest lie.”
The graceful, slender line drawn long and thin seemed to me as though praying thus.
When I heard these voices, how could I ever part with those works from my side?
Oh, I tried to warm it, and involuntarily my hand reached out to touch it.

Since I visited Korea four years ago [Taisho 5, 1916], I have not once separated any of those works from my room even for a moment. They always appeared to want to speak to me. I could not bear to keep them stored away in a cold, dark place for long. When I placed them on my desk, I thought they seemed pleased. They were always waiting for me. I could not help but approach them. Moreover, their beautiful forms captivated my heart. When I gazed at them and pressed my hand upon them, I felt as though heart met heart. They were always my affectionate friends. I too was their close friend. When they appeared in a lonely, sorrowful form, I too was overcome by lonely, sorrowful thoughts. When they by my side seemed to rejoice, I too felt joy in my heart. Thus, the two of us always walked together through a world of sorrow and joy.

They were works of intimacy.
They were works that yearned for love.
They always invited people’s hearts.
They pined for human affection.
How could I remain silent before them?
Whenever I was there, I found myself whispering in my heart.
“Oh creator, may your heart be at ease,” I prayed.
Thus, as long as they remained in my room, we always lived together as two.
I was not lonely.
I thought those works too did not seem lonely.
Were those things not created because they could not endure the loneliness of solitude?
I knew I must not leave them in loneliness.
I knew no other works that possessed a more intimate beauty than Korean art.
That was art born from the beauty of heartfelt emotion.
“Intimacy”
“Intimacy” itself, I believed, was the essence of that beauty.
Whenever I thought thus, how could I help but feel closeness to the present-day Korean people who shared the same blood as their creators?
I had to swiftly break this relationship that kept me apart from you all.

However, it was not solely through such "intimacy" that I comprehended Korean art.
I could not help but offer complete reverence to the astonishing beauty that lurks within its depths.
It is intimacy and at the same time a true manifestation of astonishing beauty.
Korea, oppressed by a tragic fate, in the beauty of its art occupied a regal throne.
No one can violate that eternal beauty.
The poet sings that life is short and art is long.
However, the life of Korea manifested in art is infinite and absolute.
There is a profound beauty there.
There is the depth of beauty itself.
There is a mysterious spirit that quietly plunges ever inward.
It is art worthy of adorning temples.
Korea is, even if weak externally, in its art a Korea strong internally.
Korea is solemnly autonomous.

There are those who speak as though Korean art could not exist without Chinese influence.
Or perhaps they consider that compared to China’s greatness, there are no recognizable distinctive features of beauty.
Indeed, even people of specialized learning sometimes appear to hold such views.
However, I feel that such views are truly nothing but dogmatism and mere baseless misconceptions.
I do not deny Chinese influence there, just as in Japan.
But how could Chinese sentiments remain unchanged as Korean sentiments?
How could Korea—possessing such remarkable internal experience and aesthetic intuition—ever imitate Chinese works exactly as they are?
Even if there were historical connections in their external aspects, I understand there to be unmistakable differences in their essence and expression.

As Korea's inner emotions were inherent to its ethnic nation and its inner history distinctive in its experience, so too was its art truly unique. Critical historians described its national policy as sadaejuui (subservience to greater powers). Yet in art at least, this was not so. Korean art itself stood magnificent in its own beauty. Where could there have been another greatness to serve? To which Chinese works could the Avalokiteśvara statues from Baekje preserved today in Horyuji and Yumedono possibly be inferior? And of which works could they be imitations? Though called Japan's national treasures, they must truly be named Korea's national treasures. Consider now the carvings of Seokbul Temple in Gyeongju. These were undoubtedly related to Tang Dynasty works. But were these merely traces of imitation and servitude? Did they not contain an unshakable beauty inherent to Korea? I cannot forget the day I visited that cave temple—an inexhaustible repository of the depth and mystery Korea perpetually possesses. Some claim Goryeo ceramics imitate Song kiln works. But let us attempt to adjust even slightly the lines flowing across those vessels. We would immediately lose sight of Goryeo's beauty. Art is truly the subtle manifestation of the heart—a work irreducible to any other qualities. The beauty of Goryeo can never be the beauty of Song.

In both there may be similar qualities in terms of their components and techniques.
Yet within their manifested beauty there resolutely exist unmistakable differences.
The beauty of those delicate lines flowing across Goryeo vessels cannot be found even faintly in Song kilns.
They are lines belonging solely to themselves; were one to alter them by even a fraction, they would already depart from Korea's heart.
The same holds true for works of the Joseon Dynasty.
Where could any resemblance lie between Ming ceramics and those of Joseon?
Where could Ming's so-called "serving the great"
Where could Joseon's beauty reside?
Therein lies its own heart and its own life.
Korea's beauty is inherent and unique; it can never be violated.
Beyond doubt, it is an autonomous beauty permitting neither imitation nor emulation by any.
It is a beauty that can exist only through Korea's innermost heart.
For Korea's honor too, I must bring clarity to these matters.
That its art is great means directly that its people possess an astonishing intuition for beauty.
Yet this lies neither in crude splendor nor overwhelming traits.
It is truly a creation of delicate sensibility.
I have not the faintest shred of doubt regarding the Korean people's acute sensitivity to beauty.
Through this art I cannot but offer profound reverence to Korea.
This wonder must indeed be felt by all regardless of who they may be.
This very honor must be deeply and enduringly respected.

Yet what is this? A people abundant in artistic qualities are now being compelled to abandon their inherent nature due to an ugly force.
I cannot remain a bystander to this loss for the world.
It is precisely respect for art that brings nations closer.
It elevates the world into beauty.

Japan once produced its earliest civilization through Korean art and religion.
Today, this fact must be remembered with gratitude.
I believe that revering Korea’s eternal artistic mission must be the proper attitude Japan should adopt.
The honor of Korea, which holds a unique position in the world’s art, must continue to endure henceforth.
As long as that ethnic nation endures, such art will be reborn again and again.
To destroy or suppress a nation’s art, or the heart that produces such art—this is the gravest of all crimes.

Many years have passed since Korean works came to be admired among us. Moreover, today they even command exorbitant market prices. However, even among scholars who specialize in studying them, there seem to be none who grasp the inner meaning of their beauty and seek to recognize their ethnic nation’s inherent value. Why do they not praise the ethnic nation that is its creator by praising Korean art? Even if the old era has passed, there should be no change even in the quality of the ethnic nation’s blood. Even if circumstances may change, one cannot ultimately deny the inherent qualities. The reason art does not appear in Korea today is simply because they are not afforded the leisure for creation. That responsibility lies rather with us. I want to believe that Korea will once again produce truly beautiful art. Through coming to know a few friends of late, I have grown increasingly firm in that hope. If preserving that ancient art in museums was one of the good works of our countrymen, why have we removed the task of revering those future creators from our mission? To love the Korea of the past yet not revere the Korea of the future is nothing but an insult to the Korea of the past. Complete respect for the past must be vital to trust in the future. I am grateful that through ancient Korea showing me astonishing art, I have been taught to hold deep hope for contemporary Korea as well. The reason those in power cannot understand Korea from within lies partly in their complete lack of education in religion and art; there can be no nations that truly unite from within through mere military force or politics. What brings true understanding and peace to this world is religion that manifests faith; it is art that lives through beauty. Such things alone are of primary importance. Only in what is of primary importance do people find their true homeland. In the world of faith and beauty, there is no hatred or rebellion. If we wish to eternally sever the misfortune of conflict from among us, we must bind ourselves together through religion and art.

Only such power shows us the path of true affection and understanding.

Would people dismiss this as mere idealism?
However, one must come to truly comprehend that this is the sole and most direct path of communion.
The command of norms that must indeed be enacted must be carried out without hesitation.

I do not have much trust in what are called intimate experiences of Japanese people living in Korea.
As long as they cannot enter inner Korea, these remain merely superficial experiences.
Such experiences cannot serve even minimally as endorsements of understanding.
People possess feeble religious convictions and lack artistic insight.
Unfortunately, people have forgotten to believe you all as friends.
They look down on you all solely through conquerors' pride.
Had they abundant faith or emotion, they surely would not have hesitated to show reverence toward you all.
If one could know what Korea's generations have sought through their art, today's attitudes would undoubtedly transform entirely.
Many foreign missionaries delude themselves into believing they are an exceptional people.
Yet I cannot help feeling this same ugliness exists in our own attitude of presumed superiority.
But how can friendship endure where there exists no virtue of reverence or humility?
May true love be exchanged.
I consider Korea's resentment toward Japan to be nothing but an utterly natural consequence.
For the disturbances Japan itself has fermented, Japan itself must bear responsibility.
Those governing seek to assimilate you all.
Yet how could such authority reside in us imperfect beings?
There exists nothing more unnatural than this attitude, nor any assertion more devoid of strength.
The assimilationist claim can purchase nothing in this world but resistance's yield.
Just as some Japanese laugh away Christianization, you all will assuredly laugh away Japanization.
Korea's inherent beauty and heart's freedom must not be violated by others.

No, it is self-evident that they cannot be violated forever.
True unity does not come from assimilation.
Only in mutual respect between individualities can there exist unity.

To express my feelings toward Korea on this occasion, I wish to offer you all a music concert.
The event shall be held in Keijō during early May.
I hope this may serve as a token of affection and reverence toward you all.
May it also stand as a testament of trust in the Korean people—so richly endowed with artistic gifts.
I have often heard how profoundly this people cherishes music.
Will you accept this endeavor of mine?
How eagerly my wife and I await the day when we might meet you through this gathering.
If heart may commune with heart—what profound bliss that would bring to this world.
Newspapers report our visit aims to civilize Korea through art.
Yet this amounts to sheer falsehood.
It represents but superficial interpretation of our undertaking.
To me appear attitudes like “civilization” and “assimilation”—how repugnant! How foolish!
Such words I would expunge from our shared lexicon.

Friends of Korea, many unknown friends, do not consider someone like me an exception.
May my many friends who dwell in the spirit remain faithful to hearts yearning for justice and affection; this I want you to believe.
The young people of Japan will never forget to protect truth's kingdom.
Those people are already your allies.
We shall not lack readiness to understand you all as close friends.
I believe the union between you all and us is truly nature's very will.
The future's culture will undoubtedly owe much to a united Orient.
For Orient's truth to contribute to the West, and for East-West union to be fully realized, Orient's nations must stand in intimate relations.
Above all, between Korea and Japan—bound by blood—there must naturally flow deeper intimacy and affection.
We must someday forge such bonds of friendship with China and India too.
You all will surely come to believe such union holds profound significance for civilization's future.
This is no mere fantasy.
I believe it is nature's own voice deeply demanded.
I extend my profound heart across the sea to you all.
I do not doubt you all will receive this heart.
Together we must return to nature's heart.
We must enliven one another through compassion's naturalness.
In affection alone resides true peace; in it alone abides happiness.
There truth stands firm; there beauty lives warm.

I hold you all in my thoughts.
I contemplate your fate; I ponder your innermost feelings.
I wish to entrust this letter into your hands.
If through this my heart can touch your hearts, then a single joy of this world will be mine to cherish.
And should you all graciously visit my heart in turn, a twofold happiness would be bestowed upon me.
In this world of ours, such things truly signify profound happiness.
I wish to keep in mind that an unknown force has deigned to bring this about.

I will lay down my brush here while praying for blessings upon you all.
(1920)