I went to look around an exhibition at the Osaka Korea Town Museum that is dedicated to the Korean community in Osaka, and looked at the books in its collection. At the Korea NGO Center I met and talked to its secretary-general, and participated in a report meeting on the Jeju April 3 incident. I collected information concerning the history and regions related to the incident.
In Osaka, in addition to information about related locations and events, I learned about the initiative to pass down its history to future generations.

The Seikyu Bunko (the name of a collection of books) in the Kobe Municipal Chuo Library, contains books and documents on history, legal matters, literature and so on about Japan and Korea, that were donated from the personal library of a man who conducted research into Korean history, and I perused books about Jeju Island, Zainichi Koreans (Koreans residing in Japan), Ama divers of Jeju Island, and traditional folktales of Jeju Island. As the time available to me in Japan was restricted it was rather difficult for me to research in detail the topics I wanted to, but it was a great opportunity that will tie in not only with my next work but into further research.

During my stay on Tsushima, centering on the harbors with connections to Ama divers (and particularly the Ama divers of Jeju Island), I visited places related to Tsushima and the Korean Peninsula. In addition, I also took photographs for the creation of my work. At the Tsushima Museum I was allowed to look around the exhibits and the preparations for a forthcoming exhibition, and gained information from the curator about the Ama divers on Tsushima, and the Jeju Haenyeo Museum(Haenyeo is the Korean word for the divers that are called Ama in Japan).

During my recent research in Osaka and Hyogo Prefectures, I was able to encounter a great deal of information such as reports and documents, and it also proved to be an opportunity to remind myself that some of these facilities are run and operated by Japanese and Korean citizens including Zainichi Koreans. It was unfortunate that on Tsushima the weather conditions prevented me from photographing as I had wished, but being able to experience the scenery among which the Ama divers live was an important experience from the point of view of my future work. Furthermore, I was able to meet the artist preparing for the exhibition and the museum’s curator, and it was a fantastic opportunity to have listened to their tales about the Ama divers of Jeju Island on Tsushima, and gain information about the Jeju Haenyeo Museum.
I hope to make the best of the material and information I gained this time when I make my planned research visit to Jeju Island next year.

Text, Photo: OH haji
Edited by Tokyo Arts and Space