reply to post by Hanslune
It's strange. I never hear anything negative from Japanese sources regarding Korean links to the Imperial line. It always seems to come from
non-Japanese sources. Why is that?
There's a ton of information about it - it's well documented, going back centuries. Akihito, the current emperor, has both written about and spoken
publicly about links to Korea in his own family tree. The high school history textbook I'm reading (good study material - my Japanese needs a lot of
work) goes into it all in a bit of detail. Plus, there's the whole archaeology element that shows quite clearly that the Japanese came from somewhere
else. It makes absolutely no odds here, in much the same way that Germans in the British monarchy's line are treated. I can't see any reason why
that point would be seen as anything more than historical fact - far from a public embarrassment. The "second class" comment is a little harsh, in
my opinion (ie. that of a foreigner living in Japan for 6 years). At times, Koreans living in Japan are seen as Fifth Columnists, but for the most
part - in my personal experience - there's no real man-on-the-street animosity.
I think your second point has a bit more weight. In this part of the world, there are not many sites of historical importance that have not been
looted for western museums. Take a look at China. The original act to protect these sites (and others) was done in large part in response to that
trend. Currently, there are ongoing issues at a number of other sites around the country - where well meaning archaeologists and curators have gone in
to sites and inadvertently damaged them, or bungled restorations, and so forth. from that standpoint, it does make sense to limit the amount of
intrusive research to the site - not for what they will find, but to prevent damage from being done. That's my take on it, anyway.
In China for example, the local community is creating a hugeload of
folklore and myths for th Three Gorges Dam too!
