This object is a “Korea Annexation Commemorative Table Medal”, which was likely issued concurrently following the promulgation by the Japanese government on 28 March AD 1912 (Meiji 45) of Imperial Ordinance No. 56 establishing the “Korea Annexation Commemorative Medal.”
The medal is circular in form and, judging by its weight, should be classified as a table medal. The obverse features chrysanthemum branches and leaves symbolising the Japanese Imperial House, interwoven with plum branches and leaves representing Korea, the two clustered together to signify integration into a single entity. Above appears an inscription in small seal script reading “Korea Annexation Commemoration, 29 August Meiji 43,” which corresponds to the date on which the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty formally came into effect. The inscription closely resembles that of the “Korea Annexation Commemorative Medal,” differing only in minor details. Beneath the floral cluster is a map of Japan and Korea centred on the Tsushima Strait. At the upper left of the map appears the mark “I. Sato,” identifying Iwao Satō, then a technical officer at the Osaka Mint, who was also the designer of the “Korea Annexation Commemorative Medal.”
At the centre of the reverse is a landscape scene of Korea. On the lower left hillside are depicted a rooster, a hen, and three chicks; on the mid-slopes on either side are Japanese black pines, while cypress trees appear near the settlement. The village buildings are shown with continuous eaves, and at the far end of the settlement sails and masts are visible, indicating that the community was likely a fishing village or port. In the distance at the upper right is a seascape at sunrise, with the Japanese archipelago faintly discernible beyond the rising sun on the opposite shore, possibly implying the notion that “Korea is about to welcome a new day.” Along the lower edge appears the mark “I. Sato,” while the edge is plain and undecorated.
Following Japan’s victory over the Qing Empire in the First Sino-Japanese War in AD 1895, Japanese influence in the Korean Peninsula increased significantly. Subsequently, the Joseon Dynasty transformed into the Korean Empire and sought to implement Western-style reforms domestically while attempting to align with Russia externally for balance. However, after Japan’s victory in the Russo-Japanese War in AD 1905, Korea became a protectorate under Japanese control through unequal treaties.
The Japanese government was divided over the decision to formally annex Korea. On October 26, AD 1909, the assassination of Ito Hirobumi, the President of the Privy Council who was hesitant about annexation, by the Korean patriot An Jung-geun in Harbin expedited Japan’s plans for annexation. Ultimately, on August 22, AD 1910, Japan coerced Korea into signing the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty. This marked the beginning of 35 years of colonial rule over Korea by Japan, which lasted until the end of World War II.
The precise circumstances surrounding the issuance of the “Korea Annexation Commemorative Table Medal” remain unclear. However, many Koreans have regarded the “Korea Annexation Commemorative Medal” as a symbol of treason, and some recipients refused to accept it by resigning from office, retiring, or exiling themselves abroad; others took their own lives as a result of the annexation. In AD 2005, Korea enacted the Special Act on the National Attribution of Property of Pro-Japanese Collaborators, under which the assets of the direct descendants of collaborators were confiscated in order to compensate the descendants of independence movement activists.
Borna Barac, Reference Catalogue Orders Medals and Decorations of the World : instituted until 1945 : Part III Silver Book G-P. Zagreb: OBOL d.o.o., 2013)
内閣.「韓国併合記念章ヲ定ム」（勅令第五十六号）. 公文類聚, 第三十六編（明治四十五年～大正元年）, 第六巻「族爵・爵位・勲等、儀典・儀礼・服制徽章」, 国立公文書館, AD 1912, 類01139100.
内閣.「通信書記内田清徳外百九名叙位ノ件」. 叙位裁可書, 叙位巻十一（昭和十年）, 国立公文書館, AD 1935. 請求番号 叙01249100.
