Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica

Abstract

Because of the various differences between Taiwan and Japan, the latter faced the serious problems when they occupied in Taiwan. In dealing with many kinds of traditional customs problems and legislation , The Taiwan Governors Office（台灣總督府）founded the “Provisional Investigation Committee on Taiwan Traditional Manners and Customs”（臨時台灣舊慣調查會）, adopted the methods of historiography, oral history, and field investigation to carry out. Although the legislation can not work finally, but the huge volumes reports made by that committee, greatly help researching Ch’ing dynasty and Taiwan law system, economics, and aborigines in the early 20th century.

Like the problems in Taiwan, when Japan controlledManchuria, they faced the same questions in traditional customs,especially in the land system. Japan set up the “Traditional Manners and Customs Investigation Team”（舊慣調查班）under “South Manchuria Railways Company”（南滿洲鐵道株式會社）, the Manchuria agency of Japan empire, and asked for that was responsible for traditional customs investigation. After eight years, it finished the affairs and handed in nine volumes reports, the value of those as the publications for Taiwan provisional investigation committee, became the important materials for studying Manchuria later.

Goto Shinpei（後藤新平）, the important figure on Japan empire, was the chairman no matter in Taiwan or Manchuria traditional customs investigating organization. He hired the staff and used inspection way on Taiwan traditional customs first and transferred them to Manchuria. Following the direction, we can find the connection between two institutions, meanings of academic created by them, and combination for academic and empire policy as well.

Keywords

Reports of Manchuria Traditional Manners and Customs、Traditional Manners and Customs Investigation Team、Provisional Investigation Committee on Taiwan Traditional Manners and Customs、Goto Shinpei、Okamatsu Santarou