Some more bad news related to Japanese-Korean relations. The visit of a group of Korean young people from the city of Ulsan has been canceled. Ulsan is the part of Korean in which Kato Kiyomasa experienced a siege that is said to have had an important influence on his design of Kumamoto Castle. Some examples of siege preparations include digging many wells on the castle grounds, planting lotus root in the moat and Ginkgo trees on the grounds, and implanting dried edible vegetables into the castle walls. That’s right, veggies in the walls (“In case of starvation, break open plaster walls and boil contents”). There also used to be a part of Kumamoto called “Urusan-machi” because craftsmen brought by Kiyomasa lived there. Now, only a bus stop and trolley stop with the name “Urusan-machi” remain.
Here’s a little report in English about the agreement to begin formal relations between Kumamoto City and Ulsan City in 2010:
http://www.kumamoto-if.or.jp/topics/topics_detail.asp?PageID=5&ID=4294&pg=2&sort=6&LC=e
I hope relations improve soon.
– Kirk
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO48126600S9A800C1CR8000/
