Kō Bun'yū (; 1938 – 2024), also known as Huang Wenxiong ( zh, c=黃文雄, p=Huáng Wénxióng, poj=N̂g Bûn-hiông), was a controversial Taiwanese author, an activist of the Taiwan independence movement, who is well-known for his staunch anti-
Mainland Chinese
Mainland Chinese or mainlanders are Chinese people who live in or have recently emigrated from mainland China, defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) except for Hong Kong ( SAR of the PRC), Macau (SAR of the PRC) ...
stance and for penning a number of highly controversial books about Chinese, Japanese and Korean history and culture. Most of his life, he was living in Japan.
Early life and education
In 1960s, while studying at
Waseda University
Waseda University (Japanese: ), abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the Tōkyō Professional School by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the fifth Prime Minister of Japan, prime ministe ...
Ko began his activist career: he published articles and edited magazines for the Taiwanese community, questioned the legitimacy of the
Chinese Nationalist Party
The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the sole ruling party of the country during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until its relocation to Taiwan, and in Taiwan ruled under ...
’s military occupation of Taiwan and advocated for building up a Taiwan nation.
Career
Kō was a visiting professor at
Takushoku University
Takushoku University (拓殖 大学; ''Takushoku Daigaku'', abbreviated as 拓大 ''Takudai'') is a private university in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1900 by Prince (title for a Duke at that time) Taro Katsura (1848–1913).World Federation of Taiwanese Associations
In early 2000, following the
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a centre to centre-left Taiwanese nationalist political party in Taiwan. As the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition, one of the two main political camps in Taiwan, the DPP is currently the ...
’s first transition into power, Kō and other Taiwanese public figures collaborated with then-Representative of Taiwan to Japan, Hsu Shih-kai (許世楷), in a lobbying campaign that successfully convinced the
Government of Japan
The Government of Japan is the central government of Japan. It consists of legislative, executive (government), executive and judiciary branches and functions under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan. Japan is a unitary st ...
Kō died in July 2024 at the age of 85. His death was announced on 26 August 2024, on Facebook by Chen Chung-guang, chairman of the Taiwan Independence Federation.
Taiwanese mass media reported Ko bunyu's death, but Japanese mass media did not report it at all.
Books by Kō
*''The ugly Chinaman'' (; ''Minikui Chūgoku-jin'')
*''The fabricated history of Japan'' (捏造された日本史; ''Netsuzō sareta Nihon-shi'')
*''Japan - falling into the trap of
Sinocentrism
Sinocentrism refers to a worldview that China is the cultural, political, or economic center of the world. Sinocentrism was a core concept in various Chinese dynasties. The Chinese considered themselves to be "all-under-Heaven", ruled by the ...
'' (中華思想の罠に嵌った日本; ''Chūka shisō no wana ni hamatta Nihon'')
*''The Japanese people's virtue which has been erased from history - About this country's "Inheritance of the Spirit" which is now being revived'' (歴史から消された日本人の美徳―今蘇るこの国の"心の遺産"とは; Rekishi kara kesareta Nihon-jin no bitoku - Ima yomigaeru kono kuni no "kokoro no isan" to wa)
*''The curse of Sinocentrism lurking within
Chinese character
Chinese characters are logographs used to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represent the only on ...
culture'' (漢字文明にひそむ中華思想の呪縛; Kanji bunmei ni hisomu Chūka shisō no jubaku)
*''South Korea was built by the Japanese'' (韓国は日本人がつくった; Kankoku wa Nihon-jin ga tsukutta)
*''Taiwan was built by the Japanese people'' (台湾は日本人がつくった; Taiwan wa Nihon-jin ga tsukutta)
*''The
Bushido
is a Samurai moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. Its origins date back to the Kamakura period, but it was formalized in the Edo period (1603–1868). There are multiple types of bushido which evolved significantl ...
spirit bequeathed to Taiwan by the Japanese people'' (日本人が台湾に遺した武士道精神; Nihon-jin ga Taiwan ni nokoshita Bushidō seishin)
*''The unknown truth about the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...
'' (日中戦争知られざる真実; Nicchū Sensō no shirarezaru shinjitsu)
*''The inheritance of
Manchukuo
Manchukuo, officially known as the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of Great Manchuria thereafter, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. It was ostens ...
'' (満州国の遺産; ''Manshūkoku no isan'')
*''How the Chinese are taking advantage of Japanese confusion'' (つけあがるな中国人うろたえるな日本人; Tsukeagaru na Chūgoku-jin urotaeru na Nihon-jin)
*''How far will China continue to crack?'' (どこまで中国に喰われ続けるのか; Doko made Chūgoku ni kuware-tsuzukeru no ka)
*''7 reasons why China cannot prevail over Japan even if it dies trying'' (中国が死んでも日本に勝てない7つの理由; Chūgoku ga shinde mo Nihon ni katenai nanatsu no riyū)
Kō also provided the script for the
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
''An Introduction to China: A Study of Our Bothersome Neighbors'' (マンガ中国入門 やっかいな隣人の研究; Manga Chūgoku nyūmon: Yakkai na rinjin no kenkyū).
See also
*
Hanjian
In China, the word ''hanjian'' () is a pejorative term for those seen as traitors to the Chinese state and, to a lesser extent, Han Chinese ethnicity. The word ''hanjian'' is distinct from the general word for traitor, which could be used for a ...
*
Taiwan independence movement
The Taiwan independence movement is a political movement which advocates the formal declaration of an independent and sovereign Taiwanese state, as opposed to Chinese unification or the status quo in Cross-Strait relations.
Into the 21st- ...
*
World United Formosans for Independence
The World United Formosans for Independence (WUFI) is an organization promoting Taiwan independence. It was established in 1970 by like-minded organizations in Canada, the U.S., Japan, Europe, South America and Taiwan. Its aim is to establish ...
*
Sinophobia
Anti-Chinese sentiment (also referred to as Sinophobia) is the fear or dislike of Chinese people or Chinese culture.
It is frequently directed at Overseas Chinese, Chinese minorities which live outside Greater China and it involves immigratio ...
*
Action Conservative Movement
Action Conservative Movement (ACM; ) is an umbrella term for a number of conservative activist groups that emerged in Japan beginning in the second half of the 2000s.
The groups are considered to be ultranationalist and far right (''uyoku dantai' ...
*
Unification_Church
The Unification Church () is a new religious movement, whose members are called Unificationists or sometimes informally Moonies. It was founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon in Seoul, South Korea, as the Holy Spirit Association for the Unificatio ...