Gyuwon Sahwa
Encyclopedia
The Gyuwon Sahwa is a text which describes ancient Korea
n history including the creation of the universe, and is considered to be written in 1675.
The name of this book was first mentioned in 'Danjeon Youi (단전요의, 檀典要義)' which was published in 1925, and introduced a part of the contents.
A copy of the transcription, which Dr. Yang Judong collected before 1940, was first published in 1968. However, the book which is believed to be transcibed in Joseon Dynasty
era and is now kept in the National Library of Korea
, was discovered and authenticated by its Ancient Texts Examination Committee in 1972.
In Gyuwon Sahwa, the author calls himself "Buk-aeja" (북애자/北崖子) or "old man Buk-ae" (北崖老人), which can be a Buddhist title. The book states that it is based on Jinyeok Yugi (진역유기, 震域遺記), which was written by Yi Myeong (이명, 李茗), and no longer exists. Several of the China's mythical rulers
are mentioned, although slightly different in detail from the Chinese Sagi
.
Today, its principal value is generally seen in its role as a historical story reflecting the consciousness of the period, rather than as a historical record. Similar contents are also found in Hwandan Gogi
, which is generally believed to have been influenced by the Gyuwon Sahwa.
In the conference of "Cooperative Conference about Dangun and Gojoseon by North and South Korean Historians" held in 2002, Professor Son Jongyeong concluded that Gyuwon Sahwa is a real historical record of Gojoseon and is worthy of research. Additionally, the chronicle of Danguns from the 1st Dangun to the 47th Dangun described in Gyuwon Sahwa are cited in the book titled Gojoseon Ryeoksa Gaegwan (The Outline of Gojoseon History published in North Korea).
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n history including the creation of the universe, and is considered to be written in 1675.
The name of this book was first mentioned in 'Danjeon Youi (단전요의, 檀典要義)' which was published in 1925, and introduced a part of the contents.
A copy of the transcription, which Dr. Yang Judong collected before 1940, was first published in 1968. However, the book which is believed to be transcibed in Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
era and is now kept in the National Library of Korea
National Library of Korea
The National Library of Korea is located in Seoul, South Korea and was established in 1945. It houses over 6.5 million volumes, including over 844,000 foreign books and some of the National Treasures of South Korea....
, was discovered and authenticated by its Ancient Texts Examination Committee in 1972.
In Gyuwon Sahwa, the author calls himself "Buk-aeja" (북애자/北崖子) or "old man Buk-ae" (北崖老人), which can be a Buddhist title. The book states that it is based on Jinyeok Yugi (진역유기, 震域遺記), which was written by Yi Myeong (이명, 李茗), and no longer exists. Several of the China's mythical rulers
Three August Ones and Five Emperors
The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were a group of semi- mythological rulers and culture heroes from ancient China during the period circa 2500 BC to 2100 BC. This period preceded the Xia Dynasty....
are mentioned, although slightly different in detail from the Chinese Sagi
Records of the Grand Historian
The Records of the Grand Historian, also known in English by the Chinese name Shiji , written from 109 BC to 91 BC, was the Magnum opus of Sima Qian, in which he recounted Chinese history from the time of the Yellow Emperor until his own time...
.
Today, its principal value is generally seen in its role as a historical story reflecting the consciousness of the period, rather than as a historical record. Similar contents are also found in Hwandan Gogi
Hwandan Gogi
Hwandan Gogi , also called Handan Gogi, is a compilation of texts on ancient Korean history. It is a bound volume of four historical records: Samseonggi, Dangun Segi, Bukbuyeogi and Taebaek Ilsa....
, which is generally believed to have been influenced by the Gyuwon Sahwa.
In the conference of "Cooperative Conference about Dangun and Gojoseon by North and South Korean Historians" held in 2002, Professor Son Jongyeong concluded that Gyuwon Sahwa is a real historical record of Gojoseon and is worthy of research. Additionally, the chronicle of Danguns from the 1st Dangun to the 47th Dangun described in Gyuwon Sahwa are cited in the book titled Gojoseon Ryeoksa Gaegwan (The Outline of Gojoseon History published in North Korea).
Contents
The book consists of five parts: Prologue (揆園史話序), Jopan-gi (肇判記), Taesigi (太始記), Dangun-gi (檀君記), and Epilogue (漫說).- The Prologue and Epilogue consist of the author's comments. The author states that the contents are based on Yi Myeong's Jinyeok Yugi (진역유기, 震域遺記), a late GoryeoGoryeoThe Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
dynasty text which in turn is based on Jodaegi, a BalhaeBalhaeBalhae was a Manchurian kingdom established after the fall of Goguryeo. After Goguryeo's capital and southern territories fell to Unified Silla, Dae Jo-yeong, a Mohe general, whose father was Dae Jung-sang, established Jin , later called Balhae.Balhae occupied southern parts of Manchuria and...
history text. Neither survives today, but Jodaegi is mentioned in Annals of Joseon DynastyAnnals of Joseon DynastyThe Annals of the Joseon Dynasty are the annual records of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, which were kept from 1413 to 1865. The annals, or sillok, comprise 1,893 volumes and are thought to cover the longest continual period of a single dynasty in the world...
of King Sejo era. - Jopan-gi describes Hwan-in, HwanungHwanungHwanung is an important figure in the mythological origins of Korea. He plays a central role in the story of Dangun Wanggeom , the legendary founder of Gojoseon, the first kingdom of Korea. Hwanung is the son of Hwanin , the "Lord of Heaven"...
and the division of heaven and earth and the origins of life and humans; - Taesigi describes the rule of shinshi (神市氏) and other legendary god-like sages who ruled over humanity for 11,000 years. In addition, semi-legendary ruler Chiwoo is described to have defeated Chinese Yellow EmperorYellow EmperorThe Yellow Emperor or Huangdi1 is a legendary Chinese sovereign and culture hero, included among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Tradition holds that he reigned from 2697–2597 or 2696–2598 BC...
. - Dangun-gi describes the Dangun Joseon (also 'Danguk' or 'Baedalguk') which lasted 1,205 years and was ruled by several Imgeum (kings). 'Dangun' means the king of Dan-nation. 'Imgeum' was used as the title name of rulers in Gyuwon Sahwa.
See also
- History of KoreaHistory of KoreaThe Korean Peninsula was inhabited from the Lower Paleolithic about 400,000-500,000 years ago. Archeological evidence indicates that the presence of modern humans in northeast Asia dates to 39,000 years ago. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BC, and the Neolithic period began...
- Korean mythologyKorean mythologyKorean mythology consists of national legends and folk-tales which come from all over the Korean Peninsula. Even within the same ethnic group, myths tend to have slightly different variations...
- BudojiBudojiBudoji is a narrative literature about the ancient Korean history written by Bak Je-sang during the period of King Nulji of Silla. In 1953, his descendant, Bak Geum , published the book, however, the original version has been unidentified. The published version of the current Budoji is a restored...
- Hwandan GogiHwandan GogiHwandan Gogi , also called Handan Gogi, is a compilation of texts on ancient Korean history. It is a bound volume of four historical records: Samseonggi, Dangun Segi, Bukbuyeogi and Taebaek Ilsa....
- GojoseonGojoseonGojoseon was an ancient Korean kingdom. Go , meaning "ancient," distinguishes it from the later Joseon Dynasty; Joseon, as it is called in contemporaneous writings, is also romanized as Chosŏn....
- List of Korea-related topics
Link
- 한영우, 17世紀의 反尊華的道家史學의 成長―北崖子의 揆園史話에 대하여―, 한국학보 1, 1975
- 이상시, http://web.edunet4u.net/~lost/lost/select3/3-13.htm 규원사화에 대하여
- 김정배, 한국사 권4 - 초기국가 – 고조선.부여.삼한, pp. 53, National Institute of Korean History 국사편찬위원회, 1997.
- EncyKorea 한국민족문화대백과사전 - 규원사화, The Academy of Korean Studies 한국학중앙연구원, 1991 ~ 1996