Japanese-Korean Relations - Historical Background (A Viewpoint of Korea)

Historical Background (A Viewpoint of Korea)

The relationship between Korea and Japan is very complicated, because nothing has been conclusively agreed upon by historians. The differing interpretations of the same event will be divided for ease of understanding until the results of the joint history project between South Korea and Japan are used in both countries. One conclusion of the joint history project was that Japan's interpretation of the 4th century was incorrect regarding Korea and Japan. Currently, South Korea and Japan are trying to re-visit the joint history project which was halted due to differing focus points "After conducting research for three years since 2002, scholars of the two countries announced their first report on three categories - the ancient, medieval, and modern times. At that time, Seoul demanded that the research institute’s findings be reflected in the textbooks of the two nations, but Japan rejected this request." Japan's refusal to use the research finding of the joint historians in Japanese schools caused South Korea to wonder why they were spending so much money researching history which wasn't going to be used in Japan. This event caused South Korea to halt the project in 2005.

Further information: History of Japan#Yayoi period and History of Korea

Relations between Japan and Korea go back at least two millennia. BC 3rd century, from Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla and Gaya in Korean Peninsula, people started to move into Japanese Archipelago. Chinese culture, including writing, migrated from China via Korea to Japan in these early years. And burial mounds of Korea built in the 5th and 6th have a relationship with the kofun of Japan. There are indications of cross-border political influence, but with varying accounts as to which direction the political influence flowed. Buddhism was introduced to Japan from Baekje of Korea, but the subsequent development of Japanese Buddhism was primarily influenced by China.

Japan has official contact with the Chinese in the 7th or 8th century, so after a mere 300 years China not Korea influences Japanese buddhism

In addition to Buddhisms introduction to Japan by Korea, many other advanced concepts were transmitted to Japan by Korea. The archaeological record, and ancient Chinese sources, indicate that the various tribes and chiefdoms of Japan did not begin to coalesce into states until 300 AD, when large tombs began to appear. Some describe the "mysterious century" as a time of internecine warfare as various chiefdoms competed for hegemony on Kyūshū and Honshū. Even more complicating is the Nihon Shoki referencing the Japanese king to of Korean origin as rulers of sovereign Japan. Due to this conflicting information, nothing can be concluded from the book of Song or Nihon Shoki. A different take on the "mysterious century" is that Japan was not a Kingdom yet and it is not until after this time when more Koreans arrive that Japan starts to develop.

Japan learns about the concept of writing from Korea and does not have a writing system of their own until the 8th century. For this reason Japan must rely on Korean and Chinese text prior to the 8th century regarding Japan's history. The problem with this was that Korea and China did not make Japan the focus of their text and Japanese history must be patched together by various texts from Korea and China or rely on post 8 century Japanese writing which is hundreds of years after the fact. According to the history records in Japan(Nihon Shoki) and Korea(Samguk Sagi), Korean prince was sent to Japan as a hostages. Whether this people were hostages or family members visiting Japan is debated. Due to the confusion on the exact nature of this relationship of whether the Koreans were family to the Imperial line or hostages and the fact that the Nihon Shoki is a compilation of myths make it difficult to evaluate. In Japan the hostage interpretation is dominant. Other historians like the ones who collaborated in the works for "Paekche of Korea and the origin of Yamato Japan" and Jonathan W Best who helped translate what was left of the Baekjae annals have noted that these princes set up school and took control of the Japanese Navy during the war with Koguryeo as evidence of them being diplomats with some kind of familial tie to the Japanese imperial family and not hostages. In addition, the translation of these documents are difficult because in the past the term "Wa" was derogatory meaning "midget pirate" or "dwarf pirate". It is difficult to assess what is truly being stated; this could have been a derogatory statement between 2 warring nations. Nothing definitive can be concluded.

There is no evidence of Japan ever having been sophisticated enough to control any part of Korea during the time of Jingu. However there is archaeological evidence of Koreans going to Japan during this time, According to the book "Korea and Japan in East Asian History", such as finding horse sculptures, Shinju-kyo, painting and iron-ware made in China. The question that always comes up within the Korean community is, 'Why would a Japanese culture that doesn't have Korean ceramic ability or horses yet have horse sculptures in their tombs?'. According to the book "Paekchae of Korea and the origin of Yamato Japan”, "The prince of Silla was the ancestor to the Japanese Emperor. The translation of "Nihon Shoki Vol.6" was added and Amenohiboko is described in Nihon Shoki as a maternal predecessor of Empress Jingū, whose controversial legend says that she defeated Silla in the 5th Century. This is highly inconsistent, as Jingū is said to have lived in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, and she is supposed to have died in 269 AD which would make her 300 to 400 years old. This conflicting information makes it difficult to understand these records.

According to the Book of Song, a Chinese emperor appointed five kings of Wa to the position of ruler of Silla in 421, but what is confusing is that the Japanese ruler gave a remote region to an immigration of Silla　according to the Nihon Shoki. In addition, the book of Song and the book of Sui cannot be possible because many of the states considered to be Japan's vassal such as Chinhan and Mahan did not exist in the same time period as the vassal king of Yamato. In addition, the Book of Song was incomplete with missing volumes and filled in centuries later in a biased manner for political reasons.　Also, Silla did not have official contact with the Song/Sui until the 6th century making this 4th to 5th century statement impossible. "As Egami (1964) notes, it may look very strange that the names of six or seven states listed in the self-claimed titles included Chin-han and Ma-han which had preceded, respectively, the states of Silla and Paekche. Perhaps the King of Wa had included the names of six or seven south Korean states in his title merely to boast of the extent of his rule. But Wa Kings could not have included the names of nonexistent states." Other historians also dispute Japan's theory, claiming there is no evidence of Japanese rule in Gaya or any other part of Korea. Another problem with the book of Song and book of Sui is that many of the volumes of the books were missing and re-written later in a biased manner. It is difficult to make any sense of what the relationship was like in the past. Japan of the Kofun period was very receptive to the Chinese culture and Korean culture. Chinese and Korean immigrants played an important role in introducing elements of both to early Japan.

The special burial customs of the Goguryeo culture had an important influence on other cultures in Japan. Decorated tombs and painted tumuli which date from the fifth century and later found in Japan are generally accepted as Northeast of China and Northern part of Korean peninsula exports to Japan. The Takamatsuzuka Tomb even has paintings of a woman dressed in distinctive clothes, similar to wall paintings from Goguryeo and Tang Dynasty China. In addition, Chinese astrology was being introduced during this time.

According to the Book of Song, of the Liu Song Dynasty, the Emperor of China bestowed military sovereignty over Silla, Imna, Gaya, Chinhan, and Mahan on King Sai of Wa. However, this theory is widely rejected even in Japan as there is no evidence of Japanese rule in Gaya or any other part of Korea. After the death of King Kō of Wa, his younger brother Bu acceeded to the throne; King Bu requested to have Baekje added to the list of protectorates included in the official title bestowed upon the King of Wa by mandate of the Emperor of China, but his title was only renewed as "Supervisor of All Military Affairs of the Six Countries of Wa, Silla, Imna, Gara, Chinhan, and Mahan, Great General Who Keeps Peace in the East, King of the Country of Wa." This entire statement is impossible because Chinhan and Mahan did not exist in the same time period as Silla, Baekje when the vassal Kings of Yamato were supposed to rule. As Egami wrote in 1964 "But Wa Kings could not have included the names of nonexistent states." In addition, Silla did not have official contact with the Song/Sui until the 6th century making this 4th to 5th century claim not possible. Due to the lack of evidence, and the confusion of whether the Wa were the descendants of Koreans, again no certain information is discernible. Chinese chronicles note that horses were absent from the islands of Japan; they are first noted in the chronicles during the reign of Nintoku, most likely imported by Chinese and Korean immigrants. According to some accounts, the horse was one of the treasures presented when the king of Silla surrendered to Empress Jingū in the Nihon Shoki. Other accounts contend that there is no evidence of this from Silla, and the king who supposedly surrendered dates to the 5th century, thus making Empress Jingu more than 200 years old. The Nihon Shoki states that the father of Empress Jingu was Emperor Kaika's grandchild, and her mother was from the Katuragi clan. In addition, the Nihon Shoki states that a Korean from Silla, Amenohiboko, was an ancestor of Jingu so both the Nihon Shoki and the Chinese chronicles relating to Japan are difficult to interpret. In addition, there is no evidence of Japanese war with Korea or any Japanese presence in Korea at this time and the Japanese did not have actual knowledge about horses until well after this time.