정종 원년(1399) 등시라로(藤時羅老) 왜구 집단의 투항과 오에이(応永)의 난 －왜구 투항에 관한 ‘조선 조정의 회유책’론에 대한 비판적 검토－

Abstract

In November 1399, ‘Deung Siraro (藤時羅老)’ group of Waegu (倭寇, Wakou, Japanese Pirates) suddenly surrendered to the Joseon government. The Veritable Records of King Jeongjong explicitly attributes this event to the Waegu’s “fear of a disaster instigated by the punitive expedition led by Ouchi Yoshihiro (大内義弘) against the ‘Samdojijeok (三島之賊 ; pirates of the three islands)’”. While the two pioneering studies by Kang Sang-woon and Tamura Hiroyuki, respectively, in the 1960s addressed this historical record, the prevailing view for the ‘appeasement policy of the Joseon government’ has made no notable reaction upon it. This study begins by elucidating the inter-relations among Joseon, the Ouchi clan and Tsushima in the late 14th century. Based on this analysis, it highlights the connection between the punitive expedition against ‘Samdojijeok’ by Ouchi Yoshihiro and the Ouei War that occurred from October to December 1399. Additionally, it suggests that “the disaster feared by the ‘Deung Siraro’ Waegu group” meant their sense of crisis for a big defeat of Tsushima power from the Ouchi clan's intensified attacks against the Shouni and So clans (少弐氏･宗氏) in northern Kyushu. Furthermore, this study presents a hypothesis suggesting that the Tsushima power and ‘Deung Siraro’ Waegu feared the Ouchi Yoshihiro‘s probable proposal to the Joseon government for a pincer attack on Tsushima, which would result in severe repercussions for their home territory. The understanding of this context is supported by (i) Tsushima’s traumatic memories of Joseon's campaign against it in 1389, (ii) the unfavorable geopolitical situation of Tsushima exposed to the close relations between Joseon and the Ouchi clan, and (iii) the ongoing conflict between Tsuchima and the Ouchi clan. This paper conjectured that such fear by the ‘Deung Siraro’ Waegu group led them to the surrender. While the time period differs, records from the Veritable Records of King Sejong support the above hypothesis by noting that, during the 1430s, Ouchi Mochiyo (大内持世), the lord of the Ouchi clan, attempted to propose the Joseon government for a pincer attack on Tsushima. Among the Waegu groups who invaded the Korean Peninsula and surrenderd during the early Joseon period, two prominent groups stood out in terms of their size: the Nakaon (羅可溫) group and the ‘Deung Siraro’ group. Both groups surrendered to the Joseon government to escape the imminent threat posed by Joseon's campaign to subdue Tsushima. Hence, it can be said that the large-scale surrenders by the Waegu groups during the early Joseon period were driven by Joseon's strong determination and capability to subdue Tsushima, as well as the enduring friendly relations between Joseon and the Ouchi clan who endeavored for subduing Shouni and So clans which were the main base of Waegu. In the event of such Waegu’s surrenders, the notion of ‘Joseon government's appeasement policy’ as posited in the prevailing view, is not evident. In light of these considerations, the prevailing view for the Joseon government's appeasement policy, as well as the study on the surrendered Waegu and the naturalized Japanese in the early Joseon period, should be fundamentally reassessed.