倭 왕권과 蝦夷(에미시) - 고대 동아시아 국제정세와 관련하여-

Abstract

The ancient Japanese regarded the Emishi as a barbarian minority living in the northern area of the Japanese archipelago. Though the Nihonshoki(日本書紀) records about the early Emishi, today's scholars believe that the historical facts on the Emishi can be traced back to the late sixth century. The lines on the Emish in the Nihonsholi, living in the northwestern Japan, increase dramatically from the mid-seventh century period. The East Asia of the mid-seventh century witnessed a turmoil in the international relation when the Chinese empires of Sui(隋) and Tang(唐) established new orders in China. During this period the Emishi was a tribute to Wa. Wa, however, built castles enclosed with wooden walls(柵) in the Emish areas. The Nihonshoki records such castles, but only those in the northwestern area. During the 1980's archaeologists found such a castle at the Koriyama(郡山) site of Sendai (仙臺) in the northeastern Japan. The discrepancy of the areas in the writing and digging leads to an inference that castles, those only in the northwest, carried a significance for the writer of the Nihonshoki. The northwest was important for Wa because the envoys from Koguryo(高句麗) arrived at those coastal area. The Wa government also wanted to secure a sea route to Koguryo in an attempt to prepare themselves for the changing international order of the time. Wa believed Koguryo could be a good partner for the tumultuous time. During the Saimei reign(齊明, 655-661), the King ordered three times a large fleet under the command of Ahenohirafu(阿倍比羅夫) to the Hokaido(北海道) area. The expeditions were not to conquer the island but to search for a route to Koguryo. In the year of 659, the King sent an envoy with two Emishi people to Tang(唐). The Tang Emperor, Gaozong(高宗) was pleased with the tribute of Emishi, asking the Wa envoy about the situation of the Emishi. The envoy answered with an emphasis on the Emishi's tributary status to Wa. The Gaozong, however, showed interest only to the Emishi. The Chinese history records the occasion. The Tongdian(通典) and the Tanghuiyao(唐會要) writes the Emishi as an independent polity as well as Wa. When the Wa envoy arrived at the Tang capital in the year of 659, the Tang's plan to invade Baekje(百濟) was already in motion. The envoy could not accomplish its mission of easing the tension between Tang and Wa. The envoy was released back to home island in 661 only after the invasion was carried out. Hereafter the Emishi disappeared from the historical writings of the East Asia.