『삼국사기』 신라 上代 기사에 보이는 倭 -김부식의 對外觀과 저술의 실제-

Abstract

The early section of the Annals of Silla which forms the initial chapters of the Samguk Sagi (hereafter SGSG) contain fifty entries related to Wae (Jp. wa). These wa-related entries attracted greater attention of scholars after the discovery of the King Gwanggaeto Stele because of their perceived relevance to a research question they aimed to examine. They wanted to examine whether Wae appearing in the SGSG, were the same wae whose military expedition is mentioned in the King Gwangaeto stele. Some scholars argued that the Wae of the Annals of Silla were the same Wae forces that crossed the sea and invaded Silla on numerous occasions, while others pointed out that they were merely sea pirates who used seasonal wind to cross over to the Korean peninsula to raid coastal settlements. If we carefully analyze wa-related entries of the SGSG we can classify them into four different categories. First, some entries demonstrate positive and sympathetic feelings for Wa, present an idealized picture of their distant land and also suggest that the kings or great ministers of Silla were derived from Wae. The second category includes cases of defense against and punishment of Wae by Silla rulers, and thereby emphasize their virtuous and efficient politics. The third category includes Wa people or Wae forces who were primarily intruders or raiders. The fourth category relates to records about diplomatic interaction or communication of envoys. It is apparent that when narrative the activites of Wae in the second category the author of the SGSG was motivated by the Confucian notion of history serving as a mirror to aid the administration, and the third category is undergirded with the historian’s objective to strengthen border defense. Amongst the four categories, listed above, Wa of the last category alone can be judged as derived indisputably from the Japanese archipelago. These records relate to the period prior to the unification of Japan by Yamato administration, and therefore, one may justifiably argue that Wae of these records denotes the force of provincial administration, especially that of Kyushu. Records of Wae (envoys) appear in the Annals of Baekje also, but they cease to appear after the 22nd year of King Soji(522). Instead we see on the pages of the SGSG during this period records about Gaya, more specifically entries about Wa.Gaya. These records suggest some kind of relationship between Wa and Gaya. The identity of Wa which was vague to some extent in earlier records, now assumes specificityIt appears that at least a section of the Wae population is given the nomenclature Gaya or is broadly wrapped under the cover of Gaya. Records about Malgal give us a clue to understand Wa-related records of the SGSG. Since both Wa and Malgal remained as tribal settlements through history and failed to achieve centralized monarchical states, both these terms (Wa and Malgal) were used pejoratively to denote the notion of inferior polities. These terms were used depending on the region. The settlement of the central part of the Korean peninsula was called Malgal, while that of Southeastern area was called Wae. In order to form a correct understanding of the records about foreign land and people it is necessary to look at Kim Bu-shik, the author of SGSG and his times. Kim Bu-shik and his followers played a crucial role in determining the character of the foreign policy of Goryo by crushing the rebellion of Myocheng and accepting the suzerain status of Jin dynasty China, a barbarian state in Chinese history. In establishing diplomatic ties with Jin and accepting Jin’s suzerain status ovewr Goryeo Kim Bu-shik was inspired by the historical experience and memory of relationship between Silla and Wae. One of the motivations for Kim Bu-sik to write the SGSG was to demonstrate that Silla was bound in its early phase by diplomatic ties of similar nature, and yet it could achieve peninsular unification. The SGSG contains concrete records about the relationship of early Korean states with Wa, and it is remarkable indeed that it calls the members of the Silla and Baekje royalty and nobility who crossed over to Japan as hostages, but the original sources on which these records are based, do not use the word ‘hostage’. It is apparent that the records of the historical text, underpinned by defeatist, self-belittling historical perspective, cannot be used to corroborate the inscriptions of the King Gwanggaeto Stele. It becomes clear from the above discussion that Wae-related text of King Gwanggaeto inscription needs to be approached and interpreted from a new perspective, devoid of biases and preconceived notions.