고려시기 매의 포획과 활용

Abstract

The falcon is one of the important animals to examine for the understanding of Goryeo's ecological environment. In Goryeo, there were really many kinds of falcons, which inhabited around the state. The falcon was a bird of prey that other birds were terrified of. For its beauty, the falcon was raised and appreciated by many people. Even in ancient societies, people used a falcon to hunt according to records. Human beings were able to control falcons by regulating their hunger state. In many cases, falcons would flee instead of following humans when they were full. Tools were used to capture falcons, but it was a general practice to capture falcons with a net. During the interference period by Yuan, Goryeo needed many falcons to present to Yuan emperors and accordingly established a national agency called Eungbang to supervise the capture and management of falcons. Many people of the country was registered at Eungbang and capture falcons. Once a falcon was captured, it went through a series of training procedures. Large falcon farms would extort common people for their chickens and dogs to feed their falcons in many cases. During the interference period by Yuan, so many chickens and dogs were fed to falcons that people suffered a very unstable supply of protein. A falcon was utilized most widely during hunting. Falconry usually happened in autumn and winter. Falcons were starved to some degree before they were put in hunting. A hunter would ride on horseback with a falcon on his arm and go out in the field to hunt. Generally, several beaters were mobilized for this occasion. They would usually seek after the pheasant, rabbit, and fox in falconry. In Goryeo, almost all the social classes engaged in falconry. During the interference period by Yuan, falconry led by a king was prevalent. The falcon was widely utilized as a present of trust between countries in international relations. In early Goryeo, they presented falcons to the Kitans. During the interference period by Yuan, they sent a good number of falcons to Yuan. The number of falcons presented to Yuan during the period from King Chungryeol to King Chungsuk exceeded 1,000 easily. As a lot of falcons were leaked overseas, Goryeo must have suffered a sharp drop in the falcon population. In early Joseon, falcons were hardly captured in Hasam Provinces(Chungcheong, Gyeongsang, and Jeolla), which is estimated to have connections with the reduction of the falcon population.