民族史의 전개와 祭天 祭地 稱帝建元 그리고 以小事大

Abstract

In the course of five thousand years of national history, Korean people have endured significant hardships while living adjacent to superpowers such as China. Based on a recognition of the importance of informing modern people and subsequent generations about these challenges and using the lessons learned to pave the way for an autonomous future, this paper is written from the perspective of discussing the present situation based on the past. China treated the previous dynasties as either vassal states or subordinates, systematically suppressing them through various means and continuously extracting tributes bordering on exploitation. The history of tributes to the China persisted for thousands of years, from the Tan'gun calendar year 2365 (A.D. 32) to the end of the Joseon Dynasty. In the ancient and medieval periods, China was interested in the religious practices of the people in its vassal states and strictly regulated them. In ancient times and the Middle Ages, the foundational religions of our people, namely the “heaven worship ritual” and “mother earth worship ritual”, were strictly prohibited. This was based on the belief that only “the kingdom of a son of Heaven” could perform these rituals, which appears to have been considered a critically important issue in governance at that time. The heaven worship ritual was held in the northern outskirts(北郊) on the winter solstice and the mother earth worship ritual was held in outhern outskirts(南郊) on the summer solstice. Before the heaven worship ritual and the mother earth worship ritual were imported from the Central Plains of China, Tan'gun had held a heaven worship ritual in Manisan. Likewise, in kingdoms of subsequent eras, such as Buyeo, Goguryeo, Ye, and Jinhan, as well as Silla, the heaven worship ritual ceremonies were held according to national traditions. These cremonies were respectively referred to as the “Welcoming Drums (迎鼓)” in Buyeo, “Dawn (東盟)” in Goguryeo, “Dancing to Heaven (舞天)” in Ye and Jinhan, and “Memorial Service for the Sun and the Moon (日月祭)” in Silla. The Heaven-worship ritual was a traditional ethnic religion that has been practiced since the Tan'gun Joseon era. There is no record of Tan'gun in many Central Plains Chinese history books. The “spiritual and extraordinary achievements” of Tan'gun are only documented in Samguk Yusa(Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms). In order to exert complete control over East Asia, former central Chinese imperial dynasties customarily “established the name of an era (建元)” or “changed the title (改元)” when a new king ascended or succeeded. They asserted that only they had the authority to perform such actions, and the kings of vassal states were not allowed to use their era names. Despite oppression by the central imperial dynasties, self-generated chronologies(紀年) were proudly implemented by various Korean kings: examples include “Yŏng-lak (永樂)” by King Gwanggaeto of Goguryeo, the “Established Prime (建元)” by King Beopheung of Silla, “Ch'ŏn-t'ong (天統)” by King Ko of Balhae, “Mu-t'ae (武泰)” by King Kung of Taebong, “Bestowed by Heaven (天授)” by King Taejo of Goryeo, and “Martial Brilliance (光武)” by Emperor Gojong. However, all of them were ultimately discredited. In the Middle Ages, Korea used the Chinese era names in all documents and gravestones, and in later years, it also suffered the disgrace of being compelled to use Japanese era names. In the case of the temple title(廟號) posted after the king's death, there were only two examples, “Tae-cho-tae-wang(大祖大王, 國祖王),” of Goguryeo and “T'ae-chong-mu-yŏl-wang(太宗武烈王)” of Silla in the many centuries of the Three Kingdoms period. The rest were designated as “king ____.” Temple titles was ere commonly used in the first half of the Goryeo Dynasty, but in the second half, after the Mongol Empire, all rulers were referred to simply as kings. In the case of the Joseon Dynasty, the use of the temple title was allowed. The act of “claiming the throne and assuming the first reign title after the founding of a dynasty(稱帝建元)” and the ideology of subservience to a greater power were intertwined and pervasive in the development of Korea's national history, significantly impacting self-esteem and pride. Now, such attitudes persist in modified forms, having evolved into an older form of the subservient ideology related to the past and a newer version which incorporates elements of Western religions and ideologies. In the five millennia of Korean history, the periods in which the nation's leader proclaimed oneself emperor amounted to a total of only 27 years, combining the 13 years of King Kung, the first in history, and the 14 years of King Gojong and Sunjong. This is a pathetic performance considerning the national dynasties over five millennia of history. Based on 紀年 and rooted in the practice of “claiming the throne and assuming the first reign title after the founding of a dynasty(稱帝建元),” the era of subservient ideology spans about 4329 years, during which Korea existed as vassal states rather than celestial emperors. Now it's time for Korea to overcome this painful past, create Korea's own practice of “claiming the throne and assuming the first reign after the foundation of a dynasty(稱帝建元),” and revive the autonomous calendar system, Tan'gun calendar, in parallel with the Anno Domini(A.D.).