사서(史書)를 통해 본 가야․가야인식

Abstract

This study is a work on public opinion of the Gaya confederacy (伽倻, AD 42～562) for the purpose of literary research, thus is to examine how ancestors in Korea remembered Gaya through reviewing historical books. As the boundary of history and myth, Gaya was remembered as the nation ruled by the holy king. King Suro (首露王), in particular, was worshiped as the mythical hero that gave birth to the nation. He was believed to be the root of the Kim and Heo clans of Gimhae, who are the descendants of the Gaya people. They preserved the tomb of King Suro and made incessant efforts to raise its status. As a result, by the late Joseon Dynasty, national rituals were organized for the royal tomb of King Suro. However, intellectuals of the Joseon Dynasty remained negative concerning the Gaya mythology. Leading scholars of the Realist School of Confucianism (實學), such as Yi Ik(李瀷), An Jeong-bok (安鼎福) and Jeong Yak-yong (丁若鏞), saw that the Gaya myth was groundless and unreliable. Rather, they made an attempt to disclose, objectively and empirically, the existence of Gaya as Korea’s ancient kingdom. Especially Jeong Yak-yong treated the history of Gaya as much important as that of the Silla Dynasty. The existence of such various perceptions on Gaya indicates that Gaya was not merely an ancient history kept inside a glass case but a living history cherished by many for a long time. Gaya was perceived differently by those who held different stances and purposes. And, concerning how Gaya is to be remembered today, homework still remains.