한국의 단군과 일본의 스사노오 - 일선동조론에 이용된 한일신화 -

Abstract

Japanese people began to take an interest in Dangun from the sixteenth century and to record on the documents. And they adopted their own viewpoints on Japanese god Susanoo through the knowledge acquired from Buddhist literature and Japanese mythology since the eighteenth century. As time passed their views were theorized: Emperor Wudu was reincarnated into Dangun in Korea and Susanoo in Japan respectively. The interpretaton must have been based on Bonjisujeok Theory(Honji-suijaku Theory). The contact of Dangun and Susanoo originated from traditional Japanese thought. A research group paid attention to the above contact. They suggested that both Japan and Joseon descend from the same ancestor, and insisted that Joseon be assimilated into Japan. They not only made their own speculative interpretation but also put it into practice: they started a drive to worship Dangun and Susanoo as ritual gods of Joseon Shrine. Despite their active movement, scholars and the Japanese Empire(both the Government General of Joseon and Japanese Government) opposed them and their movement was frustrated. It was because the doctrine did not have enough theoretical background and there existed so many risk factors provoking Korean nationalism. As a result, Dangun was completely excluded. Joseon Shrine was excluded from all the shrines and Dangun from history education. In comparison, their treatment of Susanoo is quite different from that of Dangun. The theory of The Same Origin of Susanoo and Dangun was denied but the theory of Japanese Ruling of Ancient Korean Peninsular was still sustained and exploited continually by the supporters of the theory of The Same Ancestor of Japan and Korea. Due to the fact, the contact of Dangun and Susanoo was no more maintained and they should be separated from each other. In this sense, Dangun was a myth of complete failure in the theory of The Same Ancestor of Japan and Korea, while Susanoo can be evaluated as a myth of co-existence of failure and success.