위만조선 멸망 이후 유민들의 향방-일본 출토 대형 전한경의 전달 과정을 중심으로

Abstract

Large-scale bronze mirrors of Western Han Dynasty were excavated from the sites of Suguokamoto and Mikumominamishoji in the northern part of Kyushu, Japan, where Yayoi culture flourished. These mirrors had been produced originally in China and then introduced to Wiman Joseon prior to the establishment of Hansagun on the Korean Peninsula. However, they had not simply been traded; rather, they had been presented by the royal court of Han Dynasty to the rulers of Wiman Joseon, which indicates that both countries were politically connected. After the defeat of Wiman Joseon against Han Dynasty, however, Wiman Joseon had been destroyed, Hansagun(the Four Commanderies of Han) installed in its stead, and the people of Wiman Joseon scattered. Many treasures of Wiman Joseon are believed to have been transferred across Korea to Japan in that time. The aforementioned bronze mirrors are assumed to be part of the treasures carried outside the Korean Peninsula with some of the ruling class of Wiman Joseon. Furthermore, another large-scale bronze mirror, the same type of large bronze mirror first produced in China and then excavated in Japan, was unearthed from Oya-ri, Pyongyang in North Korea. This indicates that Pyongyang would have been the capital of Wiman Joseon by the time it collapsed and was annexed to Han’s domination. Then, who helped Wiman Joseon’s drifting people settle down in Japan? Interestingly enough, the excavation of unbroken bronze mirrors and diverse objects of Han Dynasty in Gyongsan leads us to deduce that the strong forces centered on Gyongsan would have been closely linked to Japan and they could have helped some people of Wiman Joseon across the Korea Strait. In this regard, Samguksagi also records that the scattered population of Wiman Joseon was associated with the founding of Silla.