The Origin of <i>Mokhe</i> According to Chronicle Sources

Abstract

In the 5th century AD, mokhe tribes appeared in the Far East and quickly started playing one of the most important roles in the region. The centre of forming mokhe tribes became the land of Northern Woju called Zhigolou (Megolou), which can be translated as “water city” or “river city”. The population of this land can be called “citizens on the rivers”, “river citizens”. Megolou was supposed to be on the northern bank of the Tumen river, on the south-east of the Chinese province Jilin. The ethnonym “Megolou” on one of the dialects of weimo group should be pronounced as “mulgil”, which sounds as “wuji” in Chinese writing. Later “wuji” began to be read as “mokhe”. The process of consolidation of mokhe took almost two centuries. Initially the territory of the Northern Woju, on which the people of weimo and sushen groups lived, became part of the Eastern Fuyu country. In the 4th century, xianbi descendants moved far away to the East, penetrated Fuyu and Koguryo and became neighbours to Eastern Fuyu. In the early 5th century, the territory of Eastern Fuyu was conquered by kogurenian ruler Kwangetho. In 436, Eastern Yan xianbi country was demolished, and part of its population moved to the northern borders of Koguryo. After that, peoples of the weimo group (citizens of Koguryo, Fuyu, Northern Woju), sushen and xianbi peoples found themselves in close proximity on the North and Northern-East of Koguryo. The mixing of those peoples led to the branching out of different territorial groups, which altogether started to be called wuji (mokhe).