The Understandings of the Old Choson in the Samguk yusa and the Qianfu lun

Abstract

The Samguk yusa and the Qianfu lun were respectively written in Korea and China in the interval of more than a thousand years. Nonetheless, they share a similar understanding on the Old Choson and the Kija state. Both texts mention that as the Old Choson had existed before the migration of Kija, the Kija state began to emerge to the west of the preexisting Old Choson. The Samguk yusa records that Tangun moved his capital twice to Changdanggyong and Asadal, respectively, during the existence of the Kija state. This signifies the long duration of expanded Old Choson to the east of the Kija state. The Qianfu lun states that the ruling family of the Kija state to the west of the Old Choson received an attack from Wi Man and escaped to the south through the sea route. Both texts share the same understanding on the Kija state located to the west of the Old Choson. Because Wi Man usurped the rulership of the Kija state and the Wi Man Choson was replaced by the Four Han Commanderies, it goes without saying that both Wi Man Choson and the Four Han commanderies were placed to the west of the Old Choson. The two texts mention that they were all located to the west of the Old Choson. The Old Choson surely coexisted to the east of the Kija state, Wi Man Choson and the Four Han Commanderies. While the three parties were located in Liaoxi, the Old Choson was placed to the east encompassing Liaodong and the Korean peninsula. Thus, it is reasonable to say that the history of Korean nation followed its main line from the Old Choson to the Multi-state period. This kind of recognition is completely different from the records of the Jewang ungi, the “Chiriji” of the Koryosa, and the “Chirili” of Sejong silrok, all of which state the fall of the Old Choson before the migration of Kija or with the establishment of the Kija state. It also does not correspond with the current mainstream scheme of the Old Choson, the Wi Man Choson, the Four Han Commanderies and finally the Multi-state period. That the Samguk yusa of the thirteenth century shares the same understanding on the Old Choson with that of the Qianfu lun of the second century in turn proves the authenticity of the texts. The only problem in the Qianfu lun is that it names both the Old Choson and the Kija state as Han. This leads us to consider two possibilities: One, Wang Fu, the author of the Qianfu lun, might misunderstand han 汗 or kahan 可汗, the ruler in ancient northeast Asian languages, as a state name. Two, while the early names of the Old Choson varied like Han, Asadal and Choson, it may have been eventually unified into Choson.