Asian Thought and Culture
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ancient-korea.pptxOrigins to 600 c.e.
Ancient Korea
Korea
Siberian origins of the Korean people
Tribal hunter-gatherers who also fished
8000 b.c.e pottery
Mastered iron by the third century B.C.E. – from China
Sometime around 1200 to 900 BC, rice cultivation spread to Korea from China and Manchuria.
Millet-based agriculture also spread from Northern China
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Ancient Joseon (Gojoseon) 2333-108 B.c.e
2333 BC: Legendary establishment by Dangun – northern Korea
Dangun founder
son of Hwanung (the son of the Lord of heavenHwanin) and a bear who turned into a woman
Invention of acupuncture and moxibustion (mugwort burn therapy)
Dangun
Shamanism (Muism)
Continuing tradition: Priests = Mu or baksu
Linked to Dangun
Related to Shinto – Sindo is another word for Muism
Trance states, healing, rituals
Shinbyeong (possession)
Politics and China
Theocratic state
Capital at Pyongyang
Trade with China by 700 b.c.e
Invasion by Han China 108 b.c.e.
Dolmen Tombs
Simple Pottery: Mumun Style
Pit Houses
Burial Jars
Paekche, Silla, and Koguryo
Three States Period
Paekche (Baekje) 18 bce-660 c.e. southwest
Silla (57 bc.e. – 935 c.e.) – Golden Kingdom – central and south
Koguryo (37 b.c.e – 668 c.e.) north/central
Paekche
Rule by hereditary aristocracy
Chinese Taoist influences early
Close ties to Japan – diplomats lived in Japan
As counter to other hostile states
Possible family relations
Military support, perhaps better iron technology, Chinese characters…
Issues with sources – Japanese invasion or simply close ties
Buddhist influences by 500s
Many aristocrats emigrated to Japan at end of the kingdom
Shrine Mirror
Silla
Legendary foundation by king who hatched from an egg laid by a white horse – King Park (Bak)Hyeokgeose (Radiant King)
Centralized state w/ absolute monarch
Sacred Bone vs. true bone
Rigid class dictated all social exchanges/dress/marriage
King or queen had to be pure sacred bone
Chinese style bureaucracy – 1-6 ranked
Buddhism by 500s
Silla
Koguryo
37 b.c.- 668 c.e.
King Jumong founder: son of the prince of Buyeo (Ancient kingdom: Manchuria and N. Korea) and the daughter of the river deity Habaek
Conflict with China and other Korean States will lead to the decline
Religion
King Jumong, the founder, worshipped
Temple in Pyeongyang dedicated to Jumong.
Annual Dongmaeng Festival performed for Jumong, ancestors, and gods.
Mythical beasts and animals considered sacred.
The phoenix and dragon were worshipped.
A three-legged crow that represented the sun considered the most powerful animal.
Believed in 4 mythical animals.
1. Chungryong or Chunryonga (blue dragon) guarded the east, 2. baek-ho (white tiger) guarded the west, 3. jujak (red phoenix (bird)) guarded the south, 4. hyunmu (black turtle (sometimes with snakes for a tail)) guarded the north.
Buddhism arrived in 372
Government sponsorship of missionaries, monasteries, and shrines.
First Korean kingdom in the region to adopt Buddhism.
Royal Tomb
Bird of Heaven
Tomb Painting: Snakes and Dragons
crown
Seated Buddha
Haechi: Protection from Enemy Yang Energy
Gumiho the Nine tailed Fox
Dragons
Samjoko: Three Legged Crow – sun symbol
Gender
Role of women is one of maintaining harmony, be a good daughter, a good wife, and a good mother.
When a woman married, she accompanied her husband to live in her in-laws house
Women in Ancient/Medieval Korea
A woman was expected to produce sons - To have many sons was highly regarded
Power was equated with the number of sons in a family and it was considered "shameful" to depend on daughters
Relations between spouses: "By day, like seeing a stranger; by night, like seeing a lover."
Only men allowed to divorce or take 2nd wife
Unable to bear son or get along with in-laws
Law prohibited widows from remarrying
sons and grandsons of widows who defied the ban were not allowed to take the civil service examinations and become scholar-officials.
Food Soybean Paste Stew
Fermentation Pots: Soybean, Soy sauce, chili paste, fish sauce
Salted Seafood & Kimchi
Fertility: Haeshindang Park
Legend
One day, a husband dropped his wife off at a rock that was at a distance from the beach. After promising to pick her up later, he returned to the beach to do his work. Later, the weather changed, and brought with it strong winds and pummeling waves. The man couldn’t rescue his wife and she ultimately drowned. Since then, the village people caught no fish and some said that it was because of the dead women. To soothe the spirit of the dead maid, the village people made several wooden carvings of penis and held religious ceremonies on her behalf. After a while, the fish slowly returned and the villagers were able to live comfortably again.
The place where the maid died was named Aebawi Rock and the building where the religious ceremony is held twice a year was named Haesindang. The ceremony is still honored today as a traditional folk event.
