Samguk Yusa Volume 2

[lotus_genie]

Volume Two

Beopmin, King Munmu

When the King first took the throne in the Xinyou year of Longshuo, a gigantic woman’s corpse washed up on the seashore south of Sabi. She was seventy-three chi (818.1 cm/322 in) tall. Her feet were six chi (181.8 cm/71.5 in) long. Her clitoris was three chi (90.9 cm/35.75) long. There are other sources that say she was only eighteen chi (545.4 cm/214.75 in) long and she washed up during the second year, Dingmao, of Qiangfeng.

In the Wuchen year of Zongzhang, the King, alongside Inmun and Heumsun, led his army to Pyongyang. He rendezvoused with the Tang Army and conquered Goguryeo. The Tang general Li Ji captured the King Go Jang and escorted him back to China (because the King was of the Go clan, he was called Go Jang). According to the Tang official records, in the fifth year, Gengshen, of Xianqing, Su Dingfang, along with others, attacked Baekje. In December, the Emperor commissioned General Qi Ruhe as Commander of the Pae Passage, Su Dingfang into the Commander of the Liaodong Passage, and Liu Boying into the Commander of the Pyongyang Passage; he ordered the three of them to attack Goguryeo. In January of the next year, Xinyou, Xiao Siye was commissioned as the Commander of the Buyeo Passage and Zuo Yaxiang as the Commander of the Pae River Passage. They led an army of three-hundred-fifty-thousand to help attack Goguryeo. In the August of Jiaxu, Dingfang and the others fought at Goguryeo. They were defeated at the River Pae and fled.

In June of the first year, Pingyin, of the Qianfeng Era, Pang Tongshan, Gao Lin, Xue Rengui, and Li Jin were assigned to be reinforcements. In September, Pan Tongshan reached Goguryeo, fought, and was defeated. In the December of the Jiyou year, Su Dingfang was replaced as the Commander of the Liadong Passage by Li Ji. He led the combined army of the six commanders against Goguryeo. On September 1 of the first year , Wuchen, of Zongzhang, Li Ji defeated Goguryeo and captured King Go Jang. On December 29, he presented the captive before the Emperor. In February of the first year, Jiaxu, of the Shangyuan era, Liu Rengui was commissioned as the Commander of the Silla Passage and attacked Silla.

The Hyanggogi states that the Tang sent the Army Commander Kong Gong and the Navy Commander Yu Xiang to destroy Goguryeo alongside Yushin. However, the Silla records only speak of Inmun and Heumsun and do not mention Yushin. It is unknown which version is true.

At the time, there were Tang soldiers and commanders who had remained after conquest and planned to attack our forces. The King heard of this and attacked them come the next year.

In response, Gaozong’s envoys summoned Inmun and the others and asked "Why do you betray our soldiers if you asked for them to help you destroy Goguryeo?"

He imprisoned Inmun. He then raised five-hundred-thousand troops and ordered Xue Bang to be their commander in an attack on Silla. At the time, a monk named Uisang had gone west to study under the Tang. He came to visit Inmun and Inmun told him of the Emperor’s intentions. Uisang reported the matters back to the King in the east. The King was extremely frightened and summoned his officials to consult them on defense plans. The Gakgan Kim Cheongson suggested "These days, a monk named Master Myeongnang has come into the Imperial Palace in order to teach his secret arts of warfare. Your Majesty should consult with him."

The monk was consulted, and he replied "There is the Forest of Shinyu south of Nangsan. You should build a temple to the Four Heavenly Kings there and establish a training ground within its borders."

At this time, a messenger from Jeongju reported that a massive host of Tang soldiers were approaching Korea by way of the sea. The King called to Myeongnang and said "What shall I do now that we have been forced into desperate straits?"

Myeongnang replied "You must wrap the temple in colored brocades."

The King had the temple draped with colorful brocades and built a straw effigy of the five-faced god of the directions in the temple. Twelve enlightened Yogi Monks with Myeongnang at their head called upon the spirits with their secret mudras. Before the Tang Navy could land their ships, a tempest arose. All the Tang vessels sank beneath the sea. From then on, the temple was established as the Temple of the Four Kings. Even now, its structures are still standing (The Great Editing of the Dynastic Histories claims it was built in the first year, Jimao, of Diaolu).

In the following year, Xinwei, the Tang Dynasty once again attacked with a navy of five-hundred-thousand, this time under Zhao Huan. The monks used their magic again and the ships sank as before.

At the time, another Silla nobleman serving as an Imperial Scholar, Park Munjun, was imprisoned alongside Inmun. Gaozong summoned Munjun and asked him "What arcane magicks does your nation have that caused two great expeditions to fail, with not one returning survivor?"

Munjun replied "We have accompanied our prince in your great country for more than ten years. We are unfamiliar with the happenings of our native country. However, I have heard rumors saying that we were able to unite the three kingdoms due to the magnanimous aid of the Tang Emperor. In gratitude, the King built a new Sacheonwang (Four Heavenly Kings) Temple south of Nangsan Mountain so he could pray for the continued long life of the Emperor. Therefore, he has held long ceremonies there."

The Emperor was delighted. He sent his Vice-minister of Rituals Le Penggui as an ambassador to Silla so he could investigate the temple. The King heard of the Vice-minister’s arrival and realized that it would not be prudent if the Minister was allowed to see the real temple. He built a new temple to the south of the other and waited for the Ambassador there.

The Ambassador approached there saying "I want to first burn incense in the Heavenly Kings Temple that is devoted to the long life of the Emperor."

He was led to the doors of the new temple, but he stopped, saying "This is not the Sacheonwang Temple, but a temple of Mount Mangdeokyo."

He refused to enter. The people of the nation bribed him with one-thousand taels of gold. When the Ambassador returned, he told the Emperor "The people of Silla have indeed constructed the Sacheonwang Temple so they may have a new temple to pray for Your Majesty’s health."

Because of the Ambassador’s words, the new temple was now named the Mangdeok Temple (there are those who say that it occurred during the reign of King Hyoso, but they are mistaken).

The King heard that the Emperor wanted to pardon Munjin because of his eloquence. He had the eminent scholar Gang-su write a petition to have Inmun released as well. He sent his personal attendant Weonwu to deliver the message to the Emperor.

When the Emperor read the plea, he was so touched that tears flowed down his cheeks. He released Inmun and sent an escort to take him home. While Inmun had been imprisoned, his countrymen had constructed a Buddhist temple in his honor called Inyong Temple, and held Repentance Ceremonies celebrating Gwan-eum (Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara). When Inmun sailed for home, he died during the passage, after which the Repentance Ceremonies changed to celebrating Mireuk (Maitreya Buddha). The temple still stands.

The Great King ruled for twenty-one years, dying in the second year, Xinsi, of Yonglong. His will asked that he be buried on a crag in the Eastern Sea. The King had often said to the monk Master Jiui, "After my death, I wish to become a great dragon guarding the nation, so that I may worship the Buddha and protect my native land."

The Master replied: "But is becoming a dragon not a punishment that consigns you to a beast's form?"

The King stated, "I have long since tired of the splendors of the material world. If my miserable karma is to be reborn as an animal, then it shall suit my desires very well."

When the King first ascended the throne, he established the Great Granary of Namsan. It was fifty steps in length and fifteen steps wide, storing rice grain and weapons. It was called the Right-side Vault. The granary on the mountains northwest of Cheongeun Temple is the Left-side Vault. Another version says that he constructed the City of Namsan in the eighth year, Xinhai, of Jianfu. Construction actually started under King Seondeok, but it was renovated at that time. Construction also began on the City of Busan, to be completed in three years. The King ordered construction of Cheolseong city on the banks of the Anbuk River, and sought to fortify the walls of the Capital. Thus, he issued orders to conscript workers. When the monk Master Uisang heard of this, he wrote the King a letter saying, "If a king's reign is just, then even grassy knolls can serve as city walls, and the people will not dare pass over them unpermitted. Disasters will be averted and prosperity increased. Yet if a king's reign is unjust, then even if he builds a Great Wall, it will not keep out disasters." Reading this, the King cancelled the conscription. In March 10th of the third year, Bingyin, of the Linde era, a house slave named Gilyi had three sons at one birth. In January 7th of the third year, Gengwu, of Zhongzhang, in Hangi-bu, a slave woman belonging to Isam Geupgan (or Sengsam Hagan) gave birth to three sons and one daughter at the same time. The government gave her 200 koku of grain in reward.

The King also invaded the area of Goguryeo, taking the grandson of the Goryeo king back to Silla and awarding him the same rank as a Prince of the Blood.

One day, the King called his illegitimate younger brother the Duke Geodeuk to his side and said: "My brother, you shall be my Grand Minister, organizing my officials and pacifying the four seas."

The Duke said, "Your Majesty, if you must make your humble servant the Prime Minister, then I wish to go around the kingdom disguised, so that I may learn the weight of statute labors and the cost of taxes upon the populace, as well as whether local officials are fair or corrupt. Only then shall I succeed to the post."

The King agreed, so the Duke donned black robes, took up a biwa, and left the Capital in the guise of a Buddhist devotee. He travelled the land, through Aseulla-ju (Myeongju County), Usu-ju (Chunju County), and Bukwongyeong (Chungju City), to Mujin-ju (Haeyang City). The Provincial Governor An Kil saw that the traveler was an extraordinary man, so he invited the traveler into his house and entertained him lavishly. That night, An Kil called his three wives to him, saying, "She who accompanies our guest tonight shall have my eternal gratitude."

Two of the wives exclaimed, "Rather we be divorced from you, than to share the bed of another man!"

The last one of the wives said, "If you swear to remain married to me forever, then I shall obey your orders and share our guest's bed."

An Gil agreed and his wife accompanied the guest that night. In the morning, when the devotee prepared to depart, he said, "I am from the Capital, my home is between the Hwangyong and the Hwangseong Temples. My name is Dano (another name for the Dano Festival is Geoyi). My dear host, if you ever come to the capital, seek out my home for a visit."

Then, the Duke returned to the capital and took up the post of Prime Minister. National Policy dictated that every time a provincial official was called to perform his alternate residential duties, the various departments would decide which man was to come. When it came time for An Kil's turn to go to the Capital, he asked for the residence of the Devotee Dano, between the two temples. No one knew of that address. An Kil stood dumbfounded on the left side of the road for a long while. An old man passed by, and, hearing his question, pondered the matter at length before replying, "The house between the two temples must refer to the Royal Palace, and Dano would be the lord Duke Geodeuk. Might you have become acquainted with him during his time investigating the provinces?" An Kil explained their meeting, and the old man said, "Go to the Gwijeong Gate, west of the Palace quarters, tell the palace maids coming and going who you are."

An Kil did as he said. The maids reported to their master that An Kil of Mujin-ju had arrived at the gate. Hearing this, the Duke went outside and, holding An Kil's hand, welcomed him into his official quarters. He called out his Consort and had her wait on An Kil in a feast with fifty courses. When the King heard of this, he designated the area under Seongbu Mountain as the Forest Land of the Capital Liaison, banning all others from cutting down the wood. No one dared trespass. All those far and near looked on in admiration. There are thirty mu (18432 square meters or 4.55 acres) of arable land, each planted with three koku of seed. Should those lands have a good harvest, then it shall be so for the rest of the province. If not, then so too for the rest of the province.

The Flute that Calms the Turbulent Waves

The thirty-first monarch, King Sinmun the Great had the personal name of Jeongmyeong and the family name of Kim. He ascended to the throne on July 7th in the first year, Xinsi, of Kaiyao. He established the Gameun Temple at the side of the Eastern Sea for his holy departed father King Munmu. (The temple's own ledgers record that King Munmu commissioned the temple to ward off Japanese invasions, but died and became a sea dragon before he could see it completed. It was completed in the second year of Kaiyao, during his son Sinmun's reign. Under the granite stairs of the temple's Golden Hall, he opened a hole facing the east to serve as a passage for the dragon to enter and coil around the temple, as well as to entomb King Munmu's remains in accordance with his will. The tomb is called Daewangam (Rocks of the Great King) and the temple is called Gameun (Gratitude) Temple. Later, the place where the dragon appeared before to his son was named Igyeondae.)

The next year, Renwu, on May 1st (another version is mistaken in saying the first year of Tianshou), the naval customs officer Pajingan (4th rank officer) Park Sukcheong reported, "There is a small mountain island on the Eastern Sea floating on the waves toward Gameun Temple."

The King found this highly curious and ordered his Court Astronomer Kim Chunjil (also written Chunil) to divine its portents. The astronomer replied, "Your Majesty's holy departed father has become a sea dragon that protects the three Koreas. As well, Duke Yushin of the Kim clan is a Celestial Prince of the Thirty-third heaven, who had descended to become a civil servant. Now the two Holies are working together and wish to offer a treasure that will preserve the nation's sovereignty. If Your Majesty graces the seaside with your honored presence, then you shall receive a priceless treasure."

The King was overjoyed and graced the Igyeondae with his presence on the 7th of that same month. He saw the mountain island and sent an envoy to investigate it. The topography was like the shape of a turtle's head. One stalk of bamboo grew at the top, which split into two by day and fused into one by night (another version says that the mountain split and closed by day and night, just as the stalk of bamboo did). The envoy returned to the King and reported what he saw. The King quartered himself in Ganmeun Temple that night. At noon of the next morning, the bamboo stalk clapped together. The heavens and earth shook. Winds and storms and darkness raged for seven nights, until the 16th, when the gales and waves calmed.

The King sailed along the sea into the mountain, where a black dragon greeted him, presenting a black jade belt. The King invited the dragon to sit down next to him on the boat and asked, "Why does this mountain and this bamboo stalk open sometimes and close at others?"

The Dragon replied, "It is just as how one hand clapping makes no noise, but two hands clapping makes a sound. This bamboo, as an object, make a sound by clapping itself closed, an auspicious omen that Your Majesty will rule through harmonious sounds. If Your Majesty were to take this bamboo, carve it into a flute, and play it, then it will bring peace to the world. Currently, Your Majesty's departed father is a great undersea dragon and Yushin has returned to the heavens. These two Holies have cooperated to create this priceless treasure and ordered me to present it to you."

The King was shocked and pleased. He thanked the Dragon with offerings of rainbow colored brocades, gold, and jade. After he ordered an envoy to cut down the bamboo and set sail away, both island and dragon suddenly vanished. The King stayed at Ganmeun Temple, until setting out for the capital on the 17th. As he arrived by side of a stream west of Girim Temple, he stopped for lunch.

The Crown Prince Yigong (later King Hyoso), who had been left behind to watch over the Palace, heard of the news and rode over to congratulate his father. After examining the belt, he commented, "The buckles upon this jade belt are all real, living dragons."

The King asked, "How do you know?"

The Crown Prince said, "Take one of the buckles and submerge it in the water, then you will see."

The King removed the second jade buckle from the left side of the belt and threw it into the brook. Instantly, it became a dragon and flew away into the sky. On the ground, the stream had become a waterfall descending into a pool, which was called Yongyeon, or Dragon Pool.

The King returned to the palace. He had the bamboo made into a flute, which was stored in the High Heaven Vault at Wolseong Palace. Blowing this flute brought respite to armies, healed illnesses, ended droughts and storms, and pacified gales and waves. It was called Manpasikjeok, The Flute that Calms the Turbulent Waves and designated as a national treasure. In the fourth year, Guisi, of Tianshou, during the reign of King Hyoseong, because of Puryerang's miraculous return, it was given the grander title of The Flute that Calms the Multitudes and Multitudes of Waves upon Waves. For specifics, see Puryerang's entry.

Jukjirang (also written as Taemara, Jukman, Jiban) in the time of King Hyoso

During the era of the thirty-second monarch King Hyoso, Jukjirang (Jukman in modern Korean) had a subordinate named Deoko (also called Siro or Tugosil) Geupgan. He was enrolled in the ranks of the P’ungnyu (Music) Division of Hwarang and devotedly showed up for his duties every day. One day, he stopped coming, and after ten days of not seeing him, Jukjirang called Deoko's mother to him and asked, "Where is your son?"

Deoko's mother replied, "Achan Ikseon, the Army Commander of Molyang, has appointed my son the warehouse keeper of Pusan Fortress. He was dispatched straightaway, so quickly that he had no time to report his departure to you, his Hwarang chief."

Jukjirang said, "If your son has left on a private errand, then there would be no need to search after him, but since he has gone on official business, I must give him a going-away present."

He prepared a box (size 180 cm³) of snacks and a jug of wine and departed along with his jwain (colloquially called gyetakji, meaning servants). His 137 youthful Hwarang also followed, along with their servants, in stately procession. When they arrived at Pusan Fortress, Jukjirang asked the gatekeeper, "Where might I find Deoko?"

The reply came, "In Ikseon's fields, laboring among the ranks as usual."

Jukjirang went down to the fields, where he used the wine and snacks he brought along to entertain Ikseon, requesting a leave of absence for Deoko. However, just as they tried to leave, Ikseon adamantly refused, as he had been abusing his power to turn the soldiers under his command into forced labor.

At the time, there was an imperial courier named Kanjin responsible for collecting 30 koku of rice in rents at Nuncheol, Milbeol County, for transport into the fortified city. He admired Jukjirang's chivalry, while reviling Ikseon's obstinacy. He offered the 30 koku of rice he collected to Ikseon in exchange for Deoko's release, but Ikseon still would not agree. Only when Kanjin added the gift of a splendid saddle did Ikseon allow Deoko and Jukjjirang to return home. When the Hwaju, the Supreme Master of the Hwarang, serving in the royal court heard of this, he dispatched an envoy to arrest Ikseon and dunk him into water to wash away the shame of his dirty deeds. When they arrived, they found Ikseon had gone into hiding, so they instead seized his eldest son and inflicted the purification ritual upon him. It was in the middle of the winter, in freezing temperatures, so the accused froze to death upon his bath in a pool on the fortress's property.

When the King heard of this, he dismissed all government officials from Molyang from their positions, and barred the natives of the area from every again accepting government positions or becoming monks. If any were already serving as monks, then they could not serve in temples equipped with drums and bells. The descendants of Kanjin were awarded the hereditary office of village chief in their respective villages. At the time, Master Woncheuk was one of the greatest holy men of Korea, but because he was from Molyang, he was not acknowledged as a monk.

Previously, Jukjirang's father, Duke Suljong had been appointed as Admiral of Jukju. Because the Three Koreas were at war, he had to be protected by an armed escort of 3000 cavalry as he headed to his new headquarters. As they arrived at Jukji Pass, they found a single Hermit guarding the pass against rebel armies. Upon seeing this, the Duke esteemed the hermit's patriotism very much, and the hermit also looked well upon the Duke's might. They became heartfelt friends. The Duke continued on to take up his post. A week later, he dreamt the hermit had entered his room. His wife had a similar dream. Upon waking, they were greatly shocked and perturbed. The next day, Suljong sent a servant to ask about the hermit's welfare. The locals reported that the hermit had been dead for a day. The servant returned and reported that the hermit had died on the very day the Duke had his dream.

The Duke said, "The it must mean the honorable hermit will be reborn in my family." He sent some soldiers to bury the hermit on the north peak of the pass, with a stone statue of Mireuk standing before the grave.

Since the night of the dream, Suljong's wife became pregnant and gave birth to a son. He was named Jukjirang due to his past life. When he reached adulthood, he entered into government service and acted as Duke Yushin's lieutenant, helping him unite the Three Koreas. He served as Grand Minister and secured the borders under four consecutive kings: Jindeok, Daejong, Munmu, and Shinmun.

The Mujukjirangga (Song of Longing for Lord Jukji) composed by Deoko reads thus:

Original hanja and hyangchal transliteration

去隱春皆理米 간봄그리매
毛冬居叱沙哭屋尸以憂音 모단것사우리시름
阿冬音乃叱好支賜烏隱 아돌움나토샤온
兒史年數就音墮支行齊 즈시살쯈디니져
目煙廻於尸七史伊衣 눈돌칠사이예
逢烏支惡知作乎下是 맛보압디지소리
郞也慕理尸心未行乎尸道尸 랑여그릴마사매녀올길
蓬次叱巷中宿尸夜音有叱下是 다봊굴허에잘밤이시리

English Transliteration

Gan bom geulimae
Modan geosza ulisileum
Atolum natosyaon
Jeuzi saljjyum dinijyeo
Nun dolchil sayiye
Masboabdi jisoli
Lang-yeo geulil mazamae nyeoolgil
Daboj gulheoe jalbam isili

English Translation

The Spring has gone and shall not return
My heart aches with the weight of sorrow
Your face that was once so beautiful
Is now wrinkled by the ravages of time
Perhaps, for just an instant
I can glimpse you again
Ah, my lord! With my longing for you spurring me on
What rest shall I get this night on the grassy path

King Seongdeok

The Thirty-third monarch was King Seongdeok. During his reign, in the second year, Bingwu, of Shenlong (706), the crops completely failed and the people suffered a great famine. In January 1 of the year Dingwei, the government distributed food and aid to the stricken people. Rice was given out on the basis of three sheng (3 liters) for each person per day. By the end, records show that 300500 piculs of rice had been distributed. The King built Bongdeuk Temple to venerate King Daejong the Great and arranged a Nio Repentance Ceremony, then declared a seven-day general amnesty. During his reign, the position of Sachung was first established. (Others say it was during the subsequent reign of King Hyoseong)

Lady Suro

In the era of King Seongdeok, Duke Sunjeong was appointed Governor of Gangneung (current day Myeongju). Traveling to his post, he and his entourage stopped by the seashore to eat breakfast. To the side of the party, there were rock cliffs extending like a folding screen facing the sea. They were a thousand zhang (3200 meters or 3500 yards) in height. Atop the cliffs azalea flowers bloomed vividly.

The Lord’s wife Lady Suro saw this sight and asked her attendants, “Will anyone pluck the blossoms and give them to me?”

The attendants all answered, “This is something impossible for human hands.”

Just then, an old man passed by leading his cow. Overhearing the Lady’s words, he picked the flowers and then offered them to her along with a song. No one knew who this old man was.

After they journeyed on for two more days, until they reached a seaside pavilion called Imhae Pavilion. As they ate breakfast, a sea dragon suddenly the Lady into the sea. The Lord flung himself to the ground with no idea what to do.

Then another old man appeared and told him, “The ancients say that the voices of the people speaking in unison can melt even gold. Even now, can the sea creatures not dread the power of voices in unison? Summon your constituents, have them compose a song and sing it, then beat the cliff face with staves. Should you do so, you may see your Lady again.”

The Lord did exactly that. The sea dragon duly presented the Lady from beneath the sea and returned her to her husband.

The Lord asked his Lady about the conditions under the sea. She replied, “There are four palaces built from the seven treasures, gold, silver, glass, cockle-shells, agate, amber, and coral. The meals prepared are sweet, tender and fragrant, unparalleled by any human food.”

The Lady’s clothing yet bore an unearthly fragrance never before encountered in the human world.

Lady Suro was an incomparable beauty. She had been abducted by gods and spirits many times before, every time she passed near mountain depths or big bodies of water.

In memory of Lady Suro, the people would sing the Haeka (the Song of the Sea):

Original hanja and hangul transliteration

龜乎龜乎出水路 구호구호출수로
掠人婦女罪何極 약인부녀죄하극
汝若悖逆不出獻 여약패역불출현
入網捕掠燔之喫 입망포략번지끽

English Transliteration

Gu-ho gu-ho chul sulo
Yag in bunyeo joe hag-eug
Yeo yag paeyeog bulchulhyeon
Ibmang polyag beon-jik-kig

English Translation

Turtle, turtle, from the sea depths let Suro rise,
Know not ‘tis sin innocent maids to seize?
Shouldst thou be contrary and not return her,
Then with a net we’ll catch you for dinner.

The Heonhwaka (the Old Man’s Flower Dedication Song) reads thus:

Original hanja and hyangchal transliteration

紫布岩乎過希 자뵈바회가새
執音乎手母牛放教遣 자바온손암쇼노히시고
吾肹不喻慚肹伊賜等 나를안디붓그리샤단
花肹折叱可獻乎理音如 고잘것거바도림다

English Transliteration

Jaboe bahoe ga-zae
Jaba-onson amsyo nohi-sigo
Naleul andi busgeu-lisyadan
Gojal geos-geo badolimda

English Translation

Passing by the purple rocks
I shall release my cow
If you are not ashamed about me
I would pluck that flower and dedicate it to you

King Hyoseong

In the tenth year, Renwxu, of Kaiyuan, the government first built a fortified at Mohwa County, now Mohwa Village. It was on the southeast border of Gyeongju, serving as a defensive line against Japan. The perimeter was six-thousand, seven-hundred, ninety-two bu and five chi (10.2914 kilometers or 13798.28 yards), and thirty-nine thousand, two-hundred, sixty-two people were stationed there. The commanding officer was Gakgan Wonjin. In the twenty-first year, Guiyou, of Kaiyuan, the Tang Dynasty wished to make war on the Northern Nomads and asked Silla to send troops. The King sent six hundred and four soldiers, who all made it home after the campaign.

King Gyeongdeok and the Masters Chungdan and Pyohun

The King would receive all Buddhist Sutras and words of wisdom with the appropriate honors. During the twenty-four years of the King’s reign, the gods of the Five Mountains and Three Sacred Peaks would sometimes alight into his halls.

On the third day of March, The King ascended onto the Gwijeong Gate with his royal entourage. He said to his attendants, “Who will bring to me a mighty monk?”

Just then, a monk passed by. He held himself with gravitas and his clothes were clean, walking in a self-assured manner. When the attendants saw him, they brought him before the King.

The King said, “This is not the mighty monk I referred to.”

The attendants allowed the monk to go. After that, another monk came along. He wore patched robes and carried a cherry-wood pipe container (some say it was a lotus leaf pack), heading toward the gate from the South. The King rejoiced to see him and invited him to the gate watchtower. When he looked inside the pipe, he saw it was carrying a set of tea ware.

The King asked, “Who are you?”

The monk replied, “Chungdan.”

The King asked, “Whence do you come from?"

Chungdan replied, “Every third day of the third month and ninth day of the ninth month, I brew tea to drink with The Holy Mireuk of Samhwaryeong on Namsan. I have returned today after making my offering.”

The King said, “Might I have the fortune to sample a cup of your tea?”

The monk then brewed and offered tea to the King. The tea had a unique flavor. A strange, overwhelming fragrance came from inside the cup.

The King said, “Often I have been told that your Sanoega (word-spirit song) in Praise of of the Hwarang Giparang carries lofty themes. Is that really so?”

The monk replied, “Yes.”

The King said, “If so, then compose for me a Song of Contended People.”

The monk agreed, and soon delivered up a song that matched the King’s request. The King loved the song and would have made Chungdan his Royal Preceptor, but the monk stubbornly refused and took his leave of the king.

The Anminga (Song of Contended People) reads thus:

Original hanja and hyangchal transliteration

君隱父也 님검은아비야
臣隱愛賜尸母史也 알바다은다소샬어시여
民焉狂尸恨阿孩古爲賜尸知 일거언얼한아해고호샬디
民是愛尸知古如 일건이다솔알고다
窟理叱大肹生以支所音物生 구리시다히살손갓살
此肹喰惡支治良羅 이흘머기다소라
此地肹捨遺只於冬是去於丁爲尸知 이따할바리곡어듸갈뎌할디
國惡支持以支知古如 나라악디니디알고다
後句君如臣多支民隱如爲內尸等焉 아야님검다이알바단다이일건다이호늘달
國惡太平恨音叱如 나라악태평호니잇다

English Transliteration

Nimgeom-eun abi-ya
Albada-eun dazosyal eo-ziyeo
Ilgeo-eon eolhan ahaego hosyaldi
Ilgeon yi dazol al-goda
Guri sidahi sal-son gassal
Iheul me-ogi da-sola
Itta-hal baligog eoduigaldyeo haldi
Nala-ag dinidi algoda
Aya nigeom-dai albadan-dai ilgeon-dai honeuldal
Nala-ag taepyeongho niisda

English Translation

The King is the Father
His vassals the loving mothers
The people are innocent children, always happy
The children understand the love of their parents
Living beings are content and at peace
Being fed and governed
Where would they go if they left this land
They know the way to preserve the nation
Oh, when the King, his vassals, and their people all do the right thing
The country enjoys peace

The Changiparangga (Song in Praise of Giparang) reads thus:

Original hanja and hyangchal transliteration

咽嗚爾處米 늣겨곰보라매
露曉邪隱月羅理 이슬볼간다라리
白雲音逐干浮去隱安支下 힌구룸조초떠간언저레
沙是八陵隱汀理也中 몰이가란믈서리여해
耆郞矣皃史是史藪邪 기랑애즈시올시수프리야
逸烏川理叱磧惡希 일오니릿재벽긔
郞也持以支如賜烏隱 랑이여디니더시온
心未際叱肹逐內良齊 미소매가솔좇니라져
阿耶栢史叱枝次高支好 아야자싯가지노포
雪是毛冬乃乎尸花判也 누니모달두플곳가리여

English Transliteration

Neusgyeo-gom bolamae
Iseul bol-gan da-lali
Hin-gulum jocho ddeogan eonjeole
Molyi galan meulseo-liyeohae
Gilang-ae jeuziolsi supeuliya
Il-o nilis jae-byeoggui
Lang-iyeo dinideosion
Mizomae gazol joch-nilajyeo
Aya jasis gaji nopo
Nuni modal dupeul gosgali-yeo

English Translation

I look up with a sigh
The moon shines on dewdrops
As it chases after white clouds
In a clear brook running by the sandy bank
Giparang’s face is reflected
Like the pebbles in the Il-o river
Ah, my Lord, who I hold dear to me
I follow you from the bottom of my heart
Oh, like a lofty fir tree
The Hwarang stands unassailed by the coming frost

The King’s penis was eight cun (16.968 cm or 6.7 inches) long. His first wife had her marriage annulled because she bore no children. She was given the title of Lady Saryang (Lady Sammo). His next wife Lady Manwol was posthumously titled Queen Kyeongsu. She was the daughter of Gakgan Uichung.

One day, the King summoned esteemed monk Pyohun and said to him, “The heavens have not seen fit to bless me with an heir. I hope that you, holy monk, will pray to the Sangje, Lord of Heaven to give me a child.”

Pyohun sent his prayers to Sangje, then returned bearing the message, “Lord Sangje said it would be possible to grant your request with a daughter, but He cannot grant your request for a son.”

The King said, “Pray that He changes my daughter into a son.”

Pyohun once again ascended to heaven and submitted his prayers. Sangje said to him, “That will be possible, but a son will mean disaster for the kingdom.” When Pyohun was ready to descend, Sangjeon called to him again and said, “Heaven and the world of men cannot fall into chaos. Since you, Master, have now gone back and forth between the realms as if you were visiting neighbors and divulged the gods’ secrets, you must not return here from now on.”

Pyohun returned with new of Sangjeon’s prophecy. The king said, “Though the country will face disaster, it will be worth it to have a son as an heir.”

After that, Queen Manwol gave birth to the Crown Prince. The King was overjoyed. When the Prince was eight, the King died. The Prince succeeded to the throne as King Hyegong. Because he was yet young, the Queen Dowager was regent. The laws were not upheld. Bandits abounded and there was no way to apprehend them. Master Pyohun’s prophecy had come to pass.

Because the little King was a woman who had been given the form of a man, from his first birthday to his ascension to the throne, he was always interested in feminine activities. He liked to carry a silk purse and cavort with Taoists. As a result, he brought great chaos to the realm. Finally, he was assassinated by King Seondeok and Kim Yang-san (referring to the same man, perhaps the second name is an error for the actual assassin Kim Jijeong). After Pyohun, no more holy men were born in Silla.

King Hyegong

At the start of the first year of Dali (766), the land east of the Gangju City Administration Building gradually sank into a pond (Another source claims it was a small pond east of the Great Temple). It was thirteen chi (2.7573 meters or 9.05 feet) across in length and seven chi (1.4847 meters or 4.87 feet) across in width. Five or six koi fish suddenly appeared in the pond, and one after another, they grew larger and larger, and the pool also grew larger to accommodate them.

The next year, Dingwei, a Heavenly Dog fell onto the eastern watchtower of the Capital. Its head was like a wine vat, while its tail was around three chi (63.63 cm or 2.08 feet). Its fur was the color of raging fire. Heaven and Earth quaked at its presence. In the same year, in the town of Geumpo, all grains of rice within five qing (0.3072 square kilometers or 75.91 acres) ripened into ears. In July of the same year, two stars fell to earth in the Northern Courtyard of the royal palace. One more star fell alongside them. All three stars sank into the earth. Previously, two lotus stalks had sprouted from the northern palace latrines. Lotuses also sprouted from the fields of the Bongseong Temple. A tiger entered the royal compound, but when guards pursued it, they lost its trail. Countless sparrows gathered on a pear tree in Gakgan Daegong’s residence. According to the second half of Military Strategies to Pacify the Nation, this was a portent of widespread war and anarchy. As a result, the King issuced a decree of general amnesty and ordered the court to undergo a period of self-reflection.

On the third of July, Gakgan Daegong rebelled. The Capital and five of the provinces, along with ninety-six of the Gakgan warred upon each other amidst great chaos. Gakgan Daegong, along with his family, was defeated and forced to flee. His possessions and riches were seized and sent to the royal palace. The Grand Warehouse of the rebel city of Sinseong was burned to the ground. Those properties and riches of the rebels around Saryang and Molyang were also seized and transported into the royal palace. The rebellion was finally subdued after three months of conflict. There were very many people who were rewarded for their service, but also countless others who were executed. This was the disaster that Pyohun had predicted for the kingdom.

King Wonseong the Great

At the start of his career, the Ichan Kim Juwon was the Prime Minister, while the King, a Gakgan, was only Deputy Minister. One night, the King dreamt he took off his black official’s hat and put on in its place a simple kasa; then, playing a twelve stringed zither, he jumped into the well of the Cheongwan Temple. After he woke up, he asked his advisors to interpret the dream. They said, “Taking off your official’s hat is a sign that you will lose your position. Holding a zither means your hands will be bound in stocks. Jumping into a well means you will be imprisoned.”

Upon hearing this, the King was sorely afraid and shut himself away in his house. After a while the Achan Yeosan (the characters vary) was sent to check on him. The King refused to leave the house, citing illness as the cause. Yeosan once again asked at the door, saying, “I only wish to see you face to face.”

The King agreed to let him in.

The Achan asked, “My lord, what are you so afraid of?”

The King explained the interpretation of his dream.

The Achan then bowed and congratulated him, saying, “This is an auspicious dream! If my lord does not forget me after you ascend to the throne, I shall interpret the dream for you.”

The King sent away all his attendants, and when he and his guest were alone, he asked the Ason to explain his dream.

The Achan said, “Taking off your official’s hat means you will be subservient to no one. Wearing a kasa is a portent that you will wear the beaded royal crown. Holding a twelve string zither is a portent that your line will last twelve generations. Hopping into the well of Cheongwan Temple is a good sign that you will enter the royal enclosure.”

The King said, “There is still Juwon above me. How might I be the one who succeeds to the ultimate authority?

The Achan said, “Please secretly set up an altar to worship the god of the North River. Then it will be possible.”

The King did so. Not long after, King Seondeok died. The people of the nation wished to make Juwon king. Yet just as they were ready to escort him to the palace to crown him, the North River suffered a sudden flood. As Junwon’s home was in the area of the river, he could not cross the waters. The King reached the palace frst and was crowned ruler. The supporters of the Prime Minister all came to swear fealty and celebrate the ascension of their new lord.

The King’s personal name was Gyeongsin and his family was Kim. All these events fulfilled his fortunate dream. Juwon retired to Myeongju. Now that the King indeed ascended to the throne, Yeosan had already died, so the King instead ennobled his descendants. The King had five grandchildren (actually children), Crown Prince Hyechung, Crown Prince Heonpyeong, Jabchan Yeyeong, Lady Daeryong, and Lady Soryong.

The King was well acquainted with shifts from between poverty and prosperity, so he summed his experiences up with the Shingong Sanoega, the Song of This Empty Body (now lost). The King’s father Daegakgan Hyoyang inherited his ancestors’ Flute that Calms the Turbulent Waves, and passed it on to the King in turn. Once the King received it, he also received the substantial blessings from heaven that it carried. Thus, his grace shone into the the far corners of the kingdom.

In the second year, Bingyin of Zhenyuan, the Japanese King Monkyo (possibly the fifty-fifth monarch Emperor Montoku as according to the Japanese Emperors List; otherwise, there is no mention of an Emperor Monkyo, though perhaps he was actually a Crown Prince) wished to invade Silla with his armies. He heard that Silla possessed a Flute that Calms the Turbulent Waves, which could repel his forces. He sent a messenger with fifty taels of gold to purchase the Flue that Calms the Turbulent Waves.

The King told the Ambassador, “I have only heard that this flute existed during the previous era of King Jinpyeong. I do not know where it is now.”

The seventh of July the next year, the Japanese king sent another ambassador with a thousand taels and the message, “I only wish to have one look at the holy object, and then I shall return it to you.”

The King once again refused, with the same words as before. Then, he rewarded the Ambassador with three thousand taels of silver and returned the gold untouched.

The Ambassador left in August. The King then hid the flute in the Naehwang Hall.

After the King had ruled for eleven years, in the year Yihai, a party of Tang ambassadors arrived at the Capital. They returned after staying for a month. One day after their departure, two women entered into the King’s personal chamber.

They petitioned him with, “We women are the wives of the two dragon kings of Dongji Pond and Cheongji Pond. (Cheongji Pond is the spring of Dongcheon Temple. The records of the temple state that this spring was the spot where the dragons of the Eastern Sea would often visit to hear the monks’ sermons. This temple was built by King Jinpyeong and hosted five hundred monks. There was a five story pagoda attached, and the temple also owned land and had tenant farmers.) The Tang Envoy brought over two shamans from Hexi country and cursed our husbands, along with a third dragon from the Well of Bunhwang Temple, to become little fish, and then carried them away in a bamboo pipe. We beseech Your Majesty to apprehend those two and have them release our husbands to continue serving as dragons who guard the realm.”

The King pursued the retinue to Hayang Hostel and personally invited them to a meal. He then confronted them saying, “How have you knaves abducted three of my dragons to this place? If you do not honestly confess, then harsh punishments await you!”

At this, the shamans duly presented the three fish to the king. The King had them released in the three appropriate spots. Each of them caused water sprouts of several miles, then joyfully hopped into the water and swam away. The Tang Envoys were very impressed with the King’s wisdom.

One day, the King invited the esteemed monk Jihae of Hwangryong Temple (other sources say Hwaeom Temple, or Geumgang Temple, both are the result of confusing the name of the temple with the name of a sutra) to come to the palace and recite the Avatamsaka Sutra for five days. During this ceremony, the Sāmaṇera Myojeong always washed his food bowl at the side of the Geumgwang well, (which took its name from Master Daehyeon). There was a turtle that lived inside the well, and the sāmaṇera would always entertain himself by feeding the turtle some food scraps. After the sutra recital and feasting ended, the sāmaṇera said to the turtle, “I have provided you with charity for several days. How shall you repay me?”

Several days later, the turtle spat out a little pearl and gestured as if it was offering it to the sāmaṇera. The sāmaṇera took the pearl and hung it from his belt. After that, the King fell deeply in love with the sāmaṇera at first sight and invited him into the palace. They were inseparable.

At the time, there was a Jabchan who was assigned to act as ambassador to China. He also loved the sāmaṇera and asked that Myojeong come on the jorney. The King gave him permission, and the Ambassador took Myojeong into the Tang Empire alongside him. The Tang Emperor also fell in love with the sāmaṇera after laying eyes on him. His ministers could not believe it.

A wise fortune-teller informed the Emperor, “Looking over this sāmaṇera, there is nothing attractive about him. Yet is able to acquire the trust and respect of many. He must hold some magical object.”

The Emperor had the sāmaṇera searched, and found the little pearl in his belt. Then the Emperor said, “I have four ruyi pearls. I lost of them one two years ago. Now, I see that this pearl is the same as the one I lost.”

The Emperor questioned the sāmaṇera about this. The sāmaṇera explained how he has acquired the pearl. The day the pearl disappeared from the Emperor’s treasury was the same very day the sāmaṇera had received the pearl.

The Emperor kept the pearl and sent the sāmaṇera back. From then on, nobody loved or trusted this sāmaṇera.

The King’s mausoleum is West Dongok Temple (now Sungdeok Temple) on the peak of Mount Toham, where there is a gravestone with an epitaph written by Choe Chiwon. He also built Boeun Temple and Mangdeok Tower where he posthumously recognized his grandfather the Hunib Jabchan as King Heungpyeong, his great-grandfather the Uigwan Jabchan as King Sinyeong, and his great-great-grandfather the Beopseon Dae-achan as King Hyeonseong. King Hyeonseong’s father was Majilcha Jabchan.

Early Snows

The fortieth monarch was King Aejang. In his final year, Wuzi, it snowed on August fifteenth. The forty-first monarch was King Heondeok. In the thirteenth year, Wuxu, of Yuanhe, there was a blizzard on March fourteenth (another version says Bingyin, but that is an error because the era of Yuanhe ended after fifteen years and there was no Bingyin year). The forty-sixth monarch was King Munseong, On May nineteenth of Jiwei, there was a blizzard. August first of that year was an overcast day.

King Heondeok’s Parakeets

The forty-second monarch Kng Heondeok ascended to the throne in the second year, Bingwu, of Baoli. Shortly after, the Ambassador to the Tang dynasty returned, bringing back a pair of parakeets that he offered to the King. A little while later the female parakeet died. The male wept inconsolably. The King had his attendants hang a mirror in front of the parakeet. When the bird saw his reflection, he thought he had found his mate again, but when he pecked at the mirror, he realized it was his reflection. Thus, he gave a mournful cry and died. The King composed a song honoring his birds, but it is lost to the ages.

Sinmu the Great and Yeom Jang's Assassination of Gungbok

When the forty-fifth King, Sinmu the Great, was still a commoner, he told the vigilante Gungbok (Jang Bogo), “I have enemies who I cannot abide with under the same sky. If you could dispose of them for me, once I ascend to the throne, I will make your daughter queen.”

Gungbok agreed to this and thus the two united their efforts to rebel and lay siege to the capital. They were successful.

Once the King had usurped the throne, he wanted to make Gungbok’s daughter queen. His officials all petitioned him passionately, saying, “Gungbok comes from a lowly class. Your majesty must not take his daughter as queen!”

The King acquiesced to them. At the time, Gungbok was stationed in Cheonghae Garrison as general. He was angry at the King for breaking his promised and planned to rebel against him.

When the general, Yeom Jang, heard this news, he petitioned the King, saying “General Gungbok is a traitor. This humble soldier requests leave to dispose of him.”

The King gladly approved his request.

Yeom Jang, under the King’s edict, went to Cheonghae, saying, “Your servant has some resentment toward the current ruler. I wish to serve under you, my enlightened lord, so that I may keep my life.”

When Gungbok heard this, he said furiously, “You knaves petitioned the King to make him abandon my daughter! And yet you would come before me?”

Yeom Jang sent the reply, “It was the advice of all the high officials. I had no part in the conspiracy. Do not begrudge me, my enlightened lord.”

When Gungbok heard this, he invited Yeom Jang in for an interview. He asked, “Why have you come here?”

Yeom Jang replied, “I have disobeyed the king on a matter. Thus I have come to serve under you so he might do me no harm.”

Gungbok said, “Good for you.”

Gungbok held a banquet to celebrate his new subordinate. Even as they were drinking together, Yeom Jang took Gungbok’s sword and beheaded him with it. Gungbok’s warriors were so shocked and intimidated that they dropped to their knees. Yeom Jang escorted them to the capital.

Yeom Jang reported back with his success, saying, “I have killed Gungbok.”

The King happily rewarded him and promoted him to the rank of Achan.

The Forty-Eight Monarch King Gyeongmun

The King’s personal name was Eungryeom. He became a Gukseon, a sort of Hwarang, at eighteen. Shortly after he came of age when he reached twenty, King Heonan called the young man to him and feasted him in the palace.

The King asked, “What interesting sights have you seen in your wide travels as a Gukseon?”

The Hwarang replied, “I have seen three praiseworthy acts.”

The King said, “Please explain your statement.”

The Hwarang said, “The first is when a man ranks above another, yet out of modesty he always takes the less honored seat. The second is when a man is rich, yet still dresses simply. The third is when a man is possessed of great strength, yet does not use his force to intimidate others.”

Hearing his words, the king knew he was a wise young man. He could not help being moved to tears. He said to the Hwarang, “I have two daughters. Please allow one of them to serve up your toiletries from now on.” (a euphemism for marriage)

The Hwarang excused himself from the banquet and stood up, then, offering the king a deep kowotow, he left the king’s presence. He returned home to his parents with the news. His parents were amazed and delighted. They gathered the members of the clan to discuss this matter.

They suggested, “The King’s eldest princess is ugly enough to send chills up one’s spine. The younger princess, however, is very beautiful. It would be good fortune indeed to wed her!”

When the young man’s superior in the Hwarang Order, the monk Master Beomgyo heard about this development, he rushed to the young man house to ask him, “The King is willing to wed one of his princesses to you. Is this true?”

The Hwarang answered, “Yes.”

“Which one of them will you marry?”

“My parents have ordered me to choose the younger sister.”

Master Beomgyo said, “If you marry the younger sister, I guarantee that she will soon die before your eyes. If you marry the elder sister, then you will reap three benefits. Everything I have told you is true.”

The Hwarang answered, “I hear and obey.”

The King chose a lucky day to send a herald to announce to the Hwarang, “My daughters are at the gentleman’s disposal.”

When the herald returned, he brought the Hwarang’s message, saying “He wishes to take the elder princess as wife.”

Three months after the wedding, the king took ill and was on his deathbed. He summoned all his officials and said, “I have no male heirs. As to my funeral arrangements, I would like for my elder daughter’s husband Eungryeom to take charge of it.”

The next day the King died. The Hwarang succeeded to the throne, as dictated by the king’s last will and testament. After that, Master Beomgyo visited the new king and said to him, “You have now received the three benefits I spoke of. The first is that having married the elder sister, you became the King’s successor. The second is that having favored the younger sister, you can easily marry her too now if you wish. The third is that having married the elder sister, you made the late king and his queen very happy.”

The King approved of this assessment. He conferred the title of Esteemed Preceptor upon Master Beomgyo and awarded him 130 taels of gold.

After the King died, his posthumous title was Gyeongmun.

Every sunset, countless snakes would gather in the King’s bedchamber. The palace maids were horrified and would have driven them out or exterminated them.

The King said, “I cannot sleep peacefully without snakes around me.”

He announced that snakes would have free passage to his palace. Every night when he went to sleep, the hissing snakes would stick out their tongues and slither on his chest.

When the King ascended to the throne, he suddenly sprouted donkey ears. Neither the Queen nor his attendants were aware of this. The only one who knew was his barber, who never breathed a word of it to anyone through his life. When he was at the end of his life, he went into a secluded area in the bamboo forest of Dolim Temple, and, seeing no other people around, sang to the bamboo, “My king’s ears are those of a donkey!”

After that, whenever the wind blew through the bamboo, the leaves would rustle out, “My king’s ears are those of a donkey!” (Dolim Temple once stood next to Ipdo Forest)

The king was appalled at this, so he had the bamboo cut down and Cornelian cherries planted in its place. Yet whenever the wind rustled through, there would still be the sound of, “My king’s ears are those of a donkey!”

The Gukseon Yowonrang, Yeheunrang, Gyewon, Sokjongrang, along with others, were touring Geumran when they felt ambitions to help the King govern the nation secretly stirring within them. To reflect their hopes, they composed three songs. They sent the clerk Simpil to convey their manuscript to monk Daegu and asked him to compose music for the three songs. The first was called Hyeongeumpogok (Melody of Carrying the Dark Zither), the second Daedogok (Melody of the Great Way), and the third Mungungok (Melody of Questions for the Crowd). The songs were performed before the King. He greatly enjoyed and praised the music. These songs are now lost.

The Prince Cheongyong and the Manghae Temple

In the era of the forty-ninth monarch King, from the Capital to the seaside, brick houses stretched wall to wall, without one straw hut. Neverending music echoed down the roads, and the weather was harmonious and good for crops. With few things to worry him, the King took a trip to the Port of Gaeun (Southwest of Hakseong, current day Ulju). As the King set out on his return trip, the royal barge was resting on the water when thick, dark fog swallowed up everything and left them hopelessly lost.

The bewildered King asked his attendants what had happened. The Day Officer (in charge of calendar and meteorology) reported, “This change in weather was caused by the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. It would be easy to dispel if you took actions to propitiate him.”

Thus, the King sent out an edict to the appropriate authorities, ordering that they build a temple to the Dragon King. Almost the very moment he finished issuing his edict, the fogs cleared. Thus, it is called Gaeunpo, Port of the Opening Clouds.

The Dragon King of the Eastern Sea was so pleased that, along with his seven sons, he appeared before the King’s entourage. He praised the King’s virtue, and had his sons play music while he performed a dance for the King. Then, he sent one of his sons to the Capital alongside the King and his retinue, so he might advise the King. The Prince’s name was Cheoyong.

The King married him to a beautiful woman, hoping keep him in the Capital forever. He also invested the Prince with the title of Geubbeolchan.

The Dragon Prince’s wife was extremely beautiful. The God of Plague Yeokshin was infatuated with her. Thus, on a night when no one else was home, he snuck into her house and seduced her.

When Cheoyong returned to his house, he saw there were two people sleeping together inside. He proceeded to back away while singing and dancing. The song reads thus:

Original hanja and hyangchal transliteration

東京明期月良 셔블발기다래
夜入伊遊行如可 밤드리노니다가
入良沙寢矣見昆 드러사자리보곤
脚烏伊四是良羅 가라리네히여라
二肹隱吾下於叱古 둘흔내해엇고
二肹隱誰支下焉古 둘흔뉘해언고
本矣吾下是如馬於隱 본디다내해다마란
奪叱良乙何如爲理古 아사날엇디하릿고

English Transliteration

Donggyeong balgi dalae
Bamdeuli nonidaga
Deuleosa jali bogon
Galali nehiyeola
Dulheun naehae eosgo
Dulheun nwihae eongo
Bondae naehae damalaneun
Asanal eosdihalisgo

English Translation

On a bright night in the Capital,
I returned late at night from my revels
Looking into my bed
I find four legs
Two are mine
Two others, whose are they?
Once they were mine
Now they have been snatched from me, what can I do?

At this point, the god appeared outside in his true form and prostrated himself before Cheoyong. He said, “I have long been infatuated with my lord’s wife. Now that I have violated her, yet my lord has shown no anger to me. Your magnificent kindness has deeply touched me. I swear that from now on, if I see a portrait of your lordship’s face, I shall never enter the door on which it hangs.”

As a result, the people of the nation paste Cheoyong’s image outside their doors to ward off and invite good fortune.

Once the King had returned to the Capital, he cast auguries to learn that he should build the promised temple on a beautiful spot at the eastern foot of Mount Yeongchwi. It was called the Manghae Temple, and also the Shinbang Temple. It was built to venerate the Dragon King.

The King also graced the Poseokjeong Villa with his royal presence. The God of Mount Namsan appeared and performed a dance for the King. None of his attendants could see the apparition; only the King alone could see someone dancing before him. He proceeded to dance himself, showing his attendants the god’s moves. Some say the god’s name was Sangsim, or Fortunate Manifestation, so now when the people of the nation perform this dance, they call it Royal Dance of the Fortunate Manifestation or Royal Dance of the Mountain God. Others say that after witnessing the god’s dance, the King memorized his moves and had craftsmen make engravings of the images so it could be taught to future generations. And that is why this dance has the name Sangsim. Or they call it Sangyeom Dance (White Beard Dance), describing its movements.

Later, when the King graced the Geumgangsan mountains with his presence, The God of Bokak performed for him a dance called Ogdogeum. Again, when he hosted a banquet in Dongrye chamber, the Earth God performed a dance called Jibaek-Geubgan.

When the Mountain God performed his dance, he sang out, “Chiridadopadopa!”

The message it implied was, “The wise leaders of the country, understanding this, will flee in droves.” It was a revalation that soon, the nation would fall.

The gods of the earth and mountains knew that the nation was reaching its end. As a result, they performed these dances to serve as a warning. The people of the nation did not understand. They believed the miracles were auspicious signs. They were complacent and drowned themselves in pleasure. That is why their nation was finally destroyed.

King Jinseong the Great and the hero Geotaji of Baengnyeongdo

The fifty-first monarch King Jinseong had ruled the country for many years. Her wet nurse Lady Buho, her husband Wihong Jabchan, and various court favorites dominated the government. Brigands ran rampant. The people were very troubled, so they created a coded Dhāraṇī and placed it on the roadside. When the King and her most powerful advisors found it, they discussed among themselves and said, “If this was not written by Wang Geoin, then who?”

Thus, they threw Geoin into prison. Geoin wrote a poem denouncing the injustice to gods. Heaven proceeded to sent an earthquake down on the royal prison. As a result, Geoin was acquitted.

His poem reads thus:

Original hanja and hangul transliteration

燕丹泣血虹穿日 연단읍혈홍천일
鄒衍含悲夏落霜 추연함비하낙상
今我失途還似舊 금아실도환사구
皇天何事不垂祥 황천하사불수상

English Transliteration

Yeondan eub-hyeol hong cheon-il
Chuyeon ham-bi ha nag-sang
Geum a sil-do hwan sa-gu
Hwangcheon ha-sa bul su sang

English Translation

Yan Dan’s bloody tears made mist pierce the skies
For Zou Yan’s pain white snow in Summer flies
My griefs match the heroes of ancient times
Yet why to me Heaven its sign denies?

The coded Dhāraṇī reads thus:

Original Hanja

南無亡國，剎尼那帝，判尼判尼蘇判尼。于于三阿干𠒎伊娑婆訶。

English Transliteration

Namōmangguk Kṣanīṇadhi Bhanibhanisubhani Yuyusam-akhanphui svāhā

Those who interpreted it explained that the “kṣanīṇadhi”, meaning “emperor of an instant”, referred to the female king. “Bhanibhanisubhani” referred to the two Sopan who held her favor, with Sopan, another name for Jabchan, being their bone rank. They, along with her husband and other favorites, were the “Yuyusam-akhan,” while “phui” was Lady Buho. (The Dhāraṇī warned that they would be the destruction of her kingdom.)

During this King’s time, her youngest son, the Achan Yangpae, served as the ambassador to China. He received news that Baekje pirates had blockaded the bays, so he brought along fifty strong archers in his entourage. When their ship arrived at Gogdo Island, (the locals called it Goldaedo, Great Bone Island), a tempest whipped up, stranding them for more than ten days.

The Duke was very worried and had his attendants cast an augury, which divined that there was a sacred pool on the island, and if they sacrificed to it, they would have safe passage. Thus, they set up an altar next to the pool and offered their sacrifices. The water shot up several miles in response.

That night, the Duke dreamed of an old man saying to him, “It would be best for you to leave one of your good archers on the island. Then you will have a favorable wind.”
When the Duke awoke, he informed his attendants of what he saw, and asked them, “Who shall stay?”

Everyone replied, “You should take fifty pieces of wood, and have each of us take one and write down our names. Then place the tablets into the water and see if any sink. In that way we shall cast our lots.”

The Duke did exactly that. Among the warriors, there was one called Geotaji. His name sank into the water, and thus he was abandoned on the island.

In an instant, the wind started up. The ship advanced unimpeded. Geotaji was left standing on the island, sadly watching his companions sail away.

Suddenly, an old man emerged from the pool. He said to the archer, “I am the God of the Western Sea. Every day at sunrise, a sāmaṇera descends from the sky and circles around this pool three times while reciting a Dhāraṇī. At his voice, my wife and I, and all our children, float helplessly to the surface of the water. The sāmaṇera then tears out my children’s entrails and eats them clean. Thus he has devoured all my family, except for myself, my wife, and one of my daughters. He will certainly come again tomorrow. I beseech you, my dear sir, to shoot him down!”

Geotaji assured him, “Matters of the bow and the arrow are my specialty. Your wish is my command.”

The old man thanked him and sank back into the water. Geotaji hid himself and waited for his foe.

The next morning, the sāmaṇera came as expected. He chanted his mantra as before. As the dragons came up, he snatched up the old dragon king and was about to take his innards. In that moment, Geotaji aimed his arrow and let it fly. It hit the sāmaṇera, who transformed into an old fox. He fell to the ground and died.

Now that he was out of danger, the Dragon King resumed his shape of an old man and stepped out of the pool. He thanked the archer, saying, “It was all because of your lordship that my life was saved! As a sign of my gratitude, please take my daughter to be your wife!”

Geotaji replied, “If Your Majesty is so gracious, then how can I refuse?”

The old man changed his daughter into a flower, and gave it to Geotaji to carry by his breast. Then he ordered two of his dragons to carry Geotaji to his companions’ ship. After Geotaji boarded, the dragons escorted the ship into the Tang Dynasty’s territory.

The Tang people saw that the Silla craft was being carried by dragons. They reported this news to the Emperor.

The Emperor said, “The Silla Ambassador must be an extraordinary person!”

The Emperor held a banquet and gave the Ambassador the seat of honor. He awarded the party lavish gifts of gold and silk and sent them back to Silla.

Once he was back in his own country, Geotaji took out the flower. It changed back into a woman, and from then on they lived together as husband and wife.

King Hyogong

The fifty-second monarch was King Hyogong. In the fifteenth year, Renshen, of Guanghua, (actually the second year of the Qianhua era of Zhu Wen’s Liang Dynasty), at the east and west of the outer gate of Bongseong Temple, there were twenty-one sparrows’ nests. Again four years after King Sindeok took the throne, an Yihai year (older sources call it twelfth year of Tianyou, but it should be the first year of Zhenming), there were thirty-four sparrows’ nests and forty crows’ nests in Yeongmyo Temple inner halls. In March of the same year, there was a late frost. In Junes, the waters of the Bay of Champo clashed against sea waves for three days.

King Gyeongmyeong

In the era of the fifty-fourth monarch King Gyeongmyeong, the fifth year, Wuyin, of Zhenming, the dogs in the murals of the Sacheonwang Temple began barking. The monks held a three-day sutra recital, which silenced them. Yet half a day later, they began barking again. In February of the Seventh Year, Gengchen, the shadows of the pagoda in Hwangryong Temple appeared upside-down in the courtyard of the house of Geummosaji for a month. Again in October, the bowstrings of the five directional gods in Sacheonwang Temple all snapped. The dogs in the murals stepped out of the wall, circled around in the courtyard, and returned into the paintings.

King Gyeongae

After the Fifty-fifth monarch, King Gyeongae, ascended, on February 29th of the second year, Jiachen, of Tongguang, Hwangryong Temple held a Hundred Seat Summit to discuss the sutras. In addition, they gave meals to 300 Buddhist priests, and the King himself came to offer incense and pray to the Buddha. It is widely said that this summit was the origin of Seon Buddhism.

King Kim Bu the Great

The fifty-sixth Great King Kim Pu had the posthumous name of Gyeongsun. In September of the second year, Dinghai, of Tiancheng, Gyeon Hwon of Baekje invaded Silla and penetrated to Goul Prefecture. King Gyeongae sought aid from our dynasty’s King Taejo. He ordered ten thousand strong troops to rescue the Capital.

Unfortunately, before the reinforcements could arrive, Gyeon Hwon entered the capital by stealth in wintertime, the month of November. The King and his wives and relatives were enjoying a feast in Poseokjong Palace. The troops took them by surprise. They panicked, not knowing what to do. The King and the Queen dashed for the harem area. The King’s relative and other elites and their women scattered, trying to get away. They were all captured by the enemy, and regardless of status, were all made into slaves.

Gyeon Hwon allowed his troops to loot public and private possessions. He then entered the palace and ordered his subordinates to search for the King. The King, the Queen, and several of the Royal Concubines had hidden themselves in the harem. They were captured and led into the army camp. Gyeon Hwon forced the King to commit suicide, then he raped the Queen. He allowed his subordinates to ravish the other Royal Concubines. He then established the King’s younger clan brother as a puppet king.

The new King ascended to the throne with Gyeon Hwon’s support. The late King’s body lay in state in the Western Wing. The King and his subjects all wept inconsolably for their departed lord. Our King Taejo also sent a messenger to offer his condolences.

In March, the spring of next year, Wuzi, Taejo led fifty or so cavalry into the Capital. The King and all his officials went outside the city to welcome him. When they arrived in the palace together, they exchanged warm pleasantries.

The King held a banquet in the Imhae Hall. A few rounds of liquor stirred up the King’s memory, and he said, “Disaster has fallen upon us because my rule has not received the grace of Heaven. Now Gyeon Hwon works evil as he pleases. He has despoiled my kingdom. What can I do?”

Saying so, he wept pathetically. There were none there who did not sob along with him. Taejo too shed tears for pity.

As a result, Taejo stayed many nights in the Capital before departing. He kept tight control over those under his banner, and did not permit a single infraction against the civilians. The relieved people of the capital, both men and women, said to each other, “Previously when the butcher Gyeon came, it was as if we had met with dholes and tigers. Now that Lord Wang has arrived, it seems like we have met a loving parent.”

In August, Taejo presented the King with a brocade robe and a saddled horse. He also sent gifts for the ministers and warriors of the King’s court.

In October of the second year of Qingtai, Yiwei, the King, seeing that most of the surrounding territory had been conquered by other powers, and that the nation’s power had waned, was very worried and thus called his advisers to a council where he proposed that he would surrender to Taejo and offer up the Kingdom. He then asked them their opinions. Chaos erupted as different views clashed, neither being willing to give way.

The Crown Prince spoke out and said, “The survival and destruction of kingdoms depend on the will of Heaven. We should unite our efforts with loyal officials and virtuous warriors, stir up the hearts of the people, and fight to our last breath. How can we easily relinquish our millennia-old realm to someone else?”

The King said, “We are in such a perilous, isolated situation that there is no way for us to survive. We do not have the forces to be strong, and we cannot afford to be weak. I cannot bear to see my innocent people lose their lives and livelihoods for me.”

He then had his Deputy Minister Kim Bonghyu draft a message of surrender to deliver to Taejo. With that, the Crown Prince tearfully bade farewell to the King. He exiled himself to Mount Kaegol, where built a thatch hut on the rocks and lived a humble life of plain hemp clothing and wild vegetables for food until the end of his days. The King’s youngest son shaved his hair and devoted himself to the Hwaeom School of Buddism as the virtuous Monk Beommgong. He resided at Beopsu Temple and later Haein Temple.

Once Taejo received the message, he dispatched his Prime Minister Wang Cheol to accept the surrender. The King and his various court officials all gave themselves up to Taejo. Their horses and carriages stretched for more than thirty li (15.000 km or 9.32 miles). ). They stuffed up all the roads and passages, and onlooking crowds were like a human wall. Taejo himself came out of the city to greet the surrendering King. He gave him a palace to reside in (now Jeongseung Palace) and married his eldest daughter Princess Nakrang to him. Because the surrendering King had forsaken his own nation to live in another nation, he compared him to a luan bird, a high-flying phoenix never at rest. Thus, Taejo changed his daughter’s title to Princess Shinran (divine luan), and her posthumous name was Hyomok. He gave the surrendering King the title of Jeongseung, putting him at a higher rank than even the Crown Prince, and paid him an allowance of a thousand koku per year. The various courtiers and military officers were all given positions in Taejo’s government. Silla was renamed Gyeongju and given to the former King as a fief.

When the King had first led his court over to surrender and relinquish his rights to the land, Taejo was delighted. He treated the surrendering King with the highest honors. He also dispatched a messenger to tell him. “By giving your country to me, you have given me a grand gift indeed! I wish to marry one of the ladies in your family, so I may forever be bound to you in ties of marriage.”

The King replied, “My Uncle Yeogreom (Younger brother of the King’s father Hyojong Gakgan, posthumously titled King Shinyu) has a daughter who is beautiful in both appearance and conduct. If not her, then I do not know who can serve by Your Majesty’s side.” Thus, Taejo married her. She was known as Lady Kim, the Queen Sinseong. (The Records of the Royal Family Tree compiled by the Royal Scholar of our dynasty, Kim Gwanui, states that Empress Sinseong was a Lady Yi, and she had been the daughter of Commadant Yi Jeongeon of Gyeongju. When he was still Governor of Hyeobju, when the King, gracing the city with his royal presence, took her to be his bride. That is why she is also called Lady of Hyeobju. Her memorial altar is established in Hyeonhwa Temple, with the anniversary of her departure being commemorated on March 25. She was buried in Cheongreung Mausoleum. She produced one son, who was King Anjong. Otherwise, the names of Taejo’s other twenty-five wives are not recorded. The events of Lady Kim’s life are unknown. However, there is a consensus among historians that Anjong was a maternal grandson of Silla, and thus it is recorded here.)

Taejo’s grandson Wang Ju, King Gyeongjong, married the daughter of Duke Jeongseung, Queen Heongsuk. When he ascended to the throne, he recognized Duke Jeongseung as his Royal Father-in-Law. The Duke died in the third year, Wuyin, of Taipingyuguo. He was given the posthumous name of Gyeongsun. The Edict for Investiture of the Royal Father-in-Law reads thus:

When the Ji family first began the golden age of the Zhou Dynasty, he first ennobled Lord Lu. When Liu family of Han first rewarded the princes who helped establish the dynasty, they first endowed Xiao He. Thus they brought peace to the world, and spread their glory far and wide. They held the dragon’s realm for thirty generations, and followed in the footsteps of the wise Qilin for four-hundred years. The sun and the moon shone down their light, and heaven and Earth were in harmony with one another. Though they were laissez-faire kings, they sought out the assistance of capable ministers. The Meritorious Gwangwangsunhwawigug (observing prosperity, duly obedient, nation-guarding) Minister, Grand Marshal Pillar of the Nation, Prince of Nakrang, Jeongseung with a fief of 8000 households, Kim Pu, is a descendant of the ruling family of Gyerim, and has held the highest noble titles. His courage dominates over the highest clouds, and the wisdom of his writings resound like the ringing of golden bells. He is rich in youthful vigor and well entitled to the governance of his land. He has memorized by heart the Six Secret Teachings and Three Strategies of Huang Shigong. He grasps the diplomacy of Zhuge Liang’s seven releases of the barbarian king and the discipline of Sun Wu’s three orders to the royal concubines, so well as if in the palm of his hand. When he first allied in friendship with our Taejo, he recognized the winds of change, and thus sought to bind himself to Taejo as royal son in law and serve the greater cause. Once the nation was united under one ruler, both King and subject united to spread their good reputation through the Three Koreas and honor their ancestors with their benevolent leadership. Thus, he is worthy of elevation to Royal Father-in-Law. In addition, he is to receive the title of Meritorious Chuchungsinuisungdeogsujeol (loyally serving, careful and honorable, respectful of virtue, guardian of integrity) Minister. His noble rank shall still be the same, but his fief will be increased to 10000 households. Let the appropriate authorities select an auspicious day and, with all due ceremony, execute my orders. To be handed to the responsible department. Eighth year of Kaibao, October ___th.

Countersigned by Haek Seong, the President of Internal Affairs, Chief Scholar of Hanlin Academy. Signature confirming edict received and enforced to the right. Enforced upon reception. Eighth Year of Kaibao, October ___th
Authorized by Minister of Secretariat
Authorized by Minister of Internal Provisions
Authorized by Minister of Military Affairs
Authorized by Sub-officials of the Department of Military Affairs
Authorized by Sub-officials of the Department of War
Authorized by Minister of War
Authorized by Deputy Minister of the Chancellery
Authorized by Sub-offcials of the Chancellery
Authorized by Sub-officials of Internal Provisions
Authorized by Deputy Minister of Internal Provisions
Authorized by Sub-secretaries of the Department of Military Affairs
Authorized by Head Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs
Authorized by Sub-secretaries of the Department of War
Authorized by Head Secretary of the Department of War
To be announced to the Meritorious Chuchungsinuisungdeogsujeol Minister, Royal Father-in-Law, Grand Marshal Pillar of the Nation, Prince of Nakrang, with a fief of 10000 households, Kim Pu.
Signature confirming edict received and enforced to the right. Enforced upon reception.
Royal Registrar of Titles: ___
Organizing Recorder: ___
Scribe: ___
Proofreader: ___
Eighth Year of Kaibao, October ___th.

Historian Commentary: The ancestors of both the Park and Seok clan of Silla were said to have been born from eggs. The ancestor of the Kim clan emerged from a golden box that descended from heaven, and there are others who say he descended on a golden chariot. These fantastical stories are not to be believed, but they have been traditionally accepted by the populace as facts. Yet these early rulers were truly incredible in the way they accomplished their difficult task of nation-building. They live frugally, treated other magnanimously, established few offices, and did observed rites simply. In later eras, they faithfully served China, sending a neverending stream of envoys to present tribute the Emperor’s court, and receiving envoys in turn. They often sent their youth to pay homage to China, and to stay and study there, so to learn the refined customs and culture passed down from ancient sages, and reform from their barbaric, primitive ways into a civilized nation. Then, uniting with the might of the Imperial Chinese Army, they conquered Baekje and Goguryeo, and took as their own the territories of the other states. This could be called their golden age. Yet they took up the religion of Buddhism, not knowing its flaws. As a result, soon neighborhood competed against each other to have better temples and pagodas, and large swathes of people took refuge from their duties in the sangha. Both agriculture and the military fell into decay, and the nation declined daily. Was it a wonder then, that it fell into chaos and perished? When the time came, King Gyeongae abandoned himself to decadent pleasures, leading his concubines and family to the lightly guarded Peokjong Villa, reveling with no thought, as to Gyeon Hwon’s approach. It was no different from the time Chen Shubao had Han Qinhu outside his gate but Zhang Lihua in his bed. As for Gyeongsun’s surrender to Taejo, while it was a desperate act not completely out of his own will, it was still a praiseworthy one. If he had fought to his death resisting the rightful King’s forces, until all his strength was spent, then he doubtlessly would have caused the extermination of his family, and brought catastrophe to his to his innocent subjects. Yet by voluntarily sealing his vaults, gathering his refugees, and surrendering himself, without waiting for the King to send orders, he made great contributions to the government, and greater still was his mercy to his subjects. In the years previous, when Qian Chu had given up his Wuyue Kingdom to Song, Su Zishan (the poet Su Dongpo) had called him a loyal subject, but the merits of the Silla King far surpass his. Our Taejo had many wives, and so too has he innumerable descendants. However, King Hyeonjong, a maternal descendant of Silla, ascended the throne, and from then on, all the rulers have been an unbroken line of his descendants. Could this be the reward that King Gyeongsun reaped for himself and his family after his death? After Silla’s territory was integrated into the new dynasty and it ceased to exist as a nation, the Achan Shinhoe, once exiled to the outer provinces, could finally return home. Seeing the abandoned Capital in ruins, he was struck with the sentiment of the Shuli (Millet), an old Chinese poem of a Zhou Dynasty aristocrat mourning the downfall of his country on the site of the old palace, now overgrown with millet. He composed his laments into a poem, but it is now lost.

Southern Buyeo (Nambuyeo, also known as Baekje, Northern Buyeo was covered earlier)

Buyeo County was once the Capital of the Baekje Kingdom. Another name for it is Sobuli County. According to the Samguk Sagi, in Spring of his twenty-sixth year (actually, he was the 26th monarch and moved during his 16th year), Wuwu, King Seong of Baekje moved his Capital to Sabi and named his Kingdom Nambuyeo. (It was in the region of Sobuli. Sabi is now known as Koseongjin. Sobuli is another name for Baekje, as mentioned above).

According to our current land surveys, the farmers in Sobuli County have submitted a notice that they currently call their home Buyeo country because they wanted to restore its ancient name. The surname of the Baekje Royal family was Bu, and that is why they refer to their county with this name. They also call it Yeoju. To the west of the county, the Jabok Temple has an embroidered silken canopy above its chief seat. The embroidery reads: “Embroidred Canopy of the Great Temple of Merit, May 15, fifteenth year, Dingyou, of Tonghe.” There was also, in previous times, a certain Magistrate of Imju in Hanam had Yeoju listed in his Home and Nationality section. Imju is located in current day Garim County and Yeoju is current day Buyeo County.

The Annals of Geography of Baekje quotes The Later Book of Han, stating that “there are seventy-eight countries located in the region of the Three Koreas, and Baekje is one of them.” The History of the Northern Dynasties states that “the nation of Baekje borders Silla to the east, extends to the sea on the southwest, and has the Han River as a boundary in the north. Its Capital is located in Geobal City, also called Goma City or Obang City.” The Tongdian states, “Baekje is bordered by Silla to the South, Goguryeo to the North, and the sea to the South.” The Old Book of Tang states, “Baekje is another name for Buyeo. To its northwest is Silla, crossing the ocean to the west is Yue Prefecture, crossing the ocean to the south is Japan, and to the North is Goguryeo. The King has two residences in the East and West.” The New Book of Tang states, “Baekje borders Yuezhou to the west and Japan to the south, both across the sea, and Goguryeo is in the north.”

The Chronicles of Goguryeo of the Samguk Sagi states that the founder of Baekje was Onjo, and his father was King Chumo. When Jumong escaped from Dongbuyeo, he came to Jolbon Buyeo. The King of the province had no sons, only three daughers. Seeing Jumong, he realized that he was an extraordinary man, and gave Jumon his second daughter to be his wife. Not long after, the King of Buyeo died and Jumong inherited his throne. He had two sons, the elder named Onjo, and the younger named Biryu. They feared that the Crown Prince would not tolerate their presence, so along with Ogan, Mayeo, and many more of their ministers, they left for the south. A great number of their subjects also followed after them.

When they arrived at Mount Hansan, they climbed to the summit of Boa Peak to look out for a place they could settle in. Biryuwished to settle along the seashore. Ten of his ministers appealed to him with, “In this area, only the region of Hanam is bound by the waters of the Han River in the north, occupied by high mountains in the east, faces boundless marshlands to the south, and guarded by the sea to the west. Such a strategic position of dangerous terrain and fertile land is an advantage not often encountered. Would it not be better to set your capital there?”

Biryu did not listen to them, but took a portion of his subjects to settle at Michuhol. Meanwhile, Onjo built his capital at Wirye City in Hanam. He made the ten wise ministers his trusted assistants and called his country Sipje. This happened during the third year of of the Hongjia era of Emperor Cheng of Han. Biryu’s chosen settlement of Michuhol had soggy soil and salty water, proving unfit for people to inhabit. He was forced to return to his brother’s side, and when he saw that Wirye City stood as firm as a tripod cauldron and its people were happy and at peace, he died of shame. His advisors and people all moved to Wirye. Afterwards, because all the multitudes of people in the nation were happy and content, the nation was renamed to Baekje. Because its lineage, like that of Goguryeo, came from Buyeo, its royal clan took the surname of Hae. Later, in the era of King Seong, the capital was moved to Sabi, the site of modern day Buyeo County. (Michuhuol is Inju and Wirye is Jiksan)

The tome Gojeongi records that the third son of King Dongmyeong, Onjo, in the third year, Guiyou, of the Hongjia era of the Earlier Han Dynasty, emigrated from Jolbon Buyeo to Wirye City, where he established his capital and crowned himself king. In the fourteenth year, Bingchen, he moved his Capital to Hansan (currenly Gwangju). After three-hundred eighty-nine years, the crown passed to the thirteenth king, King Geunchogo. In the first year of Xianan, he conquered the Goguryeo territory of Southern Pyongyang, and moved his capital to Bukhan City (currently Yangju). After one-hundred fifty years, during the rule of the twenty-second king, King Munju, in the third year, Yimao, of Yuanhui, the Capital was moved to Ungcheon (or Ungjin, currently Gongju). After sixty-three years, in the era of King Seong, the Capital was moved to Sobuli, and the nation was named Nambuyeo. Its throne was passed down until the thirty-first king, King Uija.

The fifth year of the Xianqing era of Tang was twentieth year of King Uija. Kim Yushin of Silla and Su Dingfang conquered the country. Baekje had five provinces, thirty-seven counties, two hundred cities, and seven-hundred-six-thousand households. The Tang Dynasty divided the territory into the five admiralties of Ungjin, Mahan, Dongmyeong, Geumryeon, and Deokan. They assigned local chiefs to be the Admiralty Magistrates. Not long after, Silla overran the territory and divided it into the three provinces of Ungju, Jeongju, and Muju, as well as assorted countries and towns.

Within this territory there is the Hoam Temple, which holds the Jeongsaam, the Stone of Political Affairs. When it comes time for the nation to choose a prime minister, the people would each write their nominations on a piece of paper. The nominations were gathered and sealed into three or four boxes, then placed on the stone. After a short while, they were picked up and examined. The name on which a seal was stamped would be appointed Prime Minister.

There is also a large boulder on the banks of the Sabi river. One day, when Su Dingfang sat there fishing, he caught a dragon. That is why the stone has the imprints of a dragon kneeling, and it is named Ryongam, the Dragon Stone.

In the same county, there are three mountains called Ilsan, Osan, and Busan. During Baekje’s peak, they each had gods living on the summit, who would fly back and forth between each other’s abodes, both day and night.

At the shores of the Sabi River, there is a rock that can seat more than ten people. Whenever King of Baekje set out on a pilgrimage to Wangheung Temple to do homage to the Buddha, he started by standing on the rock and bowing in the direction of the Buddha. Then, the rock would heat up by itself. Thus, it was called Hwanseog (later Jaondae).

The two cliffs next to the Sabi river spread like beautiful painted screens. The King of Baekje often toured and set up picnics there, and filled it with song and dance of the celebrating courtiers. Thus it is called the Bay of Daewang.

The progenitor of Baekje, Onjo, was the third son of King Dongmyeong. He was gigantic of build, and by nature a filial son and good friend. He was a skilled rider and archer.

King Daru was generous and enjoyed presence and esteem.

King Saban (also called King Sai) inherited the thone upon King Gusu’s death. However, because he was too young to rule, he was deposed in favor of King Goi. There are also those who say he died suddenly in the second year, Jiwei, of Lechu, and Goi only succeeded him then.

King Mu (old sources call him King Mugang, but that is an error; Baekje never had a King Mugang)

The thirtieth monarch King Mu had the personal name Jang. His mother was a widow who lived by a pool in the south of the Capital. She conceived her son when the dragon of the pool made love to her. He had the childhood name Seodong (in old dialect Masdung), the Yam Boy, and he was a boy with unlimited hidden potential. He often dug up yams and sold them to support himself. Because of that, the people around him named him after his profession.

He heard that the third princess of King Jinpyeong, Seonhwa (the characters of her name vary), was beautiful without compare. He shaved his head and went into the Silla capital. He fed free yams to the children of the neighborhood until they were friendly with him. Then, he composed a song and taught the children to sing it. The lyrics were:

Original hanja and hyangchal transliteration

善化公主主隱 선화공주니믄
他密只嫁良置古 남 그슥어러두고
薯童房乙 맛둥방알
夜矣夘乙抱遣去如 바매알할안고가다

English Transliteration

Seonhwagongju-nimeun
Nam geuzeug eoleo dugo
Masdung bang-al
Bamae alhal ango gada

English Translation

Princess Seonhwa
Has secretly wed a man
To the Yam Boy’s house she goes
Every night to sleep in his arms

When these rumors reached the royal palace, the myriad courtiers all exhorted the King to exile the Princess to some distant land for her scandalous behavior. The King did so, but before the Princess’s departure, the Queen gave her a pack filled with lumps of pure gold totaling one dou (1 decaliter or 610.237 in³) in size. As the Princess headed to her place of exile, Seodong stepped in front of her and greeted her, offering to be her servant and bodyguard for the rest of the journey.

Though the Princess did not know who he was, she was still glad for his company. They traveled together and fell in love. Only then did she find out Seodong’s name. She realized everything that the rhyme claimed had come to pass.

When they arrived together in Baekje, the Princess brought out the gold that her mother had given her, so they could use it to support themselves. Yet Seodong burst out laughing and asked, “What are these?”

“This is gold. With this, we can live in comfort for about a hundred years.”

“I’ve been digging for yams since I was a boy. This stuff is as common as dirt.”

The Princess was astounded. She exclaimed. “But this is the greatest treasure under heaven! Do you still know where this cache of gold is? How about we find this treasure and deliver it to my father and mother in their palace?”

Seodong said, “Alright.”

Thus, they worked to excavate the gold. They were able to gather enough gold to make an entire hill. They then visited Master Jimyeon of Saja Temple on Mount Yonghwa to ask how they might transport the gold.

The Master said, “I can do it with my holy powers. Simply bring the gold to me.”

The Princess went back and wrote a letter to her parents. Then, she placed it along with the gold in front of the gate of the Saja Temple. Using his holy powers, the Master teleported the gold to the Silla royal palace in a single night. King Jinpyeong was amazed by this mysterious development and gained a deep respect for his son-in-law. From then on, he often sent letters to ask after Seodong’s well-being.

Because of this, Seodong gained the love of his people. They elected him King.

One day, when the new King and his wife the Queen were heading to Saja Temple, they passed by a big pond under Mount Yonghwa. Three figures of Mireuk emerged from the water. The King and Queen stopped to pay homage to the miraculous Buddhas.

The Queen said to the King, “Please build a great temple here! Such is my wish.”

The King agreed and visited Master Jimyeon again, and asked him to drain the pond Using his holy power, Jimyeon collapsed a neighboring mountain and filled in the pool over the course of one night. Because there were three statues of the Mireuk’s holy image, the King had three copies of every structure, from halls and pagodas to side wings and courtyards, built into the temple complex. It was called Mireuk Temple (Samguk Sagi calls it Wangheung Temple). King Jinpyeong sent a hundred workers to help in the construction. (Samguk Sagi calls King Mu the son of King Beop, yet here, as in legend, he is said to be the son of a single mother. His true parentage is unclear.)

Later Baekje and Gyeon Hwon

According to Gyeon Hwon’s biography in the Samguk Sagi, he was a native of Gaeun Town in Sangju Province, and he was born the eighth year, Dinghai, of Xiantong. He originally came from the Yi family, but later changed his surname to Gyeon. His father Ajagae originally earned his living as a farmer, but during the Guangqu era, he seized control of Sabul City and gave himself the title of General. He had four sons, all of whom earned fame and glory. Gyeon Hwon was the greatest of them all, being extremely intelligent. The Commemorative Genealogy of the Yi Family records that the King Jinheung’s Queen Sado was posthumously commemorated as Lady Baekyung. Her third son was Prince Guryun, who begat Pajinchan Seonpum, who begat Gakgan Jagjin, whose wife Wang Gyopali gave birth to Gakgan Wonseon, who is the same as the aforementioned Ajagae. Ajigae’s legitimate wife was Lady Sangwon, and his second wife was Lady Namwon. He had five sons and one daughter, with his eldest son being the Royal Father-in-Law Gyeon Hwon, his second son General Neungae, his third son General Yonggae, his fourth son Bogae, his youngest son being General Sogae, and his daughter being Princess Royal Dogeum.

The Hyanggogi, on the other hand, states that in times past, a rich man lived in the North Village of Gwangju with his beautiful daughter. One day, she said to her father, “Every night, as a purple-clothed man comes into my bedroom and makes love to me.”

The father said, “Thread your needle with a long string, then pin it to his clothes.”

She did as she was told. In the morning, they followed the thread to the north wall of their house and found the needle pierced into the waist of a large earthworm. After that, the daughter became pregnant and gave birth to a boy. When he was fifteen years of age, he named himself Gyeon Hwon. In the first year of Jingfu, Renzi, he crowned himself King and established his capital at Wansan County. He ruled for forty-three years. In the first year, Jiawu, of Qingtai, three of Gyeon Hwon’s sons overthrew him. Gyeon Hwon sought refuge with King Taejo while his son Geumgang inherited the throne of Baekje. In the first year, Bigshen, of Tianfu, the forces of Baekje clashed wth the forces of Goguryeo in Ilseon County, resulting in a crushing defeat for Baekje. The country was then destroyed.

Another story goes that when Gyeon Hwon had just been born and was still in his swaddling clothing, his father was one day hard at work tilling his fields, and his mother left him in the forest, under a tree, while delivering lunch to her husband. A tiger came by and suckled him. Upon hearing about this, all the neighbors considered it incredible. When the boy grew to adulthood, his build was unusually strong and heroic, and his aspirations unlimited in their scope. He went to the Capital to join the army, and was dispatched to guard the Southeast Sea. He was constantly vigilant, using his halberd as a pillow, ready to spring on the enemy at a moment’s notice. His courage placed him at the front of the lines, and for his achievements he was promoted to Lieutenant General.

In the first year of Tang Emperor Zhao’s Jingfu era, King Jinseong had ruled for six years. The sycophants at her side meddled in the direction of the nation, and the legal system grew lax. In addition, there was a famine, which sent people scrambling across the land in search of food, and many gangs of brigands formed. As a result, Gyeon Hwon secretly began planning his rebellion. He gathered up his followers and laid siege to the provinces and cities southwest of the Capital. The places he attacked all welcomed him and joined his forces. Within a month, he had an army of 5000. Thus, he conquered Mujin Province (Gwangju) and made himself king. Yet, he was afraid to brazenly call himself a king, so he instead appointed himself Commander-in-Chief of Southwest Silla, Governor of Jeonju and Chief Royal Inspector, Grand Marshal Pillar of the Nation, First Duke of the Duchy of Hannam. This occurred in the first year, Jiyou, of Longhua, though another source claims it occurred in the first year, Renzi, of Jingfu.

At the time, the northern rebel Yang Gil was a major power, and as a result, Gung Ye willingly joined him under his banner. When Gyeon Hwon heard of this, he appointed Yang Gil Lieutenant General in absentia.

Gyeon Hwon patrolled the west of his territories until he reached Wansan Province. The people welcomed him and offered him food and drink. Happy that he had the support of the people, Hwon said to his followers, “Since its establishment, the Baekje nation existed for six-hundred years. Gaozong of Tang, acting on the entreaties of Silla, sent General Su Dingfang and 130000 navy corpsmen over the sea. Kim Yushin of Silla stomped through the land and crossed Hwangsan. He and the Tang army combined their forces to attack Baekje and destroy the nation. How can I now refuse to establish my capital and avenge the age-old grudge?”

Thus, he crowned himself King of Baekje. He created various government offices and assigned people to them. This occurred in the third year of the Tang Dynasty’s Guanghua era, and the fourth year of the Silla King Hyogong.

In the fourth year, Wuyin, of Zhenming, the minds of the people of Cheolwongyeong City suddenly changed. They welcomed our King Taejo to the throne. When Hwon heard of this, he sent messengers to congratulate him, as well as to deliver up gifts such as a peacock feather fan and bamboo arrows from Mount Jiri. Hwon and our King Taejo were outwardly at peace, but behind closed doors, they schemed against each other. As part, Hwon sent Taejo a good dapple gray horse.

Come winter in October of the third year of of Taejo’s reign, Gyeon Hwon led a force of 3000 to Jomulseong (location unknown). Taejo met in battle him with with a force of strong soldiers. Hwon’s forces were too strong for Taejo to achieve a decisive victory. Thus, Taejo decided to call for an armistice to slowly wear down Hwon’s army and sued for peace. He sent his younger clan brother Wang as hostage in exchange for Gyeon Hwon’s nephew Jinho. In December, Hwon conquered Geoseo and more than twenty other cities. He sent an ambassador to announce his presence as a vassal country to the Later Tang. The Tang appointed him Acting Grand Commandant and Prime Minister in Charge of Baekje’s Armies. He retained his previous titles of Admiral and Governor of Jeonju, Commander-in-Chief of the the Four Directions of Haedong, Supervisor of the Armies, among others. As the King of Baekje, he was assigned a fief of 2500 households. In the fourth year, Jinho died suddenly, and Hwon suspected Taejo of murdering him, so he imprisoned Jinho, and sent a messenger to demand Taejo return the dapple gray that he had given him last year. Taejo, chuckling in amusement, returned the horse.

In September of the second year, Dinghai, of Tiancheng, Hyeon sacked Geumpumseong City and burned it to the ground. The King of Silla begged aid of Taejo. Taejo was just getting ready to deploy when Hwon overran Goul Prefecture, then advanced through Joksirim Forest (or the western corner of Gyerim Forest) into the Silla Capital. The King of Silla and his wife were enjoying themselves in the Poseokjong Villa, and as a result suffered a devastating defeat. Hwon killed the King and raped the Queen. He placed the King’s younger clan brother on the throne, and then abducted the King’s younger brother Hyoryeom and the Prime Minister Yeonggyeong. Along with the nation’s treasures, weapons, men and women, and craftsmen of all types, they were carried off to Baekje. Taejo, leading 5000 strong cavalry corpsmen, challenged Hwon to a great battle at the foot of Gongsan Mountain. Taejo’s generals Kim Lak and Shin Sunggyeom were killed and his army utterly crushed, with Taejo barely able to escape with his life alone. He left Hwon alone after that, waiting for him to overreach himself, while resting and repleninshing Goryeo’s armies.

Hwon, taking advantage of his victory, plundered Daemokseong (currently Yamokseong City). He then attacked Bugokseong City (currenly Busan) in Gangju (currenly Cheongju) County of Gyeongsan (Gyeongju) Prefecture. During his siege of Yiseong Prefecture, the Magistrate Hong Sul fell resisting him. When Taejo heard the news, he lamented, “I have lost my right hand!”

In the forty-second year, Gengyin, of his regime, Hwon embarked on a great campaign against Gochang County (currently Andong). He set up camp on Mount Seoksan. Taejo set up camp a hundred paces away, on Mount Byeongsan in the north of the county. They fought a series of battles, and Gyeon Hwon was defeated in every one. They next day Gyeon Hwon regrouped his forces and sacked Sunju City. The commanding officer, Won Bong, was unable to resist the attack, and abandoned his city and escaped during the night. Taejo was furious and demoted the city’s administrative level to Hajihyeon Town (modern day Pungsan Town, demoted because Won Bong was a native of Sunju).

The ruler of Silla and his subjects, knowing their country had reached an end and there was no hope of reviving its fortunes, sought an alliance with our Taejo so they might have a strong supporter. When Gyeon Hwon heard this, he planned to perpetrate evil on the Capital again, but he was afraid Taejo would arrive first. Thus, he sent Taejo a letter saying:

When Prime Minister Kim Ungryeom and his cohorts sought to invite you, my good sir, into the capital a little while ago, they act as if they would be your collaborators from within. They are like quails trying to appropriate the wings of an eagle, and they would sure cause massive loss of life and lay waste to the nation. Like Zu Ti, I have whipped myself to the front of the armies, so that like Han Qinhu, I wield my axe and shield as the sole defender of the righteous. I have sworn to reform the court until it shines as bright as the morning sun, and have instructed the officials of the Six Ministries to conduct themselves as if they were pure as the passing wind. Unfortunately, some treacherous minsters escaped, and the sovereign suddenly died, leaving a void. Therefore, I hailed the cousin of King Gyeongmyeong, the grandson of King Heongang as my liege lord and convinced him to succeed the throne and re-affirm the borders. The King is dead, long live the King, such is the order of things. You, my good sir, having learned nothing from loyal counsel, chose to give your ear to groundless rumors. You tried a hundred ways to fulfil your hunger for the throne, and brought much disturbance to the land. Yet you still could not come within sight of my horse nor pluck a single hair from my head. At the start of winter, your Commander Saegsang was helpless to avoid his capture within my formation at Seongsan. After a month, your General of the Left Kim Lak lay with his corpse exposed at Miri Temple. Most of your men were killed and no small number were captured. It is obvious which is stronger and which is weaker, and obvious too, is the victor. My men looked forward to hanging their bows from the watchtowers of Pyongyang, and to watering their horses along the Pae River

Yet in the 7^th of the last month, The Kingdom of Wuyue dispatched Minister Ban to my country to declare the King’s edict: ‘I know you and Goryeo have always enjoyed a dedicated friendship, and that you are allies with one another. Now because your two hostages have died, you have lost your love for each other and invaded each other’s borders in a neverending war. I now send my ambassadors to your Capital, and another party carrying a message to Goryeo, so that I might mediate between you two, and confidently bring an end to your conflict.’

I have always honored the King deeply, and understood that His Majesty had good intentions, and that this was an important matter, so when I received His Majesty’s edict, I intended to follow it to the letter. However, I fear that you, my good sir, cannot stop your provocations, continuing to struggle even when I have you surrounded. I have enclosed a copy of the text of King’s edict here. Please read it over carefully. When a sly rabbit and an agile hound engage in a contest of wits, the only result is a farce. So too does the battle of the clam and the snipe invite laughter. Repent of your misguided ways and beware of making the same mistakes, lest you reach a time when regrets about your life and actions must consume you.

In January of the third year of Tiancheng, Taejo sent him a return letter:

I humbly prostrate myself and accept the Royal Edict announced by Minister Ban of the mediating envoy from the Kingdom of Wuyue. I am also indebted to you, my good sir, for the long letter informing me of my mistakes. I will dutifully seek to accomplish the instructions of the Edict. I can feel the King’s love pouring through his decree. Every word of this letter is good advice. I must also thank you, my good sir, for taking the trouble to instruct me. Though I feel infinite gratitude holding up your constructive criticisms, having opened your letter, I cannot dispel my suspicions. I have instructed my return envoy to express my troubled thoughts to you, my good sir.

Obeying the will of Heaven above, and submitting to the vote of the people below, I have accepted command over generals and armies and won the right to discuss the classics of scholarship with wise men. At that moment, the three Koreas were plagued by all types of disasters, and the nine provinces had decayed into a dangerous, desolate wasteland. The people had mostly aligned themselves with rebel armies, and the fields were no different than battlefields dyed red with blood. Wishing to stem the torrent of violence, and to save our nation from catastrophe, I took care of myself and my people, and befriended my neighbors, making alliances instead of making war. As I had hoped, the result was that agriculture blossomed through several thousands of acres, and soldiers had seven or eight years of rest. Until in the year of the rooster, the time of which was October, you suddenly provoked me and forced us into conflict. At the start, underestimating your foe, you charged forward recklessly, like the praying mantis who would stop a chariot with its blade; in the end, knowing the difficulties you faced, you bravely withdrew, like the mosquito ordered to carry a mountain. You offered your hand in friendship and excused your past deeds. You swore pointing to the heavens that from this day forward, you would be happily reconciled to me, and if you should violate this oath in any manner, then the gods would strike you down. I too realized that true strength come from ending violence, and hoped that there would be no more slaughter. Thus, I broke off my heavy siege and rested my weary troops. I did not shy away from offering up hostages as a price for bringing peace to the people. This much was my great mercy to the people of your Southern lands.

Yet, before the blood we drank to exchange out oaths even dried on your lips, you once again fomented hostility. With the venom of hornets and scorpions, you ravaged the living beings of the countryside; with the hubris of wolves and tigers, you besieged the walls of the Capital. You plunged the venerable city into dire straits, and sent a wave of fear through the royal dynasty. When it comes to heroes who revered the Zhou sovereign, who can be better than Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin? As for opportunists who usurped the Han Dynasty, one only has to look to the evils of Wang Mang and Dong Zhuo. Like the usurpers, you have forced the King in his supreme majesty, to refer to you, however undeserving, as an ‘honored sir.’ The social order was inverted, and all classes, whether they were revered or profane, were thrown into chaos. Crying out in worry, they said, 'Had we not the loyal and pure-hearted service of the Prime Minister, our nation would never see peace again!'

Because I hid no evil in my heart, I faithfully devoted myself to the King, and set aid to the royal court, so that I might rescue my nation from danger. On the other hand, you, seeing only short-term benefits, forgot the great kindness that your sovereign lord had once shown you. You murdered the King, burned down his palace, cooked as sacrifices esteemed councilors, brutalized the people, abducted the royal beauties into your own chariot, and piled the nation’s wealth into your carts. Your evil has surpassed that of the tyrants King Jie of Xia and King Zhou of Shang; your ingratitude mirrors that of cougars and strixes, who devour their parents even as they emerge from the womb. My rage was great enough to split the heavens! My dedication to the departed sovereign intense enough to eclipse the sun! I would hunt his killer as his hawk and his gyr; I would ride into battle as his hound or his horse. For this, I once again took up arms, and through two cycles of the willow flourishing in spring and the pagoda tree blossoming in autumn, my battles on the ground swept through armies like swift thunder, while my battles in the water were fierce like the fight of dragon and tiger. Every move I made resulted in victory. None of my engagements were futile. I pursued Yun Yeong to the sea coast, where arms and armor of the fleeing troops could be piled into a hill; I captured Chu Jo at a city on the border, where bodies of the defeated covered the entirety of the wilderness. On the edge of Yeonsan County, I executed Gil Hwan before my armies; By the walls of Mari City (possibly Yisan County today), I slew Su Oh as a sacrifice under my standard. When I liberated Imjong City (currently Daeheungdo), the General Hyeong Jeog and several hundred others gave their lives for your cause; when I attacked Cheongcheon Town (currently located in Sangju), Jig Sim and his four or five compatriots lost their heads. The defense of Dongsu city collapsed as soon as they sighted my standard; the officers of Gyeongsan surrendered and offered up their possessions. Gangju in the South of your holdings willingly became my territory; Rabu in the West swore fealty to me.

Having conquered so far, should I stop short of uniting the country? I must avenge myself as Zhang Er avenged the myriad injuries done to him by King of Zhao on his armies camped at the waters of Zhi; I must seize victory like the Emperor of Han won the decisive battle of Wujiang Pavilion. I will soothe the storms of conflict, and forever cleanse this sceptered isle ringed by the sea of its troubles. With Heaven’s aid, how can I turn back? Moreover, the King of Wuyue is forgiving of all sins; his magnanimity knows no bounds, though his words are succinct. From the safety of his Royal City, he has issued a decree to put an end to chaos of our wild land. Now that I have received his lecture, how can I dare to not obey? If you, my good sir, only outwardly obey the King’s decree, while inwardly plotting some nefarious act, you not only betray the good will of that superior nation, but you also invite extinction upon our people in the Eastern Sea! If you cannot change your habit of making the same mistakes again and again, it will be too late for even regrets!

(The above text was composed by Choe Chiwon.)

In the third year of Changxing, Gyeon Hwon’s minister, Gong Jig, a man of courage and intelligence, deserted and surrendered himself to Taejo. In response, Hwon arrested Gong Jig’s two sons and one daughter and seared away their leg ligaments. In Autumn, September of the same year, he sent Ilgil to attack Goryeo’s Yeseong River with warships. They raided there for three days, seizing a hundred ships from Yeomju, Baekju, and Jinju and burning them. In the first year of Jiawu, Qingtai, Hwon heard that Taejo had stationed himself and his soldiers at Unju. He led a force of elite soldiers and hurried over over in the early morning hours after a quick meal. Before they could even set up camp, General Yu Geumpil attacked them with his light cavalry, inflicting 3000 casualties. Once thirty or so cities north of Ungin heard the news, they willingly capitulated. Hwon’s seer Jong Hun, the doctor Jigyeom, and the two brave generals Sang Bong and Jag Pil and others all surrendered to Taejo.

In January of Bingshen, Hwon said to his sons, “During the age of Silla, this old man established the name of Hubaekje, and my nation has persisted to this day. Yet though my forces are many times those of the Northerners, I have still been put at a disadvantage. This must be because Heaven is acting through Goryeo. We should surrender to the Northern King if we want to keep our lives.”

Three of his sons, Singeom, Yanggeom, and Yonggeom, disagreed with this assessment. According to the Commemorative Genealogy of the Yi Family, Hwon had nine children: the eldest son Singeom (also called Gyeon Seong), the second Grand Preceptor Gyeomnoe, the third Deputy Scholar Yongsul, the fourth Grand Preceptor Chongji, the fifth Daeachan Jongu, the sixth is unknown, the seventh Deputy Scholar Wiheung, and the eighth Grand Preceptor Cheonggu, as well as a single daughter titled Great Lady of the Nation. They were all born from Lady Sangwon. Hwon had many wives and concubines, as well as more than ten children. Of them, the fourth son Geumgang was tall and intelligent. Gyeon Hwon loved him best and wished to have him succeed to the throne. When his older brothers Singeom, Yanggeom, and Yonggeom knew of this, they were very frustrated. At the time, Yanggeom was serving as the Admiral of Gangju and Yonggeom was serving as the Admiral of Muju. Only Singeom remained at his father’s side in the Capital. The Icheokchan Neunghwan sent messengers to Gangju and Muju and entered into a conspiracy with Yanggeom and his brother. In March of the second year, Yiwei, of Qingtai, they, along with men like Yeongsun, convinced Singeom to imprison Gyeon Hwon in a hall of Geumsan Temple, and have Geumgang assassinated. Singeom crowned himself King and announced Royal Pardons for everyone in the kingdom.

When the coup, Gyeon Hwon had been sleeping and not yet risen from his bed. When he heard distant screams, he asked, “What is this noise?”

Singeom replied, “The King in his dotage has grown incompetent in matters of army and state. Now that his eldest son Singeom is Regent for the King, the various generals are cheering.”

After that, he relocated his father to Geumsan Temple, and assigned Padal and thirty other brave warriors to guard him. A nursery rhyme at the time said, “How unfortunate the children of Wansan, for the loss of their father they weep and moan!”

Gyeon Hwon was imprisoned with two young servants from his inner palace, the maid Gobinyeo, and the manservant (actually his son) Neungyenam. In April, they brewed some wine and plied their guards with it until they got all thirty of them drunk. Then they escaped, and were rescued to Goryeo by allies such as So Wonbo, Hyangye, Oyeom, and Chungjil by route of the sea. Once they arrived, because Gyeon Hwon was by ten years the elder of the two, Taejo honored him as Royal Father-in-Law and allowed him to reside in the Southern Palace, as well as awarding him Yangju as his fief and his estate, and providing him with forty servants and nine horses. An earlier defector Shinkang was assigned to be his bodyguard.

Gyeon Hwon’s son-in-law, General Park Yeonggyu, secretly discussed with his wife, “Our Great King has worked tirelessly over forty years, yet on the eve of his success, because of a betrayal within his own family, over the course of a single day, he has lost all his territories and has taken refuge in Goryeo. A chaste woman does not serve two husbands, a loyal subject cannot serve two lords. Shall I forsake my own good lord, and serve instead his treacherous offspring? Then how would I be able to show my face to all the heroes of the world? Moreover, I hear the King of Goryeo is kind, industrious, and frugal, which has earned him the support of his people. This is a sign from heaven that he inevitably will be the supreme sovereign of the Three Koreas. I would like to send a letter comforting my lord, as well as show my devotion to Lord Wang of Goryeo, so I might gain future benefits for us.”

His wife said, “You have just spoken my thoughts.”

Thus, in February of the first year, Bingshen, of Tianfu, he dispatched a messenger to tell Taejo his plan. “Rally your troops under your banner of justice, and I shall act as your agent.”

Taejo was delighted. He awarded the messenger lavishly and sent him back with a message thanking Yeong Gyu. “Should you be so kind as to collaborate me and ensure my path to victory is unobstructed, then I shall first visit and thank the honored general, and then thank in person that noble lady. You will be my elder brother, and I shall honor her as my elder sister. With all the gods and spirits as my witnesses, I promise I shall reward both of you generously.”

In June, Gyeon Hwon reported to Taejo, “The reason this old subject has sworn fealty to Your Majesty is because I wish to borrow Your Majesty’s might to punish my treacherous offspring. I beseech my Great King to lend me your godlike troops, so I may slay those traitors. Then I would die with no regrets.”

Taejo replied, “It is not that I do not plan to march against them, I am but waiting for the right time.”

First, he sent the Crown Prince and the Great General Sulhui to lead 100000 cavalry troops to Cheonan Prefecture. In Autumn, during September, Taejo led his main force to Cheonan, where they united their armies to march on Ilseon. Singeom resisted with his forces. As they faced each other across the Illi river, Taejo’s armies had their back to Gen, the trigram direction of the mountains (northeast), and their faces to Kun, the trigram direction of the earth (north). Just as Taejo and Gyeon Hwon were surveying the troops, suddenly, a white cloud in the shape of a sword or spear formed. Our nation’s armies marched in the direction pointed by the cloud, the drums rumbling as they charged. The generals of Baekje, such as Hyobong, Deoksul, Aesul, Myeonggil, seeing that our army was large and well organized, all abandoned their arms and surrendered before the assault. Taejo reassured them and asked where their commander was.

Hyobong and the others replied, “The Supreme Commander Singeom is in the Center Army.”

Taejo ordered General Gonghwon, along with others, to lead all three army divisions in a pincer formation. The Baekje army collapsed and fled to Tanhyeon in Hwangsan. Singeom, his two brothers, the generals Budal and Neunghwan, among with more than forty others yielded themselves up alive. Taejo accepted their surrender and comforted them, allowing them to bring their wives and children with them to the Capital.

He questioned Neunghwan, saying, “When Yanggeom and his conspirators imprisoned the King and placed his son on the throne, you were the mastermind of the coup. Is this something becoming of a subject?”

Neunghwan lowered his head and could not speak. Taejo ordered him to be executed. Since Singeom was manipulated by others into usurping the throne and did not act out of his own will, and since he yielded to Taejo and confessed his guilt, Taejo pardoned his death sentence. Gyeong Hwon was so incensed that he developed a subcutaneous ulcer. He lay ill for several days, then died at the Temple of Hwangsan on the eighth of September, at seventy years of age.

Taejo’s orders to his army were very clear and solemn. Not a single soldier infringed in any way upon the people. The various provinces and cities were relieved, and people old and young cheered, “Long live the King!”

Taejo said to Yeonggyu, “When the former King lost his kingdom, none of his children nor subjects thought to comfort him. Only you two, husband and wife, sent your loving words across a thousand miles as a show of your sincerity, while also doing me a favor. Your integrity can never be forgotten.”

He made Yeonggyu his Minister of the Left, allowed him to borrow thirty-five horses from the hostel to welcome his family to the Capital, and also gave positions to his two sons. Gyeon Hwon had begun his rebellion in the first year of the Tang Dynasty’s Jingfu era, and ruled until the first year of the Later Jin Dynasty’s Tianfu era, a total of forty-five years. His regime was destroyed in Bingshen.

Historian Commentary: Silla’s time had run out and the government’s conduct had decayed. The Heavens had no aid to send, and the people had no place to live. Therefore, outlaws took advantage of the harsh times to do as they pleased. They were as many as the quills on a hedgehog’s back. The two who began this anarchy were Gung Ye and Gyeon Hwon. Gung Ye rebelled though he was a Silla prince. He saw his own nation as a bitter enemy and went so far as to cut up his ancestors’ portraits. His unkindness reached new levels of depravity. Gyeon Hwon begun as a citizen of Silla. Yet even as he enjoyed food and wages given by Silla, he held evil thoughts. He was happy for his country’s crisis, using the chance to attack the Capital and butcher the King and his ministers as if they were livestock. He was the greatest evil in the world. As a result, Gung Ye would be abandoned by his own ministers, while Gyeon Hwon would be usurped by his own sons. Their fates were both of their own doing, who else could they blame? Though they had the talents of Xiang Yu and Li Mi, they could never have success like Emperor Gaozu of Han or Emperor Taizong of Tang. Moreover, how could men as evil as Gung Ye and Gyeon Hwon ever compete against our Taejo?

Records of the Kingdom of Karak (Compiled by Magistrate of Jinju, Kim Yangil, during the reign of Munjong, in the Dakang Era. A summary is included here.)

In the beginning, the primordial time after Creation, this place was not yet named as a country, nor did it have the distinction between king and subject. The nine Gan chiefs, Adogan, Yeodogan, Pidogan, Odogan, Yusugan, Yucheongan, Sincheongan, Ocheongan, and Singwigan led a hundred households totaling 75000 people. Most of them built scattered settlements in the wild mountains and plains, digging wells for water and till fields for food. It was in March of the eighteenth year, Renyin, of the Jianwu era of the founding Emperor of Later Han, Emperor Guangwu, on the day of the Water Purification Festival (called Gyeoyongnal in Korea), that a suspicious voice was heard calling from North Guji (a mountain peak; it is so named because it is shaped like several great round shells crouched down), in the area where they had settled. The two or three hundred people who lived there all gathered around the peak.

The sounds resembled a human voice. Though its form was hidden, its voice could be clearly heard saying, “Is anyone here?”

The Nine Chiefs and their followers replied, “We are here.”

“What is this place I am at?”

“North Guji.”

“The God of Heaven has ordered me to rule over this place, build a new state, and act as your king. For this reason, I have descended. You must ascend to the peak’s summit, dig up a handful of earth, and sing:

Original hanja and hangul transliteration

龟何龟何 거북아 거북아
首其现也 머리를 내어라
若不现也 내놓지 않으면
燔灼而喫也 구워서 먹으리.

English Transliteration

Geobug-a geobug-a
Meolileul naeeola
Naenohji anh-eumyeon
Guwoseo meog-euli.

English Translation

Turtle, turtle
Show your head
If you will not
We’ll cook and eat you

“You shall dance along to the song, and jump and cheer to welcome your king.”

The nine chiefs and their followers did as they were told. All of them happily sang and danced. Not long after, they raised their heads and saw a purple rope dangling down from the sky until it reached the ground. Looking to the tip of the rope, they saw there was a golden chest wrapped in red cloth. Opening it, they found six golden yellow eggs as round as the sun. Everyone was delighted and awed, and they all bowed again and again. When they were ready to to return, they wrapped up the eggs and carried them back to Adogan’s house, where they left it on his bed. After that, the crowd dispersed. The next day, at the break of dawn, after twelve hours had passed, the people gathered again to open the box. They found the six eggs had hatched into boys, all appearing to be strong and dignified. They remained sitting on the bed while the people bowed down in celebration, offering them respect and dedication. The boys grew bigger each day, until after ten dawns and ten dusks, they were nine chi (272.7 cm/107.4 in) tall like the supreme ruler of the Shang Dynasty, had dragon-like faces akin to that of Emperor Gaozu of Han, had radiant brows of eight colors like the progenitor of Tang, and had double pupils like Shun of Yu. On the day of the full moon in that same month, they were enthroned as kings. The eldest among them, because he was first to appear, was named Suro, or Sureung (Sureung is his posthumous name). He called his country Great Karak, or the Gaya Kingdom. It was one of the six Gaya states. The remaining five brothers each lorded over one of the other five Gaya. The border of Hwangsan River to the east, the wide seas to the southwest, Mount Jiri to the northwest, Mount Gaya to the northeast was the extent of the nation.

Construction began on a temporary palace for the King to reside in, but he required that it be frugal. It was an unadorned thatch hut, with three simple earthern stairs.

Then, in spring, the January of his second year ruling, Guimao, the King said, “I have decided to establish my capital city.” He brought his royal presence to the Sindabpyeong Fields to the south of his temporary palace (so called because it had lain fallow since ancient times, but only been newly tilled now; “dab” is a colloquialism for tilling), where he observed the shape of the mountains to all directions. He turned to his attendans and said, “This place is narrow like the knotgrass, but it is lush and sparkling. It would be a place fit for even the sixteen Arhats to reside. Moreover, there is one mountain that divides into three subgroups of peaks, and in those three grounds are seven peaks exactly. This is the abode of the Seven Saints, perfectly fit for a capital.”

Thus, they built a foundation and set to work. When the palace was finally completed, it had an outer wall with a circumference of 1500 paces. There were palaces and halls, various ministry offices, and storehouses for weapons and grain.

The King had returned to his temporary residence after planning out his new capital. Strong workers and craftsmen were recruited from across the country for the project. They began on the city walls on the 20^th of the very month the King had chosen the location, and completed work on the 10^th of March. Construction of the various palaces and offices would wait until farming season was complete. Work resumed October of the same year, and finished in February of the Jiachen year. The King selected an auspicious day to move into the new palace. He carefully supervised the work of the various ministries, and diligently governed his people.

Suddenly, around this time, the wife of King Hamdalpa of the Wanha Kingdom became pregnant, and when she reached her term, she gave birth to an egg. The egg hatched into a human named Talhae, who sailed across the sea to Karak. He was three chi (90.9 cm/35.8 in) tall, and the circumference of his head was one chi (30.3 cm/11.9 in). He cheerfully came before the King and told him, “I am here to take over your throne. That is why I have come to these shores.”

The King replied, “Heaven has dispatched me to serve as sovereign, so I may pacify the kingdom and care for the people. I dare not go against the order of Heaven and abdicate my throne to you. Neither do I dare to entrust to you my kingdom or my people.”

Talhae said, “Then try to win against me in a contest of magic.”

The Kng said, “I will.”

In an instant, Talhae became a hawk, the King became an eagle. Then, Talhae transformed into a sparrow, and the King transformed into a sparrowhawk. Just as suddenly, without moving one step from where he stood, Talhae resumed his true shape, and the King too resumed his form.

Talhae prostrated himself and said, “I have had many experiences fighting magical duels. I, as a hawk, was spared from the beak of the eagle, and again as a sparrow was spared from the talons of the sparrow hawk, only because of your saintly abhorrence of killing. It would be extremely difficult for me to continue to fight with Your Majesty over the throne.”

He bowed once for to the King, and then said his farewell. He went to a ford out on the edge of the city, and striding atop a wooden log that had come to rest there, sailed away. The King was worried that he might have stayed within the country to plan a rebellion, so he sent 500 warships to pursue him. Talhae escaped over the Gyerim border, and the warships were all forced to return. These records are very different from those of Silla. This incident occurred on July 27^th, twenty-fourth year of Jianwu, Wushen.

When the nine chiefs next had an audience with the King, they advised him, “Since Your Majesty has miraculously descended to our land, you have yet to find a worthy companion. Please select the most excellent one among the virgin girls that we will bring to the palace so she can serve as Your Majesty’s loving bride.”

The King replied, “I descended by the order of Heaven. She who shall reign beside me as Queen shall also arrive by order of Heaven. Worry not, my councilors, but wait patiently.”

He then ordered Yucheongan to take a light dinghy to Mangsan Island, where he would stand in wait while leading a handsome horse. He ordered Singwigan to stand on attention at Seungjeom Pass (Mangsan Island is an island south of the Capital, while Seungjeom Pass is Yeonha Kingdom).

Suddenly, over the southeast corner of the sea, there appeared billowing scarlet sails, and flying vermilion flags, sailing to the north. Yucheongan first lit a signal bonfire on the island, then raced toward the coming boat to lead them to shore. When Singwigan saw this, he returned to the throne room and informed the King.

The King was overjoyed. He summoned all nine of his chieftains, then sent them to welcome the Queen with a sleek ship built out of magnolia, rowing on paddles of sweet osmanthus. The chieftains invited her to return to the palace with them, but the Queen said, “I have never met any of you before in my life, so how can I easily go with you?”

Yucheongan and the other chiefs returned and reported the Queen’s words to the King.

The King said, “She is right.” He led his courtiers on a royal procession, setting up a great tent to receive the Queen around sixty paces to the southwest of the palace.

At the bay around Byeolpo, just outside the mountains, the Queen docked her ship and disembarked. She stopped atop a tall mountain peak, and took off her twill trousers and offered them to the mountain god as a meeting gift.

She brought along with her, from her land, several slaves and two courtiers, called Sin Bo and Cho Gwang. Their wives were named Mojeong and Moryang respectively. Otherwise, she had more or less twenty. The luxurious brocades, silk robes, gold, silver, jewels, and playthings made from precious stones they carried with them were too many to count.

As the Queen approached, the King came out to welcome her. They went in the great tent together. The two courtiers and all attendants ranked below them, standing by the stairs leading to the tent, observed this and retreated.

The King ordered his courtiers to arrange sleeping quarters for the two courtier families. He commanded, “Give them each a room. As for the slaves serving under them, have five or six of them in every room. Give them drinks flavored with orchids and food spiced with sweet basil. Spread out patterned mattresses and colorful quilts for them to sleep in. And for their robes and silks and other treasures, have our soldiers gather and place it under heavy guard.”

When the King and the Queen were both within the royal bedchamber, she calmly told the King, “I am the Princess of Ayuta (Ayodhya). My family name is Heo and my personal name is Hwang-ok. I am twice eight years of age. This May, my father the King and my mother the Queen said to me, ‘In our dreams last night, your parents both saw Sangje. He said to us, “The First King of Karak, Kim Suro, is a man sent down from heaven to serve as the sovereign lord. When it comes to gods and saints among you, there is none such as he. Yet because he has but newly established his realm, he not chosen a wife. You must marry your princess to him.” Once he had finished speaking, he rose back to the heavens. Now that we have awakened, the Heavenly Emperor’s words still echo in our ears. My child, will you bid your parents goodbye, abrupt though it may be, and go to your husband?’ I agreed to go. Thus, setting sail upon the wide seas, I have found the Isle of Penglai. Ascending to the heavenly halls, I have joined Western Queen Mother’s Peach Banquet. Now, I finally dare to approach your glorious form and gaze upon the dragon’s countenance.”

The King replied, “Since I was born, I have possessed holy powers. I knew that Your Highness the Princess would come from a distant land to reside here. My subordinates have implored me to take a Queen, yet I dared not agree to their pleas. Now, the virtuous, beautiful queen has arrived by her own volition, this humble servant of the people is very fortunate indeed!”

Thus they consummated their love. They spent two quiet nights and one bright day together.

Finally, they returned to the ship that had brought the Queen here. The fifteen sailor crew, including coxswain and oarsmen, were given ten bags of japonica rice for rations and thirty rolls of cloth, then instructed to return to their own country.

On August 1^st, the royal procession returned to the palace. The King and the Queen sat in the same royal carriage. The vehicles of the Queen’s escorting courtiers traveled side by side with the royal carriage. Their exotic ornaments and other possessions were all loaded into carts and slowly proceeded into the palace gates. At the time, the water clock had almost reached the noon mark. The beloved Queen took up residence in the Center Chamber, and the King awarded the two courtier families two unused wings of the palace to serve as their personal residences. The other attendants were given a guest house with more than twenty rooms, with the total number of people carefully counted and each assigned their own room, then given abundant daily rations. The treasures they had brought with them were stored in the royal treasury to cover the Queen’s expenses year-round.

One day the King spoke to his courtiers, saying, “The nine chieftains are foremost of our nation’s ministers, yet their names and ranks are those of barbarians and crude country bumpkins. None of them are names fit for dignified officials. Should they be heard outside our borders, we would be humiliated, for all shall laugh and jeer at us.”

Thus he changed Ado’s name to Agung, Yeodo’s name to Yeohae, Pido’s name to Pijang, and Odo’s name to Osang. The first half of Yusu and Yucheon’s names went untouched, but the second half changed to form Yugong and Yudeok. Sincheon became Sindo, and Ocheon became Oneung. The sound of Singwi’s name did not change, but the characters used to write them did, from ‘gods and spirits’ to ‘fortunate minister.’ He then adapted the political system of Gyerim, instituting the ranks of Gakgan, Achan, and Geubbeolchan. The lower level courtiers were variously assigned to the ranks of Jupan and Hanui. In this way, he excercised his policy of revolutionizing the old ways and establishing new offices and assigning his courtiers to them.

The King went on to rule his country like he was managing his own family, loving his subjects like his own children. His laws were respected without being harsh and his government was organized without being strict. Better yet, he now had the Queen at his side. It was as if Heaven had found Earth, the sun had found the moon, and Yin had found Yang. Her contributions were alike to those of Lady Tushan, with whose aid the progenitor of Xia had prospered, or the Princesses of Tang, whose love saved the life of their king. In the years since she arrived in the kingdom, she had dreamed again and again of giving birth to a bear cub. She soon gave birth to the Crown Prince Lord Geodeung.

The Queen died on March 1^st of the sixth year, Jisi, of the Zhongping era of Emperor Ling of Han. She was 157-years-old. The people of the nation mourned as if the Earth had split beneath their feet. She was buried in the Northeast saddle of Guji Peak. So that they might never forget the Queen’s kindness, with which she had loved her people like her own children, the people of the nation renamed Doduchon Village where she had first docked her ship Jupochon Village, or Bay of Our Lady Village. They called the place where she took off her trousers Neunghyeon Point, or Twill Point. The beach at which the vermilion sails had been seen sailing into the waters of the surrounding sea was called Gichulbyeon Beach, or Flag Emerging Beach.

The two escorting courtiers, the Royal Treasurer Sin Bo and Director of Royal Clan Affairs Cho Gwang remained in the country for thirty years, after which they each produced two daughters. The husbands and wives then all died within one or two years. The other attendants, after residing in the country for seven or eight years, produced no offspring, and thus were only left with homesickness for their native land, all dying as they turned their faces to their homeland. The guest house assigned to them was then left unoccupied.

Every time the King regarded his widowed bed, he was seized with heavy lamentations. Within two times five years, his star too extinguished on March 23^rd of the fourth year, Jimao, of the Lian Era of Emperor Xian of Han. He had lived to an age of 158 years. The people of the nation behaved as if the sky had fallen. Their tears and wails surpassed those they had cried the day of the Queen’s passing. In a plain toward the mountain trigram, the gen direction (northeast) of the palace, they built the King’s mausoleum, which was one zhang (3.2 meters or 3.5 yards tall) and three hundred paces in perimeter, and interred his body. The structure was named the Shrine of King Sureung. From the reign of his heir King Geodeun until the reign of his ninth-generation descendant King Guhyeong, sacrifices were offered to the King at this shrine. Every year on the third and seventh days of spring, May 5^th in summer, and the fifth and fifteenth days of autumn, the people were required to commemorate the departed King with abundant offerings in the cleanest of vessels. These annual sacrifices continued uninterrupted until the kingdom’s end.

Come March in the first year of Longshuo, Xinyou, in the reign of the thirtieth monarch of Silla, King Beopmin, he issued a decree saying, “I am a descendant of the founder of Karak. When his ninth-generation descendant Guhyeong surrendered to our nation, the son he brought alongside him, Sejong, begat Lord Solu, who begat Seohyeon Jabchan, whose daughter Queen Munmyeong was the one who gave birth to me. Therefore, that founder is the fifteenth-generation ancestor of this youngling. Though the nation he founded has now been vanquished, his mortuary temple still stands. I hereby combine the shrine with my fathers’ ancestral sanctuary and resume the commemorative sacrifices there.”

He dispatched an envoy to the site of the abandoned shrine, so to choose thirty qing (1.8432 square kilometers or 455.46 acres) of the richest nearby fields to be used for the shrine’s upkeep. They were called Royal Fields (Wangwijeon) and donated to the shrine. The King’s seventeenth-generation direct descendant Gaengse Geubbeolchan was appointed by royal edict to manage the fields. At set times of the year, he would brew sweet medicinal wine and offer it, along with various pastries, fruits, and other delicacies, to the departed king. These sacrifices occurred every year without exception, with the dates no different from the fives days King Geodeun had set. These fragrant sacrifices have continued into our times.

Since King Geodeung ascended to the throne and establishd the mausoleum in the year of Jimao, to the reign of King Guhyeong, during these three-hundred-thirty years, the sacrifices and ceremonies at the shrine never once ceased. From when Guhyeong lost his throne and surrendered his country, until the first year, Xinyou, of Longshuo, during those sixty years, the sacrifices and ceremonies at the shrine dwindled away. Oh, how virtuous King Munmu (posthumous name of King Beopmin) was! By honoring his ancestors, he performed his filial duty! He inherited the fading memory of King Suro and restored the commemorative rites!

Toward the final days of Silla, there was a certain Chungji Jabchan (the warlord So Chungja) who seized Geumgwan City and became the General-Magistrate. He had in his favor Yeonggyu Achan, who, taking advantage the General’s might, plundered the yields of the shrine fields and tainted the offerings. When it came time for the Midsummer Sacrifice, the timbers of the shrine, without reason, suddenly snapped and fell on him, crushing him to death.

Therefore, the General said to himself, “The good fortunes in my life have all been bestowed upon me by this Holy King and confirmed by the will of his city. It would be best for me to paint his sacred countenance and offer incense to it, in gratitude for his supernatural aid.”

He then had the King’s portrait painted on three chi (90.9 cm/35.7874 in) of the finest silk and hung upon his wall. Day and night, he would burn incense and faithfully offer devotions to the King. After only three days, bloody tears began dripping from the eyes of the portrait. It pooled on the ground, almost a liter-full in total.

The General was horrified. He reverently carried the portrait to the shrine and burned it. Then he summoned the King’s direct descendant Kim Kyurim and instructed him, “A while ago, there was an awful calamity, and now another one has occurred. It must be because the mighty spirit that powers this shrine is enraged at my irreverent act of painting a portrait and making offerings to it. Yeonggyu has died for his crimes, and I too am both astonished and terrified. Now that I have burned the portrait, I fear that I shall soon meet his divine punishment. You are the King’s direct descendant. You must worship him with all the former customary rites.”

Kyurim inherited the responsibility to make offerings to the departed king. He lived until he was eighty-eight years of age. His son Kanwongyeong took over the task of propitiating his ancestor. One Dano Midsummer Festival, Yeonggyu’s son Junpil was seized with the same madness as his father. He stormed into the shrine during the festivities, scorned and swept away Kanwongyeong’s offerings, and offered his own obscene sacrifices. He had not finished pouring three libations when he was suddenly taken ill, and died as he arrived back at his home.

It is as the ancients have said. Obscene sacrifices bring no blessings, only calamities. Does this not perfectly apply to first Yeonggyu, then Junpil, both father and son?

Another time there were a pack of brigands, who believed that there were precious treasures stored within the shrine and decided to raid it. On their first attempt, they wrapped themselves in armor and wielded bows and arrows. A single fierce warrior emerged from the shrine and rained down arrows in all directions. Seven or eight of the band were struck and killed. The brigands dashed away, only to return days later. A giant python more than thirty chi (909.09 cm/357.874 in) in length, with eyes that flashed like lightning, emerged from the side of the shrine and bit to death seven or eight more outlaws. Those who were fortunate enough to keep their lives ran way and collapsed. Now they knew that the area of the mausoleum was certainly protected by some divine force.

From when the mausoleum was first constructed in the fourth year, Jimao, of Jianan, to the thirty-first year since our current sovereign has taken the throne, the second year, Bingchen, of Dakang, 878 years have passed. The lands granted to the shrine have never eroded nor cracked, the trees planted there have never withered or nor decayed, and even the votive jade ornaments strewn around the shrine have never faded nor fallen into disrepair. Xin Tifo once said, “From ancient history to our current times, where is the kingdom that has never fallen? What grave has never been disturbed?” The fall of the Karak kingdom in the past somewhat supports Tifo’s argument, but the unscathed shrine to King Suro proves him wrong.

Among the commemorative rites for King Suro, there are also festivities. Every July 29^th, the people of the kingdom, along with officials and military officers, would climb to Seungjeom Pass, where they would set up tents and feast and revel, while looking out to the east and west. Strong young men would divide into Left and Right teams. Starting from Mangsa Island, they would gallop on the swift hooves of coursers to the shoreline, then sail with prows neck-and-neck, in a race north to the Bay of Gobo. These games are reenactments of Yucheon and Singwi’s watch for the Queen, and their hasty attempt to report her arrival to the King.

Since the fall of the Kingdom, the region has been given different names in different generations. The thirty-first monarch of Silla, King Jeongmyeong, upon his ascension to the throne in the first year, Xin Yi, of Kaihui, named the city Geumgwankyeong and appointed a Governor. After 259 years, our King Taejo united then land, then permanently changed the city’s name to Imhae City and appointed a Supervisor of Water Traffic. This persisted for forty-eight years, until the city was upgraded to Imhae County, also known as Kimhae Prefecture, and assigned a Governor-General. After another twenty-seven years, the administrator became a Defense Commissioner. This has remained in effect for sixty-four years.

In the second year of Chunhua, the Agricultural Surveyor of Kimhae Prefecture, Cho Bunseon, submitted a Provincial Report (sinsungjang) claiming that King Suro’s mausoleum held too much land, and that it would be better to grant the mausoleum fifteen gyeol (0.162135 square kilometers or 40.06 acres) of land, and distribute the rest to the taxpayers of the prefecture. The appropriate authorities relayed his proposal to the central government.

In response, the King proclaimed, “An egg that descended from Heaven hatched into a holy sovereign who ruled for long ages, 158 years in total. Of the rulers who have come after the three sovereigns, there are very few who can match his reign. After his death, his memorial shrine has been granted stipend lands by those who have ruled before me. I severely doubt dissolving these holdings now will bring any benefits.”

Yet the surveyor persisted in his reports, so the government granted his proposal. Half of the land would remain intact with the shrine, while the other half would be divided among the nearby taxpaying inhabitants. The Agricultural Surveyor, acting in accordance with the edict, allowed the mausoleum to keep half of its holdings and oversaw the process of distributing the other half of the land to laborers and taxpaying households. When the task was almost complete, he felt overwhelmed with exhaustion. As he fells asleep one night, he suddenly dreamed of seven or eight goblin spirits holding silk standards and wielding sabres and swords arriving before him. They cried, “You have committed a grievous sin! We are here to carry out your death sentence!”

The surveyor, believing he would be executed, wailed piteously. The shock awoke him, and from that moment, he fell ill with consumption. So no one would know of this, he left the prefecture during the night. His sickness could not be treated, and he died even as he passed through the city gates. As a result, his seal was not placed on the Land Survey.
Afterwards, another surveyor was sent to inspect the productivity of the shrine fields. He found that one gyeol (0.010809 square kilometers or 2.67 acres) yielded only twelve stacks and nine bundles of grain stalks, falling short of the required eighty-seven stacks and one bundle of grain stalks every three gyeol (0.032427 square kilometers or 8.01 acres). He submitted his findings to the provincial and central government, and received the reply that this should be enough to provide for the shrine.

There is another lamentable chapter in the region’s history. The founding king’s eighth generation descendant King Jilji was a diligent administrator, as well as a pious worshiper of the true faith. To provide for his ancestress’ welfare in the afterlife, he constructed a temple at the site of the first king and queen’s wedding in the twenty-ninth year, Renchen, of Yuanjia. It was named Wanghu Temple (Queen’s Temple). An envoy to measure out ten gyeol (0.32427 square kilometers or 80.13 acres) of nearby fields to serve to serve as a stipend for the representatives of the three jewels. After the temple had stood for five-hundred years, the Jangyu Temple was constructed nearby and allotted 300 gyeol (3.2427 square kilometers or 801.29 acres) of arable and wooded lands. The three high authorities of the temple, claiming that Wanghu Temple was located within the southeastern borders of the temple’s allotted firewood lands, dissolved the temple and made it a farmhouse. It became a shed for the autumn harvest and the winter storage, as well as a stable for grooming horses and raising cattle. What tragedy!

The list of nine generations of descendants from the founding king have been summarily recorded below. The epitaph inscribed on his tombstone reads:

Original hanja and hangul transliteration

元胎肇啟/利眼初明/人倫雖誕 원태조계/리안초명/인륜수탄
君位未成/中朝累世/東國分京 군위미성/중조루세/동국분경
雞林先定/駕洛後營/自無銓宰 계림성정/가락후영/자무전재
誰察民氓/遂茲玄造/顧彼蒼生 수찰민맹/수자현조/고피창생
用授符命/特遣精靈/山中降卵 용수부명/특견정령/신증강란
霧裏藏刑/內猶漠漠/外亦冥冥 무리장형/내우막막/외역명명
望如無象/聞乃有聲/群歌而奏 망여무상/문내유성/군가이주
眾舞而呈/七日而後/一時所丁 중무이정/칠일이후/일시소정
風吹雲卷/空碧天青/下六圓卵 풍취운권/공벽천청/하륙원란
垂一紫纓/殊方異土/比屋連薨 수일자영/수방이토/비옥련맹
觀者如堵/睹者如羹/五歸各邑 관자여도/도자여갱/오부각읍
一在茲城/同時同跡/如弟如兄 일재자성/동시동적/여제여형
實天生德/為世作程/寶位初陟 실천생덕/위세작정/보위초척
寰區欲清/華構徵古/土階尚平 환구욕청/화구징고/토계상평
萬機始勉/庶政施行/無偏無儻 만기시면/서정시행/무편무당
惟一惟精/行者讓路/農者讓耕 유일유정/행자양로/농자양경
四方奠枕/萬姓迓衡/俄晞薤露 사방전침/만성아형/아희해로
靡保椿㱓/乾坤變氣/朝野痛情 미보춘령/건곤변기/조야통정
金相其躅/玉振其聲/來苗不絕 김상기소/옥진기성/래묘불절
薦藻惟馨/日月雖逝/規儀不傾 천조유형/일월수서/규의불경

English Transliteration

Won tae jo gye/Ri an cho myeong/In ryun su tan
Gun wi mi seong/Jung jo ru se/Dong guk bun gyeong
Gyerim seong jeong/Karak hu yeong/Ja mu jeon jae
Su chal min maeng/Su ja hyeon jo/Go pi chang saeng
Yong su bu myeong/Teug gyeon jeong ryeong/Sin jeung gang ran
Mu ri jang hyeong/Na eu mak mak/Oe yeog myeong myeong
Mang yeo mu sang/Mun nae yu seong/Gun ga yi ju
Jung mu yi jeong/Chil il yi hu/Il si so jeong
Pung chwi un kwon/Gong byeok cheon cheong/Ha ryuk won lan
Su il ja yeong/Su bang yi to/Bi ok ryeon maeng
Gwan ja yeo do/Do ja yeo gaeng/O bu gak eub
Il jae ja seong/Dong si dong jeok/Yeo je yeo hyeong
Sil cheon saeng deok/Wi se jak jeong/Bo wi cho cheok
Hwan gu yok cheong/Hwa gu jing go/To gye sang pyeong
Man gi si myeon/Seo jeong si haeng/Mu pyeon mu dang
Yu il yu jeong/Haeng ja yang ro/Nong ja yang gyeong
Sa bang jeon chim/Man seong a hyeong/A hui hae ro
Mi bo chun ryeong/Geon gon byeon gi/Jo ya tong jeong
Gim sang gi so/Ok jin gi seong/Rae myo bul jeol
Cheon jo yu hyeong/Il wol su seo/Gyu ui bul gyeong

English Translation

The child world is born / Its eyes see first light / Though humans exist
No king serves as guide / Long reigns China had / When nations rise east
First comes proud Gyerim / Then Karak by the sea / No leaders they have
Who care to help them / Forces of creation / Loving its children
Sends them a savior / A spirit descends / Lays eggs on a peak
While in fog hidden / Inward a mystery / Outward minds confound
No form can be seen / But clear is the sound / Everyone dances
Everyone chants / Seven days after / A single instant
Winds whirl and cloud furl / Under blue skies clear / Hanging from purple braid
Six round eggs appear / From strange countries far / From neighborhoods near
Like dikes onlookers / Like congee crowds here / Five fated to go
One stays in this land / Born at the same hour / In brotherhood band
Wise one from heaven / Leads by example Ascending the throne
Purifies the realm / His palace is crude / with flat stairs of dirt
He makes the first laws / He sets first order / No sides nor bias
One law of nature / Travelers greetings give / farmers their yields share
Directions at peace/ Men in harmony / How fast the dew dries
How brief mortals live / The world disturbed / The people grieving
Gold follows his steps / Jade declares his fame / His line unbroken
Revering his name / Though rulers may change / Devotions remain

King Geodeung

His father was King Suro and his mother was Queen Heo. He was crowned King on March 23rd, fourth year, Jimao, of Jianan. He ruled thirty-nine years, dying on September 17th, fifth year, Guiyou, of Jiaping. His queen was the daughter of the Royal Treasurer Sin Bo, Queen Mojong. They gave birth to the Crown Prince Mapum. The Kaihuang Calendar states that his family name was Kim and that because the progenitor of his nation had been born from a golden egg, he chose to use Kim (gold) as his surname.

King Mapum

His name could be written with different characters. He was of the Kim family. He succeeded to the throne in the fifth year, Guiyou, of Jiaping, and ruled for thirty-nine years, until his death on January 29th, first year, Xinhai, of Yongping. His queen was the granddaughter of Director of Royal Clan Affairs Cho Gwang, Queen Hogu. They gave birth to the Crown Prince Geojilmi.

King Geojilmi

He is also called Geummul. He was of the Kim family. He succeeded to the throne in the first year of Yongping and ruled for fifty-six years, until his death on July 8th, second year, Bingwu, of Yonghe. His queen was the granddaughter of Agung Agan. They gave birth to the Crown Prince Ipum.

King Isipum

He was of the Kim family. He succeeded to the throne in the second year of Yonghe and ruled for sixty-two years, until his death on April 10th, third year, Dingwei, of Yixi. His queen was the daughter of the Minister of Agriculture Geukchung, Queen Jeongsin. They gave birth to the Crown Prince Jwaji.

King Jwaji

He is also called Kimjil. He succeeded to the throne in the third year of Yixi. He took a serving girl as his concubine and appointed her relatives to high offices. This caused turmoil in the land, and Silla planned to use the chance to invade. One of the King’s ministers, Park Wondo, remonstrated to with him, saying, “No matter how well reviewed manuscripts are, they will still contain errors, to say nothing of men! Now that Heaven and Earth are about to perish, where can the people take refuge?”

Consulting an oracle, the King also received the hexagram of Jie, or Release. It read: “Release thy big toes, the trustworthy friend shall come. How do you interpret this prediction, my liege?”

The King thanked his Oracle and proclaimed, “I shall divorce my concubine and exile her to Hasan Island, then reform my policies and restore order, so I might reign long and my people live peacefully.”

He ruled for fifteen years, dying on May 12th, second year, Xinyou, of Yongchu. His queen was the daughter of Doryeong Daeagan, Queen Boksu. Their son was Chwihui.

King Chwihui

He is also called Jilga. He succeeded to the throne in the second year of Yongchu and ruled for thirty-one years, until his death on February 3rd, twenty-eighth year, Xinmao, of Yuanjia. His queen was the daughter of Jinsa Gakgan, Queen Indeok. Their son was Prince Jilji.

King Jilji

He is also called Geumjil. He succeeded to the throne in the twenty-eighth year of Yuanjia. The next year, to add to his ancestress Queen Heo Hwang-ok’s eternal reward in the afterlife, he constructed Wanghusa on the site of her wedding to the first king, with ten gyeol (0.32427 square kilometers or 80.13 acres) of stipend lands. He reigned for forty-two years, dying on October 4th, tenth year, Renshen, of Yongming. His queen was the daughter of the Sachan Geumsang, Queen Bangwon. Their son was Prince Gyeomji.

King Gyeomji

He is also called Geumgyeom. He succeeded to the throne in the tenth year of Yongming and ruled for thirty years, until his death on April 7th, second year, Xinchou, of Zhengguang. His queen was the daughter of the Gakgan Culchung, Queen Suk. Their son was Prince Guhyeong.

King Guhyeong

He was of the Kim family. He succeeded to the throne in the second year of Zhengguang and ruled for forty-two years. In September of the second year, Renwu, of the Baoding era, the twenty-fourth ruler of Silla, King Jinheung, invaded with his forces. The defending Royal Guardsmen were few while the enemy were many, and so were unable to combat the invaders. Thus the King left his brother of the same breath, Talji Ijilgeum, to supervise the kingdom’s territory, while he and his sons, grandsons, and chief chamberlains surrendered to Silla. The King married the daughter of the Suijil Bunjil, Queen Gyehwa. They gave birth to three sons, the eldest Sejong Gakgan, the second Mudo Gakgan, and the third Muduk Gakgan. According to the Kaihuang Calendar, Karak capitulated to Silla in the fourth year, Renzi, of the Liang Dynasty’s Datong era.

Footnote: According to the Samguk Sagi, King Guhyeong relinquished his lands and surrendered to Silla in the fourth year, Renzi, of the Datong era of the Liang Dynasty. Calculating the time from when King Suro was crowned during the eighteenth year, Renyin, of the Jianwu era of the Later Han Dynasty to Guhyeong’s surrender in the Renzi year comes to 490 years. Yet going by the above record, the kingdom was relinquished in the second year, Renwu, of the Baoding era of the Yuan family’s Wei Dynasty (Northern Wei Dynasty, ruled by the Tuoba clan of Xianbei), thirty years after the Samguk Sagi’s date. This would mean the kingdom lasted for 520 years. Both views exist at present.