Gishiwajinden Tour: Geumgwan Gaya
The tomb attributed to King Suro of Gaya. The tomb itself has been rebuilt at least once over the centuries. It is unclear how close it was to the original—many of the tomb mounds have since eroded and subsided and are barely or no longer visible as they once were. Photo by author.
Taking a break from the Chronicles while I pull together some more research, as we are starting to enter much more impactful period with a lot of change. So instead, I’m presenting you a glimpse at a recent tour we did following the old route to Japan mentioned in the “Gishiwajinden”, or the Wa records from the Weizhi. This described the 3rd century journey from the Korean peninsula down to “Yamatai” (probably “Yamateg/Yamato” at the time), and includes relatively clear directions from “Guyahan” to “Tuma” to “Iki”, then “Maturo”, “Ito”, and “Na”. These have all been largely agreed upon as being part of the western edge of Kyushu.
References
Kim, P., & Shultz, E. J. (2013). The 'Silla annals' of the 'Samguk Sagi'. Gyeonggi-do: Academy of Korean Studies Press.
Kim, P., Shultz, E. J., Kang, H. H. W., & Han'guk Chŏngsin Munhwa Yŏn'guwŏn. (2012). The Koguryo annals of the Samguk sagi. Seongnam-si, Korea: Academy of Korean Studies Press.
Jeon, H.-T. (2008). Goguryeo: In search of its culture and history. Seoul: Hollym.
Best, J. (2006). A History of the Early Korean Kingdom of Paekche, together with an annotated translation of The Paekche Annals of the Samguk sagi. Cambridge (Massachusetts); London: Harvard University Asia Center. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1tg5q8p
Shultz, E. (2004). An Introduction to the "Samguk Sagi". Korean Studies, 28, 1-13. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23720180
Iryŏn, ., Ha, T. H., & Mintz, G. K. (2004). Samguk yusa: Legends and history of the three kingdoms of ancient Korea. Seoul: Yonsei University Press.
Aston, W. G. (1972). Nihongi, chronicles of Japan from the earliest times to A.D. 697. London: Allen & Unwin. ISBN0-80480984-4