Gija Joseon (1120–194 BC) was a dynasty of Gojoseon allegedly founded by the sage Jizi (Gija), a member of the Shang dynasty royal house.
Understanding before 20th century
Chinese records
Chinese records before the
Qin dynasty describe
Jizi (箕子) as the paternal uncle (or brother in other records) of the last king of the
Shang dynasty, the tyrannical King Zhou, but contain no mention of king Zhou's relationship with Gojoseon. Gija was imprisoned by the tyrant until the downfall of Shang Kingdom, when King Wu of Zhou released him.
[Bamboo Annals, "current text" (今本 jīnběn), Records of Shang (殷紀), "五十一年，冬十一月戊子，周師渡盟津而還。王囚箕子，殺王子比干，微子出奔。"][In the Book of Documents,jizi appears in the chapters of Successful Completion of the War on(武成),Great Plan of(洪範)]
Records written after the Qin dynasty, when the Han dynasty and Gojoseon were at war, add that Gija led 5,000 to the east of present-day Beijing, as written in the "Geography" section of the Book of Han (although some, especially in China, believe him to have moved to present-day Korea), and became the founding king of Gija Joseon. In Sima Qian's Shi Ji, Gija is mentioned in the following sentence:
Korean historiography
No contemporary Korean sources existed for Gija Joseon, and the oldest sources produced in Korea were from the Goryeo dynasty. The earliest Korean record about Gija Joseon can be seen from
Samguk Yusa,
[Ilyon, Samguk Yusa, translated by T. Ha & G. Mintz (1997), Yonsei University Press, p. 33]
It was widely believed that Gija Joseon was located on the Korean Peninsula, replacing Gojoseon of Dangun. But some Korean scholars believed that Gija settled west of Gojoseon, based on records from "Geography" section of the Book of Han, and the Korean Samguk Yusa that suggests that Gojoseon continued to coexist with Gija Joseon after the migration of Gija. These scholars believed that Gija's influence was limited to western part of Gojoseon.
The Genealogy of the Cheongju Han Clan (청주한씨세보) lists the names of 73 rulers of Gija Joseon and their periods of reign; however, it is not widely accepted by current Korean mainstream historians.
Wiman Joseon is said to begin with the usurpation of the throne from Jun of Gojoseon and the line of kings descended from Gija.
Shin Chaeho's opinion
Shin Chaeho said that Gija Joseon (323 BC-194 BC) refers to the putative period of
Beonjoseon, one of the Three Confederate States of Gojoseon, after the Marquess of Joseon from the Gi clan was invaded by Yan as shown in the records of Weilüe. Chinese traditional accounts indicate that Gihu's ancestor, Gija, was the same person as Jizi (both written as 箕子 in
Hanzi/
Hanja).
According to Sin Chaeho's Joseon Sangosa, Beonjoseon began disintegrating after its king had been killed by a rebel from the Chinese state of Yan at around 323 BC. With this, the five ministers of Beonjoseon began contending for the throne. Marquess of Joseon from the Gi clan joined in this struggle, and emerged victorious as the new king of Beonjoseon, defeating the competitors for the throne. He established Gija Joseon, named after his ancestor Gija. During Gija Joseon, the king enjoyed strong sovereign powers. Eventually, in 94 BC, Gija Joseon fell after King Jun was overthrown by Wiman, who established Wiman Joseon in its place.
Controversy on whether Gija and Jizi were the same person
The Korean historian
Kim Jung-bae claims that the association between Jizi and Joseon is wrong.
He believed that the existence of Gija Joseon as a state established by Jizi was fabricated during Han dynasty. He further claims that the
Bamboo Annals, and
Confucius's
Analects, which was the earliest extant text that referred to Jizi, did not say anything about his going to Gojoseon.
[ Analects, vol. 18.] Similarly, the
Records of the Grand Historian, written soon after the conquest of Wiman Joseon by the Han dynasty, made no reference to Joseon in its discussions about Jizi
[ Records of the Grand Historian, vols. 3, 4.] and no reference to Jizi in its discussions about Joseon.
[ Records of the Grand Historian, vol. 115.]
According to some sources, ancient Koreans claimed that Gija came from the Zhou dynasty but there is no archaeological evidence to support early involvement of the Chinese.
List of monarchs
See also
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History of Korea
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History of Manchuria
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Cheongju Han clan
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Haengju Ki clan
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Taewon Seonu clan
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Icheon Seo clan
Notes
