Korean History

Confucianism

Buddhism first arrived in the Korean lands via Goguryeo, which had imported it from the neighboring Chinese. It entered Goguryeo in 372 CE, then Baekje in 384 CE, and finally Shilla in 527 CE. This new religion had a profound impact upon the cultural development of the Korean kingdoms and the legacy of this impact remains a part of Korean culture today. As is often the case of a new religion entering new lands, the spread of Buddhist teachings into Korean culture met with some resistance, particularly among the aristocracy. Eventually, Buddhism became integrated into the Korean context and was established as a state religion in each of the three kingdoms. Rulers were quick to utilize this new religion as a means of justifying their rule and filling the spiritual gap that the ancient shamanstic traditions did not cover.

"Hanja" 한자 / 漢字 , Chinese characters, have been used in the Korean regions since the 2nd century BCE for official documents. The establishment of the Han empire's "commanderies" in the northwestern portion of the Korean peninsula brought about a dissemination of the Chinese writing system into the region. During the Samguk Period, even after the Chinese were driven out of the region, Chinese characters continued to serve as the official writing system.

The usage of Hanja did not closely follow that of the Chinese usage, as the Korean languages were and still are radically different from Chinese. Instead, similar to the Japanese, the Koreans utilized Hanja for phonetic purposes, where each character represented a particular Korean sound whereas Chinese characters in their original usage served as ideograms. This was called "Hyangchal" 향찰. At the same time, the court language and the language of high culture was classical Chinese. Thus Hanja was used for dual purposes. The use of Chinese characters to represent Korean sounds persisted even until the Joseon Period (1392-1911 CE) when Hangeul 한글 was invented.

The advanced technologies, elegant arts, and sophisticated administrative systems of the neighboring Chinese lands were prized throughout the East Asian world. Emissaries from Korean and Japanese courts were awed by the majestic sight of Chang'an 長安, capital of the Han empire, to the point that their respective rulers and elites made a great effort in importing Chinese culture. In this region, societies that were transitioning from a chiefdom society to a state society looked upon their powerful neighbor not only as a potential trade partner but also as the standard of civilization.

The Aristocratic Class

These are maps of Northeast Asia during the Samguk Period.

The Samguk Period was a time of intense competition in the Korean Peninsula with three powerful states - Goguryeo, Baekje, and Shilla - striving to gain control of the region while dealing with the threat of the restless Chinese empire and the rising Japanese state. Contemporaneous to this contest of power between three Korean kingdoms are the waxing and waning of Chinese dynasties (notably the Han, Sui, and Tang) and the development of Japan under the rule of the Yamato clan.

History as a Focal Point of Conflict

The term "Hwarang-do" can be translated as "the Way of the Flowering of Manhood." "Hwarang" are sometimes referred to as "flower knights." This organization of highly-trained young men was an important part of the Shillan aristocracy during the Samguk Period. Whether or not they were "knights" and a military elite in the same vein as the Japanese samurai or European knight orders is not entirely known and some may consider the valorization of the Hwarang among Koreans to stem more from modern nationalism than actual history. However, what is gathered from available historical records, particularly the Samguk Sagi, were that they were trained in a variety of disciplines ranging from the court arts to martial arts and followed a code of ideals that included Confucian and Buddhist notions.