Hogong
Encyclopedia
Hogong was a minister of Silla
in the age of nation-building. It is recorded that he was originally from the Wa people
of Japan
, though his family name or clan name was unknown to the compiler of the Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms
. He was called Hogong (meaning "Duke Bottle Gourd") because he was putting on his bottle gourd
when he came from Japan. He was a very important person in initial Silla because he appeared in stories of primogenitors of all royal families.
Silla
Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...
in the age of nation-building. It is recorded that he was originally from the Wa people
Wa (Japan)
Japanese is the oldest recorded name of Japan. Chinese, Korean, and Japanese scribes regularly wrote Wa or Yamato "Japan" with the Chinese character 倭 until the 8th century, when the Japanese found fault with it, replacing it with 和 "harmony, peace, balance".- Historical references :The earliest...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, though his family name or clan name was unknown to the compiler of the Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms
Samguk Sagi
Samguk Sagi is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The Samguk Sagi is written in Classical Chinese and its compilation was ordered by Goryeo's King Injong Samguk Sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms) is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of...
. He was called Hogong (meaning "Duke Bottle Gourd") because he was putting on his bottle gourd
Calabash
Lagenaria siceraria , bottle gourd, opo squash or long melon is a vine grown for its fruit, which can either be harvested young and used as a vegetable, or harvested mature, dried, and used as a bottle, utensil, or pipe. For this reason, the calabash is widely known as the bottle gourd...
when he came from Japan. He was a very important person in initial Silla because he appeared in stories of primogenitors of all royal families.
- In 20 BC, Hyeokgeose of Silla dispatched him to Mahan confederacyMahan confederacyMahan was a loose confederacy of statelets that existed from around the 1st century BCE to 3rd century CE in the southern Korean peninsula in the Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces. Arising out of the confluence of Gojoseon migration and the Jin state federation, Mahan was one of the Samhan , along...
. The king of Mahan scolded him on account of the fact that Silla had not sent tribute, but Hogong criticized the king's impoliteness with fortitude. The king became angry at Hogong and tried to kill him, but surrounding subordinates stopped the king, and he was permitted his homecoming. - In 58, he assumed the position of the minister's first rank.
- In 65, he discovered Kim AljiKim AljiKim Alji was a historical figure in Korean history. His descendents formed the Kim royal clan of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea....
, who would become primogenitor of the Kim royal clan of Silla, in the forest of GyerimGyerimThe Gyerim is a small woodland in Gyeongju National Park, Gyeongju, South Korea. The name literally means "rooster forest." The grove lies near the old site of the Silla kingdom palace in central Gyeongju. Nearby landmarks include the Banwolseong fortress, Cheomseongdae, the Gyeongju National...
.