Mohe
Encyclopedia
The Mohe were a Tungusic
people in ancient Manchuria
. They are sometimes considered the ancestors of the Jurchens, modern-day Manchus and other Tungusic peoples. According to some records, they originally dwelt near the Liao River and later migrated southward. They were involved in the early history of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
. The records of the Korean Kingdoms of Baekje
and Silla
during the 1st century and 2nd century AD include numerous battles against the Mohe.
The Mohe were divided into various tribe
s, the most powerful of which were the Sumo Mohe. The Sumo Mohe were eventually conquered by the Goguryeo
, and some other Mohe tribes by Sui Dynasty
China. Many Mohe moved back toward their northern homeland in this period. The "Mohe" section of the "Beidi Zhuan" (北狄傳, Communications of the Northern "Di" Barbarians) of the "Jiu Tang Shu" (舊唐書, Old Book of Tang) states: "Their country is all (or "roughly") composed of some tens of 'bu' (roughly "tribes," but also just generally meaning "divisions"), each having a chief, some of whom are attached to the Goguryeo
, and some of whom serve as common people (i.e., vassals) to the Tujue."
The Mohe also participated in the kingdom of Balhae
, 698-926. The founder of Balhae, Dae Joyeong was possibly a former Goguryeo
general of Sumo Mohe stock, although the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms (Samguk Yusa) written by Koreans several hundred years later states that he was of Goguryeo stock. After the fall of Balhae, few historical traces of the Mohe can be found, though they are considered to be the main ethnic group that became the Jurchen.
The name of the Mohe also appears as "Maka" in "Shin-Maka" (Japanese 新靺鞨, しんまか) or "New Mohe," the name of a dance and the musical piece that accompanies it, which was introduced to the Japanese court during the Nara Period or around the beginning of the Heian Period from the Balhae
Kingdom. In modern Japanese historical texts, the name of the Mohe is annotated with the "kana
" reading Makkatsu (まっかつ), which is probably a reading pronunciation based on the standard Sino-Japanese readings of the Chinese characters used to transcribe the ethnonym of the Mohe.
The ethnonym of the Mohe bears a notable resemblance to that of the later historically attested *Motgit (in Middle Chinese
. Chinese characters: 勿吉, pinyin
: Mòjí, Korean
: 물길 [Mulgil], Japanese
: もつきつ [Motsukitsu]), as well as to that of the medieval Merkit
s, who opposed the rise of the Mongols
led by Genghis Khan
.
One of the tribes of the Mohe, the Heishui Mohe
, eventually became the ancestors of the Jurchens, from whom the Manchu originated.
Tungusic peoples
Tungusic peoples are the peoples who speak Tungusic languages. The word originated in Tunguska, an ill-defined region of Siberia.-Peoples:Tungusic peoples are:*Evenks*Evens*Jurchens *Manchu*Negidals...
people in ancient Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
. They are sometimes considered the ancestors of the Jurchens, modern-day Manchus and other Tungusic peoples. According to some records, they originally dwelt near the Liao River and later migrated southward. They were involved in the early history of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
Three Kingdoms of Korea
The Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium...
. The records of the Korean Kingdoms of Baekje
Baekje
Baekje or Paekche was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla....
and Silla
Silla
Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...
during the 1st century and 2nd century AD include numerous battles against the Mohe.
The Mohe were divided into various tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
s, the most powerful of which were the Sumo Mohe. The Sumo Mohe were eventually conquered by the Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
, and some other Mohe tribes by Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
China. Many Mohe moved back toward their northern homeland in this period. The "Mohe" section of the "Beidi Zhuan" (北狄傳, Communications of the Northern "Di" Barbarians) of the "Jiu Tang Shu" (舊唐書, Old Book of Tang) states: "Their country is all (or "roughly") composed of some tens of 'bu' (roughly "tribes," but also just generally meaning "divisions"), each having a chief, some of whom are attached to the Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
, and some of whom serve as common people (i.e., vassals) to the Tujue."
The Mohe also participated in the kingdom of Balhae
Balhae
Balhae was a Manchurian kingdom established after the fall of Goguryeo. After Goguryeo's capital and southern territories fell to Unified Silla, Dae Jo-yeong, a Mohe general, whose father was Dae Jung-sang, established Jin , later called Balhae.Balhae occupied southern parts of Manchuria and...
, 698-926. The founder of Balhae, Dae Joyeong was possibly a former Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
general of Sumo Mohe stock, although the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms (Samguk Yusa) written by Koreans several hundred years later states that he was of Goguryeo stock. After the fall of Balhae, few historical traces of the Mohe can be found, though they are considered to be the main ethnic group that became the Jurchen.
The name of the Mohe also appears as "Maka" in "Shin-Maka" (Japanese 新靺鞨, しんまか) or "New Mohe," the name of a dance and the musical piece that accompanies it, which was introduced to the Japanese court during the Nara Period or around the beginning of the Heian Period from the Balhae
Balhae
Balhae was a Manchurian kingdom established after the fall of Goguryeo. After Goguryeo's capital and southern territories fell to Unified Silla, Dae Jo-yeong, a Mohe general, whose father was Dae Jung-sang, established Jin , later called Balhae.Balhae occupied southern parts of Manchuria and...
Kingdom. In modern Japanese historical texts, the name of the Mohe is annotated with the "kana
Kana
Kana are the syllabic Japanese scripts, as opposed to the logographic Chinese characters known in Japan as kanji and the Roman alphabet known as rōmaji...
" reading Makkatsu (まっかつ), which is probably a reading pronunciation based on the standard Sino-Japanese readings of the Chinese characters used to transcribe the ethnonym of the Mohe.
The ethnonym of the Mohe bears a notable resemblance to that of the later historically attested *Motgit (in Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese , also called Ancient Chinese by the linguist Bernhard Karlgren, refers to the Chinese language spoken during Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties...
. Chinese characters: 勿吉, pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Mòjí, Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
: 물길 [Mulgil], Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
: もつきつ [Motsukitsu]), as well as to that of the medieval Merkit
Merkit
The Mergid was one of the five major tribal confederations in Mongolian plateau in the 12th century.The Mergids inhabited in basins of the Selenge River and lower Orkhon River...
s, who opposed the rise of the Mongols
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
led by Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
.
One of the tribes of the Mohe, the Heishui Mohe
Heishui Mohe
The Heishui Mohe or Heuksu Malgal also called Black-River Mohe , were the most feared among the Mohe tribes...
, eventually became the ancestors of the Jurchens, from whom the Manchu originated.
Mohe Tribes
According to some records, there were seven/eight Mohe tribes :| Moji/Merjie/Wuji (勿吉) | Mohe/Mogher/Malgal (靺鞨) | Modern location |
|---|---|---|
| Sumo tribe 粟末部 (Sùmò Bù) 속말부 (Songmalbu) |
Sumo tribe 粟末部 (Sùmò Bù) 속말부 (Songmalbu) |
near Songhua River Songhua River The Songhua or Sunggari River is a river in Northeast China, and is the largest tributary of the Heilong River , flowing about from Changbai Mountains through Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. The river drains of land, and has an annual discharge of .As the Second Songhua River, it joins the... |
| Baishan tribe 白山部 (Báishān Bù) 백산부 (Baeksanbu) |
Baishan tribe 白山部 (Báishān Bù) 백산부 (Baeksanbu) |
near Changbai Mountain |
| Yulou tribe 虞婁 (Yúlóu) 우루 (Uru) |
Yulou tribe 虞婁 (Yúlóu) 우루 (Uru) |
on the Suifun River Basin |
| Boduo tribe 伯咄部 (Bóduō Bù) 백돌부 (Baekdolbu) |
Boduo tribe 伯咄部 (Bóduō Bù) 백돌부 (Baekdolbu) |
|
| Funie tribe 拂涅部 (Fúniè Bù) 불열 (Buryeol) |
Funie tribe 拂涅部 (Fúniè Bù) 불열 (Buryeol) |
near the Moosooridan River on the Khanka Khanka Lake Khanka Lake , is a transboundary freshwater body located on the border between Primorsky Krai, Russia and Heilongjiang province, Northeast China . At its closest point, it is situated east of the city of Jixi, Heilongjiang... Basin |
| Anchegu tribe 安车骨部 (Ānchēgǔ Bù) 안차골부 (Anchagolbu) |
Tieli tribe 鐵利 (Tiělì) 철리 (Cheolli) |
|
| Haoshi tribe 号室部/號室部 (Hàoshì Bù) 호실부 (Hosilbu) |
Yuexi tribe 越喜 (Yuèxǐ) 월희 (Wolhui) |
|
| Heishui tribe Heishui Mohe The Heishui Mohe or Heuksu Malgal also called Black-River Mohe , were the most feared among the Mohe tribes... 黑水部 (Hēishuǐ Bù) 흑수부 (Heuksubu) |
Heishui tribe 黑水部 (Hēishuǐ Bù) 흑수부 (Heuksubu) |
low banks of Heilong Jiang |
Sumo Mohe/Yan Prefecture Mohe chieftains
- Tudiji (突地稽 pinyinPinyinPinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Tūdìjī, HangulHangulHangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 돌지계), ca. 580-620 - Li Jinhang (李謹行 pinyinPinyinPinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Lǐ Jǐnháng, HangulHangulHangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 이근행), 619-683, Tudiji's son - Li DuozuoLi DuozuoLi Duozuo , formally the Prince of Liaoyang , was an ethnically Mohe general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty...
(李多祚 pinyinPinyinPinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Lǐ Duōzuò, HangulHangulHangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 이다조)