Three Confederate States of Gojoseon
Encyclopedia
The Three Gojoseon kingdoms are states noted in history texts such as Joseon Sangosa (1924-25), and has been researched by several historians, although not widely accepted by scholars.
By popular Korean history drawing on the Korean founding myth, Gojoseon
(고조선, 2333 BCE – 239 BCE) was the first state of Korea
that was established around Liaoning
, south Manchuria
and north Korean peninsula
. According to fringe historians, Gojoseon was a united kingdom composed of three confederacies of Gojoseon such as Majoseon (마조선), Jinjoseon (진조선) and Beonjoseon (번조선). Three confederacies were also called as Mahan, Jinhan and Beonhan. In conventional Korean history, the posterior Samhan
(the three confederacies Mahan
, Byeonhan
, and Jinhan
) existed in central and southern Korean Peninsula, and were established around the time of Gojoseon's fall until fully absorbed by the Three Kingdoms of Korea
around the 4th century CE. Therefore, the posterior Samhan must be discriminated from the prior Samhan or Samjoseon.
. Beonjoseon and Majoseon were ruled by two Vice-Dangun
s. Five Ministries or Ohga were composed of Dotga (which means a pig), Gaeda (which means a dog), Soga (which means a cow), Malga (which means a horse) and Shinga according to their areas of east, west, south, north and center. This ministry system using the name of animals were also used by Buyeo
, which was a succession of Gojoseon. In wartime, five military troops of a central army, an advanced army, a left army and a right army were organized according to military commands by the general of central army. It is said that the traditional Korean game or Yut
follows the structure of these five military structures. Generally, the succession system of the Supreme Dangun and the Vice-Dangun were judged by heredity, and sometimes the ruler could be succeeded by one of the Ohga, which shows that the sovereign's power was not absolute.
Majoseon was located at the Korean peninsula
, Jinjoseon was located at Manchuria
, and Beojoseon was located at the around of Liaoning
.
Gojoseon is developed based on the bronze wares, and continue to the Iron Age. The territory of three Gojoseons can be known by their unique style bronze sword. i.e., mandolin-shaped dagger (비파형동검, 琵琶形銅劍). The mandolin-shape dagger is found in around Liaoning
, Manchuria
, Korean peninsula
and even Hebei
. It proves that three Gojoseons territory at least cover the area in the map. Furthermore, the shape of the mandolin-shape dagger of Gojoseon are very different from those found in China. In addition, the composition of Gojoseon's bronze contains much more tin than that of China. These prove that the culture of bronze of Gojoseon are very different from Chinese bronze-ware so that they are not affected by Chinese bronze culture.
s to represent the Korean language
. "Jin" or sometimes "Shin" represent the meanings of "whole" or "general", which says that Jinjosen was the central confederacy of Gojoseon.
Asadal
(아사달) was the capital city of Jinjoseon governed by Dangun
, and the other two Joseons were governed by the vice Danguns. Joseon Sangosa says that Asadal corresponds to the current Harbin
. In history books, Jinjoseon was usually called Jin. At 425 BCE, the name of Ancient Joseon was changed to Great Buyeo, and the capital city was moved to Jangdang. At this time, Jinjoseon did not have enough power to control Beonjoseon and Majoseon, and gradually Gojoseon began to disintegrate. At 239 BCE, Jinjoseon was conquered by Hae Mosu Dangun, and the state name was changed to Buyeo.
and Wiman Joseon
were usurptions of Beonjoseon. The Danguns allowed Gija and Wiman to rule over Beonjoseon because they were of the Dongyi
race. Chinese usually referred to the ancestral Korean race, "Dong-i", which means an eastern barbarian. Dangun had assigned Chidunam (치두남, 蚩頭男) as a vice Dangun of Beonjoseon. Its capital city was "Heomdok" (험독현, 險瀆縣), also called Wanggeom-seong
(왕검성, 王儉城). Chidunam was a descendant of Emperor Chi-Woo the Great of Baedalguk (치우, 蚩尤), and a descendant of the Baedal royalty. Hyeomdokhyeon is currently located in Changli (昌黎) County of Hebei
Province in the modern People's Republic of China . According to Joseon Sangosa, the "Gi" family became the kings of Beonjoseon in 323BCE, and the central authority of the Vice-Dangun became very powerful. Beonjoseon of the Gi family was usurped by Wiman during 193BCE, from which it was called Wiman Joseon henceforth. The last Vice-Dangun, Gijun
, fled with his nobles and a large number of people into the Korean peninsula
. There, he conquered Majoseon, and established Mahan
.
. The years of destruction are not certain, but it is thought that Majoseon was conquered by Gijun
when he fled from Wiman
, and then changed the name of the state to Mahan
, which was one of the confederacies of posteria Samhan
. It seems that Mahan
had continued until it was conquered by Baekje
.
By popular Korean history drawing on the Korean founding myth, Gojoseon
Gojoseon
Gojoseon was an ancient Korean kingdom. Go , meaning "ancient," distinguishes it from the later Joseon Dynasty; Joseon, as it is called in contemporaneous writings, is also romanized as Chosŏn....
(고조선, 2333 BCE – 239 BCE) was the first state of Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
that was established around Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
, south 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...
and north Korean peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
. According to fringe historians, Gojoseon was a united kingdom composed of three confederacies of Gojoseon such as Majoseon (마조선), Jinjoseon (진조선) and Beonjoseon (번조선). Three confederacies were also called as Mahan, Jinhan and Beonhan. In conventional Korean history, the posterior Samhan
Samhan
The Samhan period of Korean history comprises confederacies of Mahan, Jinhan, and Byeonhan in central and southern Korean peninsula, during the final century BCE and the early centuries CE....
(the three confederacies Mahan
Mahan confederacy
Mahan 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...
, Byeonhan
Byeonhan confederacy
Byeonhan, also known as Byeonjin, was a loose confederacy of chiefdoms that existed from around the beginning of the Common Era to the 4th century in the southern Korean peninsula...
, and Jinhan
Jinhan confederacy
Jinhan was a loose confederacy of chiefdoms that existed from around the 1st century BC to the 4th century AD in the southern Korean peninsula, to the east of the Nakdong River valley, Gyeongsang Province. Jinhan was one of the Samhan , along with Byeonhan and Mahan...
) existed in central and southern Korean Peninsula, and were established around the time of Gojoseon's fall until fully absorbed by 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...
around the 4th century CE. Therefore, the posterior Samhan must be discriminated from the prior Samhan or Samjoseon.
Government Structure
Based on Joseon Sangosa that is written in 1924-25 by Sin Chaeho, Gojoseon had an organizational system of three states and 5 ministries. Three states were composed of Jinjoseon, Majoseon and Beonjoseon. Jinjoseon was ruled by a Supreme-DangunDangun
Dangun Wanggeom was the legendary founder of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, around present-day Liaoning, Manchuria, and the Korean Peninsula. He is said to be the "grandson of heaven", and to have founded the kingdom in 2333 BC...
. Beonjoseon and Majoseon were ruled by two Vice-Dangun
Dangun
Dangun Wanggeom was the legendary founder of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, around present-day Liaoning, Manchuria, and the Korean Peninsula. He is said to be the "grandson of heaven", and to have founded the kingdom in 2333 BC...
s. Five Ministries or Ohga were composed of Dotga (which means a pig), Gaeda (which means a dog), Soga (which means a cow), Malga (which means a horse) and Shinga according to their areas of east, west, south, north and center. This ministry system using the name of animals were also used by Buyeo
Buyeo (state)
Buyeo or Puyŏ , Fuyu in Chinese, was an ancient Korean kingdom located from today's Manchuria to northern North Korea, from around the 2nd century BC to 494. Its remnants were absorbed by the neighboring and brotherhood kingdom of Goguryeo in 494...
, which was a succession of Gojoseon. In wartime, five military troops of a central army, an advanced army, a left army and a right army were organized according to military commands by the general of central army. It is said that the traditional Korean game or Yut
Yut
Yut Nori is a traditional board game played in Korea, especially during Korean New Year. The game is also called cheok-sa or sa-hee...
follows the structure of these five military structures. Generally, the succession system of the Supreme Dangun and the Vice-Dangun were judged by heredity, and sometimes the ruler could be succeeded by one of the Ohga, which shows that the sovereign's power was not absolute.
Territory of Three Confederacies
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
, Jinjoseon was located at 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...
, and Beojoseon was located at the around of Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
.
Gojoseon is developed based on the bronze wares, and continue to the Iron Age. The territory of three Gojoseons can be known by their unique style bronze sword. i.e., mandolin-shaped dagger (비파형동검, 琵琶形銅劍). The mandolin-shape dagger is found in around Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
, 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...
, Korean peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
and even Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
. It proves that three Gojoseons territory at least cover the area in the map. Furthermore, the shape of the mandolin-shape dagger of Gojoseon are very different from those found in China. In addition, the composition of Gojoseon's bronze contains much more tin than that of China. These prove that the culture of bronze of Gojoseon are very different from Chinese bronze-ware so that they are not affected by Chinese bronze culture.
Jinjoseon (2333 BCE - 239 BCE)
It is usually said that the prefixes Ma, Jin and Beon were borrowed by Chinese characterChinese character
Chinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...
s to represent the Korean language
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...
. "Jin" or sometimes "Shin" represent the meanings of "whole" or "general", which says that Jinjosen was the central confederacy of Gojoseon.
Asadal
Asadal
In Korean mythology and history, Asadal was the capital city of Gojoseon. It is thought that Asadal was located in Manchuria, Hwanghae, or Pyongyang. The first Korean historical work to mention it is the Samguk Yusa, which cites the Chinese Book of Wei. The Samguk Yusa also cites the Go Gi to the...
(아사달) was the capital city of Jinjoseon governed by Dangun
Dangun
Dangun Wanggeom was the legendary founder of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, around present-day Liaoning, Manchuria, and the Korean Peninsula. He is said to be the "grandson of heaven", and to have founded the kingdom in 2333 BC...
, and the other two Joseons were governed by the vice Danguns. Joseon Sangosa says that Asadal corresponds to the current Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
. In history books, Jinjoseon was usually called Jin. At 425 BCE, the name of Ancient Joseon was changed to Great Buyeo, and the capital city was moved to Jangdang. At this time, Jinjoseon did not have enough power to control Beonjoseon and Majoseon, and gradually Gojoseon began to disintegrate. At 239 BCE, Jinjoseon was conquered by Hae Mosu Dangun, and the state name was changed to Buyeo.
Beonjoseon (2333 BCE - 108 BCE)
"Beon" or sometimes "Byun" means a plain or a field. Because Bejoseon was a neighbor to the Chinese states, Chinese history usually referred to Beonjoseon as Gojoseon or simply Joseon. Therefore, Gija JoseonGija Joseon
Gija Joseon describes the period after the alleged arrival of Gija in the northwest of Korean peninsula. It was considered by most of the Chinese and the Korean scholars as a part of the Gojoseon period of Korean history...
and Wiman Joseon
Wiman Joseon
Wiman Joseon was part of the Gojoseon period of Korean history. It began with Wiman's seizure of the throne from Gojoseon's King Jun and ended with the death of King Ugeo who was a grandson of Wiman.-Founding:...
were usurptions of Beonjoseon. The Danguns allowed Gija and Wiman to rule over Beonjoseon because they were of the Dongyi
Dongyi
Dongyi was a collective term for people in eastern China and in lands located to the east of ancient China. People referred to as Dongyi vary across the ages.The early Dongyi culture was one of earliest neolithic cultures in China....
race. Chinese usually referred to the ancestral Korean race, "Dong-i", which means an eastern barbarian. Dangun had assigned Chidunam (치두남, 蚩頭男) as a vice Dangun of Beonjoseon. Its capital city was "Heomdok" (험독현, 險瀆縣), also called Wanggeom-seong
Wanggeom-seong
Wanggeom-seong was the capital city of Gojoseon from 194 to 108 BC, North Korean sources claim it was located somewhere around Pyongyang, the capital of modern North Korea whilst other Korean histories report it being more in the location of the Liao River in modern China. It is also known as...
(왕검성, 王儉城). Chidunam was a descendant of Emperor Chi-Woo the Great of Baedalguk (치우, 蚩尤), and a descendant of the Baedal royalty. Hyeomdokhyeon is currently located in Changli (昌黎) County of Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
Province in the modern People's Republic of China . According to Joseon Sangosa, the "Gi" family became the kings of Beonjoseon in 323BCE, and the central authority of the Vice-Dangun became very powerful. Beonjoseon of the Gi family was usurped by Wiman during 193BCE, from which it was called Wiman Joseon henceforth. The last Vice-Dangun, Gijun
Ae of Gojoseon
King Jun of Gojoseon was a king of the Korean kingdom of Gojoseon. He was succeeded by Wi Man, whose usurpation of the throne began the Wiman Joseon period of Gojoseon.- Overthrowing and exile into Mahan :...
, fled with his nobles and a large number of people into the Korean peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
. There, he conquered Majoseon, and established Mahan
Mahan
Mahan may refer to:*Mahan confederacy, chiefdoms in ancient Korea*Mahan, Iran, a city in Kerman province*Mahan District, an administrative subdivision of Kerman Province*Iranian male first name*Mahan Air, an airline based in Kerman province...
.
Majoseon (2333 BCE - ?)
"Ma" is generally used to represent south, and Majoseon was located at the south of Jinjoseon. Dangun assigned Ungbaekda (웅백다, 熊伯多) as Vice Dangun of Majoseon. Its capital city was PyongyangPyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
. The years of destruction are not certain, but it is thought that Majoseon was conquered by Gijun
Ae of Gojoseon
King Jun of Gojoseon was a king of the Korean kingdom of Gojoseon. He was succeeded by Wi Man, whose usurpation of the throne began the Wiman Joseon period of Gojoseon.- Overthrowing and exile into Mahan :...
when he fled from Wiman
Wiman
Wiman may refer to:*Wei Man, Chinese; founder of a kingdom in north-western Korea in the 2nd century BC*Al Wiman, American reporter*Ann-Marie Wiman , Swedish actress and composer*Carl Wiman , Swedish paleontologist...
, and then changed the name of the state to Mahan
Mahan
Mahan may refer to:*Mahan confederacy, chiefdoms in ancient Korea*Mahan, Iran, a city in Kerman province*Mahan District, an administrative subdivision of Kerman Province*Iranian male first name*Mahan Air, an airline based in Kerman province...
, which was one of the confederacies of posteria Samhan
Samhan
The Samhan period of Korean history comprises confederacies of Mahan, Jinhan, and Byeonhan in central and southern Korean peninsula, during the final century BCE and the early centuries CE....
. It seems that Mahan
Mahan
Mahan may refer to:*Mahan confederacy, chiefdoms in ancient Korea*Mahan, Iran, a city in Kerman province*Mahan District, an administrative subdivision of Kerman Province*Iranian male first name*Mahan Air, an airline based in Kerman province...
had continued until it was conquered by 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....
.