Kim Joo-song's Japan Field Report Retracing the Path of the Joseon Envoys (1)

This field study by the Hwaseong Research Society in Japan was conducted over four days from August 8 to 11.

I participated in this field study together with my father (Kim Chung-young, Editorial Board Member of Suwon Ilbo), who is a member of the Hwaseong Research Society.

The theme of this field study was to retrace the route taken by the Joseon envoys who were dispatched on twelve occasions to reach Edo, the center of Japan at that time.

Their route to Edo, or present-day Tokyo, consisted of two paths: a maritime route from Busan to Osaka and a land route from Kyoto to Edo.

Among these, our field study team traveled in reverse along the maritime route from Shimonoseki to Osaka.

This journey included important castles in Japan that fell within the envoys' route, as well as other significant locations in Japan related to Korean history.

Such places included Himeji Castle, the ruins of Nagoya Castle, a forward outpost of Toyotomi Hideyoshi located in Saga Prefecture, and Kushida Shrine in Fukuoka, where it is said the Mongol-Yuan combined forces were repelled.

First, I will briefly explain the Joseon Envoys, the main subject of this study, and then write a field report on the places we visited.

Unlike envoys to the Qing Dynasty (Yeonhaengsajik), whose heads were selected from the rank of jeongban (宗班) officials of rank three or higher, the head of the Joseon Envoy mission, called the jeongsa (正使), was appointed from among those holding the position of참의 (參議), an official rank of three.

The envoy group boarded three ships called the jeongsa-seon (正使船), busa-seon (副使船), and jongsagwan-seon (從事官船) and sailed to Japan.

When they were dispatched, gifts sent by the Korean king to the Tokugawa shogun or crown prince, as well as gifts sent to the shogunate's senior councilors (rouju: 老中), ports, lodging areas, and daimyo (大名) or temples in various regions were loaded onto three cargo ships and accompanied them. After meeting with the king and leaving Korea through Busan, the envoys traveled to Japan via the islands of Tsushima, Iki, and Ainoshima (相島 or 藍島), entered the Seto Inland Sea through Shimonoseki, and headed to Osaka.

The above table is a timeline related to the ceremonies of the Joseon Envoys, and I have excerpted part of the timeline found in Nakao Hiroshi's 'The Story of the Joseon Envoys'. What can be confirmed through this is that envoys were dispatched to Japan twelve times from 1607 to 1811.

Looking at the purposes for which these envoys were dispatched to Japan, from 1607 to 1643, missions were sent for the purpose of assessing the political situation in Japan and preparing for the repatriation of captives. In contrast, the Joseon Envoys from 1655 onward had the purpose of congratulating the Tokugawa shogun on his succession to the position of shogun. With these purposes in mind, the envoys dispatched to Japan, except for two occasions—one when ceremonies were held in Fushimi, Kyoto in 1617, and another when ceremonies were held on Tsushima in 1811—all headed to Edo following the route we visited during this field study.

The first destination of this journey was Mt. Maya in Kobe. From here, I learned that cable cars in Japan differ from those in Korea. In Korea, cable cars are transportation systems that hang from cables and travel through the air to climb mountains, whereas in Japan, cable cars are railways pulled up by cables, and what Korea calls cable cars are called ropeway in Japan.

The weather that day was exceptionally clear, and from Kakusedai, I could see far into the Osaka region's coastline. From Mt. Maya's summit, Kakusedai, one can glimpse the coastlines of Kobe and Osaka, located at the easternmost part of the Seto Inland Sea. In the photograph, the wide urban area stretching to the west corresponds to Kobe, and the area to the upper right across the sea is Osaka.

Both of these places were also included in the route traveled by the Joseon Envoys. The final anchorage point of the Joseon Envoy delegation while navigating the Seto Inland Sea is said to be Hyogo-tsu (兵庫津). That is, the Korean delegation likely anchored and stayed in the bay stretching to the right to prepare for landing. At that time, not only the cargo ship carrying gifts for the envoy group from Korea, but also six ships including the jeongsa-seon, busa-seon, and jongsagwan-seon, along with many escort ships from various regions, would have lined up at this location. One can imagine how spectacular the scene must have been then. After preparing at Hyogo-tsu, the delegation transferred to Japanese ships at Kawaguchi in Osaka and headed to Kyoto.

Our journey then proceeded to Himeji.

Here we encountered a very special connection.

It was with members of an organization called the 'Harima Hangul Research Society'. By meeting these people, I could feel their passion for Korea and the Korean language. There were people studying Korean at the research society with the passion to understand what their favorite idols say, and those studying Korean at the Harima Hangul Research Society because they have visited Korea multiple times and have friends there, wanting to converse with them in Korean. I was able to glimpse their goodwill and passion for Korean language and Korea.

I also learned during our meeting that this organization had been exchanging with the Hwaseong Research Society for a long time since the 1990s.

After meeting with them, our first evening meal was chanko-nabe, a dish prepared by sumo wrestlers.

The restaurant displayed sumo-related items, and the restaurant also had '力士料理' (Rikishi Ryori—Sumo Wrestler Cuisine) written on it, so I assumed the restaurant had some kind of sumo concept.

However, while eating, I learned that the owner of this restaurant had been active as a sumo wrestler.

For the chanko-nabe at this restaurant, sesame was provided in a mortar-like bowl, and each table had a stick with a pestle-like end, which was used to grind the sesame before adding broth to create the sauce.

While enjoying the meal, the owner, who had been a sumo wrestler, brought out sumo wrestler costumes so we could experience wearing them.

Several teachers who participated in the field study with us tried on the costumes, and the owner, who had been a sumo wrestler, demonstrated sumo postures and even had us try wrestling techniques as part of the experience.

Members of the Hangul Research Society also joined the meal, and by conversing with them, I was able to more deeply feel their passion.

After such a hearty and cheerful dinner ended, we went to see the night illumination of Himeji Castle, which is said to be beautiful when lit up every evening. The main tower of Himeji Castle is white-washed, and when white light shines on it at night, the castle glows silver.

Himeji Castle is said to have been the location of the domain office (hansho) of Himeji Domain during the Edo Bakufu period. This Himeji Domain had a Joseon Envoy anchorage called Murotsu (室津) nearby, and it is said the domain had the role of providing hospitality when the envoy delegation anchored at Murotsu.

The next morning, we toured the interior of Himeji Castle, which had glowed silver under the night lights. While exploring the interior of Himeji Castle, I could see the defensive strategies of the Japanese, which were different from Korean fortresses.

In this case, there is a large outer fortification, and the inner castle also has multiple layers of castle walls built in tiers up to the main tower, allowing one to see the defensive strategy centered on the domain lord.

Additionally, near the main tower, there are gun ports (銃眼) with openable and closable windows for concealed attacks, and there are spaces to hide samurai inside the castle and passages that could be reached from the smaller tower next to it, revealing their efforts to protect the domain lord.

It is said that residents' grindstones and stone coffins from nearby burial mounds were also used in building the castle, which suggests how massive an undertaking this was.

Himeji Castle also has a garden called Koko-en (好古園). I heard that this was originally the residence of a samurai during the Bakufu period and was later turned into a garden. Hearing this, I thought that the person who could have such a large residence near the main tower where the domain lord worked or lived must have been a samurai of very high status.

Upon entering Koko-en, there was a lake, and within it was a space where water flowed like a stream, creating a natural beauty despite being an artificial park. Since we visited in summer, I could only see the lake, flowing water, and dense green forest, which was a pity.

However, there were spaces like a pattern garden and a flower garden that would be nice to visit in spring, and since autumn foliage is said to be beautiful here, it was a garden I would like to visit again in autumn or spring.