Goguryeo

Overall the Chinese saw Korea as an area that should be protected, and also as a dangerous land bridge, which might bring barbarians into China. In 108 BCE, the Han emperor Wudi conquered the northern part of the Korean peninsula. The empire then proceeded to rule around modern Pyongyang for nearly 400 years. The Sui dynasty in the sixth century C.E., inspired by their predecessor turned on their neighbors. At the time the Goguryeo kingdom ruled the central and northern part of Korea and held territory well into Manchuria and Siberia. Goguryeo was a vassal of the Middle Kingdom, falling within “Chinese local history” made of modern Chinese ethnic groups. They considered themselves to be on par with the Sui emperors. The Sui disagreed, and had their armies attack the kingdom. The Sui armies’ efforts failed, crippling the dynasty’s legitimacy, ruling only for the next three decades. The Tang Dynasty then emerged, eager to bring down the Goguryeo kingdom. The Tang allied with the Silla dynasty southeast of the Korean peninsula, and successfully captured the Goguryeo capital of Pyongyang. The Silla turned on the Chinese and forced them back over the Yalu River, across the modern border of Korea. Yuan dynasty, a Mongol dynasty, soon took over China for a short period, and also attack Korea making it a vassal state. A few centuries later, during the Ming dynasty, Japan took the opportunity to launch a series of invasions on the Asian mainland. Koreans suffered the worst of Japan’s…

Buddhism was first spread to Korea in 372, a period which there had three kingdoms on the Korean peninsula, they were Goguryeo (37 BC-AD 668), Baekje (18 BC-AD 660) and Silla (57 BC-935 AD). There were many reasons for the approval of the three kingdoms, but the acceptance and respect of Buddhism not only represents a religious event or advent philosophy, but also it was a decision which had huge cultural, political and social ramifications for the three kingdoms. For example, the sutras and…

Operandi of South Korea, despite the nation’s relatively young age, and conditions of coming into existence; it is a major Asian power. Prosper in the face of adversity, with the odds stacked against you, when no one expects you to. Seeing where something comes from can shed light on how it became the way it is. When someone or something is faced with a lot of hardships, those obstacles can lead to something truly amazing. Looking at Korea’s history, it is clear to see that the country has seen…

The first sarira casket in Korea was “sent by Chinese Emperor Wudi of Liang to Silla in 549 AD.” (Herzog, Royal Ontario Museum Site). About a century later, when Silla conquered the other two kingdoms, “Buddhism enjoyed a renaissance, with a number of temples being built in the Kyongsang province.” (Encyclopedia of East Asian Art). Originally Silla was the weakest kingdom, being isolated in southeast Korea, “but gradually gained power after the assimilation of Buddhism.” (Muller, Korean…

At the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period, amongst the three kingdoms: Silla, Koguryo and Paekche, Silla would have seemed the least likely to succeed in unifying the Korean peninsula. Silla was the smallest of the three kingdoms, and its location on the southeastern corner of the peninsula was the furthest from China in comparison to Koguryo and Paekche. Although Silla seemed unlikely to prosper, the dynasty was powerful in many areas, leading to their success in Korean history. The Silla…

Since the beginning, the formation of taekwondo has evolved with the use of many different techniques and forms. The earliest known form of Taekwondo originated from the Korean martial art Soobak which eventually became known as t’aekyon. In 1955, T’aekyon official became known as modern marital art of Taekwondo (“Taekwondo History”). Although Taekwondo is relatively a new sport in the eyes of Westerners, its origins date back to the early formation of Korea. Archeologist have discovered…

The Time Traveller that supposedly went back in time six months ago has finally returned!!! For those of you that don’t know who he is, his name is rory he is 47 and somehow found a way to travel through time. His destination was Korea during the Goryeo Dynasty, 1350. He described some of the events that were going on during that time. He told us the Samguk Yusa had recently been compiled. The Samguk Yusa, or “Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms” is a collection of historical accounts, folktales…

Faction wars began in the 3rd century, with three primary Kingdoms vying for power: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. The Silla Kingdom was able to successfully conquer the other two kingdoms, and drove out all of the Chinese Tang Dynasty forces, unifying the Korean Peninsula for the first time, in 676. Although this unification led to rapid economic growth and prosperity, conflict continued both from within the Korean Peninsula and from the threat of the Chinese to the North. Over the next…

The Joseon Dynasty laid the path for many aspects of design found throughout the world, in present day, including architecture, art, inventions, motifs, and furniture. The history of North Korea has consisted of numerous accounts of conflict and division. Although it is said that the Korean peninsula has been inhabited since the Lower Paleolithic times, the first kingdom of Gojoseon, was founded in 2333 B.C.E. by Dangun. [1] Gojoseon, referred to as The Old Joseon, began the creation of the…