Joseon Tongsinsa

Infobox East Asian


caption=
hangul=조선통신사
hanja=linktext|朝|鮮|通|信|使
rr=Joseon tongsinsa
mr=Chosŏn t'onsinsa
kanji=朝鮮通信使
romaji=ChōsentsūshinshiThe Joseon royal embassies to Tokugawa Japan were missions sent intermittently by Joseon Dynasty Korea to the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan between the years 1607 and 1811.

History

Following the establishment of diplomatic ties between Joseon Korea and Japan (then under the Ashikaga shogunate) in 1404 (4th year of King Taejong's reign in Joseon), the two countries began to dispatch envoys to handle diplomatic issues.cite web|url=http://100.empas.com/dicsearch/pentry.html?s=K&i=257513&v=44 |title=통신사 (通信使) |publisher=Empas / EncyKorea |language=Korean] The envoys sent by the Joseon king to the Japanese shogun were called "tongsinsa" in Korean, while their Japanese counterparts were called "nihon kokuōshi", or Japanese king's envoys, in Japanese [Though Japan was ruled by an emperor, and not a king, the shoguns were represented as "king of Japan" in many foreign communications in order to fit into the Sinocentric world order in which the emperor of China was the highest authority, and all rulers of tributary states were known as "kings".] . The word "tongsin" means diplomatic exchange between two countries based on good faith. The envoys dispatched by Joseon were not singularly referred to as "tongsinsa", however, and a variety of titles were used, including "bobingsa" (보빙사, 報聘使), "hoeryesa" (회례사, 回禮使), "hoeryegwan" (회례관, 回禮官), "tongsingwan" (통신관, 通信官) and "gyeongchagwan" (경차관, 敬差官). It was in 1413 (13th year of King Taejong's reign) that the term "tongsinsa" was used for the first time, with Bak Bun (박분, 朴賁) heading the delegation to Japan. However, Their trip to Japan was cancelled when Bak fell ill in the middle of the voyage. The first actual visit to Japan by Joseon envoys took place in 1429 (11th year of King Sejong's reign) when the delegation, led by Bak Seo-saeng (박서생, 朴瑞生), arrived in Kyoto.

In the years before the 1592 Japanese invasion of Joseon, the main purpose of the "tongsinsa" visits to Japan was to make formal requests to the shogun to take control of "waegu" (J: "wakō"), or "Japanese pirates", which ravaged and plundered along Joseon’s coastline [Frederic, Louis. "Wakō." "Japan Encyclopedia". Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2002. p1026.] . But after the war ended, the envoys traveled to Japan to seek a truce agreement while asking for the repatriation of Korean prisoners of war and also inspecting the political situation in Japan. After 1636 (14th year of King Injo's reign), the envoys’ visits revolved around celebrations for the inauguration of the new shogun. The historical significance of the "tongsinsa" visits to Japan, however, was in their impact not only on the bilateral ties between Joseon and Japan, but also on the peaceful coexistence in all of East Asia, including China.

Each "tongsinsa" delegation was dispatched according to the following procedures: When the succession of a new shogun was decided, the lord of Tsushima Domain, upon the order of the shogunate, sent an envoy to carry the message of invitation to Joseon. Upon receiving the invitation, the Joseon government appointed three or fewer government officials as head, deputy head and the document officer ("seojanggwan") to organize and lead the delegation, its number usually between 300 and 500. The envoys took a land route from Joseon’s capital city of Hanyang, to Busan, a southern port, and from there sailed the sea to Yodoura wharf in Osaka, via Tsushima Island and Shimonoseki, their fleet guided by the lord of Tsushima. At each stop in their itinerary, the Joseon envoys were given welcoming receptions by the magistrates of the Japanese provinces. From Yodoura, the delegation would set out on land toward its final destination. In early Joseon (Japan's Muromachi period), Kyoto was where the shogunate was based and thus was the envoys’ final stop, but in late Joseon (Japan's Edo period), Edo (modern-day Tokyo) became their last destination when the shogunate government was moved there. A sophisticated form of communication between the Joseon envoys and the Japanese nobility ("kuge" and "bushi" both), by means of exchanging poetry and academic writing, became a fad in areas around the lodges where Joseon envoys stayed en route to the administrative capital. On the other hand, luxurious receptions for Joseon envoys emerged as a cause for financial strains within the Japanese government, forcing Arai Hakuseki, a chief advisor to the Tokugawa shoguns, in 1711 to revise the regulations on the reception of foreign envoys, but they was restored in 1719.

A "tongsinsa" delegation’s journey to deliver the Joseon king's messages to the Japanese shogun took six months to one year. The Joseon envoys left behind writings, poetry and paintings at each of their stops on the Japanese islands. Folding screens, books and woodcut prints that depict their grand procession still remain today in Japan. After their return, they produced various types of records of their stay in Japan, which were collected under the title, "Haehaeng chongjae" (Records of Mission Trip to Japan), allowing us a glimpse into the diplomatic roles of "tongsinsa" and the cultural exchange that took place between Joseon and Japan.

List of embassies

Missions chronology

The formal arrival of serial missions from Korea to Japan were considered important affairs; and these events were widely noted and recorded. They benefited the Japanese as legitimizing propaganda for the "bakufu" (Tokugawa shogunate) and as a key element in an emerging manifestation of Japan's ideal vision of the structure of an international order with Edo as its center.Walker, [https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/1811/609/1/V10N2Walker.pdf p. 48.] ]

1607

This diplomatic mission functioned to the advantage of both the Japanese and the Koreans as a channel for the political foundation for trade. The head of this embassy, Yeo U-gil, representing King Seonjo of Joseon, traveled to Edo for an audience with Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada.

1617

King Gwanghaegun of Joseon dispatched O Yun-gyeom to Edo where he was received in an audience with Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada.

1624

King Injo of Joseon sent Jeong Rip to Edo as his representative; Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu received the ambassador in an audience.

1636

The ambassador of the king of Korea, Im Gwang, initially arrived in Japan in, according to the Japanese calendar, the 12th month of the 13th year of "Kan'ei" (1635).Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). [http://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PP9&dq=nipon+o+dai+itsi+ran#PRA1-PA411,M1 "Annales des emperors du japon," p. 411.] ] This mission to the court of Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu in Edo also encompassed a pilgrimage to the first shogun's mausoleum at Nikkō.Walker, [https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/1811/609/1/V10N2Walker.pdf p. 50.] ] The grand procession of the shogun and his entourage, including the ambassador from the Joseon king was in the 4th month of the 14th year of "Kan'ei" on the Japanese calendar Im Gwang had been sent to the court of the Japanese shogun by King Injo of Joseon.

1643

In the 20th year of "Kan'ei" on the Japanese calendar, Yun Sun-ji arrived in Japan as the ambassador of King Injo of Joseon to the shogunal court of Tokugawa Iemitsu in Edo. [Titsingh, [http://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PP9&dq=nipon+o+dai+itsi+ran#PRA1-PA412,M1 p. 412.] ]

1655

King Hyojong of Joseon directed Jo Hyeong to go to Edo as his ambassador at the shogunal court of Tokugawa Ietsuna. Jo Hyeong arrived in Japan during the 1st year of "Mereiki" on the Japanese calendar. [Titsingh, [http://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PP9&dq=nipon+o+dai+itsi+ran#PRA1-PA413,M1 p. 413.] ]

1682

Yun Ji-wan went to Edo as the ambassador of King Sukjong of Joseon to the shogunal court of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi.

1711

In the 1st year of "Shōtoku" on the Japanese calendar, Jo Tae-eok arrived in Edo as the ambassador of King Sukjong of Joseon to the shogunal court of Tokugawa Ienobu. [Ttitsingh, [http://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PP9&dq=nipon+o+dai+itsi+ran#PRA1-PA416,M1 p. 416.] ]

1719

Joseon sent Hong Chi-jung as ambassador in the 10th month of the 4th year of the Japanese era of "Kyōhō" (1719). [Titsingh, [http://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PP9&dq=nipon+o+dai+itsi+ran#PRA1-PA417,M1 p. 417.] ] King Sukjong of Joseon sent Hong Chi-jung to Edo where he was granted an audience with Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune.

1748

In the 1st year of the Japanese era of "Kan'en", King Yeongjo of Joseon sent a diplomatic mission to Edo. [Titsingh, [http://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PP9&dq=nipon+o+dai+itsi+ran#PRA1-PA418,M1 p. 418.] ] The Joseon ambassador at the shogunal court of Tokugawa Ieshige was Hong Gye-hui.

1764

The Korean ambassador, Jo Eom, arrived in Japan in the 1st year of the Japanese era of "Meiwa" (1764). [Titsingh, [http://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PP9&dq=nipon+o+dai+itsi+ran#PRA1-PA419,M1 p. 419.] ] Jo Eom was the ambassador sent by King Yeongjo of Joseon to the shogunal court of Tokugawa Ieharu in Edo.

1811

King Sunjo of Joseon sent Gim I-gyo as his ambassador to the shogunal court of Tokugawa Ienari.

External links

* [http://www.tongsinsa.com/ Joseontongsinsa]

Footnotes