Korean History #1.
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Korea is a great mountainous country, consisting of 200 miles wide by 600 miles in length. The country extends Southward from the Chinese mainland borders to the East Sea(known as the Sea of Japan), borders of Korea to the East, and the Yellow Sea forms it to the West. Twenty percent of the Korean country is lowland suitable for cultivation, and mass settlement, and the other eighty percent is to rugged for agriculture, the majority of the population is concentrated along the inland valleys, and coastal plains which opened up to the Western Coast line. Korea is bounded by China to the North.
The history of ancient Korea can be traced back to the Neolithic Age, at that time in period when Turkic-Manchurian-Mongolians tribes invaded into Korea from China. The Koreans are ethnically Chinese, and Mongolian people. The Chinese language comes from the Sin-Tibetan language group, details show that the Chinese culture had great influence on the earlier Korean people at the time of their first inhabitation's of the Korean peninsula with a new Dynasty called Han (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.). The people of Han are named, and was notable also for it's military power. This empire expanded into the region of Traim Basin, and across Central Asia to Baghdad, and into Alexandria establishing a secure caravan traffic called the "Silk Route" to export Chinese silk to the Roman Empire. The Chinese introduced bronze into Korea in 108 B.C.E., combined with the Chinese military colonies with agricultural sciences evading into Korea, which was introduced the art of weaponry, Chinese martial arts and farming into Korea. The Chinese "Han" armies also invaded Korea towards the end of the 2nd Century B.C. The Han Dynasty controlled many of the regions of Korea. After 200 years, Han rule was interrupted briefly in 9 - 24 A.D. by Wang-Mang, and then restored for another 200 years with Dynasty "Han" corruption. By 220 A.D. the Han empire collapsed. The collapse of the Han Dynasty was followed by four centuries of warlords rule.
The Tungustic tribes spoke a Ural-Altaic language. The Korean people were associated with a period of Paleolithic human culture characterized by using refined stones as tools, and combat weapons, and followed a Shamanistic Religion. With these advancements in the area of combat weapons, and agricultural sciences in the civilization of Korea, the larger communities of the era were established along the Han-gang river now what is now modern-day Seoul, others settled near Pyongyang, and Pusan. With the association of the growing tribal units, three Korean tribal provinces were formed. The three provinces were Paekche formed in 18 B.C.E., Koguryo formed in 37 B.C.E., and Shilla in 57 B.C.E.. This became known as the "Three Kingdom Period" of the Korean history. The Three Kingdoms continued their own idealogical, and political boundaries, until they became three distinct countries within Korea. With these three Kingdoms evolved a distinct linquist from the Chinese/Mongolian language into three separate dialects which formed the Korean language.
The province of Koguryo was the largest of all three Kingdoms, which formed the power of the Dynasty throughout the Korean peninsula, extending from the China border Southward. The two other provinces Paekche, and Shilla were the smaller of all three kingdoms, located at the Southern part of the Korean peninsula. During this period of ancient times, the tribal unit worship decline within Korea due to the invasion Southward of China with Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. These three types of Religions had great degrees of influence towards the thought, and culture of the Korean people during the period of the Three Kingdoms. The first of the three Religions to arrive within the Three Kingdoms was Confucianism, and began to be absorbed by thought, and culture by Kingdoms of Koguryo, and Paekche in the 4th Century, C.E.. The two kingdoms did not absorb Confucianism into their societies fully, they maintained their own identities, with parts of the Confucianism system of education, and politics as part their life. With Confucianism this formalized the standards of the Korean culture, customs, and the statesmanship was raised to a higher level. The Confucianism system of recording many of the events within the Korean history began in a writing form took place for the first time in this period of Three Kingdoms began to be formally recorded.
The King of Koguryo, King Sosurim was given guidance by a Confucianism Monk named Sundo in 372 C.E. in establishing the first National College, "T'ae-hak" in the education of all the aristocrats in this Kingdom of Koguryo, and he also opened private academies that were called Kyongdang. This College "T'ae-hak", and the Kyongdangs were set up for the goal of teaching the youth of the aristocrats of the Kingdom of Koguryo in the teachings of Confucianism classics, Chinese literature, the healing arts, and the Chinese martial arts, this was the beginning of the first organized martial arts schools within Korea. The College T'ae-hak, and Kyongdangs were not open to the underclass, only for the privilege of the aristocrats family, and royalty.
The King of Paekche Kingdom, King Kunch Ogo, (346-375 C.E.) had sent two scholars of Confucianism, A. Chikki, and Wang In to Japan to spread the ideals of Confucianism, and with them they brought the ten copies of the Analects of Confucius, and one copy of the Chien Cha Wen "The Thousand Character Classic". During this period in history of Korea when the Korean martial arts system of Su Bak had traveled to Japan, and passed from China to Korea, then on into Japan establishing many of the foundation of the Japanese martial arts systems.
Within the period of the Three Kingdoms, the Kingdom of Shilla had little connection with Confucianism ideology, but at the end of the 6th Century C.E. the influence of Confucianism ideals filtered into the doctrines of cultures, and customs of the people of the Kingdom of Shilla. The ideals of Confucianism did not have much of an affect as it did in the other two Kingdoms of Koguryo, and Paekche during that period in history of Korea.
The aspects of another Religion that arrived from China into Korea during this period of time 624 C.E. was Taoism, which was part religious, and a political system of thought, when the Emperor of the Chinese T'ang Dynasty named Kao Tsu, who had sent a Taoist Priest named Shu Ta to Korea to meet with the King Yong Nyu (617-642 C.E.) of the Kingdom of Koguryo. The high levels of the Koguryo society members took great interest in the Taoism political system of thought that lasted for only 100 years. During the 12th Century, the Korean people had embraced the concept of Taoist Um, and Yang, which comprised the same system of Yin, and Yang in China, and they accepted the system of the Chinese I Ching scriptures. During 1st Century C.E., Buddhism traveled from India to China, and had not yet been accepted by the varies Chinese Dynasties in China. Buddhism expanded into the Northern Korean Kingdom of Koguryo during 372 C.E., then the teachings of Buddhism began to spread it self into the Southern part of Korea, and then spread into the Kingdom of Paekche during 384 C.E.. During the reign of King Nul Chi of The Kingdom of Shilla Dynasty Buddhism had spread into the Kingdom by two Buddhist Monks, Chong Bang, and Myolgubi. The King of Shilla Dynasty had both monks put to death not allowing the teachings to spread into his kingdom during his early reign. Later during the reign of King Nul Chi two more monks arrived from the Kingdom of Koguryo, named Monk Hukhoja, and Ado. During this period of time King Nul Chi's daughter became gravelly ill, and Monk Hukhoja had cured the Princess illness with burning incense at her bedside, and presenting a vow to one of the Bodhisattva. The cure was accepted, and acknowledge the teachings of Buddhism by the King of the Dynasty, and by the Shilla high level aristocrats within the Kingdom.
Continued to Korean History #2________________
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