Sinsi

Shinshi was an ancient city of Korea. According to the history books such as Samguk Yusa, Gyuwon Sahwa, Shindan Minsa and Hwandan-gogi, Shinshi or Baedal (Hangul : 배달국 Hanja/Hanzi:倍達國) was a semi-legendary ancient Korean nation in which Hwanung or Dangun ruled. Shinshi (신시, 神市) literally means 'the city of god(s)/spirit(s)' where people live together in a protected area or 'the fair/market of god(s)/spirit(s)' where people come together and exchange their goods.

Founding of Shinshi State

The founding of Shinshi State is described in somewhat different ways according to the records. For detail, see the following section[1]. Hwandan-Gogi says that Shinshi state had been founded at the area of Baekdu Mountain and Amur River for giving a maximum service of benefit to the people. The capital city was called Shinshi. The legend says that Hwanin (환인,桓因) gave three presents of Cheon Boo and Ihn to Hwanung (환웅,桓雄), and three thousand people had descended from heaven with Hwanwoong to the area of birch trees. Gyuwon Sahwa says that Hwanung is same person with Shinshi. Shinshi state was also known as Guri, and its borders were said to have reached the Shandong Peninsula in modern-day China. The greatest and most renowned of the Shishi state's Emperors was Emperor Chi-Woo the Great of Baedalguk, who is described as a brilliant military leader and strategist. It was during the time of Emperor Chi-Woo that the empire reached its greatest extent. The Shinshi state most likely disintegrated due to internal struggles, and probably fell to neighboring nations.

Government Structure

In addition, there were three imperial families in the Shinshi state, which were Sinsi, Gosi and Chiwoo. Thus, these three families became emperor in the Shinshi state alternatively. The descendants of these three families, thereafter, were divided into nine tirbes, which is so called Kuhwan (Gu means nine in Korean). Kuhwan means the nine tirbes from Hwanguk, which was a legendary nation of Korea. The word of Kuhwan is sometimes transliterated into other words such as Kuryeo(구려,九黎), Kuyi(구이,九夷) and Koryeo (고려,高黎 or 高麗). Eventually, the words of Kuryeo and Koryeo are the origin of "Korea." There were three representatives of Shinshi state who are Poongbaek , Woosa and Woonsa. The Shinshi state assigned Five Ministers; Wooga managed agriculture, Maga managed the life of people, Guga managed a penalty, Jeoga managed disease, Yangga managed good and evil. These designation names of Five Ministers were quoted from animal names, and they are used as designation names of Ministers in Gojoseon and Buyeo.

Legacy

Shinshi state was succeeded by Gojoseon. Someone assumes that another major legacy of the Shinshi state is the Goguryo. As mentioned earlier, Shinshi was also called Guri, and the word "Goguryeo" can be broken down into Go-Guri, meaning Go(high), Guri. Thus, Goguryoe means "the Higher Guri nation." In addition, Goguryeo is also interpreted as the nation of Guri or Guryeo governed by the family of "Go" because "Go" is the family name of Goguryeo. Indeed, It is written in Samguk Sagi that Goguryoe recovered most of the lost territories previously lost.

War with Huangdi Xuanyuan

It may be considered the first war in the world history. When Chiwoo became an emperor, Yoomang (楡罔) who were a descendant of Shennong was a king in the nation of Shennong. At that time, the nation of Shennong became powerful because the population increased so much. So, the emperor Chiwoo had a plan to attack the nation of Shennong, and prepared bows, arrows, spears and swords. The emperor Chiwoo built up the troops with nine generals and 81 adjunt generals in Takrok(涿鹿), and conquered the troops of Yoomang at Kuhon(九渾).

Thereafter, emperor Xuanyuan listened that the emperor Chiwoo became governing the land of Shennong. So, Xuanyuan assembled the troops, and had wars with the emperor Chiwoo for more than 70 times during ten years even though the emperor Chiwoo defeated the emperor Xuanyuan at the entire wars.

Fall of the empire

Like any other empire in history, the Shinshi state fell as well. The steady decay of the archaic empire began after its golden age under its 14th ruler, Emperor Chi-Woo the Great of Baedalguk. Not much is known about how the empire fell or what the cause was, but Korean historians have inferred that corruption and border conflicts with neighboring barbaric tribes caused the fall. Emperor Geobuldan, the 18th and final ruler of the Shinshi state, ruled for a mere 48 years while a majority of his predecessors were recorded to have ruled for at least over fifty years at the least. Historians have also inferred that the last emperor of Shinshi state was a weak puppet monarch, much like other final rulers of a dynasty. Shinshi state is thought to have followed the same cycle of rise, height and fall. The last emperor to rule over Shinshi state in its time of imperial glory was Emperor Chook Da-Li of Baedalguk, the 16th ruler of Shinshi state.

Description about Shinshi in Historical Records

• Samguk Yusa

Hwanung with a group of 3,000 people came down to the shindansu (a kind of sacred tree) and Hwanung taught the people how to live as a human. Hwanung named the place shinshi.

• Gyuwon Sahwa

Shinshi or Hwanung was the ruler of a nation that succeeded by Gojoseon. He made the manners and cultures of marriage, In addition, he ordered the people to engage in farming and exchange their necessities. Chiwoo, Goshi and Shinshi became the rulers of the nation in turn. The nation continued about 11,000 years, and then Dangun founded Gojoseon which is the first state of Korean.

• Shindan Minsa

Shinshi was the era before Baedal-guk era and lasted about 120 years. Baedal-guk era was the same as Gojoseon, which was ruled by Dangun and lasted over 1000 years.

• Budoji

After Dangun established Gojoseon, the 6 tribes opened the Shinshi, a kind of feast during which they saluted the sky and sang together in the forest every 10 years. They also opened the choshi(朝市), the market for visiting and the haeshi(海市), the market facing the sea.

• Hwandan Gogi

Shinshi state (BC 3898 ∼ BC 2333) was established by Hwanung or Geo Bahl Hwan[2], [3], [4].

Rulers

There is a list of Shishi in Hwandan Gogi, as follows.

1. Geo Bahl Hwan (Hangul : 거발환 Hanja/Hanzi: 居發桓) (3898 B.C.E.-3804 B.C.E.) died when he was 120 y.o.
2. Geo Bool Li (Hangul : 거불리 Hanja/Hanzi: 居佛理) (3804 B.C.E.-3718 B.C.E.) died when he was 102 y.o.
3. Woo Ya Go (Hangul : 우야고 Hanja/Hanzi: 右耶古) (3718 B.C.E.-3619 B.C.E.) died when he was 135 y.o.
4. Mo Sa Ra (Hangul : 모사라 Hanja/Hanzi: 慕士羅) (3619 B.C.E.-3512 B.C.E.) died when he was 129 y.o.
5. Tae Woo Eui (Hangul : 태우의 Hanja/Hanzi: 太虞儀) (3512 B.C.E.-3419 B.C.E.) died when he was 115 y.o.
6. Da Eui Bahl (Hangul : 다의발 Hanja/Hanzi: 多儀發) (3419 B.C.E.-3321 B.C.E.) died when he was 110 y.o.
7. Geo Ryun (Hangul : 거 련 Hanja/Hanzi: 居連) (3321 B.C.E.-3240 B.C.E.) died when he was 140 y.o.
8. Ahn Boo Ryun (Hangul : 안부련 Hanja/Hanzi: 安夫連) (3240 B.C.E.-3167 B.C.E.) died when he was 94 y.o.
9. Yang Woon (Hangul : 양 운 Hanja/Hanzi: 養雲) (3167 B.C.E.-3071 B.C.E.) died when he was 139 y.o.
10. Gahl Go (Hangul : 갈 고 Hanja/Hanzi: 葛古) (3071 B.C.E.-2971 B.C.E.) died when he was 125 y.o.
11. Geo Ya Bahl (Hangul : 거야발 Hanja/Hanzi: 居耶發) (2971 B.C.E.-2879 B.C.E.) died when he was 149 y.o.
12. Joo Moo Shin (Hangul : 주무신 Hanja/Hanzi: 州武愼) (2879 B.C.E.-2774 B.C.E.) died when he was 123 y.o.
13. Sa Wa Ra (Hangul : 사와라 Hanja/Hanzi: 斯瓦羅) (2774 B.C.E.-2707 B.C.E.) died when he was 100 y.o.
14. Ja O Ji (Emperor Chi-Woo the Great of Baedalguk) (Hangul : 자오지 Hanja/Hanzi: 慈烏支) - 일명 치우천왕 (2707 B.C.E.-2598 B.C.E.) died when he was 151 y.o.
15. Chi Aek Teuk (Hangul : 치액특 Hanja/Hanzi: 蚩額特) (2598 B.C.E.-2509 B.C.E.) died when he was 118 y.o.
16. Chook Da Li (Hangul : 축다리 Hanja/Hanzi: 祝多利) (2509 B.C.E.-2453 B.C.E.) died when he was 99 y.o.
17. Hyuk Dah Sae (Hangul : 혁다세 Hanja/Hanzi: 赫多世) (2453 B.C.E.-2381 B.C.E.) died when he was 97 y.o.
18. Guh Bool Dahn (Hangul : 거불단 Hanja/Hanzi: 居弗檀)- 일명 단웅(檀雄) (2381 B.C.E.-2333 B.C.E.) died when he was 82 y.o.

See also

• Founding myth of Korea
• Gyuwon Sahwa
• Hwandan-gogi
• Samguk Yusa

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Chang, Tong-gyun. 2004. Sinsi pontʻogi: pada ro sarajin Pʻyŏngyangsŏng ŭi chŏngchʻe. Pusan-si: Asadal. ISBN 9788995354506
• Kim, Chong-sŏ. 2004. Sinhwa ro nalcho toeŏ on Sinsi, Tanʼgun Chosŏnsa yonʼgu. Sŏul: Hanʼgukhak Yŏnʼguwŏn. ISBN 9788989745099
• Yi, Kang-sik. 1988. Hanʼguk kodae chojiksa: Hwanʼguk, Sinsi, Ko Chosŏn chojik yŏnʼgu. Sŏul Tʻŭkpyŏlsi: Kyomunsa. OCLC: 21817037

External Links

• Hwandan-gogi text. Retrieved September 5, 2007.
• Alternative Korean History (a nationalistic point of view). Retrieved September 5, 2007.
• The Origin of the Korean People: Who are the Koreans?. Retrieved September 5, 2007.

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