[KS] Samguk Yusa readership during Joseon - response

[Edward Shultz]

Like most of you I have been following this discussion with great
interest and since the topic of the Samguk sagi has come up, let me
shamelessly promote three recent translations of the annals sections
of the Samguk sagi. Jonathan Best through Harvard published the
Paekche Annals in 2006. The Academy of Korean Studies has now
published the Koguryo Annals and the Silla Annals and the accounts
found in these three sections certainly provide nice background to the
Samguk yusa.
Ned Shultz

On Sat, Sep 15, 2012 at 2:03 AM, Andrew <zatouichi at gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> Apologies for my slow response but thank-you for the very useful and
> detailed replies concerning my query on the readership of the Samguk-yusa.
> I read them all with great interest.
>
> I've decided the quotes Yu Deuk-gong took from the Samguk-yusa for his
> poetry cycle were likely added in the 1792 revision after he had access to
> Gyujanggak library.  There are existing editions of the earlier version (one
> at Beijing University, one at Sunkyunkwan University and one at the National
> Library), so in theory it would be possible to confirm.  The total quoted
> prose passages of the cycle are taken from some 43 sources, 20 of which are
> Korean.  The Yeoji-seungnam (輿地勝覽), Samguk-sagi and Munheon-bigo (文獻備考) are
> cited most often: 46, 32 and 20 times respectively compared to the
> Samguk-yusa only twice.
>
> Despite this, I still suspect, if he had read it early on, the Samguk-yusa
> may have influenced the conception and selection of topics, even if he then
> turned to more reliable and detailed sources for their citation.  This is
> what prompted my curiosity about the availability and readership of the
> Samguk-yusa during the late 18th century.
>
> Just out of interest then, below is a list of the topics which occur in both
> the Samguk-yusa and Yu's 21 Capital Hoegosi cycle.  There is, still, a
> greater proportion of topics not mentioned in the Samguk-yusa, and Yu was
> extremely well read so ultimately it may not have influenced his choice of
> topics at all.
>
> This list excepts the early foundation myths and pre-dynastic orthodox
> historiography (Dan'gun, Gi Ja, Wi Man) which is of course also attested in
> the Samguk-yusa.  The first number refers to the chapter number of the Ha
> Tae-Hung and Mintz translation; the poem number to Yu's cycle (which has 43
> poems in total).
>
> 26: poem 23: King Soji of Silla's shooting his queen and slave through a
> geomungo case.
> 33: poem 22: Jaemae-gok valley (財買谷), named after Kim Yushin's wife (or
> daughter 宗女??) and the Songhwabang (松花房).
> 34: poem 27: The Silla royal provision of three mal (斗) of rice and nine
> pheasants (九雉), in the context of Myeongju (溟州).
> 34: poem 17: King Uija of Baekje failing to heed his loyal vassal
> Seongchung's (成忠) warning of imminent invasion.
> 34: poem 17: King Uija believing that the Baekma-gang (白馬江) river dragon
> would be adequate defense.
> 34: poem 13: The Nakhwa-am (落花巖) rock from which Baekje palace ladies
> committed suicide.
> 37: poem 21: The magical and all powerful manman-papa (萬萬波波) flute.
> 44: poem 27: Kim Juwon (周元) prevented from becoming the Silla king, and
> enfeoffed as king of Myeongju instead.
> 54: poem 26: Gyeon Hwon of Later Baekje attacking the Silla court at the
> Poseok-jeong (鮑石亭) pavilion.
> 55: poem 20: Biryu attempting to establish a kingdom at Michuhol (彌鄒忽)
> whilst his brother Onjo is more successful.
> 55: poem 17: Su Dingfang using a white to catch the river dragon in the
> Baekma-gang (白馬江) before crossing into Baekje.
> 55: poem 16: The Jaondae (自溫臺) rock which King Uija of Baekje enjoyed
> sitting on.
> 57: poem 33: Gyeon Hwon of Later Baekje receiving titles from the Later Tang
> emperor.
> 57: poem 33: Prophecy of a blue horse from Jeolyeong Island (絶影驄) given by
> Gyeong Hwon to Wang Geon.
> 57: poem 26: second mention of Gyeon Hwon attacking the Silla court at the
> Poseok-jeong (鮑石亭) pavilion.
> 57: poem 33: Gyeon Hwon later dying on an abscess bursting on his back.
> 58: poem 28: Foundation egg myth of Geumgwan (金官) Gaya.
> 58: poem 28: Empress Heo (許皇后) arriving from Ayodhya (阿踰陀國) in a red sailed
> ship and offering her silk trousers at the mountain spirit shrine.
> 64: poem 13: Goguryeo warlord Gaesomun (蓋蘇文) being made mangniji (莫離支).
> 64: poem 14: Prince Ansun/Anseung (安勝/安舜) of Goguryeo defecting to Silla.
> 68: poem 28: Pasatap (婆娑塔) pagoda brought on the ship of Empress Heo.
>
>
> One final, separate question, regarding the authorship which has been
> touched upon.  I have in places read, and formed the impression that the
> Samguk-yusa was consciously written as an alternative to the Samguk-sagi
> which was too orthodox Confucian and generally ignored Buddhism.  But
> reading the English translation of the Samguk-yusa, I couldn't detect this,
> and the Samguk-sagi is even referenced.  The first two more historical
> sections, don't seem especially different to the historiography of the
> Samguk-sagi (just less detailed) and considering this, they likely both
> relied on similar earlier sources, such as the Gu-samguk-sa.  Is there
> evidence then, that the author(s) of the Samguk-yusa were expressly critical
> of Kim Bu-sik and the Samguk-sagi, or is this a later misperception?
>
> sincerely to all,
> Andrew Logie
>