Hwarang - Hwarang

A beautiful young boy worshipped by a group of young men made up of the sons of nobles during the Silla period of Korea. This custom is also called Hwarang in Korean pronunciation. Its origins can be traced back to the early Han tribe's men's assembly hall, and the Goguryeo Gokdang is thought to have been of a similar nature. It is said to have started in the 6th century under King Jinheung when two beautiful young men were dressed up and called Hwarang, who divided the sons of nobles into two groups and made them compete with each other to hone their morals, singing, dancing, and martial arts. The number of Hwarang (and therefore the number of groups) gradually increased, and it is said that there were over 200 of them throughout the entire period until the end of the Silla period, but only about 20 of them, including Kim Yu-shin, the hero who unified the Three Kingdoms, have been passed down. They served as a group of warriors, an educational institution, and a religious gathering dedicated to the Maitreya faith, and contributed greatly to the development of Silla. However, this changed after the Goryeo period, and during the Joseon period it became known as dangeuki (male prostitute), shoyu (female prostitute), etc.

[Tanaka Toshiaki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

朝鮮の新羅(しらぎ)時代、貴族の子弟からなる青年集団が奉戴(ほうたい)した美少年。またそうした習俗。朝鮮音でファランという。源流は原始韓(かん)族の男子集会舎に求められ、高句麗(こうくり)の扃堂(けいどう)も同様な性格のものと考えられる。6世紀の真興王代に美少年2人を粧飾(しょうしょく)して花郎とよび、それを中心に貴族の子弟を二分し、互いに対立して道義、歌舞、武技などを磨かせたのが始まりとされる。花郎の数は（したがって集団の数も）しだいに増え、新羅末期まで全代を通じて200余人はいたというが、名を伝えているのは三国統一の英雄金庾信(きんゆしん)など20余人にすぎない。機能は戦士団であり、教育機関であり、弥勒(みろく)信仰を奉ずる宗教的集会でもあり、新羅の発展に大きく寄与した。しかし高麗(こうらい)時代以降は変質し、李朝(りちょう)時代には男覡(だんげき)、倡優(しょうゆう)などの呼称となった。

［田中俊明］

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