King Gwanggaeto

Japanese: 広開土王 - こうかいどおう

The 19th king of Goguryeo, Korea (reigned 391-412). His formal title was King Gwanggaeto, King of the Land of Pyeongan (Kokukojo Kokaido Kyohei An Kotaeo), or simply King Gwanggaeto. In Japan, he is called King Gwanggaeto, but there were three other Goguryeo kings with the same name, so this is not a proper title for an individual king. His given name was Dandeok or An, and his pen name was King Yongnak. His father was King Gokkuk Yang. Goguryeo was invaded by Yan in the first half of the 4th century and Baekje in the second half, and it was a time of hardship, but from this reign Goguryeo again expanded its territory, laying the foundation for the heyday of the next reign of King Jangsu. At the beginning of his reign, he was still troubled by the invasion of Baekje, but in 395, he defeated the various tribes in the north and won a great victory over Baekje. Yan granted the king the title of King of Pyeongju, Liaodong, and Daifang, and recognized his rule over the area east of the Liao River. In 396, he led a naval force to attack Baekje, which was subordinate to the Wa, and took the king's younger brother hostage. These Wa are thought to be from southern Korea or northern Kyushu. In 398, he conquered Beili (Okjeo region) in the Primorsky Krai region, and in 400, he sent a large army of 50,000 to Silla, which had been occupied by the Wa army, and after rescuing it, he pursued the Wa army and approached Mimana and Kara. However, he was counterattacked by Anna and others and returned north. Seeing the Goguryeo army heading south, Yan invaded the Liaodong region, but achieved little success. In 404, Goguryeo held off a counterattack by the Wa army in the Daifang region (Hwanghae Province), and thereafter, fighting developed in the lower reaches of the Han River. In 410, Goguryeo subjugated Dongbuyo in the north. Thus, King Gwanggaeto secured the region from central Korea to the Liao River, while at the same time fiercely opposing Baekje and Wa to the south, and Yan to the northwest.

[Hideo Inoue]

King Gwanggaeto's Tomb

A detailed record of this reign can be found in the Gwanggaeto the Great Tomb Inscription. This monument was erected in 414 and is still standing in Ji'an, Jilin Province, China. The monument is a square pillar of breccia tuff, 6.3 meters high and 1.3 to 1.9 meters wide. The inscription has a total of 1,802 characters (some say 1,775 characters), with an average size of 12 cm square. It was discovered in 1880, and in 1884, a rubbing was obtained by Japanese Army Artillery Captain Sakakawa Kageaki, who deciphered it at the General Staff. In recent years, problems have been raised regarding the falsification of the Wa-related articles in the inscription, different interpretations, interpretations, and the assumption of missing characters. In the 1980s, research on the original monument was resumed in China, and since July 1984, Japanese researchers have also begun to visit and study the original monument.

[Hideo Inoue]

"The Tomb of King Gwanggaeto" by Park Si-hyung (1966, Korea Academy of Social Sciences)" ▽ "Study of the Tomb of King Gwanggaeto" by Lee Jin-hee (1972, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)" ▽ "Considerations on the King Gwanggaeto Stele" by Mizutani Teijiro (1977, Kaimyung Shoin) ▽ "Study of the King Gwanggaeto Stele" by Wang Geon-gun (1984, Yukonsha)" ▽ "A Visit to the King Gwanggaeto Stele" edited by Terada Takanobu and Inoue Hideo (1985, NHK Publishing)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

朝鮮、高句麗(こうくり)第19代の王（在位391～412）。正式な王号は国岡上広開土境平安好太王(こくこうじょうこうかいどきょうへいあんこうたいおう)、略して広開土王という。日本では好太王というが、同名の高句麗王がほかに3名いて、固有の王号にふさわしくない。諱(いみな)は談徳あるいは安、号は永楽大王。父は故国壌王。4世紀の高句麗は前半に燕(えん)、後半に百済(くだら)から侵略され、苦難の時期であったが、この王代からふたたび領土拡大を図り、次の長寿王代の最盛期の基礎をつくった。即位当初はなお百済の侵略に悩まされていたが、395年に北方の諸民族を討伐し、百済にも大勝すると、燕(えん)は王に平州牧遼東帯方(へいしゅうぼくりょうとうたいほう)二国王の称号を与え、遼河以東の支配を認めた。396年には水軍を率いて、倭(わ)に従していた百済を討ち、王弟を人質とした。この倭は朝鮮南部ないし北九州の倭とみられる。398年には沿海州地方の碑麗(ひれい)（沃沮(よくそ)地方）を征服し、400年には倭軍に占領された新羅(しらぎ)に5万の大軍を派遣し、これを救うと、倭軍を追って任那(みまな)、加羅(から)に迫った。しかし、安羅(あんら)などに反撃されて北帰した。高句麗軍が南下するのをみて、燕は遼東地方に侵入したが、あまり成果は得られなかった。404年に高句麗は倭軍の反撃を帯方地方（黄海道）で食い止め、以後、漢江下流域の攻防となった。410年には北方の東扶余(ふよ)を服属させた。このように広開土王は、南方の百済、倭、北西方の燕と厳しく対立しながら、朝鮮中央部から遼河に至る地域を確保した。

［井上秀雄］

広開土王陵碑

この王代の詳しい記録が広開土王陵碑文にみられる。この碑は414年に建立され、中国吉林(きつりん)省集安市に現存している。碑石は四角柱の角礫凝灰石(かくれきぎょうかいせき)で、高さ6.3メートル、幅1.3～1.9メートル。碑文の字数は総計1802字（1775字説もある）で、文字の大きさは平均12センチメートル平方。1880年に発見され、84年に日本陸軍の砲兵大尉酒匂景信(さかわかげあき)がその拓本を入手し、参謀本部で解読した。近年この碑文の倭関係記事の改竄(かいざん)、異なった解読、釈文、欠字推定などの問題が提起されている。1980年代に入ると、原碑の研究が中国で再開され、84年7月以降、日本人研究者による原碑の見学・研究も始まった。

［井上秀雄］

『朴時亨著『広開土王陵碑』（1966・朝鮮社会科学院）』▽『李進煕著『広開土王陵碑の研究』（1972・吉川弘文館）』▽『水谷悌二郎著『好太王碑考』（1977・開明書院）』▽『王健群著『好太王碑の研究』（1984・雄渾社）』▽『寺田隆信・井上秀雄編『好太王碑探訪記』（1985・日本放送出版協会）』

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