Hwarang
| Korean spelling | |
|---|---|
| Korean alphabet : | 화랑 |
| Hanja : | 花 郞 |
| Revised Romanization : | Hwarang |
| McCune-Reischauer : | Hwarang |
The Korean word Hwarang (화랑 [hwaraŋ] ) literally means "flower boy" and is made up of the syllables and characters '화' (花 hwa = flower) and '랑' (郞 rang = young man). The Hwarang were an organization that existed in the Korean state of Silla between the 4th and 9th centuries .
It is sometimes used as a suffix in official Silla titles. The Samguk Yusa differentiates between male and female Hwarang. Replacing the second letter changes the gender. Hwarang is also incorrectly referred to as flower youth, but this is grammatically and semantically incorrectly translated.
Hwarang were young men who were supposed to provide the ruling class during the Silla period and who enjoyed a special upbringing. Training included history and philosophy, poetry recitation, instrumental music and singing. The Hwarang was an organization that was responsible for the education of the aristocratic youth, which arose under the rule of Jinheung Wang (진흥왕, 眞 興 王, 540-576). To become part of this organization, one had to hold the true bone rank, jingol (진골, 眞 骨) in the bone rank system (Golpumjedo, 골품제 도) of the aristocrats. The Hwarang produced many important personalities who demonstrated their acquired skills in politics, science and the military.
The peculiarity of the Hwarang was that it was shaped by a multitude of different religions and philosophies, such as Buddhism , Daoism , Confucianism and shamanism . Proof of this is the core of their ideals, namely the “five worldly commandments” which the Buddhist monk Wangwong wrote. These have connections to both Confucianism and Buddhism. Kim Taemun (金 大 問), an author from the time of Queen Seondeok (聖德), stated in his Hwarang Segi: “The Silla looked for decent sons from noble families and adorned them with cosmetics and fine clothes and called them Hwarang. The citizens honored and served you. "
The 8th Hyeong of traditional Taekwondo is named after the Hwarang .
Wonhwa
Many scholars see the Wonhwa (Hangul 원화, Hanja 源 花 also 原 花) as a predecessor of the Hwarang. Like the Hwarang, the Wonhwa were founded by Jinheung Wang to protect and further develop the kingdom of the Silla. In accordance with the Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa works, the Wonhwa were both leaders and a covenant. What was special about the Wonhwa was that they were female leaders. The first wonhwa were Nammo (南 毛) and Chunjong (俊 貞). With the aim of selecting young talented people for the court, citizens were called together to observe them playing games and dances. In the course of this meeting, the young women Nammo and Chunjong were chosen and made Wonhwa by King Jinheung. Within a very short time they had a following of several hundred followers. As Nammo and Chunjong competed more and more and met each other with resentment, the Wonhwa's existence was short-lived. The situation came to a head, until Chunjong "lured Nammo into her house, seduced her with wine until she was drunk, and she was finally pushed into a torrent by Chunjong, which killed her." This deliberate and violent act resulted in the execution of Chunjong and the dissolution of the remaining Wonhwa followers.
founding
In 520, King Beopheung introduced a Chinese reform and formalized the Golpumjedo or bone rank system, which forms the basis of the Kim dynasty. In 527 AD the Silla proclaimed Buddhism as the state religion.
Aspects of Confucianism are reflected in the “five worldly commandments” of the Buddhist monk Wongwang, since loyalty and piety are basic statements of Confucianist teaching. The five commandments are:
- Fidelity and loyalty to the king (事君 以 忠; 임금 은 충성 으로써 섬겨야 한다)
- Piety towards the parents (事 親 以 孝; 어버이 를 효도 로써 섬겨야 한다)
- Loyalty in friendship (交友 以 信; 벗은 믿음 으로써 사귀어야 한다)
- no backing away in battle (臨戰 無 退; 전쟁 에 임하여 물러나지 아니 하여야 한다)
- no willful killing (殺生 有 擇; 함부로 살생 을 하지 말아야 한다)
In the Samguk Yusa it can be read that Jinheung Wang (진흥왕, 眞 興 王, 540-576) was concerned about the current strength and security of the country. This was because the kingdom of Silla was attacked by the neighboring kingdoms of Baekje and Gorgyueo. When the royal court began to expand its control over the citizens, the hwarang were introduced as a link between the aristocrats and the citizens. They were supposed to fill in the void left by the wonwha.
Traditions & Practices
The Hwarang was an organization influenced by many different traditions. The exact curriculum is not known. However, it is transmitted that elements from Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism and shamanism, as well as dancing and singing, were an integral part of the plan.
This can also be seen in the practice of the Hwarang customs. Because they regularly made pilgrimages to holy mountains and rivers to pray for the peace and protection of their nation, wearing makeup and long robes. The role of Daoism is also reflected in the love of nature. The cosmetics, the long robes and the rituals in the great outdoors reveal a strong connection between the Hwarang and shamanism.
The most important aspect of their training, however, was the military one. They trained their skills in peacetime, and the Hwarang fought on the front lines in wartime. The Hwarang of the later sixth and seventh centuries were trained in the art of horsemanship, swordsmanship, javelins and slingshots.
swell
The three works, Samguk Sagi, Samguk Yusa, and the Haedong Goseungjeon are the only three remaining works with direct reference to the Hwarang. All primary sources of this epoch no longer exist.
Samguk Sagi (삼국사기, 三國 史記, The Tale of the Three Kingdoms)
The word Hwarang was first mentioned in 1145 in Kim Bu-sik's Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms (삼국사기 [samk'uks'agi] ). The Hwarang were also popularly called Hyangdo - " Radiant Disciples ".
The actual role of the Hwarang is controversial among historians due to the sparse sources. Gu Hyosung writes in his diploma thesis "Aggression, Nationalism and Martial Arts in East Asia":
“Only a few military historians and conservative nationalist scholars have argued in favor of nationalism that Hwarang was a military organization of young nobles. However, most historians suspect that Hwarang was a religious organization that practiced a variety of physical cultures, of which martial arts was a component. Unfortunately none of this has been handed down. "
Samguk Yusa (삼국유사, 三國 遺事, in memory of the Three Kingdoms)
Like the Samguk Sagi, the Samguk Yusa, written by the monk Iryŏn, (一 然 1206–1289) deals with the time of the Three Kingdoms.
It is believed that the collected works were compiled in the 1280s and only published in the 1600 century.
Haedong Goseungjeon (해동 고승전, 海東 高僧傳, the lives of eminent Korean monks)
The hagiography Haedong Goseungjeon was written by the monk Gakhun (각훈, 覺 訓) in 1215. Together with the Samguk Yusa and the Samguk Sagi, this work forms one of the most important sources on the Three Kingdoms and the Hwarang. The monk Iryŏn also wrote his work Samguk Yusa six months later based on these texts.
literature
- McCarthy, Kathleen Louise: Kisaeng. In the Koryo Period, Diss. Harvard, 1991 Michigan.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hendrik Rubbeling: Taekkyon - Like water and wind. Self-published, Hamburg 2014, p. 71.
- ↑ a b c Richard Rutt: The Flower Boys of Silla (Hwarang) . Ed .: Transactions of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. Seoul September 1961.
- ↑ It is assumed that the musical education of the Hwarang could be related to the emergence of the Gisaeng : cf. McCarthy, Kathleen Louise: Kisaeng, 79-83.
- ^ A b Carter Eckert: Korea, Old and New: A History . Ed .: Harvard Univ Pr; Edition: Subsequent. 1991, ISBN 0-9627713-0-9 , pp. 30-36 .
- ↑ a b c Kim Hiyoul: Korean History: Introduction to Korean History from Prehistory to Modernity . Ed .: Asgard-Verlag Dr. Werner Hippe GmbH. 1st edition. 2004, ISBN 3-537-82040-2 .
- ^ A b c Carter J. Eckert: Korea, old and new: a history . Ed .: Published for the Korea Institute, Harvard University by Ilchokak. 1990, ISBN 0-9627713-0-9 .
- ↑ Kyung Moon Hwang: A history of Korea . Ed .: Palgrave Macmillan. 2010, ISBN 0-230-20546-1 .
- ^ Maull, HW & Maull, IM: Korea . Ed .: CH Beck. 34th edition. Munich 1987.
- ↑ Gu Hyosung (WS 1993/94): Aggression, Nationalism and Martial Arts in East Asia , p. 21. Diploma thesis in the sports science department at the University of Hamburg, reviewers: Claus Tiedemann and Peter Weinberg