Doubts about the Edition of the 〈Samguk yusa〉
Journal Title: International Journal of Korean History - Year 2009, Vol 13, Issue 1
Abstract
The <Samguk yusa (Legends and History of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea)> compiled by the Koryŏ era Buddhist monk Ilyŏn (1206- 1289) is widely regarded as a classic in which the history and culture of ancient Korea are vividly recorded. However, the <Samguk yusa> was up until the Chosŏn era evaluated as a heretic work filled with untruths and nonsense, and the reliability of its records was denied. As the majority of its stories were based on Buddhism, it was only natural that the <Samguk yusa> was heavily criticized by the Confucian scholars of Chosŏn. However, Yi Nŭnghwa’s active use of its pages as historical materials with which to study Buddhism during the early 20th century, and Ch΄oe Namsŏn’s subsequent high evaluation of its historical value, resulted in the <Samguk yusa> becoming widely recognized after the liberation of the nation in 1945 as one of the two great sources, the other being the <Samguk sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms)> written by Kim Pusik, in terms of the study of the ancient Korean history.
Authors and Affiliations
Daejae Park
Keywords
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