Cheonggu

Cheonggu () also rendered as Qingqiu in Chinese, was a name given by ancient China to the Korean peninsula during the Gojoseon period to the Three Kingdoms period of Korea. "The term 靑丘 (Kor. Ch'ŏnggu) meaning ‘green hills’ is a historic, poetic reference to Korea...The phrase was used by the Chinese in ancient times to refer to Korea. A Chinese legend states that a meteor called Ch'ŏnggu fell to earth on the Korean peninsula. The character ch'ŏng represents the direction ‘east’ and the character ku/gu means ‘earth’ or ‘land’."

Etymology

The origin of the name is unknown with many historians speculating that the letter "Cheong (靑)" meaning "azure" or "clear" often alluded to the cardinal direction, east (see Color in Chinese culture) with "Gu (丘)" meaning "hills" or "land". Therefore, the name would have most likely meant "Azure Land" in the east of China.

Another variation of its spelling can be found in Korean historical texts under "靑邱 (Cheonggu/Qingqiu)", most likely a way to prevent naming taboo of Confucius, born Kong Qiu (孔丘) which shares the letter "丘 (Qiu/Gu)".

History

Ancient accounts

The first ever mention of the name "Cheonggu" is found in ''Shanhaijing'' (''Classic of Mountains and Seas''), compiled from the Warring States period to the Western Han period of ancient China. ''Lüshi Chunqiu'' also notes that Cheonggu lies in the east of China as a foreign land.

Another record found in ''Shanhaijing'' claims that Cheonggu was located to the north of "Gunja country (君子國)" meaning "country of the enlightened", a name given by the Chinese to the area of Silla due to its enlightenment in Chinese culture, an allusion to Confucius ideology. Due to the mentioning of it being located in the east of China and above Silla (Gunja), many modern historians suggest that the exact location of Cheonggu to be somewhere in lower Manchuria or just above the Korean peninsula. Judging by the nuance of the records, it can also be deduced that Cheonggu was not part of China's jurisdiction and was not part of the sino-centric sphere. Some historians have suggested Gojoseon (known as simply Joseon in ancient records) as the location of Cheonggu. However, the name of Joseon was introduced separately in the same record and may be considered as a different area.

On the other hand, several sources allude to the inner Korean peninsula as the location of Cheonggu as evident in the Samguk Sagi.

Another evidence within the Chinese record, New Book of Tang mentions Cheonggu where a Tang dynasty general named "Niu Jinda (牛進達)" was given leadership of the Chinese navy for the "Way to Cheonggu (青丘道)" when it declared war on Goguryeo during the rule of Emperor Taizong of Tang.

As evident in the Goguryeo–Tang War, much of the routes taken by the Tang forces were through the Yellow sea into the inner Korean peninsula, therefore, it can be deduced that the "Way to Cheonggu" meant this certain vicinity.

Another argument that is now considered a fringe theory is that "靑丘" originally meant the area of present day Dalian. However, this theory is not academically supported by mainstream scholars.

Modern accounts

The general consensus is that the initial use of the word "靑丘" did not point to a specific location. Instead, it was used as a general term for anywhere in the east of China which included both Manchuria and the Korean peninsula. Meaning, regardless of its exact location, if it was in the east of China then it was most likely called "Cheonggu/Qingqiu". It was only when the Koreans decided to embrace the name as part of their identity during the Thee Kingdoms period when it became more specifically used as a placename for Korea.

Legacy

After adopting and fully embracing the name, Koreans widely used the name "Cheonggu" as part of their identity throughout their history as evident in many of their records recording the peninsula under Cheonggu.

The name became a prevalent placename that alluded to the general term for the peninsula. In maps like the " Cheonggudo (청구도) ko">:ko:청구도">ko include the term to represent the land they were depicting.

It was also used during the Japanese annexation of Korea where a newspaper was published under the same name called '' Ch'ŏnggu Sinbo.''

In modern Korea, Cheonggu is carried over to names such as Cheonggu station, Cheonggu-dong etc. all sharing the same characters of the ancient placename.

Possible connections to Japan

The story of fox spirits being worshiped by the inhabitants of Cheonggu might draw connections to Japan as the ''kami'' Inari of Shintoism is believed to be a foreign god thought to have been introduced by the Hata clan of Silla. The kami, a deity that looks over foxes, fertility, rice, tea and sake, of agriculture and industry, of general prosperity and worldly success, is believed to have been introduced first in the late fifth century suggested by scholars such as Kazuo HigoHigo, Kazuo. "Inari Shinkō no Hajime". ''Inari Shinkō'' (ed. Hiroji Naoe). Tokyo: Yūzankaku Shuppan, 1983. as the name "Inari" does not appear in classical Japanese mythology.Smyers 16

In addition, Fushimi Inari-taisha, the same shrine built by the Hata clan and one of the most influential shrines to officially celebrate the god Inari, also stated that the fox deity was most likely not of Japanese origin and had most likely arrived in Japan from the kingdoms of the Korean peninsula. It states that during the Three Kingdoms period, foxes were widely celebrated as gods and were deified as protectors of agriculture and prosperity due to the influence of Buddhism. This sentiment was later carried over to the Japanese archipelago by the Hata clan and other immigrant clans which arrived in Japan in the earlier centuries and was given the name "稲荷 (いなり)" in ''kanji'' which means "carrying rice", (literally "rice load") first found in the '' Ruijū Kokushi'' in 892 AD.

A Chinese record called ''Taiping Guangji'' states that a Taoist scholar, Luo Gongyuan of Tang dynasty encountered a fox spirit that he exorcised to Silla, and instead of killing it, the people of Silla worshiped said spirit.

A poem by Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn that was created during the Silla period also euphemizes foxes as mystical beings that represent great beauty.

By cross-referencing Chinese, Korean and Japanese records, it can be deduced that the Korean peninsula was a place where people worshiped foxes as deities due to native shamanistic and later, Buddhist influence. Hence, why foxes are heavily associated with Cheonggu and other Korean kingdoms such as Silla.

References

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Names of Korea
History of China
China–Korea relations
Historiography of Korea