The ''Chewang un'gi'' (''Songs of Emperors and Kings'') is a historical

poem Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

composed by Yi Sŭnghyu () in 1287, in the late

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

period. Comprising two volumes, it depicts the

history of Korea The Lower Paleolithic era on the Korean Peninsula and in Manchuria began roughly half a million years ago. Christopher J. Norton, "The Current State of Korean Paleoanthropology", (2000), ''Journal of Human Evolution'', 38: 803–825. The earl ...

from

Dangun Dangun or Tangun (; ), also known as Dangun Wanggeom (; ), was the legendary founder and first king of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom. He founded the first kingdom around the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. He is said to be the "gra ...

King Chungnyeol Chungnyeol (3 April 1236 – 30 July 1308), personal name Wang Kŏ, was the 25th king of Korea's Goryeo dynasty from 1274 to 1308. He was the son of Wonjong, his predecessor on the throne. Chungnyeol was king during the Japan of Mongol Invasi ...

, and is the second-oldest text recounting the legend of Dangun. The title is sometimes alternatively translated Rhymed Chronicles of Emperors and Kings. Yi composed the text after retiring from government service to the Cheoneunsa monastery on Duta-san mountain in

Samcheok Samcheok (; ) is a city in Gangwon Province, South Korea. To the west are the Taebaek Mountains, which form a high flat plain of more than 1,000 meters, and to the east the coastal plain slopes sharply. Samcheok borders Donghae in the north, ...

, in present-day Gangwon province. The Chewang un'gi is considered important as it is the first history book to record the history of Balhae as Korean history, and has been cited by both North and South Korean scholars. According to Myungkyung University Professor Lee Sooyoung, Yi was motivated to write the Jewangungi due to both the internal political turmoil of the Goryeo court as well as the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

's interference in Goryeo politics during

Goryeo under Mongol rule From about 1270 to 1356, the Korean kingdom of Goryeo was ruled by the Mongol Empire and the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. After the Mongol invasions of Korea and the capitulation of Goryeo in the 13th century, Goryeo became a semi-autonomous vassal s ...

. The first edition of the work was printed in 1295–1296 in Jinju, while Yi was still alive. Both extant texts, however, are from a revised woodcut edition printed in 1360 in Gyeongju. On April 1, 1965, the version kept in

Uiwang Uiwang (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It is one of many satellite cities that ring Seoul, making up the Seoul Capital Area. Its largest immediate urban neighbor is Anyang. The low peaks of the Gwangju Mountains (including M ...

was designated South Korean National Treasure No. 418. Another version, held at the Samseong Museum of Publishing in Seoul, was designated National Treasure No. 1091 in 1991.

Structure

The Chewang un'gi consists of two volumes, both written in seven-character verse; the first deals with the history of China from the earliest years to the

Jin dynasty (1115–1234) The Jin dynasty (, ), officially known as the Great Jin (), was a Jurchen people, Jurchen-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and empire ruled by the Wanyan clan that existed between 1115 and 1234. It is also often called the ...

, and the second covers Korean history from

to King Chungnyeol. The second volume is divided into two parts, the first covering Korean history from

Gojoseon Gojoseon (; ), contemporary name Joseon (; ), was the first kingdom on the Korea, Korean Peninsula. According to Korean mythology, the kingdom was established by the legendary king Dangun. Gojoseon possessed the most advanced culture in th ...

to the

Later Three Kingdoms The Later Three Kingdoms period (; c. 890s – 936 AD) of ancient Korea saw a partial revival of the old three kingdoms which had dominated the peninsula from the 1st century BC to the 7th century. After the Unified Silla kingdom had ruled Kor ...

period in 264 lines of seven-character verse, and second covering the

dynasty in five-character verse.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jewang Ungi 13th-century history books History books about Korea Poems Dangun

Structure

See also

References