| Tan'gun | |
 Portrait of Tan'gun (by Chae Yong-sin, 19–20th century) | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 단군왕검 |
| Hanja | 檀君王儉 |
| RR | Dangun wanggeom |
| MR | Tan'gun wanggŏm |
| IPA | [tan.ɡunwaŋ.ɡʌm] |
Tan'gun (Korean:단군;Hanja:檀君;RR:Dangun;pronounced[tan.ɡun]), also known asTan'gun Wanggŏm (단군왕검;檀君王儉;[tan.ɡunwaŋ.ɡʌm]), was the legendary founder and first king ofGojoseon, the firstKorean kingdom.[1] He founded the first kingdom around the northern part of theKorean Peninsula. He is said to be the "grandson of heaven",[2] "son of a bear",[3] and to have founded the first kingdom in2333 BC.
The earliest recorded version of the Tan'gun legend appears in the 13th-centurySamguk yusa, which purportedly cites Korea's lost historical record,Gogi (고기;古記;lit. 'Ancient Record') and China'sBook of Wei.[4] However, there are no records related to Tan'gun in the current surviving version of theBook of Wei.[5][6]
Koreans celebrate Tan'gun's founding ofGojoseon, Korea's first dynasty, on 3 October as a national holiday known asNational Foundation Day (Gaecheonjeol). It is a religious anniversary started byDaejongism (대종교;大倧教), worshipping Tan'gun.
Many Korean historians regard Tan'gun andTengri as beingetymologically identical.[7]
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InKorean mythology, Tan'gun's ancestry legend begins with his grandfatherHwanin (환인;桓因), the "Lord of Heaven". Hwanin had a son,Hwanung, who yearned to live on the earth among the valleys and the mountains. Hwanin permitted Hwanung and 3,000 followers to descend onto Taebaeksan (written asMyohyang-san insamguk sagi, but now believed to bePaektu Mountain),[8] where Hwanung founded Sinsi (신시;神市, "City of God"). Along with his ministers of clouds, rain and wind, he instituted laws and moral codes and taught humans various arts, medicine, and agriculture.[9] Legend attributes the development ofacupuncture andmoxibustion to Tan'gun.[10]
A tiger and a bear prayed to Hwanung that they might become human. Upon hearing their prayers, Hwanung gave them twenty cloves of garlic and a bundle ofmugwort, ordering them to eat only this sacred food and remain out of the sunlight for 100 days. The tiger gave up after about twenty days and left the cave. However, the bear persevered and was transformed into a woman. The bear and the tiger are said to represent two tribes that sought the favor of the heavenly prince.[11]
The bear-woman,Ungnyeo, was grateful and made offerings to Hwanung. However, she lacked a husband, and soon became sad and prayed beneath a "divinebirch" tree (신단수;神檀樹;shindansu) to be blessed with a child. Hwanung, moved by her prayers, took her for his wife and soon she gave birth to a son named Tan'gun Wang'gŏm.[12]
Tan'gun ascended to the throne, built the walled city ofAsadal situated nearPyongyang (the location is disputed), and called the kingdom Joseon—referred to today asGojoseon so as not to be confused with the later kingdom ofJoseon that was established roughly 2000 years later. He then moved his capital toAsadal on Mount Paegak or Mount Gunghol.[13]
Tan'gun's biography reflected the interest of the people ofDangun Joseon (Gojoseon) at the time in establishing the legitimacy of the kingship of Gojoseon and the dignity of the country. The king of Gojoseon conducted a ritual in honor of his ancestral god every year. Soon, the myth of Tan'gun was the political ideology of the Gojoseon period, and the ritual had a function of political assembly.
Emperor Tan'gun's rule is usually calculated to begin in 2333 BCE, based on the description of theTongguk t'onggam (1485) contrary to the 40th year of the reign of the legendary ChineseEmperor Yao.[14] Other sources vary somewhat, but also put it during Yao's reign (traditional dates: 2357 BC-2256 BC). TheSamguk yusa states Tan'gun ascended to the throne in the 50th year of Yao's reign, whileAnnals of the Joseon Dynasty says the first year andTongguk t'onggam says the 25th year.[15]
Until 1961, the official South Korean era (for numbering years) was called theDangi (단기;檀紀), which began in 2333 BC. Followers ofDaejongism considered 3 October in theKorean calendar asGaecheonjeol.[16] This day is now apublic holiday in South Korea in theGregorian calendar called "National Foundation Day". North Korea dates Tan'gun's founding of Gojoseon to the early 30th century BC.[17]
15 March in the year 4340 of the Tan'gun Era is called "Royal Day Festival" (어천절;御天節;Eocheonjeol), the day that the semi-legendary founder Tan'gun returned to the heavens.[citation needed]
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Tan'gun began to attract attention during the lateGoryeo dynasty, when Koreans fought wars against the MongolianYuan dynasty. During theJoseon period they were worshiped as the ancestors of the nation. In the Joseon dynasty, a shrine dedicated to Tan'gun ofGojoseon and KingChumo of Goguryeo was built in Pyongyang, and the Samseongdang (삼성당;三聖堂), dedicated to the gods of Hwanin, Hwanung, and Tan'gun, was built.
In Korea at the end of the 19th century, it was greatly emphasized to highlight the resistance of the Joseon people against Imperialist invasion, and it developed into a religion,Dangunkyo (단군교;檀君敎). Tan'gun, who emerged as the central figure of nationalism, played a large role in the spiritual foundation of the independence movement during the Japanese colonial period. In addition, the history of the Tan'gun era was compiled by followers ofDaejongism, such as 'Daedong Sagang' (대동사강) and 'Gyuwon Sahwa' (규원사화) and the independence movement, emphasizing the history of the Tan'gun period.
The study of Tan'gun in South Korea focused on the historical significance of the Gojoseon society. In South Korea, Tan'gun Wanggeom is regarded as the head of the Gojoseon society, with many characteristics of the role of high priest. Wanggeom has the meaning of an overlord who governs the country.
In North Korea, the Tan'gun and Tan'gun myths were previously established as the founding myth to justify the process of establishing the Gojoseon regime. However, after the excavation of the supposedly tomb of Tan'gun in 1994, North Korea changed its position and claimed that the Tan'gun myth reflects historical facts and that Tan'gun is a real person. The tomb of Tan'gun was reconstructed and became theMausoleum of Tangun.
The earliest recorded version of the Tan'gun legend appears in the 13th centurySamguk yusa, which cites China'sBook of Wei and Korea's lost history textGogi (고기;古記).[18] This is the best known and most studied version, but similar versions are recorded in theJewang Un-gi by the late Goryeo scholarYi Seunghyu (이승휴;李承休, 1224–1300), as well as theEungje Siju (응제시주;應製詩註) andSejong Sillok (세종실록; commonly known as "Annals of the Joseon Dynasty",Sejong Jang-heon Dae-wang Shil-lok;세종장헌대왕실록;世宗莊憲大王實錄) of the early Joseon. Tan'gun is worshipped today as a deity by the followers ofCheondoism and Daejongism.[19]
Tan'gun is the second pattern orhyeong in theInternational Taekwon-Do Federation form of the Korean martial arttaekwondo. Students learn that the hyeong represents "the holy legendary founder of Korea in the year 2333 BC."[20]
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North Korea's leaderKim Il Sung insisted that Tan'gun was not merely a legend but a real historical person. As a consequence, North Korean archaeologists were compelled to locate the purported remains and grave of Tan'gun.[21]
According to a North Korean publication, theMausoleum of Tan'gun is the alleged burial site of the legendary Tan'gun.[22]
Tan'gun Wanggŏm | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| New creation | King of Gojseon c. 2333 BC – c. 2240 BC | Unknown Next known title holder: Jizi |
