| King Seong 聖王 성왕 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| King ofBaekje | |||||
| Reign | 523–554 | ||||
| Coronation | 523 | ||||
| Predecessor | Muryeong of Baekje | ||||
| Successor | Wideok of Baekje | ||||
| Born | 504? Baekje | ||||
| Died | 554 Baekje Gwansanseong | ||||
| |||||
| Father | Muryeong of Baekje | ||||
| Mother | Grand Lady | ||||
| Seong of Baekje | |
| Hangul | 성왕, 명왕, 성명왕 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 聖王, 明王, 聖明王 |
| Revised Romanization | Seong-wang, Myeong-wang, Seongmyeong-wang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŏng-wang, Myŏng-wang, Sŏngmyŏng-wang |
| Birth name | |
| Hangul | 명농 |
| Hanja | 明襛 |
| Revised Romanization | Myeongnong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Myŏngnong |
| Monarchs of Korea |
| Baekje |
|---|
|
Seong (504? – 554) (r. 523–554) was the26th king ofBaekje, one of theThree Kingdoms of Korea. He was a son ofMuryeong of Baekje and is best known for makingBuddhism the state religion, moving the national capital toSabi (present-dayBuyeo County), and reclaiming the center of theKorean Peninsula. His demise eventually came at the hands of an ally who betrayed him. The name Seong translates as 'The Holy.'
Seong was known as a great patron ofBuddhism inKorea, and built many temples and welcomed priests bringing Buddhist texts directly fromIndia. In 528, Baekje officially adopted Buddhism as its state religion. He maintained his country's diplomatic ties withLiang dynastyChina as well asearly Japan.
He sent missions to Liang in 534 and 541, on the second occasion requesting artisans as well as various Buddhist works and a teacher. According to Chinese records, all these requests were granted. A subsequent mission was sent in 549, only to find the Liang capital in the hands of the rebelHou Jing, who threw them in prison for lamenting the fall of the capital.
He is credited with having sent a mission includingNorisachigye (노리사치계, 怒利斯致契, ?-?) in 538 toJapan that brought an image ofShakyamuni and severalsutras to the Japanese court. This has traditionally been considered the official introduction of Buddhism to Japan. An account of this is given inGangōji Garan Engi.
He attended a Buddhist conference atAra Gaya (安羅會議) in 529.Sabi Conferences (泗沘會議) were held in 541 and 544 at Sabi capital.
In 538, he moved the capital fromUngjin (present-dayGongju) further south toSabi (present-dayBuyeo County), on theGeum River. Unlike the earlier move of the capital from the present-daySeoul region to Ungjin, forced by the military pressure of Goguryeo, the move to Sabi was directed by the king to strengthen royal power, aided by the political support of the Sa clan based in Sabi.[1]
He completely reorganized the administration of the country to strengthen central control, to counteract the political power of the noble clans. He changed the name of the country to Nambuyeo,[3] to emphasize the ancient connection toBuyeo.
Baekje had maintained a century-long alliance with its neighborSilla, to balance the threat of the northern kingdomGoguryeo. With the aid of Silla and theGaya confederacy, Seong led a long campaign to regain theHan River valley, the former heartland of Baekje which had been lost toGoguryeo in 475. Baekje regained its original capital in 551. The campaign culminated in 553 with victories in a series of costly assaults on Goguryeo fortifications.
However, under a secret agreement with Goguryeo, Silla troops, arriving on the pretense of offering assistance, attacked the exhausted Baekje army and took possession of the entire Han River valley. Incensed by this betrayal, the following year Seong launched a retaliatory strike against Silla's western border. This attack was led by the crown prince (subsequent kingWideok) and joined by the Gaya confederacy. But Seong and 30,000 Baekje troops were killed in the disastrous battle. This defeat led to significant erosion of royal power.
According to the Shogeishō(聖冏抄), a compilation of the ancient historical records and traditions about the Japanese Prince RegentShotoku Taishi, Guze Kannon is a statue that is the representation of King Seong, which was carved under the order of the subsequentKing Wideok of Baekje.[1] It was written by a Japanese monkShogei (1341–1420), the 7th Patriarchs of theJodo sect. The statue which had originally come fromBaekje[4] to Japan and has been preserved at the Japanese templeHōryū-ji. TheAmerican scholar of Asian culturesErnest Fenollosa describes the Guze Kannon he uncovered at Hōryū-ji along with theTamamushi Shrine as "two great monuments of sixth-centuryCorean Art".[5] It is referred to by the authors of The Cambridge History of Japan as one of the "great works of Asuka art created by foreign priests and preserved as Japanese national treasures".[6]
His third son,Imseongtaeja (琳聖太子), left for Japan, viaTaiwan, after his father was killed. Imseongtaeja is credited for playing a key role in the formation of the early Japanese state. Because of date discrepancies most scholars now say he must have been son ofWideok of Baekje.
Content in this article was copied fromSamguk Sagi Scroll 23 at the Shoki Wiki, which is licensed under theCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA 3.0) license.Seong of Baekje Cadet branch of theHouse of Go Died: 554 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King ofBaekje 523–554 | Succeeded by |