NORTHEAST ASIAN HISTORY FOUNDATION 09/2022
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Im Sang-seon, Honorary Researcher
The Yanbian region is today’s Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in Jilin, China. It has been the main stage for the Korean people since ancient times. It was where Balhae was founded, and Hyeonju and Donggyeong, among the capitals of Balhae, were all in Yanbian. It was the starting point and destination of exchanges between Balhae, Silla, and Japan. This is the reason why many Balhae ruins remain in the Yanbian region.
Tombs of Princess Jeonghye and Princess Jeonghyo
In August 1949, the tomb of Princess Jeonghye (737-777), the second daughter of King Mun (reigned 737-792), who was the third king of Balhae, was discovered at Liuding Mountain in Dunhua, Jilin. This marked a new turning point in the study of the historical geography of Balhae. According to the record that the princess was buried in the hill west of Jinneung, it was presumed that the royal tombs of Balgae were prepared in Liuding Mountain and Chengzi Mountain Fortress was ‘Dongmu Mountain’ where it is said that Balhae was founded.
In 1980, the tomb of another Balhae princess, Princess Jeonghyo (757-792), was discovered in Liuding Mountain, Hualong, Jilin. Princess Jeonghyo was the fourth daughter of King Mun, and she was buried in the hill west of Rangu (染谷). In the tomb chamber with murals, female bones (156 cm) and male bones (161 cm), estimated to be between 25 and 45 years old, were found. They must belong to the princess and her husband. The discovery of Princess Jeonghyo's tomb once again solidified the claim that Xigucheng Fortress is the seat of Hyeonju, the second capital of Balhae.
In 1980, the tomb of another Balhae princess, Princess Jeonghyo (757-792), was discovered in Liuding Mountain, Hualong, Jilin. Princess Jeonghyo was the fourth daughter of King Mun, and she was buried in the hill west of Rangu (染谷). In the tomb chamber with murals, female bones (156 cm) and male bones (161 cm), estimated to be between 25 and 45 years old, were found. They must belong to the princess and her husband. The discovery of Princess Jeonghyo's tomb once again solidified the claim that Xigucheng Fortress is the seat of Hyeonju, the second capital of Balhae.
Tombs of Empress Hyoui and Empress Sunmok
China excavated 14 tombs and a well around the tomb of Princess Jeonghyo in 2004 and 2005 to register Balhae remains as a World Heritage Site and made a 'simple report' (『Archeology (考古)』, Ed. 6, 2009). However, the ‘simple report’ had ‘shocking content.’ It is said that two tombs of Balhae empresses were excavated along with their epitaphs. The tombs belonged to Empress Hyoui of King Mun and Empress Sunmok of the ninth King Gan (reigned 817-818). The epitaph of Empress Sunmok is 34.5cm wide, 55cm tall, and 13cm thick, and out of 141 characters, only 29 characters, "渤海國順穆皇后簡王皇后泰氏也建興十二年七月十五日遷安■陵" were disclosed. Through this, we only learned that Empress Sunmok of Balhae was the Empress Tae of King Gan and that she was moved to the ‘■neung’ on July 15, the 12th year of the Geonheung Era (829).
Unlike the epitaph of Empress Sunmok, only four characters, 孝懿皇后, the name of Empress Hyoui, were included in the report. Eighteen years have passed since the excavation and thirteen years after the publication of the simple report. Still, the entire content of the empresses’ epitaphs has not been disclosed. Since the reason for non-disclosure is not provided, there is a doubt that the disclosure may be delayed because some content contradicts China's interpretation of the history of Balhae, such as naming the emperor of Balhae as well as the empress or content related to Goguryeo is in the epitaphs.
Rediscussing the Location of ‘Jinneung’ and ‘Dongmu Mountain’
In academic circles, it was generally accepted that the 'Jinneung' was located in the Liuding Mountain Cultural Tourism Zone and that the owner of the tomb was Dae Jo-yeong (King Go, reigned 698-719), King Mu (reigned 719-737), or King Mun. However, as the empress's tomb was discovered, a new claim was raised about whether the 'Jinneung' might be located on Longtou Mountain, not Liuding Mountain. The claim presumes that the invisible part ‘■’ of ‘■陵’ in the epitaph of Empress Sunmok is the letter ‘珍.’ The Tomb M11 beside Empress Hyoeui belongs to King Mun, and Tomb M2 beside Empress Sunmok, King Gan.
Along with Jinneung, the fortress in Mopan Village, 10km east of Yanji, is drawing new attention as a candidate site for the founding land of Balhae, 'Dongmu Mountain.' According to the report of the Jilin Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology provided after excavating the fortress in Mopan Village for eight years from 2013 to 2020, the charcoal excavated from the fortress walls indicated that the early walls were built between 656-727 and the later walls were constructed between 1150-1250. The earlier walls date back to when Dae Jo-yeong founded Balhae, and the later walls were built during the Dongxia Dynasty (1215-1233), founded at the Zhen Dynasty's end.
For a more advanced academic discussion on Jinneung and Dongmu Mountain, Chinese academia should disclose the results of the archaeological excavation of the tomb of the Empress of Balhae and the fortress in Mopan Village as soon as possible. In addition, it is time for Korean academia to expedite the comprehensive review of Yanbian's position in the history of Balhae.
Undiscovered Tomb of Balhae’s King
Balhae has the fewest historical records in Korean history. In this sense, the record on Balhae Geumseongmun (Stone and Metal Inscriptions), discovered through archaeological excavation, carries very high value. All four inscriptions found so far are epitaphs that record the life of the person lying in the tomb. Two were princesses, and two were empresses. Two princesses and one empress were the daughters and a wife of King Mun. It is assumed that Jinneung belongs to either King Mun, King Mu, or King Go, but why is the tomb of Balhae’s King not found? Could only women leave the name in Balhae society? There seems to be no end to exploring the 'foggy sea (Balhae).'
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