Kija Chosŏn (1120–194 BCE) was a dynasty of Old Chosŏn allegedly founded by the sage Jizi (Kija), a member of the Shang (Yin) dynasty royal house.
Understanding before 20th century
Chinese records
left|thumb|281x281px|[[Jizi, the alleged founder of Kija Chosŏn, according to the Book of Han]]
Chinese records before the Qin dynasty describe Kija (箕子) as the paternal uncle (or brother in other records) of the last king of the Shang dynasty, the tyrannical King Zhou, but contain no mention of king Zhou's relationship with Old Chosŏn. Kija was imprisoned by the tyrant until the downfall of Shang Kingdom, when King Wu of Zhou released him.
Records written after the Qin dynasty, when the Han dynasty and Old Chosŏn were at war, add that Kija led 5,000 to the east of present-day Beijing, as written in the "Geography" section of the Book of Han (although some, especially in China, believe him to have moved to present-day Korea), and became the founding king of Kija Chosŏn. In Sima Qian's Shiji, Kija is mentioned in the following sentence:
Korean historiography
No contemporary Korean sources existed for Kija Chosŏn, and the oldest sources produced in Korea were from the Goryeo dynasty. The earliest Korean record about Kija Chosŏn can be seen from Samguk yusa,
It was widely believed that Kija Chosŏn was located on the Korean Peninsula, replacing Old Chosŏn of Dangun. But some Korean scholars believed that Kija settled west of Old Chosŏn, based on records from "Geography" section of the Book of Han, and the Korean Samguk yusa that suggests that Old Chosŏn continued to coexist with Kija Chosŏn after the migration of Kija. These scholars believed that Kija's influence was limited to western part of Old Chosŏn.
The Genealogy of the Cheongju Han Clan (청주한씨세보) lists the names of 73 rulers of Kija Chosŏn and their periods of reign; however, it is not widely accepted by current Korean mainstream historians.
Wiman Joseon is said to begin with the usurpation of the throne from Chun of Old Chosŏn and the line of kings descended from Kija.
Sin Ch'aeho's opinion
left|thumb|202x202px|[[Sin Ch'aeho (1880–1936)]]
Sin Ch'aeho said that Kija Chosŏn (323–194 BCE) refers to the putative period of Beonjoseon, one of the Three Confederate States of Old Chosŏn, after the Marquess of Joseon from the Gi clan was invaded by Yan as shown in the records of Weilüe. Chinese traditional accounts indicate that Gihu's ancestor, Kija, was the same person as Jizi (both written as 箕子 in Hanzi/Hanja).
According to Sin Ch'aeho's Chosŏn sanggosa, the Three Confederate States of Gojoseon began disintegrating after its king had been killed by a rebel from the Chinese state of Yan at around 323 BCE. With this, the five ministers of Beonjoseon began contending for the throne. Marquess of Chosŏn from the Gi clan joined in this struggle, and emerged victorious as the new king of Beonjoseon, defeating the competitors for the throne. He established Kija Chosŏn, named after his ancestor Kija. During Kija Chosŏn, the king enjoyed strong sovereign powers. Eventually, in 94 BCE, Kija Chosŏn fell after King Chun was overthrown by Wiman, who established Wiman Joseon in its place.
Ryū Imanishi's opinion
left|thumb|200x200px|Ryū Imanishi (1875–1932)
20th century Japanese historian and anthropologist, (今西 龍), stated that Kija Chosŏn was a fabrication created by the Cheongju Han Clan (alleged descendants of Jizi/Kija) of the Lelang Commandery in order to elevate their social status to that of royalty in his 1922 book, Kishichōsen Densetsu Kō (箕子朝鮮伝説考; Analysis of the legend of Kija Chosŏn). Imanishi asserted that Koreans and Jizi had no direct relations outside of unverifiable claims, and that they were not to be taken literally.
Imanishi, who is known to be the pioneer of discovering much of the remains of the Lelang Commandery in Pyongyang, emphasized in his book that though the remnants of Chinese influence (specifically Han dynasty) is clear especially in the northern regions of the peninsula, the likelihood of Kija Chosŏn's existence is improbable as actual evidence of Jizi's Shang dynasty relics are nowhere to be seen.
Controversy surrounding
The Korean historian Kim Jung-bae claims that the association between Jizi and Old Chosŏn is wrong. He believed that the existence of Kija Chosŏn as a state established by Jizi was fabricated during Han dynasty. He further claims that the Bamboo Annals, and Confucius's Analects, which was the earliest extant text that referred to Jizi, did not say anything about his going to Old Chosŏn. Similarly, the Records of the Grand Historian, written soon after the conquest of Wiman Joseon by the Han dynasty, made no reference to Joseon in its discussions about Jizi and no reference to Jizi in its discussions about Joseon.
According to some sources, ancient Koreans claimed that Kija came from the Zhou dynasty but there is no archaeological evidence to support early involvement of the Chinese.
List of monarchs
See also
- History of Korea
- History of Manchuria
- Cheongju Han clan
- Haengju Ki clan
- Taewon Seonu clan
- Icheon Seo clan