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Rumors of crisis in the 18th century of the Chosŏn Dynasty

  • The Review of Korean History
  • 2022, (145), pp.51-80
  • Publisher : The Historical Society Of Korea
  • Research Area : Humanities > History
  • Received : February 2, 2022
  • Accepted : March 3, 2022
  • Published : March 30, 2022

Kim Shin Hoi 1

1소속없음

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study attempts to explore how a certain Toson pigi was appeared in the middle of 18th century in Korea Ch‘ungch’ŏng Province and how it had something to do with a person named Yi Chisŏ who put up a poster. The poster, which was put up in the town of Muńŭi, was based in part on the aforementioned Toson pigi. It had some sentences that were quoted from it. For example, “‘Dragon head and snake tail.’ Dragon head is the mu-chin (year); Snake tail is the last month of the ki-sa (year)” Another sentence quoted went, “Like Wae and not Wae, they come from the south. neither mountain nor water, the benefit is in kung-kung.” For this study, I compared Toson pigi(1748) of Yi Chisŏ with Toson pimun published by Ahn Chungeun(1926-1993) in 1981. This attempt confirms the prophecy record under the title of Toson that contained what content and format in the mid-18th century of the Chosŏn Dynasty. The mu-sin rebellion of 1728 was an event in which the confrontation and conflict of Factionalism among the yangban officials erupted in society as an armed conflict. Yi Chisŏ had distant links with it. He was dissatisfied with the dynasty and the king Yŏngjo(1724-1776) because of his situation of being alienated from political power and his unfortunate economic status. And he took an active interest to the politics of the capital. Yi Chisŏ experienced alienation and poverty, and tried to believe in the end of the real world and the emergence of a new world by relying on prophecy under the name of a person surnamed Chŏng.

Citation status

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