Biographies CLIX: Foreign Peoples, Part I: Silla, First Half

¶In the age of high antiquity, the gods of Heaven devoted themselves wholly to the governance of the land of Japan, and had no leisure yet to extend their power beyond its borders. It began when Susanoo-no-Mikoto, leading his son Itakeru-no-Mikoto, went back and forth across the Korean peninsula and had the seeds of trees sown and nurtured there. Inai-no-Mikoto, moreover, was in truth an ancestor of the kings of Silla. In the reign of Emperor Sujin the people of Mimana began to come with tribute, and from then on those who crossed the sea to Japan grew more numerous with each passing day. In the ninth year of Emperor Chūai (200 CE), Empress Jingū campaigned against Silla; she pardoned its king and made him an umakai-be, a stable-keeper bound to render tribute. At about this time Goguryeo and Baekje, which neighbored Silla, submitted one after another, and both asked to become bulwarks of the western frontier. The court accepted this, established the Uchitsumiyake, the "inner imperial domains," and set up a Japanese office in Mimana to oversee the Three Han. Afterward the Mishihase (Sushen) and Bohai also came to submit, drawn by Japan's virtue. In general, when envoys came from the various countries, those who showed loyalty with sincere hearts were received generously and conciliated, those whose letters were discourteous in their wording were sent back from the Dazaifu, and those who came and went with falsehood were taught good faith and then cut off. This accorded with the principle of repelling those who resist and receiving those who comply. The Emishi lived on the north-eastern frontier and repeatedly raided the borders. After Yamato-takeru-no-Mikoto subdued the east, they yielded to instruction and submitted, but their temper remained fierce and they often caused disturbances. The court therefore established the offices of Chinteki (Pacifier of the Northern Barbarians) and Sei-i (Subduer of the Barbarians), to forbid their depredations and guard against sudden outbreaks. Those who wished to become naturalized and enter into allegiance were settled in their several places and allowed to live according to their own nature, and were not permitted to stir up trouble. As for those like the Jurchen and the Mongols, who relied on force of arms to raid the frontiers, they were swept away at once and destroyed without delay, and were not allowed to give free rein to their poison. Ah! From this one may glimpse both the institutions by which the sacred court conciliated distant peoples and its intention in punishing the guilty. Now, taking what can be verified against the records, we gather it here into biographies.

¶Silla (Shiragi), First Half Silla was originally the land of Jinhan. It lay to the north-west of Tsukushi and to the south-east of Mahan. At first there were six clans, called Alcheon Yangsan village, Dolsan Gohe village, Chwisan Jinji village, Musan Daesu village, Geumsan Gari village, and Myeonghwalsan Gona village. Later, people who had fled the forced labor of Qin moved into the land of the Han, and the Han gave them land one hundred li in depth along its eastern border. After that, still more people fleeing Qin came and settled, the territory gradually widened, and they came to live intermingled with the people of Jinhan. Their speech had much in common with that of the people of Qin, and for this reason the country was also called Qin-Han. There were twelve states in all, and a man of Mahan was always their overlord; Silla was one of them. The land was suited to the five grains, and sericulture flourished (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam). It was their custom to abhor the dead above all things: when someone died, even a parent, brother, or spouse would avoid the body and would not look upon it (Note: following the Nihongi).

¶The chief of Gohe village was Lord Sobal. Hearing a horse neighing in the grove by the Na well at Yangsan, he went to look and found a large egg. When he broke it open there was an infant inside, so he took the child in and raised it. As the child grew, his brilliance became ever more conspicuous, and the six clans honored him and set him up as their ruler. He was thirteen years old, and his name was Hyeokgeose. Because the egg he had first been found in resembled a gourd, and a gourd is called "bak" in the language of Jinhan, he took Bak as his surname and styled himself Geoseogan, a title meaning the same as "king." He named the state Seorabeol and built a walled capital, which he called Geumseong. Byeonhan came and submitted, and the power of the state gradually grew. This year corresponds to the sixty-first year of Emperor Sujin (37 BCE by the traditional chronology) (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam; the Samguk sagi itself places this accession in 57 BCE). In the third year of Emperor Suinin (27 BCE), Ame-no-Hiboko, a prince of Silla, came to the court, presented pearls, jewels, swords, and other articles, and remained, never returning to his own country (Note: following the Nihongi).

¶When Hyeokgeose died, his son Namhae succeeded him. He was styled Chachaung, or sometimes Jajung, which in the local dialect means "shaman," because he was revered as one who served the gods. On his deathbed Namhae gave instructions to his son Yuri and his son-in-law Seok Talhae: "After I die, whichever of you, of the two surnames Bak and Seok, is the elder shall succeed to the throne." Yuri tried to yield the throne to Talhae, but Talhae said, "I have heard that sages and wise men have many teeth. Let us try biting a rice cake." Yuri's tooth marks were dense and long, so Yuri was set up as king and styled Isageum, which in the dialect means "tooth marks." Thereafter the elder with the most teeth always succeeded to the throne and was called Isageum. Seok Talhae was made Daebo, Grand Assistant, and the names of the six departments were changed. The Yangsan department became Yang-bu and was given the surname Yi; the Gohe department became Saryang-bu and was given the surname Choe; the Daesu department became Jeomnyang-bu and was given the surname Son; the Ujin department became Bonpi-bu and was given the surname Jeong; the Gari department became Hangi-bu and was given the surname Bae; and the Myeonghwal department became Seupbi-bu and was given the surname Seol. The women of the six departments were divided into two groups, and Yuri's two daughters each led one group. Every year from the sixteenth day of the seventh month, the two daughters each led the women of their departments, who gathered in the courtyard of the department every day from early morning to spin and weave, and dispersed at midnight. On the fifteenth day of the eighth month the amount of work done was compared, and the losing side prepared wine and food to entertain the winners. The singing and dancing in which they joined one another was called "Gabae." At this time seventeen official ranks were first established, called Ibeolchan, Ichukchan, Japchan, Pajinchan, and Daeachan, all conferred on those of jingol (the "true bone," the royal bloodline). Below these came Achan (from Jung-achan to Sa-jung-achan), Gilchan, Sachan, Geupbeolchan, Daenama (from Jung-daenama to Gu-jung-daenama), Nama (from Jung-nama to Chil-jung-nama), Daesa, Saji, Gilsa, Daeo, Soo, and Jowi.

¶When Yuri died, Seok Talhae took the throne. Talhae was a prince of the country of Dapana, which lay in the sea to the east. His queen gave birth to one great egg; regarding it as ill-omened, they placed it in a chest and cast it into the sea. The chest drifted on and on until it came ashore at Ajinpo in Han, where an old woman picked it up. When she opened it there was an infant inside, and she took him in and raised him. When he grew up he stood nine shaku tall, and his wisdom surpassed that of ordinary men. Because a swan (kugui, a white swan) had accompanied the chest, crying, as it drifted ashore, he took the surname Seok, and because he had emerged when the chest was unfastened, he was named Talhae. Hearing of his wisdom, Namhae gave him his daughter in marriage. Now, when Yuri died and Talhae took the throne, he was styled Isageum. Hearing a cock crowing to the west of Geumseong, Talhae sent Hogong to find out the cause. When Hogong reached Sirim, the forest to the west of the city, he found a golden chest hanging from the top of a tree, with a white cock crowing beneath it. Talhae ordered the chest opened, and a small boy appeared. Talhae was delighted and said to those about him, "Has not Heaven granted me an heir?" He took the boy in and raised him, and named him Alji; "alji" in the vulgar tongue means "small child." Because he had come out of a golden chest, he was given the surname Kim. The name of Sirim was changed to Gyerim, and this in time became the name of the country. When Talhae died, Yuri's son Bak Pasa took the throne. After his death his son Bak Jima succeeded; after his death, as he had no son, Yuri's eldest son Bak Ilseong succeeded; after his death his son Bak Adalla succeeded; and after his death, as he had no son, Talhae's grandson Seok Beolhyu succeeded. After his death his grandson Seok Naehae succeeded (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam).

¶In the fourth month of the ninth year of Emperor Chūai (200 CE), Empress Jingū issued an edict ordering a campaign to the west. In the ninth month she had the provinces prepare ships and drill troops, divined for an auspicious day, and set out. The Empress herself took up the battle-axes and halberd and commanded the three armies. In the tenth month the fleet sailed from Wani-no-tsu. Great fish pressed close alongside the ships, and the sails filled with a favoring wind; without the aid of oars or sculls they reached Silla in an instant. The tide of the sea surged violently and flooded as far as the Silla capital. The lord and ministers of Silla all said, "Will our country become sea?" Presently the Empress's host arrived, covering the sea. Banners shone in the sunlight, and the sound of gongs and drums echoed through the mountains and over the waters. The king of Silla, Pasa Maegeum (Hasamukin) (Note: another tradition gives him as Uruso-hori-chi-kan. Considering the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam, Pasa Maegeum would seem to be Pasa Isageum, but Pasa had long since taken the throne and long since died, and this year was the fifth year since Seok Naehae took the throne. Here the account of the Nihongi is followed and is not arbitrarily altered), was bewildered with fear and had lost his wits, but at length came to himself and said, "In the east there is a land of gods, called Japan. There is a sage ruler there, called the Tennō. These must surely be that god's soldiers. We cannot possibly resist them." Then he bound both his hands behind his back with a white cord, sealed up the maps and registers of the country, surrendered before the ships of the imperial army, and, striking his head on the ground, said, "From now on I wish to become your umakai-be. Together with Heaven and Earth, I will offer this body to humble service for ever. Without letting the rudders of our ships dry, I will present combs and whips for the horses every spring and autumn, and the tribute of men and women also I will surely deliver, without minding the distance of the sea route. If I break this oath, may the sun rise in the west, may the waters of the Arinare River flow backward, and may the stones of the river rise to heaven and become stars." He swore further, "If I neglect the spring and autumn tribute and abolish the presentation of combs and whips, may the gods of Heaven and the gods of Earth both punish and destroy me." Some among the ministers said this king should be put to death, but the Empress would not listen; she loosed the king of Silla's bonds, pardoned him, and made him an umakai-be. She sealed the storehouses of the country's treasures and took possession of its maps and documents. The Empress set the halberd she held upright at the gate of the Silla king, as a sign for later ages. This halberd remains to this day (Note: following the Nihongi. The Hachiman Gudōkun and the Taiheiki say that the Empress wrote with the tip of her bow on a stone, "The king of Silla is a dog of Japan." But the Empress's campaign against Silla was not an army to call it to account for a crime; it merely demanded surrender and tribute, and she would not have humiliated a king to such a degree. It is not known on what these two books base their account. Probably it arose later, by association with the old story of the Hayato, descendants of Hosuseri-no-Mikoto, who imitated the barking of dogs in their service). When the Empress returned in triumph, she left Ōyata-no-Sukune behind to pacify the place (Note: following the Shōjiroku). Pasa Maegeum gave as a hostage Mishikochi, a Hachinkanki, and sent tribute of gold, silver, figured silk, gauze, and plain silk, in eighty shiploads, to accompany the imperial army. Thereafter this became the rule, and every year a tax of eighty shiploads was paid (Note: following the Nihongi).

¶In the year Kinoto-Tori (205 CE), Silla sent Orei-shibatsu, Mōmarishichi, Furabochi, and others with tribute, and at the same time asked for the return of Mishikochi. Fearing that this would not be granted, they secretly had Mishikochi make a false representation, saying, "The envoys Orei-shibatsu and Mōmarishichi and others have told me, 'Because you have long failed to return, our king has made your wife and children all into slaves.' I beg to return to my country for a time, to find out whether this is true, and then to come back." The Empress Dowager granted this and had Katsuragi-no-Sotsuhiko escort him. The party reached Tsushima and anchored at Sahi-no-umi-no-minato. At this time the Silla envoy Mōmarishichi and the others secretly put Mishikochi aboard a single boat and let him escape. They laid a straw figure on a bed, feigned that it was a sick man, and told Sotsuhiko, "Mishikochi is ill and will soon die." Sotsuhiko sent men to look, and discovered that he had been deceived. He seized the three men, Mōmarishichi and the others, put them in a single cage, and burned them to death. He then went on to Silla, encamped at Tatara-no-tsu, took the fortress of Sawara-no-sashi, and returned with captives (Note: following the Nihongi. Considering the Dongguk tonggam, in the third year of Emperor Richū (402 CE), Kim Silseong took the throne in Silla and sent Naemul's son Misaheun to the court as a hostage. In the seventh year of Emperor Ingyō (418 CE), Naemul's son Nulji killed Silseong and took the throne himself. Nulji wished to see his younger brother Misaheun, and had Bak Jesang deliberately incur guilt and flee to Japan, while Nulji ostensibly seized the families of Misaheun and Jesang. Just then the state was about to take action against Silla, and it had Bak Jesang and Misaheun accompany it as guides as far as an island in the sea. Jesang secretly put Misaheun aboard a ship and let him escape, and he himself was seized and burned to death. Jesang was a fifth-generation descendant of Pasa. This story closely resembles the account in the Nihongi, and the sounds of Mishikochi and Misaheun are also close. However, the dates are considerably later, so it is noted here for the time being for reference). When Naehae died, Beolhyu's grandson Seok Bun took the throne. After his death his younger brother Seok Cheomhae succeeded (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam).

¶In the year Hinoto-U (247 CE), Silla sent envoys with tribute. At this time Silla had seized Baekje's tribute goods. The court therefore detained the envoys and reproached them, and ordered Chikuma-no-Nagahiko to go to the king of Silla and question him about his offense (Note: following the Nihongi. Considering the Dongguk tonggam, in the year Tsuchinoe-Tatsu (248 CE) the king attacked Silla and defeated it. Before this, Katsuyako had gone as envoy to Silla, and Uro had received him. Uro said in jest, "Before long we shall make your king a salt-burning slave and your queen a lowly kitchen maid." The Emperor, hearing of this, was greatly enraged, and in the fourth month of this year he ordered Ujudo to punish Silla. Cheomhae fled to Sochon. Uro asked Cheomhae, "This war today was brought about by me. Let me alone meet it," and went to the camp of the imperial army, saying, "My former words were merely a jest. I never imagined that I would trouble an army to be sent to punish us." The imperial army seized Uro, piled up firewood, and burned him to death. Afterward, when an envoy from our country came to Silla, Uro's wife asked the king of Silla for leave to entertain the envoy in secret, and when he was drunk she burned him to death. Uro was a son of Naehae, and held the ranks of Ichan, Gakgan, and Seobulhan. Considering further a variant tradition in the Nihongi, when Empress Jingū first pacified Silla, the king Kiō, Uruso-hori-chi-kan, came out to greet her and made obeisance; the Empress seized him and brought him to the seashore, cut the tendons of his legs and made him crawl on a stone, then beheaded him and buried him in the sand. She left one man behind as the sai, the governor, of Silla. The queen lured this governor out and questioned him, and learned exactly where the king's corpse was buried. She therefore plotted with the people of the country, killed the governor, dug up the king's corpse, and reburied it. She took the governor's corpse and buried it beneath the king's coffin, saying, "By the order of high and low, this is as it should be." The Empress was enraged at this and raised a great army to wipe out Silla. The people of Silla were afraid, and together they killed the queen as a way of apologizing. Now, comparing the two books, their contents are very much alike. Probably Katsuyako refers to Katsuragi-no-Sotsuhiko, and Uruso-hori-chi-kan to Gakgan Uro. But the old books each contain many errors and the matter can hardly be examined in detail. It is noted here for the time being, for reference).

¶In the year Tsuchinoto-Mi (249 CE), Arata-wake and Kaga-wake were made generals, and leading the Baekje general Mokura-konshi and Kutei and others, they attacked and defeated Silla. They pacified seven countries, Hijihotsu, Arihishi-no-kara (Southern Kara), Toku-no-kuni, Ara, Tara, Takujun, and Kara, and then pushed their army westward to Kokeishin, where they destroyed Tomutare, a southern people of another race. The king of Baekje also joined them with his troops, and on this occasion the four villages of Hiri, Hekichū, Fumiki, and Hanko submitted of their own accord on seeing their strength (Note: following the Nihongi). Cheomhae died without a son, and his son-in-law Kim Michu took the throne. Michu was a descendant in the sixth generation of Kim Alji (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam). In the year Mizunoe-Uma (262 CE), Katsuragi-no-Sotsuhiko was sent, leading troops, to reproach Silla for its default on its tribute (Note: following the Nihongi. The Kudara-ki, quoted in a variant account in that book, says that Silla had two beautiful women splendidly dressed to welcome Sotsuhiko, and that Sotsuhiko accepted them, lost all will to attack, and instead punished the country of Kara on Silla's behalf. The Empress Dowager was greatly enraged and ordered Mokura-konshi and others to pacify and settle Kara. This is not adopted here).

¶In the seventh year of Emperor Ōjin (276 CE), Silla sent envoys with tribute. In the fourteenth year (283 CE), Yuzuki-no-Kimi tried to come and be naturalized, leading the people of one hundred and twenty districts, but Silla obstructed him and would not let him pass; Yuzuki-no-Kimi therefore had no choice but to cross by way of Baekje, and his followers were all held back in Kara. The Emperor issued an edict to Sotsuhiko to bring them back, but Sotsuhiko too was blocked by Silla and could not return (Note: following the Nihongi). Michu died, and Jobun's son Seok Yurye took the throne (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam). In the sixteenth year (285 CE), the Emperor issued an edict to Heguri-no-Tsuku and Ikuha-no-Toda to advance with a heavy force to the border of Silla and demand an explanation of why Sotsuhiko had not returned. Silla submitted to its guilt. Tsuku, together with Sotsuhiko and the others, brought the people of Yuzuki back to Japan (Note: following the Nihongi). Yurye died, and Jobun's grandson Seok Girim took the throne (Note: following the Dongguk tonggam; the Samguk sagi calls him Jobun's eldest son). In the thirty-first year (300 CE), Silla sent envoys to deliver the tax tribute. Their ships anchored at Muko-no-minato in Settsu. At this time the other provinces too had built ships and assembled, and there was a great gathering at Muko. A fire broke out on a Silla ship and spread to the ships of the other provinces. Silla, fearing the consequences, presented shipwrights as tribute (Note: following the Nihongi). Girim died, and Uro's son Seok Heulhae took the throne (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam). In the eleventh year of Emperor Nintoku (323 CE), Silla sent envoys with tribute. These men were put to work building the Manda embankment. In the seventeenth year (329 CE), a descendant of Ikuha-no-Toda was sent to reproach Silla for its default. Heulhae at once delivered one thousand four hundred and sixty bolts of silk and miscellaneous tribute goods in eighty shiploads (Note: following the Nihongi). Heulhae died, and Kim Naemul, son of Migu, the younger brother of Kim Michu, took the throne (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam). In the fifty-third year (365 CE), Taji was sent to reproach Silla for its default in tribute, and an edict was added: "If they do not submit, raise troops and attack them." When Taji advanced with his picked troops, Silla indeed sent out troops to oppose him. Taji held his position firmly and did not sally forth; he seized one Silla scout and asked him about the enemy. The man answered, "There is a strong man named Hyakushō, who always leads the vanguard of the right wing. If you attack the left now, you will win." Taji chose picked cavalry and struck at the left, and the Silla army indeed broke and collapsed. He then let loose his troops to press the advantage, cut down several hundred men, and brought back the people of four towns as captives (Note: following the Nihongi). Naemul died, and Kim Silseong took the throne (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam).

¶In the third year of Emperor Ingyō (414 CE), the Emperor fell ill and asked Silla for a physician. Silseong sent Kim Pajin and Han Gimu to come (Note: they were men of the Hangi department, with the surname Kim and the rank of Pajinchan; the given name is said to be so-and-so. The old text is followed here and is not arbitrarily altered). Before long the Emperor's illness was cured, and after generous rewards he sent them home (Note: following the Nihongi and the Kojiki). Silseong was killed by Naemul's son Nulji, and Kim Nulji took the throne himself and styled himself Maripgan (Note: the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam say that maripgan means "stake." Seo Geojeong says that a stake is a title that marks one's rank). In the forty-second year (453 CE), Emperor Ingyō died. Silla had long neglected tribute, but on hearing of the Emperor's death it was greatly alarmed, and at once sent envoys with tribute of eighty shiploads and eighty musicians; on reaching Tsushima they wept loudly. On arriving at Naniwa-tsu they all put on mourning clothes, bore the tribute goods and musical instruments, and offered their grief at the mogari-no-miya, the temporary place of encoffinment, some weeping and some singing. When the construction of the imperial tomb was complete, they returned to their country. Among those envoys was a man who admired the beauty of Mimi-nashi-yama and Unebi-yama near the capital, and when he reached Kotobiki-zaka he looked back at the two mountains and said, "Uneme-haya, Mimi-haya" (Note: the Nihongi says that, because they were not yet used to the Japanese language, they mispronounced Unebi-yama as "Uneme" and Mimi-nashi-yama as "Mimi"). At this time an umakai-be of Wa heard these words, suspected that the envoy had been intimate with an uneme, a palace serving-woman, and reported it at once to the court (Note: because the "Une" of "Unebi" is read "uneme" and so shares its reading with the word for "palace serving-woman"). All the envoys were therefore seized and examined. The envoys protested, "We spoke only in admiration of the two mountains of the capital, and have never in fact violated any uneme." They were therefore released and sent home. Nulji, hearing of this, was bitterly resentful, and thereafter reduced the number of tribute ships (Note: following the Nihongi). Nulji died, and his son Kim Jabi took the throne (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam).

¶In the eighth year of Emperor Yūryaku's reign (464 CE), Silla still had not sent tribute. Jabi, fearing that the Emperor's army would come to punish him, sought friendship with Goguryeo. Goguryeo sent one hundred soldiers to help guard Silla. Later, when the Goguryeo soldiers were given leave to return home, they used a Silla man as a groom to lead a horse by the bridle, and said as they went, "Your country will before long be annexed to ours." The Silla soldier heard this, feigned illness, lagged behind and fled home, and reported these words in detail. Jabi, knowing that Goguryeo had designs on his country, secretly ordered throughout the land, "Wherever you are, kill all the cocks in your houses" (Note: following the Nihongi. Considering the Old Book of Tang, the people of Goguryeo wore on their heads a cap like a folded phoenix, shaped like a ben (a cap), and men of rank stuck two bird feathers in it. What Silla secretly proclaimed must have referred to the appearance of these Goguryeo men). The people of the country grasped the intent and killed all the Goguryeo men in the country. Only one man escaped. Goguryeo at once dispatched troops, advanced straight into Silla, surrounded the fortress of Chikusokuru-no-sashi, and amused themselves with song and dance. Kim Jabi, hearing at night the sounds of song and dance from all four sides of the fortress, sent a man to Mimana to ask for rescue. The field marshals of the Japanese office there, Kashiwade-no-Ikaruga, Kibi-no-Onashi, and Naniwa-no-Akameko, went to the rescue. Kashiwade-no-Ikaruga faced the Goguryeo army for more than ten days, and by a stratagem utterly defeated it. The enmity between the two countries, Silla and Goguryeo, arose from this (Note: a note in this book says that the two countries mean Silla and Goguryeo). Ikaruga said to Jabi, "You, a country of utmost weakness, stood against a country of utmost strength. Had it not been for the help of the imperial army, this country would no longer have been yours. From now on, how could you possibly turn against the Heavenly Court?" In the ninth year (465 CE) the Emperor intended to lead a campaign against Silla himself, but a god just then declared, "You must not go," and he abandoned the plan. He therefore issued an edict making Ki-no-Oyumi, Soga-no-Karako, Ōtomo-no-Katari-no-Muraji, and Okahi-no-Sukune generals and ordered them to attack Silla. When Ki-no-Oyumi and the others took leave of the Emperor, the Emperor himself pushed the hub of their carriage in encouragement and sent them off. Oyumi and the others reached Silla and defeated its districts and counties one after another. When they advanced to the land of Tokuchi, Jabi fled by night with several hundred horsemen; Oyumi pursued and cut down an enemy general. Tokuchi was already pacified, but the remaining people gathered in camps and would not surrender. Oyumi joined forces with Ōtomo-no-Katari and attacked them. Katari fell in battle, and Oyumi too fell ill and died. The generals could not agree, and Okahi guarded Oyumi's coffin and returned to Japan (Note: following the Nihongi). Kim Jabi died, and his son Kim Soji took the throne (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam). In the twenty-third year (479 CE), Kibi-no-Oshiro became general for the subjugation of Silla. When he had advanced as far as Kibi province the Emperor died, and the Emishi he was leading rebelled. Oshiro destroyed them and, without undertaking the campaign against Silla, returned home. In the third year of Emperor Seinei (482 CE), Silla sent envoys with tribute (Note: following the Nihongi).

¶In the seventh year of Emperor Keitai (513 CE), Silla sent Mon-tokushi as envoy with tribute (Note: following the Nihongi). Kim Soji died, and Kim Jidaero, a great-grandson of Kim Naemul, took the throne. From the founding of the state by Hyeokgeose, Silla had been called Seorabeol, and also Gyerim, Sara, and Saro, so that its name had never been fixed. Its rulers, too, had styled themselves Geoseogan, Chachaung, Isageum, Maripgan, and so on; but at this time the name of the state was fixed as Silla, and the title "king" was first adopted. When Jidaero died, he was given the posthumous name Jijeung. The use of posthumous names in Silla began with him. His son Kim Wonjong took the throne (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam). In the twenty-first year (527 CE), earlier, Silla had attacked Mimana and seized Arihishi-no-kara (Southern Kara) and Tokukotan. At this time an edict ordered Ōmi-no-Kena to lead sixty thousand troops to attack Silla and recover the invaded lands of Southern Kara, Tokukotan, and the rest. Just then Iwai, the Kuni-no-miyatsuko of Tsukushi, rose in rebellion, and Silla secretly aided Iwai. Iwai held the two provinces of Hi and Toyo, plundered the tribute goods of Goguryeo, Baekje, and the others, and cut the sea routes, so that Kena could not advance. In the twenty-third year (529 CE), Tasa-no-tsu in Kara was given to Baekje. Arishi, king of Kara, resented this, sought friendship with Silla, and married a daughter of Kim Wonjong, but her attendants all wore Silla dress. Arishi was angered at this and drove them all out. Kim Wonjong, too, was angry and demanded the return of his daughter, but Arishi did not comply. Kim Wonjong attacked Kara and took eight fortresses. An edict was therefore again issued to Ōmi-no-Kena: "Admonish Silla by imperial order, and have it return the lands of Kara and Tokukotan." Kena went to Ara and summoned the king of Silla. Silla, greatly alarmed at the repeated destruction of the officially affiliated settlements of the vassal state, sent the minor officials Fuchi-nama-rei and Kei-nama-rei and others to hear the purport of the edict. At this time Konomata-kanki, king of Mimana, went to court and reported that Silla had repeatedly crossed the boundary and invaded his vassal state. An edict therefore ordered Kena to proclaim the imperial will to Silla and have it return the lands it had taken from Mimana. Kena went to Yūsen (Ungcheon) and summoned the kings of both Silla and Baekje. The king of Silla, Sarichi (Note: the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam give the name of the king of Silla as Kim Wonjong, but here this book is followed and the name is not altered), sent Kuchifure to receive the edict. Kena reproached him for the king's not having come in person and sent his envoy back. Silla then sent Ishifurechi, the Jōshin-kanki, leading three thousand troops, to hear the purport of the edict. While they were staying at Tatara-no-hara for three months, Ishifurechi's men ran short of food and some went out begging. Omoki-no-Mikari, a follower of Kena, hid himself in a house and, waiting for one of them to pass, struck him with the shaft of a halberd. The man who had gone out begging said, "We have waited three months for the edict and still cannot hear the command. They mean to lure out our Jōshin and kill him." He told this to Ishifurechi. Ishifurechi, fearing that he would be killed and humiliated, plundered four villages, Tatara and the others, and departed (Note: following the Nihongi. A variant account in this book gives the four villages as Kinkan, Haibo, Anta, and Ida). Kim Wonjong died and was given the posthumous name Beopheung. Kim Sammaekjong, a son of his younger brother Ipjong, took the throne (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam).

¶In the first year of Emperor Kinmei (540 CE), Silla sent envoys with tribute. In the twelfth year (551 CE), it joined with Baekje troops to attack Goguryeo. Baekje first attacked and broke Pyongyang and seized the land of the six districts of Hanseong. Silla, exploiting this victory, seized the land of ten districts inside Kōken (Note: following the Nihongi and the Dongguk tonggam). In the thirteenth year (552 CE), Baekje abandoned Pyongyang and Hanseong. Silla thereby took Gyūtōhō and Nitōhō, and entered and settled in Hanseong. In the fifteenth year (554 CE), King Myeong of Baekje attacked and burned Hamsanseong (Note: the Dongguk tonggam writes it Gwansanseong). Yeo Chang, a prince of Baekje, again led troops to attack and encamped at Kudamura-no-sashi. King Myeong of Baekje followed with his troops. Silla, hearing that Myeong had come, mobilized the troops of the whole country, cut off his rear, and utterly defeated him. A slave soldier, Kuto (Note: a note in this book says he was also called Kokchi, and that the Dongguk tonggam gives him as the subordinate general Gogan Doryeok), captured King Myeong of Baekje, and those otherwise killed or captured were very many. Yeo Chang escaped alone. Silla wished to press its advantage and pursue him, but one general said, "That must not be done. The Emperor of Japan has long hated our country over the Mimana affair, and if we now destroy even Baekje's officially affiliated settlements, we shall surely bring later disaster on ourselves," and so the plan was abandoned. In the eleventh year (550 CE), Silla sent Ochikochi-nama to present tribute, and he was granted hospitality beyond the usual. Ochikochi returned greatly pleased and said, "The envoy who carries tribute holds an office of weight for the state, yet the world makes light of it. But in his advances and retreats the fate of the common people truly depends. If the wrong man is chosen, it is not merely a matter of disgracing the commands of the state; the cause of disaster and disorder will surely lie in this. From now on, the choice of such men should be taken seriously." Sammaekjong (Sammaekjong) commended this. In the twenty-second year (561 CE), Silla sent Kureishi Kyūbatsukan to present tribute (Note: Kyūbatsukan is the same as Geupbeolchan), but the reception by the official in charge of guests was more perfunctory than usual. Kureishi was angry and went home without taking leave. In this year Silla again sent Nutei Daesa to present the earlier tribute. A certain Nukatabe, the official in charge of reception, placed Nutei's seat below that of the Baekje envoy. Nutei, angry, refused to enter the guest house and went home, and on reaching Anato found that the guest house at Anato was being repaired. Nutei asked, "What is the repair for?" and the craftsman Kawachi-no-Oshikatsu answered falsely, "It is being prepared for the interrogation of discourteous envoys from the west." Nutei hurried home and reported this to his own country. Silla therefore built a fortress on Ara-no-hashi-yama to prepare for war. In the twenty-third year (562 CE), it seized Mimana (Note: the Dongguk tonggam says that Dae Gaya was destroyed; details are given in the Biography of Mimana). The Great General Ki-no-Omaro was ordered to take the field at Tari, and the Deputy General Kawabe-no-Nie at Kosoyama, to call Silla to account for its crime of destroying Mimana. When Omaro's army reached Mimana, he sent Komohayabe-no-Tomi to Baekje to arrange military matters, but Tomi dropped the document on the way, and Silla obtained it, learned the army's plans in detail, and suddenly sent out troops to attack. Omaro defeated them, regrouped his army, and entered Baekje. Kawabe-no-Nie advanced alone and rashly, and in the end was taken prisoner. Tsuki-no-Ikina was also captured, but did not yield and died. In the autumn Silla sent an envoy to present tribute. The envoy, knowing that the court was angry at Silla's destruction of Mimana, was afraid and could not ask to return home, and was enrolled as commoners in Sarara district in Kawachi. In the winter another envoy was sent with tribute, but this envoy too was detained and did not return, and was enrolled as commoners in Mishima district in Settsu. In the thirty-second year (571 CE), Sakata-no-Mimiko-no-iratsuko was sent to Silla. In the summer the Emperor died, leaving an edict to attack Silla and restore Mimana. The Silla envoy Mishikoshisshō and others came to offer condolences for the national mourning, and offered their grief at the mogari-no-miya (Note: following the Nihongi).

¶In the third year of Emperor Bidatsu (574 CE), Silla sent envoys to deliver tribute. In the fourth year (575 CE), since Silla had still not restored Mimana, Naniwa-no-Iwakane was sent to Silla (Note: this book writes his name as Kaneko, or sometimes simply Kane. The account of the sixth year of Emperor Suiko is followed here). In this year Silla sent envoys to deliver tribute, and it was larger than the usual amount. Separately from this it also presented the tribute of four towns, Tatara, Sunara, Wada, and Hochiki (Note: following the Nihongi). In the fifth year (576 CE), Sammaekjong died and was given the posthumous name Jinheung, and his son Kim Geumnyun took the throne (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam). In the eighth year (579 CE), Kishisshō-nama was sent to present tribute and a Buddhist image (Note: following the Nihongi). In this year Geumnyun died and was given the posthumous name Jinji, and Kim Baekjeong, a son of his elder brother Dongnyun, took the throne (Note: following the Dongguk tonggam). In the ninth year (580 CE), Antōmatsu and Shisshō-nama were sent with tribute, but it was not accepted and they were sent back. In the eleventh year (582 CE), Antōmatsu and Shisshō-nama were again sent with tribute, and again it was not accepted. In the twelfth year (583 CE), envoys were sent to deliver tribute. In the thirteenth year (584 CE), Naniwa-no-Itabi was sent to Silla. In the fourth year of Emperor Sushun (591 CE), Ki-no-Omaro, Kose-no-Hirafu (Note: the Shōtoku Taishi-den gives him as Kose-no-Omi-Saru), Ōtomo-no-Kui, and Katsuragi-no-Torinara were made generals and led more than twenty thousand troops to attack Silla. When they had advanced as far as Tsukushi, Naniwa-no-Iwakane was first sent to Silla to announce the restoration of Mimana. In the following year (592 CE) the Emperor was assassinated and died, so the army could not be set in motion and remained in Tsukushi (Note: following the Nihongi).

¶In the fifth year of Emperor Suiko (597 CE), Naniwa-no-Iwakane was again sent to Silla. In the sixth year (598 CE), one peacock was presented. In the eighth year (600 CE), Silla attacked Mimana (Note: Silla had already destroyed Mimana, so it is doubtful that it is here said to have attacked it again. Probably the court pressed it with a show of military force, and Silla feared that the old lands of Mimana would be taken back. It cannot now be made clear). A certain Sakaibe was therefore made Great General and a certain Hozumi Deputy General, and with more than ten thousand troops they attacked Silla and took five fortresses. Kim Baekjeong raised a white banner, went to the camp of the imperial army, and asked to surrender, ceding the six fortresses of Tatara, Sunara, Hochiki, Ida, Nankara, and Arara. Sakaibe and the others sent a swift messenger to report to the throne, and sent Naniwa-no-Kami to Silla to observe the situation. Baekjeong also sent an envoy to petition, "In Heaven there are gods, and on Earth there is the Emperor. What else is there to fear? From now on the two countries will be at peace and friendship, and will never again attack each other. Without letting the rudders of our ships dry, we shall bring tribute every year." An edict therefore ordered the army to withdraw. But Silla again invaded Mimana. In the ninth year (601 CE), the spy Kamata came to Tsushima; he was seized and exiled to Kōzuke, and an edict called for deliberation on the attack on Silla. In the tenth year (602 CE), Prince Kume was made Great General for the Subjugation of Silla and led twenty-five thousand troops as far as Tsukushi, where he had ships and military provisions prepared. In the following year Kume died of illness and Prince Taima took his place. But his consort Toneri-hime suddenly died, and the expedition was not carried out. In the sixteenth year (608 CE), many people of Silla came to be naturalized. In the eighteenth year (610 CE), Nama Chikuseishi of the Sarebe (Note: according to the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam, Sarebe is probably a corruption of Saryang-bu) was sent to deliver tribute. In the nineteenth year (611 CE), Nama Hokushichi of the Sarebe was sent with tribute. In the twenty-fourth year (616 CE), Nama Chikuseishi was sent to present a Buddhist image. In the twenty-ninth year (621 CE), Naimibai was sent bearing a memorial and tribute. Silla's presenting of a memorial began with this. In the thirty-first year (623 CE), Nama Chisenji was sent with tribute, and also presented a Buddhist image, a golden pagoda, relics, and large and small banners. In this year Silla attacked Mimana and took it again. An edict called for deliberation on the attack on Silla. Naniwa-no-Iwakane was therefore sent to Silla and Kishi-no-Kuraji to Mimana. Baekjeong sent eight senior officials to plead, "Mimana is a small country, a dependency of the Emperor. How could Baekjeong possibly take it for his own?" and sent Nama Chisenchi and the Mimana man Datsusotsu Namachi to deliver the tribute of both countries. Before these envoys had arrived, Daitoku Sakaibe-no-Omaro, Shōtoku Nakatomi-no-Kuni, and others led an army of many tens of thousands and attacked Silla. Baekjeong, trembling with fear, sent a memorial of apology. An edict forgave him. When Iwakane had first gone to Silla, Silla had welcomed and honored him at the port with one splendidly adorned ship. Iwakane asked, "Whose ship is this?" and was told, "A ship of Silla." Iwakane said, "Why is there no ship of Mimana?" and on the spot another ship was added. From this began the custom of two welcoming ships (Note: following the Nihongi). In the fourth year of Emperor Jomei (632 CE), Baekjeong died and was given the posthumous name Jinpyeong, but he had no son. The people of the country set up his eldest daughter Deokman as king (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam). She sent envoys to escort Mita-no-Suki, the envoy to Tang, and the Tang envoy Gao Biaoren and others. In the tenth year (638 CE), envoys were sent with tribute. In the eleventh year (639 CE), envoys were sent to escort the return of Eun and other students-monks who had gone to Tang. The envoys were granted one grade of cap rank. In the twelfth year (640 CE), envoys were sent with tribute and also to escort the return of Takamuko and Genri and the other student scholars who had gone to Tang. The envoys were granted one grade of rank. In the first year of Empress Kōgyoku (642 CE), Kusakabe-no-Mato was sent to Silla. Deokman sent two envoys, one to congratulate the accession and one to mourn the great funeral, who came to the court (Note: following the Nihongi).

¶In the first and second years of the Taika era under Emperor Kōtoku (645 CE, 646 CE), Silla sent tribute repeatedly. Takamuko-no-Genri, of Shōtoku rank, was sent to demand hostages from Silla, and an edict also abolished the tribute of Mimana (Note: following the Nihongi. In the previous year the Baekje envoy had also served as envoy for the tribute of Mimana, and he was rebuked and sent back. That the tribute of Mimana was abolished at this time was probably because the court recognized that Mimana could not stand independent and so allowed Silla finally to possess it, taking hostages in exchange). In the third year (647 CE), Deokman died and was given the posthumous name Seondeok, and Seungman, a daughter of Gukban, the younger brother of Kim Baekjeong, took the throne (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam). Kim Chunchu, Daeachan and Sangsin (Chief Minister), was sent to enter as a hostage in the train of Takamuko-no-Genri, and presented one peacock and one parrot. Chunchu was handsome in appearance and skilled in conversation. In the fourth year (648 CE), tribute was brought. In the fifth year (649 CE), Miwa-no-Shikobu, of Shō-kage rank, and Kamori-no-Tsunumaro, of Daisen-jō rank, were sent to Silla, and Kim Tasu, Sachan of the Sarebe, took Chunchu's place as hostage at the court. He was accompanied by two attendants, one secretary, one senior official, five middle-ranking guests, ten artisans, one interpreter, sixteen miscellaneous servants, and one monk, thirty-seven persons in all. In the first year of Hakuchi (650 CE), tribute was brought. In the following year (651 CE), Chiman, Sachan, the envoy delivering tribute, arrived at Tsukushi, all of them dressed in the clothing of the country of Tang. The court rebuked them for having arbitrarily changed their customs and altered their dress, scolded them, and sent them back. The minister Kose-no-Tokoda memorialized, "If we do not attack now and let this opportunity slip, we shall surely come to regret it. Pray have ships and boats lined up in great numbers from Naniwa to Tsukushi, make military preparations stern, display the might of the state, and reprimand their envoys. Then, without wearying the army, they will submit of themselves." But the Emperor did not accept this. In the third and fourth years (652 CE, 653 CE) tribute was brought each year. In the autumn of the fifth year (654 CE), envoys were sent to escort the return of Kishi-no-Nagani and the other envoys to Tang. In the winter the Emperor died. Kose-no-Inamochi was sent to Silla to announce the Emperor's death. In the twelfth month, envoys were sent to offer condolences for the late Emperor (Note: following the Nihongi). In this year Seungman died and was given the posthumous name Jindeok, and Ichan Kim Chunchu took the throne. Chunchu was a grandson of Kim Geumnyun. Earlier, when the Baekje general Yunchung had captured the Silla fortress of Daeya, Kim Pumseok, Chunchu's son-in-law, killed his wife and children and then took his own life. Chunchu wished to repay this grudge on Baekje, and asked Deokman for leave to go himself as envoy to Goguryeo, where he begged aid of Dae Daero Gaegeum (Note: also called Sogaemun). Goguryeo detained him for sixty days, and Chunchu was at last able to escape and return. Thereafter he came to hold Baekje as a deep enemy and to resent Goguryeo, and sought to join closely with Tang to achieve his aim against these two countries, repeatedly asking Tang for troops. At just this time Baekje and Goguryeo had joined in friendship, and the troops of both countries together attacked Silla. Chunchu again sent envoys to Tang to ask for troops. Li Shimin, Emperor of Tang, raised an army to attack Goguryeo, and Silla aided him with thirty thousand troops. But the Tang Emperor in the end failed in his purpose and withdrew his army. Chunchu went to Tang himself and, with humble words and generous courtesy, complained that Baekje was blocking the road by which tribute was sent. The Tang Emperor responded by promising to send an army of two hundred thousand, and Chunchu further asked to change his dress and receive clothing in accordance with the institutions of Tang, and also asked to leave his son Munwang in Tang as an attendant guard. The Tang Emperor granted all of these. At this time Seungman died and Chunchu took the throne. In those days the lord and ministers of Baekje were given over to license and extravagance and paid no heed to affairs of state. Chunchu's plan to swallow up Baekje became ever more urgent (Note: following the Dongguk tonggam, and the Nihon Seiki of the Goguryeo monk Dōken, quoted in a variant account in the Nihongi).

¶In the first year of Empress Saimei (655 CE), Chunchu sent envoys with tribute and gave Geupchan Bibu as a hostage. Bibu died soon afterwards. In the following year (656 CE), tribute was brought. In the third year (657 CE), an edict ordered Kim Chunchu to escort the student-monk Chitatsu and Hashihito-no-Umaya and others to Tang, but Chunchu did not comply with the edict. In the following year (658 CE), the monk Chitatsu and his companions went to Tang aboard a Silla ship. In the sixth year (660 CE), Chunchu sent his son Inmun to Tang to ask for troops. The Tang general Su Dingfang led a force of one hundred and thirty thousand and, together with Silla, attacked Baekje and destroyed it (Note: following the Nihongi and a note in this book, and the Dongguk tonggam). The Empress issued an edict to the provinces to build and repair warships and arms. In the spring of the seventh year (661 CE), the Empress intended to lead her naval forces herself to attack Silla, but in the autumn of that year she died at the Asakura Temporary Palace. The Crown Prince, in mourning dress, took charge of military affairs. He sent four generals, including the Front General Azumi-no-Hirafu, of Dai-kage rank, and Kawabe-no-Momoe, of Shō-kage rank, to relieve Baekje and attack Silla (Note: following the Nihongi). In this year Kim Chunchu died and was given the posthumous name Muyeol, and was styled Taejong. His son Kim Beopmin took the throne (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam). In the year Mizunoto-I (663 CE), the Front General Kamitsukeno-no-Wakugo, the Middle General Kose-no-Osa, and the Rear General Abe-no-Hirafu and others were sent with twenty-seven thousand troops to attack Silla, and took the two fortresses of Sabiki and Nue. At this time Buyeo Pung, king of Baekje, killed his Jwapyeong, Boksin, and the country fell into great disorder again. Beopmin then advanced to attack Tsunu together with the Tang general Sun Renshi (Note: the Dongguk tonggam gives it as Juryuseong). The Japanese imperial army went to its relief and fought the Tang army at Hakusukinoe (Note: the Tang Book and the Dongguk tonggam both give it as the mouth of the Baekgang River). The imperial army fell into disorder in its formation and was caught between the Tang forces. The imperial army was utterly defeated; Buyeo Pung fled to Goryeo, and Baekje was finally destroyed. In the year Hinoto-U (667 CE), Kim Beopmin sent envoys to attend the funeral of Empress Saimei (Note: following the Nihongi).

¶In the autumn of the first year of Emperor Tenji (662 CE), Silla sent Sachan Kim Dongeom and others to deliver tribute, and an imperial order granted the king of Silla one ship for tribute, fifty bolts of silk, fifty kin of floss, and one hundred hides, and also granted one ship to his chief minister, Dae-gakgan Kim Yushin, to be delivered through Dongeom and the others. In this year Beopmin joined the Tang general Li Ji and others to attack and destroy Goguryeo. The Silla monk Dōgyō stole the Kusanagi sword and tried to flee with it to Silla, but on the way wind and rain grew fierce and dark, and unable to proceed he turned back (Note: following the Nihongi). Of the Three Kingdoms (Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla), Silla had been the smallest and weakest. Later it gradually nibbled away at Mimana, and in the end, by the strength of the Tang army, destroyed Baekje and Goguryeo. Tang took these two countries over directly as commanderies and counties, but Silla secretly seized and possessed much of it, and its territory gradually grew wider (Note: following the Wenxian tongkao and the Dongguk tonggam). In the second year (663 CE), Sachan Dokyu was sent to deliver tribute. In the summer of the fourth year (665 CE), envoys were sent to deliver tribute, and presented one water buffalo and one mountain fowl. In the autumn Sachan Kim Manmul was sent to deliver tribute. The king of Silla was granted fifty bolts of silk, fifty bolts of coarse silk, one thousand kin of floss, and one hundred hides. In the first year of Emperor Ōtomo (672 CE), Kim Apbo was sent to deliver tribute. In the summer of the first year of Emperor Tenmu (672 CE), Han-achan Kim Seungwon, Achan Kim Jisan, and Daesa Sangseol were sent to congratulate him on his accession, and Ilgilchan Kim Salyu and Han-nama Kim Jisan were sent to mourn the death of Emperor Tenji. Only the envoys congratulating him on his accession were permitted to go up to the capital, and the others were turned back from Tsukushi. In the autumn Han-nama Kim Iik was sent to escort Daehyeong Seokgan and others, the Goguryeo envoys who had come with tribute. In the third year (674 CE), Prince Kim Chung-won, Daegam Geupchan Kim Chaso, Daegam Nama Kim Cheonchung, Jegam Daenama Bak Muma, and Jegam Daesa Kim Naksu were sent to deliver tribute, and Nama Kim Pungna and Kim Hyobok escorted Kim Chung-won. Geupchan Bak Geunsu and Daenama Kim Miha also escorted the Goguryeo envoys. Ōtomo-no-Kunimaro, of Shōkin-jō rank, was sent as an envoy in return. In the fourth year (675 CE), Sachan Kim Cheongpyeong was sent to ask for guidance in government, Geupchan Kim Hoyu and Jegam Daesa Kim Heumgil delivered tribute, and Daenama Kim Yangwon escorted the Goguryeo envoys. In the fifth year (676 CE), Achan Bak Japa and others drifted ashore at Chika-no-shima, and were sent back in the train of Kim Cheongpyeong and the others. In the sixth year (677 CE), Nama Karai-san and Kim Hongse reached Tsukushi and reported that the king had sent Geupchan Kim Somul and Daenama Kim Sese to deliver tribute, but that they had met a violent storm at sea and the ships had all been scattered and their whereabouts were unknown. In the spring of the following year (678 CE), Nama Gammulna was sent to escort Sangbu Daesang Hwanbu and others, the Goguryeo envoys who had come with tribute. In the winter Achan Kim Gyeongna and Sachan Satsuruisei were sent to deliver tribute of cauldrons of gold, silver, and iron, swords of gold and silver, banners, brocade, silk cloth, hides, horses, dogs, mules, and camels, and separately presented gold, silver, swords, and banners to the Empress and the Crown Prince. In the summer of the eighth year (679 CE), Nama Gona was sent to escort the Goguryeo envoys. In the winter Sachan Kim Yakpil and Daenama Kim Wonseung were sent to deliver tribute. In the ninth year (680 CE), Ilgilchan Kim Chungpyeong of the Sarebe and Daenama Kim Ilse were sent to deliver gold, silver, copper, iron, brocade, silk, deerskins, and fine cloth, and separately presented gold, silver, kasumi gauze, and banners and hides to the Emperor, the Empress, and the Crown Prince, and also came to announce the national mourning (Note: following the Nihongi). In this year Beopmin died and was given the posthumous name Munmu. His son Kim Jeongmyeong took the throne (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam). In the tenth year (681 CE), Daenama Kim Seokgi was sent to escort Goguryeo's envoy. In the eleventh year (682 CE), Sachan Kim Jusan and Daenama Kim Jangji were sent to deliver tribute. In the twelfth year (683 CE), Daenama Kim Mulyu escorted Haji-no-Oi and the other students who had gone to Tang. In the thirteenth year (684 CE), Takamuko-no-Maro and the others went as envoys to Silla and returned. Kim Jeongmyeong presented horses, dogs, parrots, magpies, and several kinds of precious vessels. In the winter Pachan Kim Jisang and Dae-achan Kim Geonhun and others were sent to ask for guidance in government, bringing as tribute gold, silver, kasumi brocade, figured silks and gauzes, tiger and leopard skins, chased-gold vessels, medicines, and fine horses, mules, and dogs; Jisang and the others also presented separately sixty each of gold, silver, gauze and figured silk, folding screens, and other articles, and presented further gifts separately to the Empress, the Crown Prince, and the imperial princes.

¶In the first year of Empress Jitō (687 CE), Tanaka-no-Norimaro, of Jikikō-shi rank, and Mori-no-Kimi-no-Karita, of Tsuidai-ni rank, were sent to Silla to announce the national mourning. In the autumn Prince Kim Sangnim, Geupchan Kim Salmo, Kim Insul, and Daesa So Yangsin were sent to report on state affairs and deliver tribute. Sangnim and the others also presented several separate articles. The Dazaifu announced the national mourning to Sangnim and the others, and all put on mourning dress, faced east, and bowed three times and wept three times. In the third year (689 CE), Geupchan Kim Dona and others were sent to mourn the death of Emperor Tenmu. Haji-no-Nemaro was ordered to question Kim Dona and the others as follows. "The Daijōkan-kyō, in obedience to the imperial command, questions Dona and the others. Last year, when Tanaka-no-Norimaro went to announce the mourning of the late Emperor, your country said, 'By old precedent a man of the rank of Sopan is used' (Note: the Samguk sagi says that Japchan is also called Sopan and is a rank of the third grade). If you obey the imperial command, you should indeed return to the old precedent. But Norimaro, regarding it as contrary to precedent, did not proclaim the edict and returned. To speak of an earlier instance: in the fifth year of Hakuchi, when Kose-no-Inamochi was sent to announce the mourning of the late Emperor, Kim Chunchu of Yechan rank received the imperial command (Note: the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam have no rank called Yechan; at this time Kim Chunchu was Ichan. Perhaps Ichan is also called Yechan). Yet to say that a man of Sopan rank is used is a falsehood on your part. Earlier, on the occasion of the death of the Emperor who ruled at the Ōmi Palace (Emperor Tenji), you sent Ilgilchan Kim Salyu to mourn, and now to send a Geupchan afterwards is also contrary to precedent. Your country, from the age of our distant imperial ancestors, has come and gone without cease, ship's stern touching ship's stern, and from generation to generation has brought tribute without letting the rudders of its ships dry. Now you reduce the tribute and, calling it separate offerings, feign an increase in number; this disturbs the old rites. Therefore the tribute and the separate offerings are all to be sealed and sent back. You, Dona and the others, return and tell your king: 'The Heavenly Court, in its broad compassion, does not deeply blame past errors. From now on, repent of the earlier faults and be careful for the future.'" In the spring of the fourth year (690 CE), Geupchan Bukjoji and Han-nama Heoman and others of Silla came to be naturalized. In the autumn Daenama Kim Gohun was sent to escort Ōtomobe-no-Hakama, a man of Tsukushi, and the student-monk Chisō and others who had gone to Tang. In the sixth year (692 CE), Geupchan Bak Eokdeok and Kim Simsal were sent to deliver tribute (Note: following the Nihongi). In this year Jeongmyeong died and was given the posthumous name Sinmun. His son Ihong took the throne (Note: following the Samguk sagi and the Dongguk tonggam). In the following year (693 CE), Sachan Kim Gangnam and Han-nama Kim Yangwon were sent to announce the king's death, and Okinaga-no-Oyu, of Jikikō-shi rank, and Ōtomo-no-Kokimi, of Gondai-ni rank, were ordered to offer condolences and also to present funeral gifts. In the spring of the ninth year (695 CE), Prince Kim Yangnim, Bomyeong Salchan Bak Gangguk (Note: the Samguk sagi says that Sachan is also called Salchan), and Han-nama Kim Juhan and Kim Chungseon and others were sent to report on state affairs and deliver tribute (Note: following the Nihongi).