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Chosun Tsushinshi was a diplomatic mission sent to Japan from the Joseon dynasty and visited Japan for the 12th time during the Edo period. According to the explanation of the website "Josen Tsushin Navi in Kure City Shimokamagari", which introduces the history, culture and specialties of the Shimokamagari area, centering on the Joseon Tsushinshi Museum in Shimokamagari-cho, Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture, At that time, Joseon envoys came to Japan with national letters from the Korean king on occasions of auspicious occasions or to replace the shogun. ) and Edo (now Tokyo). It was a long journey of just under 2,000 kilometers (approximately 3,000 kilometers round trip), and it is said that on the sea there was a large fleet of ships that welcomed them from the Japanese side, and on land there was a large procession of 2,000 people, including the Japanese guards. At that time, the opportunity to see the procession of Korean envoys in Japan was only once or twice in a lifetime, so it is said that many spectators visited the highway.
According to the site, "The 'communication' of Tsushinshi means to communicate 'faith,' and the significance of the Chosen Tsushinshi is that it was a peaceful exchange between Japan and Korea during the Edo period based on a relationship of trust." he explains.
Regarding the purpose of the Korean envoys, the website states that the Japanese side "strongly impressed the Japanese people with the authority of the Shogunate through a country-wide welcoming event for the arrival of the Korean envoys, and also had the advantage of exchanging goods through trade and absorbing Korea's advanced learning and culture. The Japanese government also had the advantage of exchanging goods through trade and absorbing the advanced learning and culture of Chosun". He also explained that the purpose of the Joseon side was "to bring back Koreans who were prisoners of war in Japan at that time, given the circumstances of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea, and to grasp diplomacy and the situation in Japan".
The chief of the 500 or so envoys was called the seishi, and the three envoys, including the sub-envoy and the envoy, were called the three envoys in positions of responsibility. The chief messenger had the important role of delivering a national letter from the Korean king to the shogun of the Edo Shogunate. In addition to the three envoys, a secretary, an interpreter, and a band also joined the Tsushinshi party.
In 2018, referring to historical materials, the National Research Institute for Maritime Cultural Heritage located in Mokpo City in the southwestern part of South Korea decided to pass on the history of good-neighborhood diplomacy carried out by the Tsushinshi and its construction technology to future generations. restored the Korean envoy ship carrying the Japanese historical materials, such as the "Ship Chart of the Official Envoy of the Korean Envoy," owned by the Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum, were also used as a reference. The restored ship is full-scale, with gross tonnage of 149 tons, length of 34.5 meters, width of 9.3 meters, and height of 5 meters. The construction period, including design and procurement of ship materials, is about four years, and the construction cost is about 211.8 million yen in Japanese yen.
The ship was originally supposed to arrive in August 2019 at the request of the Tsushima side against the backdrop of private-sector exchanges between the two countries. However, due to the deterioration of Japan-South Korea relations at the time and the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the trip was postponed, and test sailing and sightseeing voyages along the coast were repeated.
The ship will be unveiled at the "Tsushima Izuhara Port Festival" to be held on the 5th and 6th in Tsushima. Then, on the morning of the 1st, about 10 people, including the aforementioned Marine Cultural Property Research Institute, which worked on the restoration, boarded the ship and departed from Busan Port. In the afternoon of the same day, they entered Hitakatsu Port in Tsushima City.
The South Korean government has high hopes for revitalization of exchanges between Japan and South Korea, arguing that it has been about 200 years since envoys stopped coming and going at the end of the Edo period. At the Tsushima Izuhara Port Festival, the 'Communication Procession' will be reproduced for the first time in four years, and citizens from both Japan and South Korea will parade through the streets in traditional costumes. Citizens can also experience boarding a restoration ship anchored at the quay. The Busan Cultural Foundation, the Research Institute for Marine Cultural Properties, Tsushima City, and the Tsushima Izuhara Port Festival Promotion Association held an agreement signing ceremony in June and have been preparing for the event. According to Yonhap news agency, Lee Mi Yeon, CEO of the Busan Cultural Foundation, said, "This event reiterates the significance of the Joseon Tongsong envoy as a diplomatic mission and has the meaning of building peace through culture."
2023/08/07 13:23 KST
