Byeon Hyo-mun
Encyclopedia
Byeon Hyo-mun was a Korea
n civil minister (munsin) from the Chogye
Byeon clan during the early period of Korean Joseon Dynasty
. He briefly served as a diplomat
and an ambassador
, representing Joseon
interests in the Tongsinsa (diplomatic mission) to the Ashikaga shogunate
(Muromachi bafuku) in Japan.
in Kamakura
was led by Kyeon Hyo-mun. Its purpose was to offer condolences on the death of Ashikaga Yoshinori
and congratulations on the accession of Ashikaga Yoshikatsu
.
The Japanese hosts may have construed this mission as tending to confirm a Japanocentric world order. Byeon Hyo-mun's actions were more narrowly focused in negotiating protocols for Joseon-Japan diplomatic relations.
Korean diplomatic efforts produced an agreement in 1443, also called the "Kakitsu
treaty" after the Japanese era name
(nengō) which identify the years 1441 through 1444. The agreement regularized an initial plan for mitigating the damage caused by pirates. The bilateral agreement assigned the responsibility for monitoring ships from Japan en route to Korea. The Sō clan
of Tsushima han (Tsushima Island
) were given the right to license ships sailing west beyond Tsushima; and this also encompassed the opportunity to profit from whatever fees the Sō might charge.
In the West, early published accounts of the Joseon kingdom are not extensive, but they are found in Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu (published in Paris in 1832), and in Nihon ōdai ichiran (published in Paris in 1834). Joseon foreign relations and diplomacy are explicitly referenced in the 1834 work.
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n civil minister (munsin) from the Chogye
Hapcheon
Hapcheon County is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Famous people born in the county include former South Korean president Chun Doo-hwan.-Location:...
Byeon clan during the early period of Korean Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
. He briefly served as a diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and an ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
, representing Joseon
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
interests in the Tongsinsa (diplomatic mission) to the Ashikaga shogunate
Ashikaga shogunate
The , also known as the , was a Japanese feudal military regime, ruled by the shoguns of the Ashikaga clan.This period is also known as the Muromachi period and gets its name from Muromachi Street of Kyoto where the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu established his residence...
(Muromachi bafuku) in Japan.
1443 mission to Japan
King Sejong dispatched a diplomatic mission to Japan in 1443, which was the 25nd year of King Sejong's rule. This embassy to court of Ashikaga YoshimasaAshikaga Yoshimasa
was the 8th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1449 to 1473 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshimasa was the son of the sixth shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori....
in Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
was led by Kyeon Hyo-mun. Its purpose was to offer condolences on the death of Ashikaga Yoshinori
Ashikaga Yoshinori
was the 6th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1429 to 1441 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshinori was the son of the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.-Shogunal succession:...
and congratulations on the accession of Ashikaga Yoshikatsu
Ashikaga Yoshikatsu
was the 7th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1442 to 1443 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshikatsu was the son of 6th shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori.Significant events which shaped the period during which Yoshikatsu was shogun:...
.
The Japanese hosts may have construed this mission as tending to confirm a Japanocentric world order. Byeon Hyo-mun's actions were more narrowly focused in negotiating protocols for Joseon-Japan diplomatic relations.
Korean diplomatic efforts produced an agreement in 1443, also called the "Kakitsu
Kakitsu
was a after Eikyō and before Bun'an. This period spanned the years from February 1441 through February 1444. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* 1451 : The era name was changed to mark an event or a number of events...
treaty" after the Japanese era name
Japanese era name
The Japanese era calendar scheme is a common calendar scheme used in Japan, which identifies a year by the combination of the and the year number within the era...
(nengō) which identify the years 1441 through 1444. The agreement regularized an initial plan for mitigating the damage caused by pirates. The bilateral agreement assigned the responsibility for monitoring ships from Japan en route to Korea. The Sō clan
So clan
The Sō were a Japanese clan claiming descent from Taira Tomomori. The clan governed and held Tsushima Island from the 13th-century through the late 19th-century, from the Kamakura period until the end of the Edo period and the Meiji restoration....
of Tsushima han (Tsushima Island
Tsushima Island
Tsushima Island is an island of the Japanese Archipelago situated in the middle of the Tsushima Strait at 34°25'N and 129°20'E. The main island of Tsushima was once a single island, but the island was divided into two in 1671 by the Ōfunakosiseto canal and into three in 1900 by the Manzekiseto canal...
) were given the right to license ships sailing west beyond Tsushima; and this also encompassed the opportunity to profit from whatever fees the Sō might charge.
Recognition in the West
Byeon Hyo-mun's historical significance was confirmed when his mission was specifically mentioned in a widely-distributed history published by the Oriental Translation Fund in 1834.In the West, early published accounts of the Joseon kingdom are not extensive, but they are found in Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu (published in Paris in 1832), and in Nihon ōdai ichiran (published in Paris in 1834). Joseon foreign relations and diplomacy are explicitly referenced in the 1834 work.