Book “Koguryo-Japan Relations” Published.

The Science and Encyclopedia Publishing House of the DPRK has recently published a book “Koguryo-Japan Relations”, which deals with the political and cultural influence of Koguryo (277 BC-AD 668) on Japan.

The book was written by Candidate Academician, Prof. and Dr. Jo Hui Sung of the History Institute of the Academy of Social Sciences who is the chairman of the History Society of the DPRK.

He said as follows: In the last period, the study of history of the early Korea-Japan relations had leaned towards Kaya (an old kingdom that existed in Korea from the mid-1st century BC to the mid-6th century) or Paekje (late 1st century BC-660) in many cases. With the discovery of data and intensification of researches, it was newly verified that Koguryo had exerted a great political and cultural influence on Japan. In particular, the Izumo area of Japan on the East Sea of Korea and its Yamato Asuka State in the sixth-seventh centuries were much influenced by Koguryo. The book is aimed at telling the facts in detail.

The book, which consists of four chapters, reviews the advance of Koguryo people into Japan and their settlement and distribution through geographical names, documents and archaeological data. It tells about villages and minor states built by Koguryo people in the area of Honshu Island and the increase of influence by those who advanced into the areas of Kawachi and Yamato.

What is noticeable in the book is a fresh proof based on the in-depth study of geographical names, documents and archaeological relics and remains that the ancient Takamatszuka tomb, unearthed in 1972, was built in the sixth century, not in the period between the late 7th century and the early 8th century that the Japanese scholars have insisted so far.

Besides, the book refers to some aspects of Koguryo’s cultural influence on Japan like the origins of the tomb with salient parts at four corners and a group of tombs in Omuro of Shinano (present Nagano) Prefecture, the origin of geographical name of Tokyo’s Musashino, and the derivation of Japanese soy sauce and soybean paste, which have been the subjects of controversy among Japanese historians.