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Twelve Korean embassies visited [[Edo period]] Japan between [[1607]] to [[1811]]. These were perceived as [[tribute]] missions by the [[Tokugawa bakufu]], and paralleled [[Ryukyuan embassies]] sent by the [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Kingdom of Ryûkyû]].

Twelve Korean embassies visited [[Edo period]] Japan between [[1607]] to [[1811]]. These were perceived as [[tribute]] missions by the [[Tokugawa bakufu]], and paralleled [[Ryukyuan embassies]] sent by the [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Kingdom of Ryûkyû]].

Each mission was led by a civil official, usually of the third rank (in the Korean court hierarchy), and consisted of roughly 500 Koreans,<ref>The smallest Korea mission consisted of roughly 300 people. Lillehoj. p102.</ref> and roughly 1500 Japanese escorts from [[Tsushima han]], the [[han|domain]] which managed Japan-Korea relations in this period. From [[1655]] onwards, all of the missions were sent, nominally, to congratulate a new shogun on his succession; unlike was the case with the Ryûkyû Kingdom, Korea did not send missions upon the succession of their own kings in order to request any sort of ritual acknowledgement or recognition of their new king.

Each mission was led by a civil official, usually of the third rank (in the Korean court hierarchy), and consisted of roughly 500 Koreans,<ref>The smallest Korea mission consisted of roughly 300 people. Lillehoj. p102.</ref> and roughly 1500 Japanese escorts from [[Tsushima han]], the [[han|domain]] which managed Japan-Korea relations in this period. From [[1655]] onwards, all of the missions were sent, nominally, to congratulate a new shogun on his succession; unlike was the case with the Ryûkyû Kingdom, Korea did not send missions upon the succession of their own kings in order to request any sort of ritual acknowledgement or recognition of their new king.

The lead envoy (''seishi'') on such missions wore a robe decorated with ''[[kirin]]''. Formal letters from the King of Korea were carried in a special chest, by a number of Korean officials; this was in contrast to the [[Ryukyuan embassies to Edo]], in which a secretary (''shokanshi'') carried formal letters on his person. Even the open-sided palanquin of the lead envoy himself (making him more visible for onlookers)<ref>Toby, 433.</ref> was carried by Japanese porters, showing the great esteem accorded these communiques. The streets were prepared ahead of time by having the streets swept, and water sprinkled to settle the dust. During the procession, men with long bamboo poles helped push the crowds out of the way, to make room for the procession to pass down the road. While many paradegoers simply stood or sat on the side of the road, others set up viewing booths, complete with [[tatami]] and sliding screen (''[[fusuma]]'') paintings.

The lead envoy (''seishi'') on such missions wore a robe decorated with ''[[kirin]]''. Formal letters from the King of Korea were carried in a special chest, by a number of Korean officials; this was in contrast to the [[Ryukyuan embassies to Edo]], in which a secretary (''shokanshi'') carried formal letters on his person. Even the open-sided palanquin of the lead envoy himself (making him more visible for onlookers)<ref>Toby, 433.</ref> was carried by Japanese porters, showing the great esteem accorded these communiques. The streets were prepared ahead of time by having the streets swept, and water sprinkled to settle the dust. During the procession, men with long bamboo poles helped push the crowds out of the way, to make room for the procession to pass down the road. While many paradegoers simply stood or sat on the side of the road, others set up viewing booths, complete with [[tatami]] and sliding screen (''[[fusuma]]'') paintings.

Japan obtained a variety of goods from Korea during this period, either through tribute or the associated trade, or other gifts, including rice, textiles, ceramics, mother-of-pearl inlays, books, documents such as Buddhist [[sutras]], Buddhist sculptures, and temple bells. However, the greatest bulk of the trade was for ginseng, which comprised 27% of the Korean goods flowing into Japan, and which at times created monetary and trade deficit issues for the Japanese.<ref>Schottenhammer. pp56-57.</ref>

Once the Korean envoys arrived at [[Edo castle|the shogun's castle]], before they entered the audience chamber (''Ôhiroma''), the shogun and a number of his officials and retainers arranged themselves within the chamber. A record from 1719 indicates that at that time, the shogun, ''[[tairo|tairô]]'', two protocol officers, and a retinue carrying their swords, arranged themselves in the upper ''dan'', or dais, of the three in the chamber,<ref>The ''Ôhiroma'' at Edo castle contained three daises, or ''dan'', of differing heights, placing the shogun physically, literally, above those to whom he granted an audience.</ref> and were mostly concealed with blinds (only the middle blind was raised); only the [[Kishu Tokugawa clan|Kii]] and [[Mito Tokugawa clan|Mito]] lords (members of the ''[[Gosanke]]'', holding the name [[Tokugawa clan|Tokugawa]]) sat in the middle ''dan'', while a variety of ''daimyô'' and other retainers sat in the lower ''dan''; the figures seated in the upper ''dan'' were not at all visible from the lower ''dan''.

 

The Korean envoys would then pass through the several anterooms, each also filled with ''daimyô'' and other retainers, and made their way to a wooden veranda outside of the audience chamber. They remained there while their formal missive from the king of Korea was passed forward, eventually being placed on the [[tatami]] just below the upper ''dan''. The Korean envoys bowed and withdrew, and then the master of ceremonies moved the letter to a small alcove behind the shogun's seat. The leaders of the Korean mission (Lead Envoy, Vice Envoy, and Secretary<ref>J: ''seishi'', ''fukushi'', ''shokanshi''</ref>) then approached, one at a time, in order of their status, coming as far as the second tatami mat below the edge of the middle ''dan'' (i.e. sitting in the lower ''dan''), and paid their formal respects, before withdrawing once again.

 

==Timeline of Missions==

==Timeline of Missions==

*Lillehoj, Elizabeth. "A Gift for the Retired Empress." in Lillehoj (ed.). ''Acquisition: Art and Ownership in Edo-Period Japan''. Floating World Editions, 2007. pp91-110.

*Lillehoj, Elizabeth. "A Gift for the Retired Empress." in Lillehoj (ed.). ''Acquisition: Art and Ownership in Edo-Period Japan''. Floating World Editions, 2007. pp91-110.

*Schottenhammer, Angela. "The East Asian maritime world, 1400-1800: Its fabrics of power and dynamics of exchanges - China and her neighbors." in Schottenhammer (ed.) ''The East Asian maritime world, 1400-1800: Its fabrics of power and dynamics of exchanges''. Harrassowitz Verlag, 2007.

*Schottenhammer, Angela. "The East Asian maritime world, 1400-1800: Its fabrics of power and dynamics of exchanges - China and her neighbors." in Schottenhammer (ed.) ''The East Asian maritime world, 1400-1800: Its fabrics of power and dynamics of exchanges''. Harrassowitz Verlag, 2007.

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[[Category:Edo Period]]

[[Category:Edo Period]]

[[Category:Diplomats]]

[[Category:Diplomats]]