- Date: 1471
- Author: Sin Suk-chu
- Korean/Japanese: 海東諸國紀 (Haedong chegukki / Kaitou shokokki)
The Haedong chegukki ("Account of the Various Countries of the Eastern Sea") is a compilation of the history, geography, language, and foreign relations of Japan and Ryûkyû, compiled by Korean official Sin Suk-chu (1417-1475) in 1471. It has been identified as an important source for understanding Joseon Dynasty Korean views and attitudes towards Japan and Ryûkyû.[1]
This text drew upon earlier precedents and regulations for diplomatic relations, and codified them into a new, streamlined system, which would then serve as a basis for the protocols followed in the Korean embassies to Edo during the Tokugawa period. The text was also read by Japanese scholars, including Arai Hakuseki, who wrote a highly detailed annotated version with his own commentary.
The volume includes one of the earliest extant maps of Ryûkyû included in any work.[2]
References
- Etsuko Hae-Jin Kang, Diplomacy and Ideology in Japanese-Korean Relations: From the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century, Palgrave Macmillan (1997), 74.