Samguk Sagi
''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Korea, ...
'', it was conquered by the
Silla
Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms ...
general
Kim Isabu
Isabu was a military general and politician of Silla during the 6th century. According to ''Samguk Sagi'', he is the fourth generation descendant of Naemul of Silla. He was also known as Taejong. He is best remembered today for his role in subju ...
in 512. He is said to have used wooden lions or tigers to intimidate the residents into surrendering. It has been written that the alias of Usan-guk is Ulleung-do. Usan-guk rarely entered into historical records, but appears to have continued a largely autonomous existence until its loss of independence to
Goryeo
Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...
in 930.
History
Legend from Ulleung
A legend from Ulleung island tells a story of King Woohae (于海王), who was so strong that he invaded
Tsushima Island
is an island of the Japanese archipelago situated in-between the Tsushima Strait and Korea Strait, approximately halfway between Kyushu and the Korean Peninsula. The main island of Tsushima, once a single island, was divided into two in 1671 by ...
to exterminate Japanese pirates. When King Woohae, tried to go back, the king of Tsushima threw a huge party for Woohae and suggested an amicable diplomatic relationship between the two countries, and asked Woohae to marry his third daughter Pungminyeo (豊美女), who was beautiful. Pung became the Empress of Usan, and after this event, Usan began to fall in decadence, and Usan fell in a few years.
Historical records
Earliest records that appear in the Records of the Three Kingdoms indirectly attest the existence of the kingdom, which says "When Wang Qi(王頎) (of
Okjeo
Okjeo () was an ancient Korean tribal state which arose in the northern Korean peninsula from perhaps the 2nd century BCE to the 5th century CE.
Dong-okjeo (Eastern Okjeo) occupied roughly the area of the Hamgyŏng provinces of North Korea, and ...
to conquer gung (
Dongcheon of Goguryeo
King Dongcheon of Goguryeo (209–248, r. 227–248) was the 11th monarch of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
Family
*Father: King Sansang (산상왕, 山上王)
**Grandfather: King Sindae (신대왕, 新大王)
*Moth ...
), he asked a local man whether there are people living in the east sea, and the man replied there are people living in an island that exists in the eastern seas, and they select a girl to put in the ocean every July."
In
Samguk Sagi
''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Korea, ...
, it is said that because of general
Isabu
Isabu was a military general and politician of Silla during the 6th century. According to ''Samguk Sagi'', he is the fourth generation descendant of Naemul of Silla. He was also known as Taejong. He is best remembered today for his role in subjug ...
's threats with wooden lions, Usan chose to be a vassal state to Silla in 512.
In Goryeosa, it is recorded that Usan requested to be submitted under the rule of Goryeo in 930 by sending Baekgil, and todu. In 1018, when Usan was severely affected by jurchen invasions, the Goryeo king sent Lee won gu with farming equipment, and asked the locals of Usan who have fled from those invasions to return to their lands. Usan was finally abolished and fully incorporated in 1022 as all the refugees from Usan was settled to the region of Yeju.Goryeosa, Book4
Old Korean maps
File:Ulleungdo and Usando.jpg, Joseon map (1530): Ulleungdo (鬱陵島) and Usan (于山島)
File:Gwang Yeodo 18th century.jpg, 廣輿圖 (Gwang Yeodo,1737-1776) This map showed Ulleungdo with a small island off its eastern shore labeled as "the so-called Usando" (所謂 于山島).
File:East of Ulleungdo and Usando.jpg, Kim Jeong-ho "Daedongyeojido" (1861): East of Ulleungdo (鬱陵島) and Usando (于山)
File:DaehanJeondo.jpg, A map by Korean Empire: Ulleungdo (鬱陵島) and Usan (于山)
