Seong of Baekje (also ''Holy King'', died 554) (r. 523–554) was the 26th king of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

, one of the

Three Kingdoms of Korea Samhan or the Three Kingdoms of Korea () refers to the three kingdoms of Goguryeo (고구려, 高句麗), Baekje (백제, 百濟), and Silla (신라, 新羅). Goguryeo was later known as Goryeo (고려, 高麗), from which the modern name ''Kor ...

. He was a son of Muryeong of Baekje and is best known for making

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

the state religion, moving the national capital to Sabi (present-day

Buyeo County Buyeo County (''Buyeo-gun'') is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Buyeo-eup, the county's capital, was the site of the capital of Baekje from 538-660 AD, during which it was called Sabi Fortress. Famous people associated with ...

), and reclaiming the center of the

Korean Peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. His demise eventually came at the hands of an ally who betrayed him. The name Seong translates as 'The Holy.'

Foreign relations and Buddhism

Seong was known as a great patron of

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, and built many temples and welcomed priests bringing Buddhist texts directly from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. In 528, Baekje officially adopted Buddhism as its state religion. He maintained his country's diplomatic ties with

Liang Dynasty The Liang dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Liang () in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was preceded by the South ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

as well as early Japan. He sent missions to Liang in 534 and 541, on the second occasion requesting artisans as well as various Buddhist works and a teacher. According to Chinese records, all these requests were granted. A subsequent mission was sent in 549, only to find the Liang capital in the hands of the rebel

Hou Jing Hou Jing (; died June 552), courtesy name Wanjing (萬景), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician. He was a general of Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, and Liang, and briefly, after controlling the Liang imperial regime for several ...

, who threw them in prison for lamenting the fall of the capital. He is credited with having sent a mission including Norisachigye (노리사치계, 怒利斯致契, ?-?) in 538 to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

that brought an image of Shakyamuni and several

sutras ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aph ...

to the Japanese court. This has traditionally been considered the official introduction of Buddhism to Japan. An account of this is given in ''

Gangōji Garan Engi , often abbreviated to ''Gangōji Garan Engi'', is a Japanese Buddhist text. It is one volume in length and was compiled by an unnamed Buddhist monk in 747.Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten Henshū Iinkai (1983:60-61) Contents The text is made up of ...

''. He attended a Buddhist conference at

Ara Gaya Ara Gaya, also known as Ana Gaya, Asiryangguk ( 아시량국, 阿尸良國)), and Anra, Alla (안라, 安羅), was a city-state kingdom in the part of Gaya confederacy, in modern-day Haman County of South Korea. As the confrontational foreign ...

(安羅會議) in 529. Sabi Conferences (泗沘會議) were held in 541 and 544 at Sabi capital.

Move of the capital

In 538, he moved the capital from

Ungjin Ungjin, also known as Gomanaru (Hangul: 고마나루, literally "bear port") is a former city on the Korean Peninsula. It was located in modern-day Gongju, South Chungcheong province, South Korea. It was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538 ...

(present-day

Gongju Gongju ([]; Gongju-si) is a city in South Chungcheong province, South Korea. History Gongju was formerly named Ungjin and was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538. In this period, Baekje was under threat from Goguryeo. Goguryeo had overrun ...

) further south to Sabi (present-day

), on the

Geum River The Geumgang River is located in South Korea. It is a major river that originates in Jangsu-eup, North Jeolla Province. It flows northward through North Jeolla and North Chungcheong Provinces and then changes direction in the vicinity of Greater ...

. Unlike the earlier move of the capital from the present-day

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

region to Ungjin, forced by the military pressure of Goguryeo, the move to Sabi was directed by the king to strengthen royal power, aided by the political support of the Sa clan based in Sab

He completely reorganized the administration of the country to strengthen central control, to counteract the political power of the noble clans. He changed the name of the country to Nambuyeo, to emphasize the ancient connection to Buyeo (state), Buyeo. GUZE Kannon Horyuji

Battle among the Three Kingdoms

Baekje had maintained a century-long alliance with its neighbor

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 of K ...

, to balance the threat of the northern kingdom

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled most ...

. With the aid of Silla and the

Gaya confederacy Gaya (, ) was a Korean confederacy of territorial polities in the Nakdong River basin of southern Korea, growing out of the Byeonhan confederacy of the Samhan period. The traditional period used by historians for Gaya chronology is AD 42–53 ...

, Seong led a long campaign to regain the Han River valley, the former heartland of Baekje which had been lost to

in 475. Baekje regained its original capital in 551. The campaign culminated in 553 with victories in a series of costly assaults on Goguryeo fortifications. However, under a secret agreement with Goguryeo, Silla troops, arriving on the pretense of offering assistance, attacked the exhausted Baekje army and took possession of the entire Han River valley. Incensed by this betrayal, the following year Seong launched a retaliatory strike against Silla's western border. This attack was led by the crown prince (subsequent king Wideok) and joined by the Gaya confederacy. But Seong and 30,000 Baekje troops were killed in the disastrous battle. This defeat led to significant erosion of royal power.

Legacy

According to the Shogeishō(聖冏抄), a compilation of the ancient historical records and traditions about the Japanese Prince Regent Shotoku Taishi, Guze Kannon is a statue that is the representation of King Seong, which was carved under the order of the subsequent King Wideok of Baekje. It was written by a Japanese monk Shogei(1341-1420), the 7th Patriarchs of the Jodo sect. The statue which had originally come from

to Japan and has been preserved at the Japanese temple

Hōryū-ji is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, the complex serving as both a seminary and monastery. The temple was ...

. The

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

scholar of Asian cultures

Ernest Fenollosa Ernest Francisco Fenollosa (February 18, 1853 – September 21, 1908) was an American art historian of Japanese art, professor of philosophy and political economy at Tokyo Imperial University. An important educator during the modernization of Japa ...

describes the Guze Kannon he uncovered at Hōryū-ji along with the

Tamamushi Shrine The is a miniature shrine owned by the Hōryū-ji temple complex of Nara, Japan. Its date of construction is unknown, but estimated to be around the middle of the seventh century. Decorated with rare examples of Asuka-period paintings, it pro ...

as ”two great monuments of sixth-century Corean Art”. It is referred to by the authors of The Cambridge History of Japan as one of the "great works of Asuka art created by foreign priests and preserved as Japanese national treasures". His third son, Imseongtaeja (琳聖太子), left for Japan, via

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, after his father was killed. Imseongtaeja is credited for playing a key role in the formation of the early Japanese state. Because of date discrepancies most scholars now say he must have been son of Wideok of Baekje.

Family

* Father: Muryeong of Baekje * Mother: unnamed ** Brother:

Prince Junda was the second son of King Muryeong of Baekje who settled in Japan. His father was born on the island of Kyushu in Japan and because of this was called Semakishi (嶋君) and King Shima (斯麻王). Prince Junda was most likely also born in J ...

(淳陀太子, ?–513) – settled in Japan, became ancestor of

Yamato clan The , also known as , was an immigrant clan active in Japan since the Kofun period (250–538), according to the history of Japan laid out in the '' Nihon Shoki''. The name ''fuhito'' comes from their occupation as scribes. They were descended fro ...

. ** Brother:

Shigakishi , was the third son of King Muryeong of Baekje. Some scholars believe he may be the same person as Prince Junda. In October, 504, king Muryeong of Baekje sent a diplomat named Managun with tribute to Emperor Buretsu of Japan. Buretsu was angry th ...

(斯我君, ?–?) – known in Baekje as ''Buyeo Sa'a''. He was sent to Japan in 505 as a political hostage to

Emperor Buretsu (489 — 7 January 507) was the 25th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 武烈天皇 (25)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's life or reign, but ...

of Japan. ** Queen(s): unknown *** 1st son: Buyeo Chang (扶餘昌, 525–598) – 27th King of Baekje, Wideok of Baekje. *** 2nd son: Buyeo Gye (扶餘季, 527–599) – 28th King of Baekje,

Hye of Baekje King Hye of Baekje (died 599) (r. 598–599) was the 28th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The second son of the 26th king Seong, he assumed the throne after the death of his older brother and 27th king Wideok, but reigned o ...

. *** Daughter: Lady Sobi (比召, ?–?) – consort of the 24th King of Silla,

Jinheung of Silla Kim Sammaekjong (526–576; reign 540–576) was the 24th monarch of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He followed King Beopheung (r. 514–540) and was followed by King Jinji (r. 576–579). Jinheung was the nephew / grandson of K ...

. *** 3rd son: name unknown (?–?) – father of Mokuto-Ō known in Baekje as "''Mokdo-wang''" (目圖王/目図王), ancestor of the Oka no muraji clan (岡連氏). He settled in Japan.

Popular culture

* Portrayed by

Ahn Suk-hwan Ahn Suk-hwan (Hangul: 안석환; real name: Ahn Jin-hyeong (Hangul: 안진형); November 1, 1959) is a South Korean actor. Ahn has been active in theater, film and television since 1986. His onscreen roles include both comedic and villainous sup ...

in the 2005-06 SBS TV series ''

Ballad of Seodong ''Ballad of Seodong'' () is a South Korean television series starring Jo Hyun-jae, Lee Bo-young, and Ryu Jin. It aired on SBS from September 5, 2005 to March 21, 2006 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 55 episodes. The period drama is based ...

''. * Portrayed by

Jo Hyun-jae Jo Hyun-jae (born May 9, 1980) is a South Korean actor. Jo made his entertainment debut as a singer in the four-member boy band Guardian, which disbanded after releasing their self-titled album in 1998. In 2000, after he drew popularity when he ...

in the 2013 MBC TV series ''

The King's Daughter, Soo Baek-hyang ''The King's Daughter, Soo Baek-hyang'' () is a Korean-language historical drama depicting the life of Soo Baek-hyang, the daughter of King Muryeong of Baekje. It was aired on MBC TV from September 30, 2013, to March 14, 2014, on Monday and Fri ...

''. *Portrayed by Kim Ho Jung in the 2017 KBS TV series ''

Chronicles of Korea Chronicles may refer to: * ''Books of Chronicles'', in the Bible * Chronicle, chronological histories * ''The Chronicles of Narnia'', a novel series by C. S. Lewis * ''Holinshed's Chronicles'', the collected works of Raphael Holinshed * ''The Idhu ...

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Seong Of Baekje 554 deaths Baekje rulers Baekje Buddhists Korean Buddhist monarchs 6th-century monarchs in Asia Korean Buddhist missionaries Year of birth unknown